Keep the kids entertained with free video games, every month
Whether it’s your little ones that are gaming obsessed, or yourself, keeping up with the latest releases can be costly. Luckily, there are many games being given away for free each week, many of which you may not be aware about. This brief guide outlines some of my favourite outlets for free games, across both PC and consoles.
PlayStation Plus (PS4)
Got a PlayStation Plus Subscription? If so, you can get 2 free PS4 games a month. These are yours to keep for as long as you are a member, so make sure you claim yours from the PS Store Page each month.
Xbox Games with Gold (Xbox One, Xbox 360)
Like PlayStation Plus, if you have an Xbox Live subscription, you can get 2 free games for the Xbox One and/or 2 games for the Xbox 360 or Xbox Original. The 360 and Original Titles are backwards compatible with the Xbox O
Nintendo Switch Online (Nintendo Switch)
If you have a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online, you can access a back catalogue of classic NES games, including your vintage Mario, Zelda and Metroid games. 2-3 games are added to the service each month. No matter when you join you can have access to existing titles for the duration of your membership. As for something more modern, Switch is the only platform where you can play the (free if you have a Switch Online subscription) Tetris 99, a twist on the original where you battle 98 other players to become the last man standing.
Twitch Prime (PC)
Got an Amazon Prime subscription? If not, you can sign up to a 30 day trial here*. You may not realise you can use this to sign up for a Twitch Prime account for free. Twitch is a massive live streaming platform for gamers, and each month you can get a handful of PC games (typically 4-6). In the past, these titles have been added not long after initial release, with Pikuniku being given away for free on it’s day of release.
Humble Bundle (PC)
Humble* launched in 2010 as a site selling bundles of games at a huge discount for limited times, with all money going to charity. Over time they’ve grown to have multiple bundles per week across gaming, ebooks and software, as well as a dedicated storefront. Frequently they do limited time giveaways on the Humble Store, so be sure to sign up to their newsletter to be kept informed.
GOG.com (PC)
GOG brought many classic PC games back to the masses, with patches and installers that fix many ancient masterworks to be runnable on modern hardware. They also have a small selection of these classics for free, and occasionally run limited time freebie offers. If you have a steam account, it’s also worth checking their Connect Section from time to time, as this allows you to claim certain games on GOG for free that you’ve already bought on Steam (this usually runs during their major sales, and I have claimed 150+ games in this way).
Epic Games Store (PC)
If you haven’t heard of Epic Games, you would have most certainly heard of Fortnite, the “Free-To -Play” Battle Royale that has taken the world by storm. Late 2018, Epic launched the Epic Games Store, which is another PC store for purchasing games. As a part of this, they are giving away a game for free every 2 weeks (every fortnight!).
Do you have any other free game sources? Who’s the gamer in your life? Let us know in the comments below.
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Thanks for this. There's a good website called Steam that you if you are subscribed you get free games on your computer each month I think but apart from that I can't think of any others. I remember when I was younger I was able to buy a new game with my pocket money but nowadays they are so expensive this blog post will definitely be one I will look back on.
I may have a slight Steam addiction... 2053 Steam games as of this morning. Wish I had that much expendable income now though >_<, or enough hours to even play them
I used to play games so much but since having a child that has gone out of the window. I wish I still had time to play.
Thank you for this v useful round up - passing it onto the the gamers in my family. Thank you 🙂
My kids love the X Box, all of them are big Minecraft fans still. It is their main addiction really. They would be on it all weekend.
I will share this with my brother and SIL, they play games and always looking for free ones, this is very insightful
I didn't realise there were so many places to get free games from, my daughter is a little young at the moment for games consoles although it won't be long til she wants to play with her Dad, so these are some great tips.
I'll send this to my son as he is a big gamer! Thanks and very cool you can get free games
I will have to forward this list onto my nephew I’m sure he would be chuffed to see this!
My kids don't have any of these consoles. But my husband has a Switch (which he keeps hidden from them, lol), so maybe I should point him to the relevant sites.