The Best Free Games Epic Games Store Gave Away in 2023

Epic Games Store continues to offer players great free games every week with its now-iconic gift promotion, helping users fill their libraries in the launcher with a wide variety of games across many genres. Some of the games gifted on the Epic Games Store stand out far more than others, but this year saw one of the best free game lineups to date. Even though the dates to claim these free games have already passed, players can still look forward to the free games on the Epic Games Store throughout this month.

Originally launched as a client in 2018, the Epic Games Store struggled to compete with rivals like the PC gaming juggernaut Steam. Epic Games kicked off its free game promotion at launch to encourage more users to download the storefront, giving away a new game every two weeks, but this promotion schedule moved to every week starting in June 2019 and has continued strongly ever since. Epic Games has spent millions of dollars over the past five years giving away free games, and based on the giveaway dates, here are the best of 2023.

What Are the Best Games Gifted on the Epic Games Store? 2023

Kerbal Space Program

Epic Games started off 2023 by gifting the 2015 title Kerbal Space Program before the sequel's release this past February. Even though the full version of the game had been available since 2015, Kerbal Space Program was also on sale on the Epic Games Store at the time it was given away for free. This decision was a generous way to let players who hadn't tried the game yet check it out with no strings attached, and it showed that sometimes being a patient player pays off.

Kerbal Space Program is a space flight simulation game that combines funny little green astronauts called Kerbals with real-life space flight physics. Players will need skill and patience to build vehicles like rockets, rovers, and space stations to successfully send their Kerbals into space, while also using the game's physics engine to perform the same real orbital maneuvers used by NASA astronauts. Despite the game's difficulty, Kerbal Space Program earned a cult following, even receiving praise from names in the space flight industry for its commitment to realistic simulated physics.

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Although developer Arkane Studios had a tough year due to the controversial launch of Redfall, the studio's fans still had something to celebrate as the Epic Games Store gifted away some of the studio's best games, including Dishonored: Death of the Outsider. The game was originally released in 2017 but came to the Epic Games Store in December 2022 and was given away for free in February 2023. Players also had the chance to get Dishonored: Definitive Edition for free from the store the previous month.

The Dishonored series has become an icon among fans of the immersive sim genre thanks to its gameplay, which lets players choose how they approach combat situations. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is the third game in the series and was originally intended to be DLC for Dishonored 2 rather than a full standalone release. The game follows former assassin Billie Lurk, who works alongside her mentor Daud to kill the mysterious entity known as The Outsider, who has been responsible for granting characters supernatural powers throughout the series.

Dying Light Enhanced Edition

Spring brought a string of great games given away on the Epic Games Store, starting with Techland's zombie parkour adventure Dying Light Enhanced Edition being offered for free in April. Originally released in 2016, it was added to the Epic Games Store in February 2022, timed to coincide with the release of Dying Light 2: Stay Human that same month. The enhanced edition of Dying Light includes The Following expansion, as well as content released during the game's first year, such as the "Be the Zombie" mode and "The Bozak Horde."

Dying Light takes players to the fictional city of Harran, somewhere in the Middle East, in the middle of a virus outbreak that turns infected people into fast, agile, highly aggressive zombies. Playing as protagonist Kyle Crane, players will use their parkour skills to cross the city's rooftops while avoiding the dangers posed by these zombies, all while trying to help survivors in the quarantined city. The game is best known for its fast-paced traversal mechanics, which were further expanded in its sequel.

Death Stranding

One of the biggest games Epic Games gifted in 2023 was Hideo Kojima's AAA epic Death Stranding. Originally released as a PlayStation exclusive in 2019, the game later came to PC in 2020; the Director's Cut edition arrived on PS5 in 2021 and on the Epic Games Store in 2022. Even though the Director's Cut was available at the time of the giveaway, players could only get the base game for free, with the option to purchase the Director's Cut upgrade.

Death Stranding tells the story of Sam Porter Bridges as he traverses the post-apocalyptic landscape of the United Cities of America, delivering supplies and reconnecting these cities to the Chiral Network. Along the way, Sam faces off against BTs, entities that exist between life and death in the world, as well as the terrorist group known as Homo Demens and their leader, Higgs. Kojima described Death Stranding's gameplay as "strand-like," with players using the game's simulated physics to traverse various dangerous environments while building asynchronous online structures to help other players in their own game instances.

Fallout: New Vegas – Ultimate Edition

Often cited as the best game in the Fallout series, fan-favorite Fallout: New Vegas was a pleasant surprise from Epic Games, even including all of the game's DLC through its Ultimate Edition. Fallout: New Vegas is a classic RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment, originally released in 2010 but arriving on the Epic Games Store in May 2023. Epic Games gave it away as a way to celebrate the game's arrival on the storefront. It was offered for free on the day it launched on the Epic Games Store.

Like other games in the Fallout series, Fallout: New Vegas takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where the world has been destroyed by nuclear war, society's survivors have been irradiated, and the world has become barely habitable. Rather than being developed by Bethesda itself, this title was developed by Obsidian as Bethesda's publisher, and it takes place in the Mojave Desert surrounding the remains of the Las Vegas Strip. As the Courier, Fallout: New Vegas players will have to contend with various factions fighting for control of the region and the scarce resources left after the nuclear devastation.

For the latest news, follow Gamer Papers or our social media accounts.