FREE-TO-KEEP • PC • VERIFIED SEPTEMBER 13, 2026
A spell-slinging escape through the zodiac or a tiny aircraft causing enormous trouble: this week’s Epic freebies offer two very different versions of “one more run.”
A free game is only a good recommendation if it gives you a reason to open it. Astral Ascent has the bigger adventure pitch: colorful, fast-moving combat, character builds and bosses worth learning. LUFTRAUSERS strips the proposition down to a machine, an increasingly hostile sky and the urge to beat your last attempt. Both are currently free to claim on the Epic Games Store.
Astral Ascent: make the escape your own
The setup gives a familiar roguelite loop a lovely frame: you are trying to break out of the Garden, an astral prison whose twelve Zodiac guardians stand between you and freedom. Instead of a single fixed fighting style, the base game offers four heroes with different identities, from Ayla’s close-range attacks to Octave’s spectral weapons. Spells and build choices give those repeated journeys room to diverge.
That combination is the attraction. You are not simply repeating a platforming course until you memorize it; you are learning enemy patterns while assembling a different answer to them. The next attempt can be an experiment as well as a rematch. Its unfolding story also gives returning to this prison more purpose than chasing a larger damage number.
Start here if: you enjoy learning a boss while experimenting with spells, or want a local co-op action game to share. Epic lists two-player local co-op. The developer also advertises Steam Remote Play Together for the Steam version; that is not evidence that claiming the Epic copy gives you the same online feature.
The useful caveat: this is the base-game offer. Astral Ascent has received substantial updates and also has separate DLC, so do not read “free” as “every character and add-on included.” The current Epic listing is for Windows, and the store recommends a controller. Check its requirements against your machine rather than assuming pixel art guarantees an effortless run.
Our take: this is the more inviting first install if you want progression, personality and a game to settle into. If repeated deaths and rebuilding a run are exactly what you are tired of, a zero-dollar price will not change the underlying rhythm.
Check the Astral Ascent giveaway →
LUFTRAUSERS: the appeal is the next attempt
Vlambeer’s arcade shooter makes a different bargain. There is no vast world to learn before the fun starts: choose a combination of weapon, aircraft body and propulsion, then survive the sky. Devolver describes more than 125 combinations and over 100 missions, with enemy aircraft, ships and rival aces giving your little machine plenty to worry about.
The interesting decision is not which cockpit looks nicest. A different machine changes the kind of risk you are building around. The customization gives a failed attempt somewhere productive to go: perhaps the answer is a different setup, perhaps it is learning to fly the one you already chose. That is a much tighter fantasy than an aviation simulator or a long campaign of carefully briefed sorties.
This is a single-player game, and its age is worth stating plainly: the giveaway is a chance to discover an established 2014 release, not a new launch. The restricted palette and silhouettes are part of its identity. If you want cinematic spectacle or a story-led flying game, the trailer should make clear that this is aiming elsewhere.
Our take: claim it for concentrated score-chasing and the pleasure of getting better at a small set of actions. It makes an appealing counterweight to Astral Ascent: one asks you to escape a world, the other asks how much trouble you can cause before your attempt ends.
Check the LUFTRAUSERS giveaway →
Next week trades reflexes for decisions
Mindcop turns a murder investigation into a problem of limited time. You have five in-game days, actions consume that time, and diving into suspects’ minds introduces real-time puzzle play rather than an automatic truth button. The appeal is choosing which lead deserves your attention when you cannot exhaust every possibility without consequence. It is a particularly interesting prospect for mystery fans who want investigation to involve decisions, not simply clicking every dialogue option. Its real-time component is also worth knowing if you prefer wholly unhurried detective games.
View Mindcop’s upcoming offer →
Shogun Showdown puts that decision-making into combat. You position yourself, prepare attack tiles and choose when to unleash them; upgrades let you assemble combinations over a run. Its Japanese-inspired pixel art dresses a game about timing and space, not twitch sword fighting. This is the one to watch if you like the satisfaction of seeing a sequence work because you planned it, while still wanting the changing possibilities of a roguelike.
View Shogun Showdown’s upcoming offer →
Claim now; installation can wait
Open the official product page, sign in to the Epic account you actually use and complete the zero-price claim during the offer window. Confirm that the game appears in your library. Epic says claimed weekly games remain in your library even if you do not download them immediately; this is different from a time-limited trial. Account and applicable license terms still apply.
You do not need to buy another game to justify these recommendations. Start with the one whose play loop sounds appealing, and leave the others for another mood. Links here go directly to the official store and are not affiliate links.
Sources & verification
This is a researched offer guide, not a hands-on review. Live offer cards and UTC reset timestamps checked September 13, 2026. Dates are a snapshot, not a claim that the promotion remains active indefinitely.
Epic’s live free-game lineup · Astral Ascent developer press kit · Astral Ascent official site · LUFTRAUSERS publisher trailer and game description · Mindcop publisher launch trailer · Shogun Showdown publisher page · Epic weekly-giveaway help. Individual Epic listings are linked beside each game.
