Every week, PC stores hand out full games for free. The offers rotate quickly, so knowing where to look matters more than any one list.

Where the free games come from

Epic gives games away on a weekly cycle. Recent offers have run Thursday to Thursday, with new titles going live at 8 AM Pacific Time, which was 8:30 PM in India in October. Once claimed, a PC game stays in your Epic library. Check the store’s free games section for the current pair.

Steam runs Free to Keep promotions. Valve’s developer documentation describes Free to Keep as a time-limited promotion that gives you a permanent license to a game, and says these aren’t promoted anywhere on the store by default except the game’s own page. That makes them easy to miss, so community posts point to SteamDB’s free promotions list as a place to look.

GOG gives games away during its sales. GamingOnLinux has regularly reported free GOG games during events like its Autumn and Back to School sales, and one tracker says the claim window is often just a day or two. GOG sells DRM-free games, meaning you can download an installer and keep it.

Know the difference between kinds of free. Free to Keep is a paid game made free for a limited time. A free weekend only gives a temporary license, and free-to-play games are always free but earn money inside the game. Only the first kind is yours to keep.

Where it falls short

A free game is only worth it if you’ll play it, and a growing library can leave you with titles you never touch. Claimed games still take up disk space once you install them. Offers can be limited by region or account, so check the claim page, and when the deadline passes the game goes back to full price.

Staying safe

Claim only on the official store pages, and make sure the price at checkout reads zero before you confirm. Be wary of sites that promise “free keys” or ask for your Steam or Epic password, because a real giveaway doesn’t need your password.

A good starting point

Open the Epic Games Store on Thursday evening and claim the current free games. Then bookmark SteamDB’s free promotions page and add GOG to your sale checklist.