Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Sometimes the best weeks hit quietly before the obvious fireworks. Right now, the Epic Games Store is giving away a low-key pair of games worth checking out—but what’s coming next is arguably one of the biggest free offerings of the platform all year.
Musical Arcade Game
Until July 17 at 5 PM, you can grab Figment 2: Creed Valley and Sky Racket, both offering very different experiences under the “quick and quirky” umbrella.
Figment 2 follows hot on the heels of the first game—which wrapped up its own free period on July 10—and continues the series’ blend of musical action and dreamlike puzzles. Think isometric adventures through the corners of the mind, where boss fights are designed around rhythmic cues and everything looks like it was hand-painted in a child’s sketchbook. It’s whimsical, darkly charming, and even though its pacing occasionally stutters, it delivers some memorable visual storytelling wrapped in gentle gameplay evolution. It’s not going to set your adrenaline on fire, but it’ll get your imagination sparking.
On the flip side, Sky Racket slices straight to the arcades, mixing colorful shoot-’em-up mechanics with brick-breaker bounce physics. It’s a short, easy-on-the-eyes title where each level feels like a sugar rush. Local co-op sweetens the deal even more—it’s great for couch sessions. It doesn’t have the lasting power of bigger indies, but in five- to 15-minute runs, it’s happy chaos.
Next Drop: Civilization VI Platinum Edition
The real megaton swings into place next week. From July 17 to 24, Epic is giving away Sid Meier’s Civilization VI Platinum Edition. That’s the full base game, all six DLC packs, Rise and Fall, and Gathering Storm expansions—all bundled into one download button. No piecemeal nonsense, no ha-ha-not-this-version trap. This is the whole Civ VI experience, in its most complete and polished form.
To put it plainly: this is nearly everything Civilization VI has to offer. And it’s being offered free.
That’s big—and not just because the base game is still retailing elsewhere or because this version typically costs actual money. This is 2K and Firaxis staging a clear gesture. With Civilization VII announced but mired in cautious fan optimism and lukewarm buzz, there’s an unsaid question hanging: is the series still on fire? Giving away the most content-rich version of its predecessor—for absolutely no cost—isn’t just generous. It’s tactical.
By doing this now, Firaxis is effectively reminding people what made Civ work so well pre-VII. It’s also stoking goodwill during a strange moment when the sequel is still mysterious and oddly quiet for a supposed 2025 release. Instead of vague promises, they’re handing players a full-featured, battle-tested experience, arguably better than what Civ VII is ready to offer yet. It’s fine strategy, in and out of the game board.
Worth Claiming?
Yes, and yes. This week’s titles are cozy and charming, light appetizers for what’s incoming. Figment 2 and Sky Racket might not be the cloud-parting revelations of the indie scene, but they absolutely scratch that short-session itch during summer downtime.
But don’t sleep on July 17. That Platinum Civ drop is going to draw clicks like gravity, and rightfully so. Whether you’re a longtime strategy player or just Civ-curious, it’s a complete package that hasn’t been this accessible in years.
Final word? Download the smaller ones now—but come next week, block off some space on your SSD.
