Last week, the Epic Games Store revealed it would be releasing a free "mystery game," teasing that the title would only be announced once The Lion's Song had vacated the storefront's weekly free game promotion. Today, the titles officially switched, revealing that players can get their hands on NBA 2K21 for free throughout the next week.
The game will be available from today until May 27 at 8:00 AM PT, at which time it will be replaced by a second mystery game. As with the build-up to NBA 2K21, there's no hint as to what this second mystery game will be, with players having to wait until May 27 for it to be unveiled. Once the game does debut, it will be available for free on the Epic Games Store until June 3.
As for NBA 2K21, the game is sure to be a big draw for fans of the franchise, with the latest iteration of the annual basketball title launching back in September 2020. It was the first to make its way to next-generation platforms, boasting upgraded visuals and other new mechanics, while it also offered a new MyCareer story to experience. Reviews for NBA 2K21 were mixed at release, with many claiming it didn't do much to surpass its predecessors and was loaded with egregious pay-to-win microtransactions.
As for next week's release, it stands to reason it'll likely be something equally as big. Last year, the Epic Games Store used the mystery game build-up to reveal some huge free titles for the marketplace, including Grand Theft Auto 5, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, Civilization 6, and more. With NBA 2K21 filling the slot this week, it's clear the storefront is still using the idea to push some massive freebies to its player base, so there's a lot of evidence that next week's offering will follow suit.
In the meantime, players looking for some other free goodies can check out Xbox's Games with Gold promotion or PlayStation's PS Plus giveaways. Games with Gold is currently giving Armello, Dungeons 3, LEGO Batman, and Tropico 4 to players subscribed to Xbox Live Gold. Meanwhile, PS Plus purchasers can get their hands on Battlefield 5, Wreckfest, and Stranded Deep. PlayStation's Play At Home Initiative is also currently giving away some in-game incentives to all users regardless of whether or not they own PS Plus. Heading over to the storefront can net players currency and content for games like Rocket League, Destruction All-Stars, Warframe, NBA 2K21, and MLB The Show 21.
Source: Epic Games