Free PC Games: 8 Legit Ways to Get Games You Keep (2026)

A huge number of good PC games are given away for free every year by the stores themselves. The catch is that most giveaways last only a few days, so the skill is in knowing where to look and claiming on time. Here is every legitimate method, with the ones worth the most first.

1. Epic Games Store: a free game every week

The most reliable source of free PC games there is. Every Thursday at 11 AM Eastern, the Epic Games Store makes at least one game free to claim for a week, sometimes two or three. Once you claim it, you keep it permanently, even after the promotion ends.

• Claim it from the store's free games page while you are logged in. You do not need to install it.
• Turn on two-factor authentication on your Epic account. Epic has required it for free-game claims in the past, and it protects a library that will grow quickly.
• Around the holidays Epic often runs a mystery game every day for a couple of weeks.

If you only do one thing from this list, check Epic every Thursday.

2. Amazon Luna (formerly Prime Gaming)

If you already have Amazon Prime, you get a monthly selection of free PC games to claim, now through Amazon Luna, the new name for what used to be Prime Gaming. The games are delivered as keys or claims on GOG, Epic, Amazon's own launcher and others, and you keep them.

The lineup changes during the month, so check back more than once. Claiming is included in Prime. Don't pay for Prime just for this unless you would use the rest of it.

3. Steam free-to-keep promotions

Every so often a Steam game goes 100% off for a limited time. Add it to your account during that window and it stays in your library permanently. These are less frequent than Epic's giveaways and are rarely announced in advance. Following a deals tracker or a free-games community is the easiest way to catch them.

Know the difference between three things that all appear as "free" on Steam:

4. Steam free weekends

Free weekends do not give you the game, but they are the best way to try before you buy, and they usually come with a discount on Monday morning. Progress carries over if you buy the game afterwards.

5. GOG giveaways

GOG runs periodic giveaways of DRM-free games. Claimed games belong to your account and the installers can be downloaded and kept offline. Its sale events usually include at least one giveaway, so a GOG account is worth having for those alone.

6. itch.io and indie bundles

itch.io hosts thousands of free and pay-what-you-want games from independent developers, and some are excellent. Charity bundles also appear regularly. These are not strictly free, but they are often very cheap for a large number of games.

7. Free-to-play games

Many of the most-played games on PC cost nothing to download: competitive shooters, MOBAs, MMOs and card games among them. "Free" here is genuine for the game itself. It is the cosmetics, battle passes and loot boxes that cost money. Set yourself a spending limit before you start, not after.

8. Earn store credit instead of buying it

If the game you want is never free, the next best thing is to pay for it with credit you earned instead of cash. Rewards sites pay in Steam credit for surveys, offers and other activity. XPReward, for example, prices rewards at 144 points per $1 of face value, with $25 Steam, PSN and Xbox cards at 3,600 points. That takes real time, and we are upfront about what you can realistically earn. Compared with other free methods, though, it lets you choose the game yourself. Our free Steam gift card guide covers every legit route to Steam credit.

"Free game" traps to avoid

• Key generators and "free Steam key" sites. They are all scams. There is no way to generate a valid key. See rewards site scams.
• Cracked downloads. Pirated installers are one of the most common ways gamers end up with malware or a stolen account.
• "Claim this free game" links in Discord DMs. If a link takes you to a login page that looks like Steam's but isn't on steampowered.com, it is phishing.
• Grey-market key resellers. Cheap keys from unofficial resellers are sometimes bought with stolen cards and can be revoked later, taking the game with them.

Rule of thumb: legitimate free games come from the store itself, inside the official launcher or website. If a "free game" needs your password somewhere else, it's not free.

A simple weekly routine

1. Thursday: claim this week's Epic game.
2. Start of the month: check Amazon Luna if you have Prime.
3. Whenever a deals tracker says so: claim any Steam 100%-off promotions.
4. Big sale weekends: check GOG for a giveaway.

That takes about ten minutes a week and gives you a large library within a year.

FAQ

Do I really keep Epic's free games forever?
Yes. Once claimed they are permanently in your library, like a purchase.

Do I need to install a game to keep it?
No. Claiming it adds it to your account, and you can install it whenever you like.

Are free weekend games mine to keep?
No. They lock again when the weekend ends unless you buy them.

Can I get free games on console the same way?
Console giveaways mostly come through subscriptions such as PlayStation Plus and Game Pass. See paying for Game Pass or PS Plus with gift cards.