Epic Games Store's New Free Game Saves You $50

It's Thursday, which means Epic Games Store's free games have been updated. Unfortunately, where last week featured two free games, this week only features one free game, but it is a game that normally costs you $50, whether you're buying it on EGS or Steam. In other words, there's considerable savings to be had this week, despite there only being one free game. That said, you need to act before August 31, which is next Thursday, because after this date the game in question will no longer be free and will be replaced with a new free game. 

As for the new free game that normally costs $50, it's Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak from developer Blackbird Interactive and publisher Gearbox Software. A real-time strategy game that debuted back in 2016 as a prequel to the far more well-known 1999 real-time strategy game, Homeworld, Deserts of Kharak boasts a "Very Positive" Steam User Review rating, with an 83 percent approval rating across 6,394 user reviews. This more or less lines up with its critical reviews, as the game boasts a 79 on Metacritic. 

"A ground-based RTS prequel to the classic Homeworld games," reads an official blurb about the game. "Assemble your fleet and lead them to victory on the shifting sands of Kharak in this compelling strategy game. Crafted by Blackbird Interactive, a studio founded by veterans of Homeworld and Company of Heroes, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak takes players to the deserts of Kharak where danger lurks over every dune."

Once downloaded, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is yours to keep. There are no catches or strings attached. This isn't a free trial or a free demo nor is the offer locked behind any subscription. If you have an Epic Games Store account, which costs nothing, you can claim this game for free. And once claimed and in your library, the game is yours until the Epic Games Store ceases to exist or the game ceases to exist. 

As for next week's free game, it's Cave Story+, which despite being an indie game, may actually be the more well known game of the two because unless you were playing games on the PC in the late 90s and early 2000s, you probably have never heard of Homeworld. That said, the prominence of the two games is debatable, but what is not is that Cave Story+ is only $15, and thus saves far less money.