The Epic Games Store releases several games for free every month, a tradition that began in 2018 and has continued since. PC gamers can claim these free offers just by having an Epic Games Store account - with no purchase required at all.
The catch is that the free games are only available for a short time, usually exactly one week. Players can add the game to their library for free at any time during the week a game is available, but not before or after. In 2021, there were generally about four to eight free games available per month on the Epic Games Store, ranging from AAA titles to older indie favorites.
January 2021
- Crying Suns - Tactical rogue-lite adventure (2019)
- STAR WARS Battlefront II: Celebration Edition - Star Wars action shooter (2017)
- Galactic Civilizations III - Turn-based strategy game (2015)
- Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition - 2D Metroidvania platformer (2018)
February 2021
- For The King - Turn-based strategic RPG (2017)
- Metro: Last Light Redux - Stealth and survival FPS (2013)
- Halcyon 6 - Turn-based tactical RPG (2016)
- Absolute Drift: Zen Edition - Driving and racing game (2015)
- Rage 2 - Open-world FPS (2019)
- Sunless Sea - Survival exploration RPG (2015)
March 2021
- Wargame: Red Dragon - Real-time strategy game (2014)
- Surviving Mars - City-building simulator (2018)
- The Fall - Adventure puzzle game (2014)
- Creature in the Well - Pinball-inspired dungeon crawler (2019)
April 2021
- Creature in the Well - This game was available for two weeks, one in March and one in April.
- 3 Out of 10: Season Two - Free-to-play narrative-driven minigames (2021)
- Deponia: The Complete Journey - Comedy story and puzzle game (2014)
- Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth - Point-and-click adventure (2017)
- The First Tree - Third-person exploration game (2017)
- Alien: Isolation - Survival horror game (2014)
- Hand of Fate 2 - Dungeon crawler RPG (2017)
- Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms - Free-to-play D&D incremental game (2020)
May 2021
- Pine - Open-world action-adventure (2019)
- The Lion's Song - Narrative adventure game (2016)
- NBA 2K21 - Basketball simulation (2020)
- Among Us - Hidden-role party game (2018)
June 2021
- Frostpunk - City-building survival game (2018)
- Control - Adventure third-person-shooter (2019)
- Hell is Other Demons - Arcade shooter (2019)
- Overcooked! 2 - Cooperative cooking simulator (2018)
- Horizon Chase Turbo - Arcade racing game (2018)
- Sonic Mania - Side-scrolling platformer (2017)
July 2021
- The Spectrum Retreat - First-person puzzle game (2018)
- Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead - Post-apocalyptic construction simulator (2020)
- Ironcast - Match-three strategy game (2015)
- Obduction - Exploration puzzle game (2016)
- Offworld Trading Company - Real-time strategy game (2016)
- Verdun - Squad-based WWI FPS (2013)
- Defense Grid: The Awakening - Tower defense game (2008)
- Train Sim World 2 - Train simulator (2020)
- MOTHERGUNSHIP - Bullet hell FPS (2018)
August 2021
- Minit - Minute-by-minute adventure game (2018)
- A Plague Tale: Innocence - Stealth action-adventure (2019)
- Rebel Galaxy - Management and combat simulator (2015)
- Void Bastards - Roguelike FPS (2019)
- Yooka-Laylee - Open-world platformer (2017)
- Automachef - Management puzzle game (2019)
- Saints Row The Third: Remastered - Action-adventure (2011)
September 2021
- Yuku's Island Express - Pinball platformer (2018)
- Sheltered - Post-apocalyptic survival game (2015)
- Nioh: The Complete Collection - Action RPG (2017)
- Tharsis - Strategy RPG (2016)
- Speed Brawl - 2D combat racer (2018)
- The Escapists - Top-down strategy game (2015)
October 2021
- Europa Universalis IV - National strategy game (2013)
- PC Building Simulator - Simulation strategy game (2018)
- Paladins Epic Pack - Unlocked playable Paladins characters.
- Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse - Third-person action game (2005)
- Among the Sleep — Enhanced Edition - First-person survival horror (2014)
- DARQ: Complete Edition - Psychological horror puzzler (2020)
November 2021
- Aven Colony - City-building strategy game (2016)
- Rogue Company Season Four Epic Pack - Unlocked playable Rogue Company characters.
- Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep - One-shot adventure RPG (2021)
- Never Alone - Puzzle platformer (2014)
- KID A MNESIA EXHIBITION - Free-to-play Radiohead game experience (2021)
- Guild of Dungeoneering - Dungeon crawler RPG (2015)
- Antstream — Epic Welcome Pack - Free-to-play pack of over 1000 arcade games.
- theHunter: Call of the Wild - Game hunting simulator (2017)
December 2021
- While True: learn() - Puzzle simulation game (2018)
- Dead By Daylight - Multiplayer survival horror (2016)
- Godfall: Challenger Edition - Action RPG (2020)
- Prison Architect - Construction and management simulator (2015)
15 Days of Free Games
Another Epic Games Store annual tradition is the event "15 Days of Free Games." This happens at the end of December, and a new free game is available every day for the last half of the month. Instead of being available for a week, these titles are only available to claim for free for 24 hours, so fans often watch meticulously and make sure to download their free games as quickly as possible. For 2021, Epic Games has confirmed that 15 Days of Free Games will begin on December 16, so gamers should be sure to have an Epic Games Store account up and running before then.