Havendock and Hyper Echelon just went free on the Epic Games Store

The Epic Games Store just rotated its weekly free games, offering the ocean colony simulator Havendock and the vertical shoot-'em-up Hyper Echelon at no cost from March 26 to April 2. Anyone with an Epic account can claim the two PC titles and keep them permanently.

I usually check the storefront every Thursday to see what drops. This week brings a combined $33 value to the table. Epic has already handed out more than $570 worth of digital games in 2026 alone. This particular pairing covers two completely different ends of the pacing spectrum. You get a relaxed management game and a frantic arcade shooter.

Building a town on the water

Havendock comes from solo developer YYZ Studio and publishers Pretty Soon, IndieArk, and Different Tales. It hit version 1.0 on April 22, 2025, following a two-year stint in Early Access. The game normally costs $19.99.

You start with a single character stranded on a small wooden raft in the middle of the ocean. From there, you collect driftwood, pump fresh water, and slowly expand the platform into a massive floating settlement. Eventually, other survivors float by. You can invite them aboard, assign them jobs, and automate your resource production.

The progression loop feels similar to games like Raft or Factorio, but with a much lower stress level. There are no constant shark attacks to worry about. The focus is entirely on base building, research trees, and keeping your growing population fed and happy. You eventually research electricity, build submarines to explore the ocean floor, and set up complex conveyor belt systems to move materials between storage chests. It has built up a very positive reputation on Steam over the last year because it respects the player's time and avoids punishing survival mechanics.

Two ships at the same time

If you prefer something louder, Hyper Echelon is a fast-paced sci-fi shooter from Swiss developer GangoGames LLC. It originally launched on PC in November 2021 and made its way to the Nintendo Switch in May 2022. The PC version usually goes for $12.99.

The game pulls heavily from classic 1990s arcade shoot-'em-ups but adds modern progression systems. Instead of relying on a single quarter to see how far you can get, you earn currency during missions to permanently upgrade your ship's weapons, armor, and special abilities. The upgrade tree includes standard damage boosts, but it also unlocks screen-clearing laser blasts and defensive shields.

The standout mechanic is the tactical wingman system. You control your primary fighter, but you also command a secondary ship on the screen simultaneously. You can position the wingman to cover your blind spots or focus fire on larger bosses. The campaign supports local co-op multiplayer too, letting a second player take direct control of the wingman ship.

Over $570 in giveaways this year

Epic launched its digital storefront in December 2018 and immediately started using free games as a wedge to pull players away from Steam. Eight years later, the strategy is still going strong. The company uses these weekly drops to maintain active user numbers, and it clearly works for players willing to juggle multiple game launchers.