Epic wants to give you free games on mobile every week, just like Windows

The alarm clock is the unsung hero of smartphones. As well as those old plastic boxes worked, nobody likes waking up to what sounds like an air raid siren every morning. A phone’s offer of customizable sounds, super-easy time selection, and a dozen consecutive alarms can help you arise bright-eyed and bushy-tailed without having to hit snooze.

My phone’s alarm clock, though, does something most don’t. It gets me free video games. I have a few hundred already — there’s no way I’ll ever finish them — but every week, usually on Thursday, the well-known Epic Games Launcher for Windows offers up at least one free video game. My heart would break if I missed any. And that alarm clock is about to start pulling double duty. Released in August 2024, Epic Games’ stores for mobile devices now offer new titles at no cost every Thursday. And you can never have too many games.

Is there such a thing as a free lunch?

Maybe Tim Sweeney is just really generous

Tim’s on the right, next to another legend, John Carmack.

Say what you will about Epic Games in general — social media certainly does — but its dependable, recurring offer of at least one free game every week is reason enough to at least visit the store. That’s the point, of course, because it’s easier to spend your money once you’re looking at all the fun graphics. With a little self-restraint, it’s possible to get in and out without spending a dime.

And don’t assume these games are all simplistic throwaways or janky, unfinished projects. Many are old, but have satisfying controls and fun, if blocky, graphics. The desktop giveaways have included such modern classics as the Bioshock games, the Batman: Arkham trilogy, Evil Dead, and even Grand Theft Auto V. I have so many games available now on the Epic Games Launcher, they’re hard to navigate.

The mobile giveaways will always be a little different due to the platforms’ discrepancies. But many exceedingly fun Epic gifts feature traditional, user-friendly controls and easily digested gameplay. Epic has given away hundreds of millions’ worth of free games over the last several years. Granted, the fee it gives developers represents a fraction of the game’s MSRP, but a yearly free games budget ranging from $10 million to $25 million is no small outlay. The mobile freebees won’t cost Epic nearly as much, but they do have a similar payoff: They’ll see me visiting Epic’s mobile games platform at least every week.

How do Epic Games for Android and its free games work?

Can I get it from the Google Play Store?

Actually, you can’t. There was a whole lawsuit about it. Epic basically wiped the floor with the world’s leading data hoarder, winning almost every concession it asked the courts for. The big one was the right of a third party to implement its own app store within Google’s Android operating system.

Google wasn’t pleased — its lawyers reacted with misdirection, asking, “What about Apple?” Several months later, Google argued for dismissal due to technicality. The dust settled and Epic came out the clear victor, but the mobile stores moved slowly. Not until January 2025 did Epic offer a single free mobile game. Two months later, though, the iconic company’s new mobile store has hit pace with its long-standing desktop platform. At least one free game every week, usually on Thursday.

A straightforward process with a small twist — for now

Claiming your free games is mostly simple. They’re clearly marked in the center of the screen after scrolling down a short distance. Tap them (or click them, for us weirdos who use mice with tablets) and — here’s the slightly weird part — select Download. After that, you can install the game right away if you want, although you don’t have to.

The oddity here comes from how new the mobile store is. It only had a few dozen titles when I checked last night, and currently lacks any kind of collection or library for perfectly organizing your mobile titles. That’s because Epic is actually working towards, apparently, unifying its mobile and desktop stores to some degree.

The Epic Games Store for iPhone, iPad and Android is a new mobile marketplace where you can find, purchase, download and play new games and apps for your mobile device. Launching initially with your favorite mobile games from Epic, the app will evolve over the coming months to become a hybrid games store featuring PC, Mac and mobile products in one store.

There’s no “Add to library” option for the free games yet, partly because Epic engineers are pushing forward with its next iteration. But don’t worry. Numerous gamers watching Epic’s heretofore scattershot free releases confirmed that once you click download, the game is yours. One such fan has been playing KOTOR I and II for two months straight (and I’m sad to have missed its gift release).

Eventually, we’ll see new Epic Games library and launcher software. It’ll probably be less frustrating than the current PC implementation and more fleshed out than the early mobile software. But don’t wait for a re-skinned interface to check for new free Epic offerings. Go set your alarm clock for Thursday, and make sure to label it, “Free Epic Games for Android giveaway.”