For the past decade or so, free game giveaways have been huge across both PC gaming and home consoles. Programs like PlayStation Plus and Xbox free Games with Gold have made it the norm for users to expect free games on a semi-regular basis, to the point where pretty much every major gaming platform has some kind of "free" game promotion going on at any given time. Sometimes these free games are bundled with subscriptions that include other services, but other times that are truly free and require nothing from the consumer beyond a claim.
At the time of this writing, there are free games available for the Epic Games Store and Steam on PC, as well as a variety of games available for "free" through the PlayStation Plus and Games with Gold programs. Sometimes these games are available for a week and other times they are available for up to a month at a time, but anyone looking for something to play without actually buying has plenty of options at the moment.
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Here are the free Epic Games Store, PS Plus, Xbox Games with Gold, and Steam games currently available.
- Among Us
Basically since its inception, a key strategy for the Epic Games Store has been to give away free games and draw new users to its service. The latest free game currently available to download on the Epic Games Store is the mega-popular social deduction multiplayer game Among Us. While Among Us fans likely already have the game on other platforms, those who have yet to see what all the fuss is about have a perfect opportunity to do so completely free of charge thanks to this Epic Games Store promotion.
On Thursday, June 3, Among Us will be replaced by a different free game on the Epic Games Store, which remains a mystery at the time of this writing. While the next free Epic Games Store game has not been announced just yet, Epic Games' French Facebook page may have leaked Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration as the next free game. Fans will have to check the Epic Games Store next week to find out if the leak is accurate or not.
- Armello
- Dungeons 3
- Tropico 4
Microsoft is focusing most of its attention on its Xbox Game Pass service right now, but it is still giving away free games through the Games with Gold program as well. Four new games are added to the Xbox free Games with Gold program each month. Right now those on Xbox One can claim Armello and Dungeons 3 for their collection, while the Xbox 360 offering for May 2021 is Tropico 4.
Soon the Xbox free Games with Gold games will cycle out and new games will be added. Come June 1, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can claim The King's Bird and NeoGeo: Battle Coliseum, replacing Armello and Tropico 4, respectively. Dungeons 3 will still be available for Xbox Live Gold subscribers to claim until the middle of the month, when it is replaced by Shadows: Awakening on June 16.
- Battlefield 5
- Stranded Deep
- Wreckfest
Every month, Sony gives away free games through the PlayStation Plus program, usually consisting of two games for PlayStation 4 gamers and one game for PS5 gamers. Of course, thanks to the PS5's backward compatibility with PS4, those with the new console are really able to maximize the potential of their PS Plus subscription. Regardless, PlayStation Plus subscribers currently have three games to claim as part of the May 2021 lineup.
The free PS Plus games for May 2021 are Battlefield 5 and Stranded Deep on PS4, and Wreckfest on PS5. Battlefield 5 is the latest entry in EA's long-running Battlefield franchise, and with a Battlefield 6 reveal coming sooner rather than later, it makes a lot of sense for Sony to showcase it as a free PS Plus game right now. Stranded Deep is a survival game set in the ocean, while Wreckfest is a vehicular combat game, with the PS5 version including a variety of next-generation enhancements.
Anyone wanting to claim these three games for their PS Plus collection should do so while they still can, as all three will soon be replaced. Fresh PS Plus games will be added with the PlayStation Store update on Tuesday, June 1, at which point Operation: Tango is being added for PS5, joined by Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown Edition and Star Wars: Squadrons on PS4.
- Company of Heroes 2
Steam isn't as well-known for giving away games, so whenever it does, it creates some buzz. And when it comes to Steam, there's the added benefit of gamers being able to claim the games completely free, as opposed to needing a subscription to some other service to do so. Previously, the free Steam games included both Little Nightmares and Company of Heroes 2, but Little Nightmares has been removed from the lineup. Fans of strategy games can still pick up Company of Heroes 2, however, but they will need to act fast. Company of Heroes 2 and its Ardennes Assault expansion are free to keep forever for anyone that claims them on Steam, but the offer expires after today.
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