Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is the latest free game available on the Epic Games Store. The game normally carries a $60 price tag, but through May 28, you can own the PC version for free on the Epic Games Store. This isn’t a trial, either — the game will remain a playable part of your library forever.
Civilization VI released in 2016 but continues to evolve, and The New Frontier Pass, announced earlier this week, promises to keep things fresh for a while. This new season pass offers bi-monthly content updates with new civilizations, leaders, and game modes. The first of these, the Maya & Gran Colombia Pack, is out now, with new packs releasing every other month through March 2021.
Four years ago, Digital Trends heralded Civ VI as “one of the best strategy games of all time,” and not many others have come close in the interim years. At release, it broke records as the fastest-selling game in the series, shipping more than a million copies in its first few weeks. And it’s kept that momentum up quite well, thanks to two major expansions and a handful of smaller DLCs. These updates brought the balance and polish that many in the Civilization community felt was lacking at release.
The new scenarios, features, and mechanics add new depth to an already strong foundation, leading Civ VI to surge in popularity over recent weeks. Nearly twice as many people have played it over the last 30 days compared to this time last spring, according to steamcharts.org. In April, 70,000 Steam players spent time in Civilization VI, compared to the 85,000 who played in the game’s first month.
This is the second big-name title in as many weeks offered for free through the Epic Games Store following Grand Theft Auto V. The overwhelming popularity of last week’s GTA V offer brought the Epic Games Store’s servers to its knees for several hours.
If turn-based strategy isn’t your cup of tea, the Epic Games Mega Sale has plenty of other options. It’s offering 75% off dozens of other titles, including a $10 coupon off any game or add-on over $15. The sale covers a wide variety of games, including Red Dead Redemption II, Borderlands 3, Farming Simulator 19, and Uno.
