Epic Free Games: System Shock 2 and Buried Stars (Ended October 8)

System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster and Buried Stars are free on the Epic Games Store until October 8 at 15:00 UTC (08:00 PT, 17:00 CEST). Claim both before then and they stay in your library permanently. One is a 1999 sci-fi shooter-RPG rebuilt for modern PCs, the other a murder mystery set in a collapsed TV studio.

What you can claim

In System Shock 2 you wake from cryo sleep in 2114 aboard the faster-than-light ship Von Braun with no memory, while the rogue AI SHODAN has taken over and mutants and robots roam the decks. Nightdive Studios built the remaster, and Steam lists its release as June 26, 2025. It adds cross-play co-op, mod support, ultrawide support with frame rates up to 144 FPS, better character models, controller support, 50 achievements and quality-of-life fixes. You pick a military branch (the O.S.A., Marines or Navy) and shape your character like an RPG, which makes the same corridors play differently on a second run. Steam shows an 84 Metacritic score for it, and it currently sells there for $16.49 (45 percent off $29.99), so the free copy saves you most of the regular price.

Buried Stars is a single-player mystery adventure from Studio LARGO and LINE Games that Steam dates to November 29, 2021. A live survival audition show ends when the studio collapses, and the trapped contestants and crew discover that one of them is a killer. You follow the case through an in-game social media feed and timeline that show public reaction and drop hints. The look blends 2D character illustrations with detailed 3D environments, and your dialogue choices lead to different routes and endings. Steam charges $39.99 with no discount, so claiming it on Epic is a full saving. Both games are Windows only.

How to claim

1. Open the Epic Games Store in a browser or the launcher, sign in, and go to the Free Games page.
2. Click "Get" on each game and complete the zero-price checkout.
3. Confirm each title now shows as owned in your library.

Only the claim has to happen before the deadline. You can install and play later, so add both now even if your backlog is full. Step-by-step help is in the Epic free games claiming guide.

What comes next week

Epic's promotions feed lists Out of Sight and TerraScape as the next pair, free from October 8 at 15:00 UTC to October 15 at 15:00 UTC, so both weeks use the same Thursday handover, 08:00 PT (16:00 in the UK) on October 8 and again on October 15. Europe changes its clocks on October 25, so the local hour shifts for handovers after that date. Out of Sight is a horror puzzle adventure in which you play Sophie, a blind girl who sees through her teddy bear's eyes while she escapes her captors in a dark mansion. It lists at $14.99. TerraScape is a medieval city puzzler where you place buildings on floating islands, hunt for secret combinations and play monthly challenges in single or multiplayer modes. It lists at $16.99.

Planning your claims

Steam lists both current games as Windows only, so check the platform requirements on the Epic page before you claim if you play on a Mac. The prices in this post come from Epic's US feed and are quoted in dollars, so your regional price may differ while the free offer itself applies to your store. If you only care about the giveaways, the routine is the same each week: claim on Thursday, and the next pair becomes available at the same hour. If you also use other stores, the GOG giveaway guide covers a similar claim-and-keep offer there.

Frequently asked questions

Claim both this week, then check back on October 8 for the next pair.