What’s Free on Epic Games Store This Week?
Epic Games Store has been giving away free games every Thursday since 2019, and the tradition shows no signs of stopping. For gamers who want to build their library without spending money, Thursday has become the most anticipated day of the week.
Every week brings new opportunities to claim games that become yours forever once added to your account. This article covers the current free offerings on the Epic Games Store, shows you exactly when to claim them, and explains everything you need to know to never miss a weekly giveaway.
This Week’s Free Games on EGS
Every Thursday at 8 AM PT (11 AM ET / 4 PM GMT), Epic offers at least one free PC game, and sometimes as many as two or three. You have one week to add the freebies to your library before new games take their place. Epic has given away over $10,000 worth of games since 2018, and the program shows no signs of stopping.
Fear the Spotlight
Original Price: $22.99
Fear the Spotlight is a third-person survival horror game that pays homage to classic 90s titles, focusing on storytelling, puzzle solving, and atmospheric tension rather than jump scares. Published by Blumhouse Games, the game follows two teenagers who sneak into their high school for a séance that goes terribly wrong.
The game uses retro PS1-style aesthetics with polygonal characters and geometric shapes. Most of your time is spent walking through empty corridors with limited flashlight vision, searching for items to solve puzzles. Players have to use stealth to avoid a mysterious creature with a spotlight for a head. You'll hide under classroom desks, library carts, and lunch tables while avoiding its gaze.
The gameplay emphasizes emotional depth over complex mechanics or combat, offering a quieter, more introspective experience. It's ideal for newcomers or players seeking a narrative-driven experience. The game takes roughly three to four hours to complete and includes extra content after the main story that explores themes like grief and dysfunctional families.
The puzzles are classically designed but more contained than traditional survival horror games. Rather than exploring a large mansion, puzzles typically involve only a few locations near each other, like moving between two hallways and four classrooms.
Next Week's Free Games on Epic Games Store
Starting October 30 and running until November 6, Epic will offer two horror titles: Bendy and the Ink Machine and Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit.
Bendy and the Ink Machine
Original Price: $19.99
This first-person survival horror game follows Henry Stein, a retired animator who returns to the defunct Joey Drew Studios after 30 years. The game mixes combat with puzzle mechanics as players explore through a first-person view.
Players explore through a first-person perspective with limited physical actions like running and jumping. Different items can be collected, some required to perform various tasks before proceeding. Combat focuses on melee weapons like axes, pipes, plungers, or scythes, along with long-range weapons like Tommy Guns. In-game enemies have different strength levels and resilience to damage, forcing players to be tactical about keeping out of reach and striking when necessary.
The game's biggest strength is its atmosphere. It's downright creepy, oozing atmosphere as you explore an eerie, abandoned building dripping with strange, dark liquid. The environment is dark and filled with a constant threat of danger. Players solve situational puzzles while fighting off ink monsters in locations where moody lighting and eerie atmospheric sounds put you on edge.
The complete edition contains all five chapters, taking players through the deep underground levels under the studio to reveal the chaos created by the titular Ink Machine.
Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit
Original Price: $14.99
This game adapts the short story from the Fazbear Frights novels. Unlike previous FNAF titles, Into the Pit features retro pixel graphics and a third-person perspective. The story follows 10-year-old Oswald, who discovers a ball pit that transports him back to 1985 when his local pizzeria was a thriving Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
The gameplay breaks into several pieces: exploration, puzzle-solving, and survival horror elements. Players can fast-travel between locations on a town map, with current objectives displayed in the top right corner.
Hiding is a key mechanic, but players also have other solutions like activating loud noises to lure animatronics away. You might scoot a ladder across a creaky floor or turn on a blender in the kitchen to distract enemies. The noise meter is vital for gameplay and adds horror elements to puzzle-solving.
Players must explore five locations: Oswald's House, The School, The Library, The Mill, and the Pizzeria. As the week progresses, Spring Bonnie blocks, boards up, or destroys any escape routes used in previous nights, forcing players to find new and riskier ways to escape.
The game can be completed in just a few hours, but multiple endings, unlockable achievements, and different difficulty settings provide replay value. The pixel art blends nostalgia with modern horror, while the sound design features eerie ambient noises, disembodied laughs, and perfectly timed musical cues.
Also Read: PlayStation Plus Monthly Games
Why Does Epic Games Give Away Games?
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney explaed that giving away free games is a user acquisition strategy. For about a quarter of the price of Facebook or Google Search ads, Epic can pay developers for distribution rights and bring in new users at an economical rate.
The strategy serves multiple purposes. It's a marketing approach designed to compete with Steam, the dominant PC game store. By offering weekly free games, Epic convinces users to download its client and create accounts. Having a weekly reward for loading up the store app massively increases the likelihood of repeat customers who spend time browsing and potentially making purchases.
The approach has proven effective despite the costs. Court documents revealed Epic spent $1.4 million on Subnautica alone and $1.5 million on the Batman: Arkham series. Sweeney notes that developers who give away free games actually see an upsurge in sales of their paid games on the store because the free game raises awareness. Developers often approach Epic, wanting to release a free game just to drive awareness of their next title.
Epic has generated more than 160 million customers through this strategy. Players spent over $700 million on games in Epic's store, with $265 million spent on games Epic didn't develop. The free games condition users to browse Epic's catalog, where they discover paid games on sale.
Also Read: Amazon Prime Free Games
How to Claim Epic Games Store Free Games?
Once you add a game to your account, you don't have to install it immediately. It remains in your account permanently, unlike subscription services, where you need to maintain an active membership.
PC and Mac
Create an Account: Visit the Epic Games Store website and create a free account if you don't have one already.
Navigate to Free Games: Go to the Epic Games Store Free Games page. In the top-right, click Sign In and enter your details.
Claim the Game: Click the game you want to add to your account, then click Place Order and click I Agree.
The game is now yours permanently. You can download and install it whenever you want through the Epic Games launcher.
Android
The Epic Games Store is now accessible globally on Android. To claim your free games on Android from EGS, simply follow these steps:
Download the Epic Games mobile app
Open the app and log in to your Epic Games account
Choose the game you wish to redeem.
The game is automatically redeemed on your account when you start the installation process.
Alternative Method (Browser): You can also visit the official Epic Games Store website through your mobile browser (Chrome, Safari, or any of your choice), log in to your Epic Games account, go to the "Free Games" section on the homepage, select the free game you want, and click the "Get" button to finalize.
iOS and iPad
The Epic Games Store is available on iPhone and iPad in the European Union only. iPhones must be using iOS version 17.6 or later, and iPads must be using iPadOS 18 or later.
If You're in the EU: Download the Epic Games mobile app from the App Store, log in to your account, and claim games directly through the app.
If You're Outside the EU: The iOS Epic Games app is only available to EU users, but the web link should allow anyone on Apple to claim games through their browser, no matter where you are.
Simply visit the Epic Games Store website using your mobile browser, log in, and claim games. The games will be added to your account and ready to download when the app becomes available in your region or when you access your account on PC.
Also Read: All Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Games
Important Tips for Getting Free EGS Games
Set a weekly reminder to check the Epic Games Store for new free games. Games typically rotate every week, and once the timer hits zero, the game is gone and replaced by a new one.
If you don't see a claimed game in your account later, check if you have multiple accounts. If you created an Epic account using an @gmail.com email address, log in directly using your Gmail password. Using the Google login button creates a distinct account even if it's tied to the same email address.
Mobile games are different from PC games. Epic Games Store launched separate free titles on mobile devices. The program began with monthly releases, with plans to move to a weekly schedule later in 2025
Final Words
Epic Games Store's weekly free games remain one of the best ways to build your gaming library without spending money. The claiming process takes just minutes across all platforms, and once a game is in your account, it's yours to keep forever. Make sure to check back every Thursday for new releases and set a reminder so you never miss a giveaway. With hundreds of games already distributed and no signs of the program ending, there's always something new to discover.
“ GameBoost - Mustafa Atteya has been writing about gaming and esports since 2023, specializing in competitive game content and player improvement guides. At 24, he brings both hands-on gaming experience and professional SEO writing expertise to the GameBoost team.”
