Epic Games Store Free Games: Complete Guide

Epic Games has given away over 500 free games since 2018 — and the program is still running in 2026. Every Thursday, one or two full PC games unlock for free on the Epic Games Store. Here's how it works.

How the Weekly Free Games Work

**Every Thursday** (~5 PM UTC) new free game(s) go live

Each game stays free for **exactly one week**

Claim it once — it's **yours forever**, even if you never install it

Mystery games in December are usually the biggest drops of the year

How to Claim (Takes 30 Seconds)

1. Create a free Epic Games account

2. Open the Epic Games Store or the Epic launcher

3. Find the current free game on the storefront

4. Click Get, then Place Order (price: free)

5. Done — the game is in your library permanently

No credit card. No strings. The game just stays in your library.

What Kind of Games Does Epic Give Away?

The range is wild: indie gems, cult classics, and full AAA blockbusters have all appeared. Strategy games, shooters, story-driven adventures, cozy indies — across a year you'll build a serious library for exactly $0.

Pro Tips

**Claim weekly, even games you don't want now** — tastes change, libraries are forever

**December Mystery Games** are typically marquee AAA titles

Epic also runs bonus weeks with **15+ daily freebies**

Watch for free add-ons and packs between the weekly rotations

Where to Track Epic Freebies (Plus Everything Else)

Epic's rotation is only one stream of free games. Steam key giveaways, GOG offers, and itch.io drops happen daily across the web. Our giveaways tracker aggregates them all with countdown timers — filter by Epic Games Store platform and never open five tabs again.

And when you're not claiming, browse 400+ free-to-play games on FreeDeck for something to play right now.

Start Claiming

The best time to have started was 2018. The second best time is this Thursday — check the active giveaways and lock in this week's games.