The Epic Games Store is nothing if not generous with its free games. Every week, a new game becomes free on the storefront for registered users. This practice began back in August of 2019 and has proved incredibly popular; after all, in terms of a way to attract customers to its storefront, free games of exceptional quality are certainly a smart business choice for the Epic Games Store.

Relative to other storefronts, the Epic Games Store is no stranger to controversy. Epic Games exclusives tend to attract a lot of criticism, but the practice of releasing free games has been positively received so far. In the first half of March 2021, the free games seem to be all about different kinds of survival. Some of the offerings might be from less popular gameplay genres, but for fans of games about survival, it is definitely worth picking up these titles.

RELATED: The Best Games Ever Given Away for Free on the Epic Games Store

Epic Games' free game right now is Wargame: Red Dragon. Eugen Systems' title imagines what the world would be like if the Cold War had broken out into global conflict. Taking on the role of the Western NATO forces, the player fights against the entire united Eastern bloc in a "new theatre of war," Asia. Moreover, players can take command of the various nations affected by this conflict, and this 2014 title aims to emulate how difficult a realistic war encounter would be to survive.

There are several systems at play that try to simulate the difficulty of warfare. As a difficult RTS game, Warfare: Red Dragon has a set of methodical mechanics focusing on the strategy of war. Further to that, the game painstakingly models over 1450 different battlefield units. If a player wants to find out exactly how it would feel to command a continent-wide battle with authentic units, Wargame: Red Dragon aims to fill that niche.

In spite of these aims, the game received criticism at launch for its sea battles. The AI on enemy boats was not very realistic despite being incredibly dynamic, yet there was, however, significant praise given to Wargame's land combat. The game's battles really emphasized the importance of holding and securing points of deployment. While it might not have been one of the best games of 2014, Wargame: Red Dragon is a great product to pick up free from the Epic Games Store. It is free until the 11th of March.

Surviving Mars is the next game that the Epic Games Store will be offering for free to its customers, and this sci-fi survival simulator takes place on the titular red planet. Players choose a space agency and starting resources to optimize their race to colonize the planet. Recently, many Mars landing memes have delighted gamers, but this title takes a much more serious stance on the scarlet world. Surviving Mars creates individuals, not just NPCs. The colonists of the game are unique, each with their own thoughts, flaws, and desires. A scientist could develop a brilliant oxygen storage solution one week, and crippling alcoholism alongside it.

The game also pays close attention to the type of science fiction game it is. Surviving Mars takes inspiration from a subgenre known as "hard sci-fi," which focuses more intense, detailed form of the genre. Classic authors in this subgenre include Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke who emphasize the importance of meticulous planning, and the power of normal people coming together to topple the most difficult odds.

For Surviving Mars, making sure that players consider every outcome and possibility is essential. Thanks to a randomized research tree, realistic problems and unique NPCs, the game is incredible value normally. It will be free from the 11th to the 18th of March.

RELATED: Biggest Gaming News of the Week: 2/28/21 - 3/6/21

Finishing off the early March free offerings, if not exactly part of this program, is from the Epic Games Store is Greatwood High, an incredibly impressive alpha put together by HeroCraft. The tech demo shows the incredible potential of Gravewood as an "infinitely replayable stealth survival horror." Throughout the game, the player is pursued by a terrifying teacher with supernatural powers. While it does not appear that Gravewood High is gory, it might shape up to be one of the scariest horror games out there.

The procedurally generated school  is also largely destructible. Both the player and the antagonistic teacher can break through walls, floors, and ceilings. This makes the survival element feel multi-dimensional, with many different avenues of escape that players could utilize creatively. The chase is catapulted through many eras of time, from the American Civil War through to the psychedelic 80s. Ultimately, Gravewood High gives as many replayable elements as possible.

Alphas like Gravewood High are fantastic demonstrations of a game's technical capability. In this case, it seems like HeroCraft's survival stealth horror will be nothing if not ambitious. If an Epic Games Store customer wants a unique survival horror without zombies, then grabbing the  demo is a perfect opportunity.

These three games all offer radically different experiences. Each title comes from a hugely different genre of gaming. This fits with what seems to be the general Epic Games Store strategy: give a wide variety of free titles away to attract as many gamers as possible. For the start of March, the store has managed to satisfy RTS, space simulator, and horror fans alike with its free games. Whatever the case may be, any fan of survival games should be happy with this fantastic array of games, especially when all these games are free.

Wargame: Red Dragon is free on the Epic Games Store until March 11th. Surviving Mars will be free on the Epic Games Store from March 11th-18th.

MORE: 15 Great Free-To-Play Games To Grab From The Epic Games Store