How to Claim Epic Games Store Free Games Step by Step

Epic gives away at least one PC game most weeks, and a claimed game stays in your library for good. You only need a free Epic account and a minute before the Thursday switch. This guide goes from a fresh account to a claimed title and covers the places a claim tends to fail.

What you need before you start

An Epic account is the only requirement, and the same login works on the website and in the launcher. No paid plan is involved. Create the account, confirm the email address and sign in once on the device you plan to use.

Set up two-factor authentication before claim day. Epic made it mandatory for free-game claims between April 28 and May 21, 2020, and announced that on its store news page. Epic's announcement covered a fixed window, but checkout can still ask for a code on an account that has none, so an early setup removes a source of failed claims. Open the Password and security section of your account and choose an authenticator app, SMS or email. Laptop Mag's 2020 walkthrough names Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, LastPass Authenticator and Authy as supported apps.

Claiming a game, step by step

1. Sign in to your Epic account on the Epic Games Store website or in the launcher.
2. Open the Free Games section. It lists what is free now and usually previews the next rotation.
3. Click the game you want and press the Get button.
4. Confirm the order. The total shows as zero and no payment is taken.
5. Open your library. If the game is listed, you own it.

You do not have to install it right away, so claim first and sort out disk space later. When two games are free in the same week, each is its own order, so repeat the steps.

When the weekly deadline falls

Epic's promotions feed shows the current free games switching at 15:00 UTC on Thursdays, which is 11:00 US Eastern during daylight saving time and 16:00 in the UK while British Summer Time lasts. The UK clocks go back on October 25 and the US clocks on November 1. On Thursday, October 29 the switch is therefore still 15:00 UTC, which is 15:00 in London. From Thursday, November 5 the same 11:00 US Eastern slot is 16:00 UTC. Read the end date shown on the offer itself and convert it to your local time, because that is the one Epic enforces.

Each title is claimable for one week and then returns to its normal price. Do not wait for the last hour, because a failed checkout at rollover leaves little room to retry. Epic runs a longer holiday giveaway in December, so the weekly rhythm can change then and the offer dates are the guide.

Claiming on mobile

Epic's Free Games program also reaches the mobile store app. In a January 2025 video, Epic said the program had launched on Android worldwide and on iOS in the European Union, alongside nearly 20 third-party games. Availability on phones depends on your region and platform, so open the app's store tab and check what it lists instead of assuming it mirrors the PC offer.

If something goes wrong

• The game is missing from your library after checkout: reload the launcher or sign out and back in, then check the Library tab again. If the page still offers the game, repeat the order.
• A two-factor prompt blocks the claim: enable it in Password and security as described above, then return to the game page.
• The page will not load or the button is missing: try the website if the launcher misbehaves, or the other way round. A different browser or a private window rules out a stale session.
• You cannot see the game in your country: some offers are region-limited, so check the offer on your own store page and not through a link shared from another country.

After you claim

Claimed games belong to your account, not to the machine. Keep your login details safe, since a compromised account takes the whole collection with it. If you also collect codes from other stores, read our guide to redeeming game codes safely before you paste anything into a form. Players who also chase streamer rewards will find the steps in our Twitch Drops guide.

Frequently asked questions