November 2nd free games roundup

Fifteen games are free to claim and keep across itch.io and the Epic Games Store right now. While this batch skips the big-budget studio headliners we saw when the Epic Games Store offered Bloons TD 6 for free, it makes up for it with a pair of inventive indie releases and a massive 13-game catalog drop from developer Yash Future Tech Solutions.

itch.io

MEATGRINDER: Indie developer sup launched this top-down arena roguelite shooter over the Halloween weekend, dropping you into a slaughterhouse pit armed with a cleaver, nine upgradable firearms, and a dash button. Every five waves, you have to choose between extracting with your banked blood to buy permanent upgrades or descending deeper into harder waves where dying costs you three-quarters of your haul. It's free to download for Windows, macOS, and Linux (or play directly in a browser) on itch.io with no set expiration date, and I'm curious to see how its stackable upgrade builds hold up past wave 12.

The Artifact: Created by partyon, this browser mystery game greets you with a blinking cursor on an Amstrad-style green phosphor screen and zero instructions. Typing into the prompt kicks off a strange conversation with a machine that accuses you of unauthorized access before expanding into a strategy game about deduction, network territory, and figuring out who else is typing. It's permanently free to play in desktop and mobile browsers via itch.io, and retro computer enthusiasts can even type in a little BASIC to see how the terminal reacts.

Epic Games Store

Gladiator: Blades of Fury: Originally released in 2019, this medieval melee action game pits 20 fighters from four clans (Barbarians, Assassins, Knights, and Dwarves) against each other in arena tournaments and quick matches. It's easily the most substantial entry in the Yash Future Tech Solutions catalog promotion, though you shouldn't expect deep fighting game frame data here. You can claim it for free on the Epic Games Store until November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Epic World - Hunt For Quest: This 2D side-scrolling action platformer sends you across 42 levels and seven stages to recover stolen gold from an orc king. Players can swap between three characters with different weapons and play either solo or in co-op. It's free to keep on the Epic Games Store until November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Horror Adventure: You play as a paranormal investigator wandering through a procedurally generated haunted manor with a flashlight and basic tools while trying to avoid demonic entities. The procedural room layouts are a neat idea on paper, even if the budget constraints show through pretty quickly. Grab it for free on the Epic Games Store before November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Dark Mystery: First released in 2017, this puzzle-platformer follows a fuzzball named Furry across 35 obstacle-filled stages to rescue a lost queen from the Dark World. It includes two-player shared-screen multiplayer alongside its single-player campaign. The game is 100% off on the Epic Games Store through November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Funtoon's World: Aimed at younger players, this traditional arcade side-scroller packs 25 stages of coin collecting, monster dodging, and eight playable characters with distinct power-ups. It supports both keyboard controls and gamepads on PC. You can add it to your Epic Games Store library for free until November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Maze - The Amazing Labyrinth: This straightforward strategy puzzler challenges you to navigate 50 increasingly complex labyrinths. It's a tiny 250 MB install that runs on practically any Windows machine made in the last decade. Claim it for free on the Epic Games Store before November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Mountain Racing: Built around score-chasing endless driving, this casual racer gives you 15 vehicles to pilot across five obstacle-heavy mountain stages. It's a port of a 2014 mobile and PC game, so the physics are basic, and it remains free on the Epic Games Store until November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Super Kids Racing - Mini Edition: This family-friendly arcade racer includes 50 vehicles and 50 three-lap levels split across jungle, snow, lava, roller coaster, and city environments. The best inclusion here is local split-screen multiplayer, which lets two players race on a single keyboard or with controllers. It's free to claim on the Epic Games Store until November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Highway Driving: Another endless arcade driving game from the same studio, this 2022 release shifts the setting to multi-lane highways with unlockable vehicles and multiple track modes. You can grab it at no cost on the Epic Games Store through November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Horse Racing: Originally launched as Horse Racing 2016, this sports title lets you pick from six horses and jockeys to compete across 55 events, 10 seasons, and five race types including hurdles and time trials. It's free to keep on the Epic Games Store until November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Balloon Strike: This minimalist 2014 target-shooting game hands you a bow and arrow and asks you to pop floating balloons for a high score. There's not much else to it, though the price is right at $0.00 on the Epic Games Store until November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Quiztopia : The Ultimate Trivia: Designed for kids aged five and up, this educational quiz game features 100 trivia stages split across math, science, geography, general knowledge, English, and picture rounds. It's free to claim on the Epic Games Store through November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

Math Fun: Rounding out the developer giveaway is an educational arithmetic app covering addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, counting, and comparisons across 10 difficulty tiers per subject. You can pick it up for free on the Epic Games Store until November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC.

All 13 Epic Games Store discounts expire on November 8 at 6:30 PM UTC, so make sure to claim anything that catches your eye before the promotion wraps up.