Gamers that are subscribed to services like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold can really get their money's worth. Both services make free games available each month so the subscriptions practically pay for themselves if someone is interested in the free games that are available. These subscriptions are a great way for gamers to get serious bang for their buck and significantly grow their library of digital games in the process.

Of course, PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold aren't the only two games in town. There's also the Epic Games Store to consider, which gives out more free games at a more frequent rate, and comes with the added benefit that there's no subscription fee required. All told, if someone regularly uses any of these platforms, they can snag a ton of free games.

RELATED: Epic Games Store Makes Wishlist Improvement

Since the Epic Games Store, PS Plus, and Xbox Live Gold change their free games on a regular basis, some may find it hard to keep up. New games are cycled in every month, but as of September 2021, these are all the free games that fans can claim across Epic Games Store, PS Plus, and Xbox Live Gold.

Epic Games Store Free Games September 2021

• Nioh: The Complete Edition (until September 16 at 10:00am CT)
• Sheltered (until September 16 at 10:00am CT)
• Speed Brawl (September 16 at 10:00am CT - September 23 at 10:00am CT)
• Tharsis (September 16 at 10:00am CT - September 23 at 10:00am CT)

Epic Games Store users have known for a week that they would be able to add Sheltered to their digital libraries, but they were surprised to see Nioh: The Complete Edition made free as well. The vast majority of free Epic Games Store games are smaller scale indie games, so Nioh: The Complete Edition stands out as one of the more significant free games that have been made available on the Epic Games Store all year.

Unlike PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold, there is no fee that users have to pay to claim the Epic Games Store free games. All that one needs to do is download the Epic Games Store launcher and then claim the titles for their collection. Anyone interested in Nioh: The Complete Edition or Sheltered has until September 16 at 10:00am CT to claim the games, and once they do, they will be theirs to keep forever.

Nioh: The Complete Edition and Sheltered will be cycled out as the Epic Games Store free games come September 16, and at that point they will be replaced by the next two Epic Games Store free game offerings. From September 16 at 10:00am CT to September 23 at 10:00am CT, Epic Games Store userse can claim Speed Brawl and Tharsis for their collections.

Speed Brawl is especially interesting because it was supposed to be an Epic Games Store free game about a month ago. However, some kind of technical difficulty prevented it from being made free when it was supposed to, and so it was pulled and replaced at the last minute. For those curious, Speed Brawl is described as a 2D combat racer. Tharsis, meanwhile, is a turn-based strategy game set in space.

Free PS Plus Games September 2021

• Overcooked: All You Can Eat (until October 4)
• Hitman 2 (until October 4)
• Predator: Hunting Grounds (until October 4)

The announcement came a little later than expected, but Sony eventually announced the free PS Plus games for September 2021 on Wednesday, September 1, releasing them to PS Plus subscribers on Tuesday, September 7. Leaks about the free PS Plus games for September 2021 were right on the money, so subscribers already had a pretty good idea about the three games that they would be adding to their collections.

Overcooked: All You Can Eat is the free PS5 PS Plus game for September 2021. Overcooked: All You Can Eat combines the content of the first two Overcooked games into one package, improving the graphics and making some quality of life improvements. Developer Ghost Town Games has since released new Overcooked kitchens that are only playable in Overcooked: All You Can Eat, so even those that have extensively played the original games have good reason to check it out.

RELATED: Some PS Plus Subscribers Are Getting Locked Out of Their Free Games

As usual, PS4 gamers have two free games to check out when it comes to the free PS Plus games lineup, though both games are also playable on PS5 thanks to the console's backward compatibility with PS4. Hitman 2 is the first free PS4 game, IO Interactive's well-received stealth action game. After claiming Hitman 2 for their collection, those that own Hitman 3 should be able to play its levels in the new game, which means they can experience the content with all the upgrades that Hitman 3 brings to the table.

Predator: Hunting Grounds, meanwhile, is an asymmetric multiplayer game where one player takes on the role of the titular Predator and other players take on the role of unlucky humans. All three games will be available until Monday, October 4, and then on Tuesday, October 5, they will be replaced by the next batch of free PlayStation Plus games. The free PS Plus games for October 2021 have yet to be announced, but Sony will most likely reveal them come Wednesday, October 6.

Xbox Free Games with Gold September 2021

• Yooka-Laylee (until September 15)
• 'Warhammer: Chaosbane (September 1 - September 30)
• Mulaka (September 16 - September 30)
• Zone of the Enders HD Collection (September 1 - September 15)
• Samurai Shodown 2 (September 16 - September 30)

Xbox has clearly decided to focus on adding new Xbox Game Pass games and doesn't seem to care nearly as much about the Xbox Games with Gold program as it did in the past. However, the Xbox free Games with Gold for September 2021 are some of the best offerings the service has offered this entire year, with Warhammer: Chaosbane free on Xbox One from September 1 to September 2 and Mulaka free on Xbox One from September 16 to September 30.

The free Xbox 360 games are the real draw when it comes to the free Xbox Games with Gold for September 2021. From September 1 to September 15, subscribers can claim Zone of the Enders HD Collection, which collects the Zone of the Enders PS2 games and remasters them for moderon platforms. The Zone of the Enders games have never gotten the same kind of attention as Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid franchise, but Kojima fans should still take the time to check them out, especially since the collection is free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Samurai Shodown 2, meanwhile, will be made free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers from September 16 to September 30, and it's the XBLA version of the classic fighting game.

Due to the way Microsoft handles the Xbox free Games with Gold games, subscribers have a leftover game from the August lineup that they still have time to claim. 3D platformer Yooka-Laylee, developed by former Rare developers at Playtonic Games, is still free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers until September 15, so anyone interested in the game still has time to get it for free, as long as they are an Xbox Live Gold subscriber.

MORE: September 2021 Xbox Free Games with Gold Highlights the Strength of the Service