The Epic Games Store has been an integral digital storefront for games ever since it launched in 2018, and the website and standalone launcher have been popular with players. Epic Games Store also releases a handful of games every month for free for its users, giving gamers another reason to frequent the storefront. Players should always keep an eye out on what free games are available month to month, as in the past there have been some truly amazing games to pick up.
It may only be just over halfway through the year, but the first seven months of 2022 have added another slew of incredible titles to Epic Games Store's list of free games. These may each only be available for a limited time, but if gamers are quick and have their eye on the ball they can make use of some brilliant bargains. This year has been fairly strong for the Epic Games Store so far, but there are a few titles that stand out.
Supraland
This colorful and cartoonish Metroidvania is a first-person puzzle game that is a joyful mix of The Legend ofZelda, Portal, and Metroid. With a minimal story that barely interferes with the gameplay, Supraland lets players loose in a large interconnected sandbox world where they need to use a number of different abilities to solve problems and open new areas. Despite its simplistic aesthetic, Supraland is full of surprises and secrets, and will provide players with hours of fun.
Wolfenstein: The New Order
The seventh mainline entry in the Wolfenstein series, Wolfenstein: The New Order, was the shot of adrenaline that the franchise needed. The 2014 title took the brutal, first-person action to an alternate timeline where Nazis won the Second World War and hardened solder William "B.J." Blazkowicz had to battle to stop them from taking over the entire world. The combat was fun and frantic, and the story was surprisingly emotional and affecting given the game's veneer of mindless violence. Wolfenstein: The New Order was well received by critics and fans, and breathed new life into the series.
BioShock: The Collection
2K Games' BioShock series is a beloved and hugely influential franchise. The first BioShock, in particular, set the bar for atmospheric and inventive gameplay, and first introduced players to the unforgettable underwater city of Rapture. The third title BioShock Infinite took the series in an interesting new direction with a different setting and time period, even if it wasn't quite as well-received as the first game. BioShock: The Collection brought all of these fan-favorite games together and spruced them up with some graphical and gameplay improvements.
Borderlands 3
The Borderlands series is known for its explosive action, irreverent humor, and over-the-top characters, and Borderlands 3 brought these all in spades. The fourth main entry in the franchise, Borderlands 3 introduced a new lot of Vault Hunters that players could use to battle across the violence-ridden areas of Pandora in search of loot and glory. Alongside refinements and upgrades to many of the core gameplay elements of previous games, Borderlands 3 still offered fans all the zany action they expected from a Borderlands title.
Prey
Not to be confused with Human Head Studios' 2006 game of the same name, Arkane Austin's 2017 Prey was a fresh start for the IP and a complete reimagining of the previous game. This sci-fi FPS combines elements of stealth, horror, and role-playing as gamers creep about an alien-infested space station. As Morgan Yu, players must collect resources and arm themselves against the highly adaptable aliens as they try to get to the bottom of what's happened to the station.
Paradigm
If players read the summary for Jacob Janerka's indie adventure title Paradigm, they would either be immediately sold or incredibly perplexed. Set in the post-apocalyptic Eastern European country of Krus, Paradigm is a surreal sci-fi game where gamers take control of a mutant whose musical dreams are put on hold in order to save the world. Plagued by a genetically engineered evil sloth with a dashing haircut, a psychopathic superhero, and a glamorous pug who leads a cult, gamers must navigate this 2D environment and complete the bizarre point-and-click adventure.
XCOM 2
As turn-based tactics games go, the XCOM series is definitely up there with some of the best. The sequel to the 2012 reboot, XCOM 2, took place twenty years after its predecessor as humanity recovers from its catastrophic losses and tries to take back Earth from alien invaders. With a ton of new systems and gameplay tweaks, XCOM 2 was an improvement from the popular previous game and built upon its successes in smart and engaging ways.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
The Astronauts' 2014 horror adventure game The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was a title that stayed with players long after they'd completed the story. Gamers were able to roam the atmospheric open environments as they tried to piece together the game's narrative through the eyes of paranormal investigator Paul Prospero. With some dark twists and turns, the game's narrative and haunting design garnered some great reviews.
Total War: Warhammer
Bringing together the established gameplay elements of the Total War franchise with the characters and lore of the Warhammer series, Total War: Warhammer was a great mix of fantasy and turn-based combat. The game's setup perfectly fitted Warhammer's various warring factions and also mixed together elements of turn-based strategy and real-time tactics for a comprehensive and engaging gaming experience.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Starbreeze Studios anchored Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons' emotional storyline with some interesting gameplay mechanics, and the fantasy world was filled with ingenious puzzles that required players to control both the brothers at once. Battling a variety of fantastical creatures to find a cure for their father, the game managed to convey a poignant and stirring story even without the use of dialogue.
Tomb Raider Trilogy
Few characters are as iconic in video games as Lara Croft. The titular Tomb Raider has enjoyed many adventures across the years, but 2013's Tomb Raider reboot was the start of an exciting new chapter. Grounding the games with more realistic action and environments and exploring Lara's journey to becoming the character that players know and love, The Tomb Raider Trilogy modernized the series and pushed the boundaries of cinematic action games.