Like the other major gaming platforms, the Epic Games Store gives its users a chance to claim free games on a regular basis. However, a key difference between the Epic Games Store free games and free games given away through PS Plus or Xbox Live Gold is that the EGS free games are 100% free. All Epic Games Store users have to do to claim the free games for any given week is download the Epic Games Store launcher, with no need to sign up for anything or pay a subscription fee.
One could argue that since the Epic Games Store free games are completely free, it doesn't incentivize Epic to give away as high quality games as PS Plus or Xbox Live Gold. However, Microsoft has more or less abandoned Xbox Live Gold in favor of adding as many games to Xbox Game Pass possible, so Epic Games Store may have XBL beat, but it would be hard to make the argument that it outmatches the free PS Plus games.
After all, the free Epic Games Store games tend to be obscure indie games as opposed to the bigger titles that are given away through PS Plus regularly. However, the Epic Games Store free games for April 2022 have bucked that trend, with Epic giving away higher profile, higher quality games than usual. And not only that, but the Epic Games Store free games for April 2022 have so far consisted of two free games every week, as opposed to just one like it has been for most of the year.
Epic Games Store Free Games for April 2022
- City of Brass (March 31 - April 7)
- Total War: Warhammer (March 31 - April 7)
- Rogue Legacy (April 7 - April 14)
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (April 7 - April 14)
- Insurmountable (April 14 - April 21)
- XCOM 2 (April 14 - April 21)
The Epic Games Store kicked off its April 2022 free game offerings with City of Brass and Total War: Warhammer. City of Brass is a first-person game from Uppercut Games, a studio comprised of individuals that worked on the BioShock franchise. City of Brass earned mixed reviews and is definitely the weakest part of the Epic Games Store free games for April 2022 lineup so far, but it may still appeal to first-person dungeon crawling fans.
Total War: Warhammer, meanwhile, is a critically-acclaimed strategy game from Creative Assembly and Sega. Total War: Warhammer marries the Total War and Warhammer franchises with great success, with the game successful enough to justify two games in the series. The latest game in the series, Total War: Warhammer 3, came out just recently, so EGS users had the chance to get caught up on the series if they grabbed Total War: Warhammer while it was free.
The current Epic Games Store free games are Rogue Legacy and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, which replaced City of Brass and Total War: Warhammer on April 7. Rogue Legacy is a roguelike action-platformer that earned critical acclaim at the time of its original release. Its availability as an Epic Games Store free game comes just as the release date for Rogue Legacy 2 was announced, so like the Total War: Warhammer situation, Epic Games Store users have time to catch up for a sequel.
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, meanwhile, is a much different experience, but it too earned strong reviews from critics and has its dedicated fans. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a first-person mystery game where players have to solve the disappearance of a missing 12-year-old boy. It was developed by The Astronauts, a studio that hasn't done anything since but is currently busy working on a first-person shooter game called Witchfire.
Come April 14, Rogue Legacy and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter will be replaced by Insurmountable and XCOM 2. Insurmountable is a little-known game but one that Epic Games Store users will definitely want to claim once it's available for free. It's a survival game with permadeath where players have to scale dangerous cliffs. Insurmountable may not have quite the same buzz as some of the other Epic Games Store free games given away in April 2022 so far, but it's still worth a look.
And finally, XCOM 2 is the headlining Epic Games Store free game for April 2022 so far. XCOM 2 is the latest main series entry in the long-running turn-based strategy game from Firaxis. It won numerous awards when it first launched in 2016 and is considered by many to be one of the finest examples of the strategy game genre in recent years. Even though it's six years old at this point, it's still a huge "get" for Epic Games Store and those that have yet to play it should definitely be excited that they'll get to experience the game for free.
Looking ahead, there should be even more free games for Epic Games Store users to claim before April 2022 is over with. April 21 and April 28 will both have their own batch of free games for users to claim, but fans will have to wait to learn more about them.