Free Games to Claim This Week: Astrea, Mechabellum and More
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Free games are the best kind of loot. This week you can claim and keep 3 PC games for nothing, including two on Epic until Thursday, and play 3 more free this weekend through Steam free weekends and a Nintendo Switch Online trial.
Claim and keep means the game stays in your library forever once you add it, even after the promo ends. Free to play means it’s only free for a limited window, usually with a discount if you want to keep it. I list the end time for every one, so you don’t miss out.
Show all 8 free games at a glance
| Game | Where | When |
|---|---|---|
| Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles | Epic Games Store (PC) | Free until Thu, Oct 1 at 11 a.m. ET |
| Mechabellum | Epic Games Store (PC) | Free until Thu, Oct 1 at 11 a.m. ET |
| For Honor (Standard Edition) | Ubisoft Store (PC) | Free until Mon, Sept 28 in the morning |
| System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster | Epic Games Store (PC) | Expected free Oct 1–8 |
| Buried Stars | Epic Games Store (PC) | Expected free Oct 1–8 |
| Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Switch game trial) | Nintendo Switch Online | Play the full game free until Wed, Sept 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT |
| Squad (Steam free weekend) | Steam | Free to play until Mon, Sept 28 at 1 p.m. ET |
| Ship Graveyard Simulator (Steam free weekend) | Steam | Free to play until Mon, Sept 28 at 1 p.m. ET |
The Scroll in Brief
- Grab first: For Honor on the Ubisoft Store. Its giveaway ends Monday, Sept 28.
- Best free keep: Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles on Epic (normally $24.99), free until Thursday, Oct 1 at 11 a.m. ET.
- Coming next: System Shock 2’s 25th Anniversary Remaster is expected free on Epic from Oct 1 to Oct 8.
- Try before you buy: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is fully playable on Switch through Sept 30 for Nintendo Switch Online members.
- With a subscription: PlayStation Plus Essential’s September games (including Sniper Elite: Resistance) can be claimed until Oct 5.
Free to Claim and Keep
Add these to your library before the timer runs out and they’re yours for good. You only need a free account on each store.
Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles
Free until Thu, Oct 1 at 11 a.m. ET (normally $24.99) · Deckbuilder fans who like dice and a bit of risk.
A dice-building roguelike: you collect dice instead of cards, build a pool from hundreds of options across six Oracles, and roll your way through fights to purify a corrupted star system. Claim it once and it stays in your Epic library for good.
Mechabellum
Free until Thu, Oct 1 at 11 a.m. ET (normally $14.99) · Strategy players who’d rather plan the army than click every unit.
A mech auto-battler: you draft units, set up your formation and upgrades, then watch the battle play out. It has 1v1 ranked, 2v2, free-for-all and a co-op survival mode.
For Honor (Standard Edition)
Free until Mon, Sept 28 in the morning (Ubisoft says it runs through Sept 28) · Anyone who likes weighty sword fights and online duels.
Ubisoft’s melee action game, free to keep as part of the publisher’s 40th-anniversary giveaway. You need a free Ubisoft account, and the game runs through Ubisoft Connect. Grab it today, because this one is almost over.
Coming Next Week on Epic
Epic swaps its free games every Thursday at 11 a.m. ET. These two are reported as next up. I’ll confirm them here once they go live on Oct 1.
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster
Expected free Oct 1–8 (normally $29.99) · Horror and immersive-sim fans.
Nightdive’s remaster of the 1999 sci-fi horror classic set aboard the derelict starship Von Braun, now with cross-play co-op and mod support. Deal trackers report it as Epic’s next freebie; the store page still showed the full price when we checked, so claim it once the price flips to free on Oct 1.
Buried Stars
Expected free Oct 1–8 · Players who like mystery stories with choices that matter.
A mystery adventure set in the collapsed studio of a live survival audition show, with branching choices as the trapped contestants work out what happened. Reported alongside System Shock 2 as next week’s second free game.
Free to Play Right Now
These aren’t yours to keep, but you can play the full game free for a few days and keep your progress if you buy. Steam free weekends usually end Monday at 1 p.m. ET.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Switch game trial)
Play the full game free until Wed, Sept 30 at 11:59 p.m. PT · Switch owners with Nintendo Switch Online who like tough, twisty platformers.
The whole game unlocks for Nintendo Switch Online members during the trial, and your save carries over if you buy it. Deal trackers list it at 70% off ($8.99) on the eShop until Oct 7, so it’s a cheap keep if you get hooked.
Squad (Steam free weekend)
Free to play until Mon, Sept 28 at 1 p.m. ET · 50% off ($19.99) until Oct 1 · Squads who want big, team-heavy military shooters.
A 100-player tactical shooter built around communication, base building and vehicles. Play it free this weekend, and your progress carries over if you buy it on sale.
Ship Graveyard Simulator (Steam free weekend)
Free to play until Mon, Sept 28 at 1 p.m. ET · 93% off ($1.04) until Oct 1 · Chill-sim fans who like taking things apart.
Cut up wrecked ships for steel and parts, sell the salvage and upgrade your gear. At about a dollar after the free weekend, it’s an easy keep if the loop clicks.
With a Subscription
- PlayStation Plus (Essential and up): September’s monthly games are Sniper Elite: Resistance, MLB The Show 26, Wobbly Life and Chained Echoes. Claim them by Mon, Oct 5 to keep them in your library while you’re subscribed. See the PlayStation Blog announcement.
- Prime Gaming (Amazon Luna): Prime members can claim High on Life and Hue (Epic codes) plus The Da Vinci Cryptex this month. Claim windows run about five weeks. The October lineup hasn’t been announced yet.
Gary’s Tips for Free Game Hunters
- Claim everything, even if you won’t play it tonight. It costs nothing, and your library is the hoard.
- Epic refreshes on Thursdays at 11 a.m. ET. Xbox Free Play Days usually run Thursday to Sunday, and Steam free weekends usually end Monday at 1 p.m. ET.
- Free weekends often come with a discount. If you enjoy the game, buying before the sale ends is usually the cheapest it’ll be for a while.
- Only claim from the official store pages linked here. Ignore “free key” sites and DMs.
Keep digging: today’s Daily Loot Report, every Humble Bundle right now and the Steam Autumn Sale guide.
Sources
- Epic Games Store: Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles
- Epic Games Store: Mechabellum
- Ubisoft News: 40th-anniversary For Honor giveaway (through Sept 28)
- Steam: Squad free weekend
- Steam: Ship Graveyard Simulator free weekend
- Nintendo: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown game trial
- PlayStation Blog: September 2026 PlayStation Plus games
- Amazon Game Studios: Luna / Prime Gaming September lineup
