The Epic Games Store has officially announced its October 22 free games, which include Sker Ritual, a round-based survival FPS that is kind of like someone turned the Zombies mode from Call of Duty into a standalone shooter. The newly revealed freebies are part of the Epic Games Store’s final pre-Halloween 2026 giveaway.
Over the seven-day period starting on October 8, Epic was giving away cozy city builder TerraScape and creepy puzzle adventure Out of Sight. That promotion has formally come to an end on October 15, having immediately been replaced with another pair of freebies: Bad Cheese and Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise.
Epic’s October 22 Giveaway To Feature $30 Worth of Free Games
Another thing that happened immediately after Epic’s October 15 giveaway kicked off was the official announcement of its immediate follow-up. The next promotion will feature Sker Ritual and Home, both of which Epic Games Store users will be able to claim from October 22 through October 29. Worth $29.98, the giveaway will begin and end at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET / 5 p.m. CET on those respective dates.
Epic Games Store Free Games Right Now
A Brief Intro to Sker Ritual
Maid of Sker’s Horror Setting Reworked as a Co-Op Survival FPS
Released in April 2024 by Wales Interactive, Sker Ritual is a round-based survival FPS playable solo or in online co-op with up to four players. Rather than a direct sequel, the game is an FPS spin-off of 2020 survival horror Maid of Sker that continues from its evil ending and brings back the Quiet Ones cultists as its main enemies. Between waves, players complete objectives, upgrade inventive-looking steampunk weapons, and collect Miracles tied to Celtic gods. Epic has featured Wales Interactive’s series before, as Maid of Sker was one of its weekly free games in July 2024.
Home Explained in One Paragraph
A 2012 Murder Mystery Where the Player Helps Decide What Happened
Home dates back to 2012 and takes a very different approach to horror. The pixel-art adventure from husband-and-wife studio BancyCo (formerly known as Benjamin Rivers Inc.) begins with its protagonist waking in a strange, dark room before gradually piecing together a murder mystery, with exploration and player choices influencing how the story is interpreted. Multiple paths and endings mean there is no single fixed route through the mystery, fitting the game’s central hook that the player helps decide what ultimately happened. Home is not the first BancyCo title that PC gamers can claim free of charge this year, as the Epic Games Store also gave away Alone With You in early September 2026.
Epic’s October 2026 Free Games Have Been Horror-Heavy
The October 22 promotion also continues a pattern that has run through every Epic giveaway period announced for the month so far. System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster led off October, followed by Out of Sight on October 8, Bad Cheese on October 15, and now Sker Ritual and Home, meaning every weekly giveaway this month has included at least one horror or horror-adjacent game. While eight years old on average, both Home and Sker Ritual are first-time Epic Games Store freebies.
