While many favorite hobbies and past times can be equally time-consuming and expensive, gaming has managed to solidify itself as one of the most difficult ones to keep track of as the years go by. For many players who find their wallets under constant attack during sales such as the Steam Summer Sales, finding free games to try out is like finding a diamond in the rough of expenses. The Epic Games Store is a boon for such gamers as every week in all of this, as the online storefront offers one or two free titles players can pick up for the cost of just having an account on Epic Games' service. These games become available every Thursday at 10 AM CT.
Of course, August 24 is no exception, and there will be a new game for players to get free of charge once that day rolls around. It may be a bit of a let-down for some that the last full week in August only has one game offered on the Epic Games Store, and with it only requiring 10 hours to beat it, it's rather easy to pick up and put down. However, the fact that the game is free for all users for a week makes its relatively small playtime a blessing as Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak invites players into a classic real-time strategy series at no extra cost.
Epic Games Store Free Game Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak Explained
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a prequel to the original Homeworld game, taking place 106 years before the story properly begins. It is also a spin-off, taking the RTS combat and management fans have loved for decades and putting it in the desert rather than space. Despite that, the terrain leads to interesting dynamics in Desert of Kharak's gameplay, such as requiring a clear line of sight to attack targets. Players are given thirteen missions featuring maps of the sandy planet of Kharak, a dying world that Rachel S'jet is sent to investigate.
While Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak may be relatively short, it may be a perfect companion to games already found in players' libraries. If users managed to pick up the Epic Games Store free games for July 27, then they already own Homeworld: Remastered, which has Homeworld 1 and 2 included. For those players, being able to get Deserts of Kharak is another deal that can benefit them. While the spin-off may feel and play a bit differently, it's still more of the RTS action they may have grown to love back in late July.
For those who didn't want to try Homeworld with the remastered collection, this is another chance to see what the series is all about before Homeworld 3, the newest title currently in development, is released. While Homeworld 3 was hit with a sizable delay, the game is still being worked on. Due to how Deserts of Kharak makes it a point that players have an entire planet to explore and conquer, rather than the vastness of space, there may be a learning curve between DoK and the other Homeworld titles, but fans of the RTS genre should feel right at home with either.
RTS games aren't everyone's preferred game to play, though, which means that without a second game being offered on the Epic Games Store, some players may end up going without a new title that week. While the lack of a price tag for Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is a great way for gamers who have never experienced the RTS genre to give it a try, it's not something players should feel like they have to. After all, once Deserts of Kharak is available for free to all users, a new Epic Games Store free game will be announced that may be more their cup of tea.