The holidays have once again passed, and everything is aligning for an exciting year ahead, including the Epic Games Store continuing its tradition of weekly free games. While the store has retired its annual mystery games, players can look forward to a fresh selection every Thursday at 10 AM CST. Although some may feel a bit disappointed that the free games are no longer available daily, there will still be plenty of fantastic deals and free titles to discover throughout the year. These offerings span a wide range of genres, so while some players might not find every game appealing, others could stumble upon a hidden gem. Even if a game seems less appealing at first, taking a chance on a free title might just lead to an unexpected favorite.
The final mystery game, Hell Let Loose, will be available until January 9, marking the shift from the holiday promotion to the regular free games lineup at the Epic Games Store. This fantastic game is perfect for playing with friends, featuring online multiplayer for up to 100 players. Set during World War II, it immerses players in iconic battles across the Eastern and Western fronts, offering 14 unique roles that can influence the outcome of the fight. Interestingly, both the last mystery game and the first official free game of 2025, Turmoil, share a historical theme.
Epic Games Store Free Game Turmoil Explained
Turmoil Brings Players Back to 1899 With Plenty of Wit and Challenge to Go Around
Gamious’ Turmoil takes players on a journey through North America’s oil boom, transforming this historical event into a fun and accessible simulation game. Players can employ various tactics to discover oil deposits, including bidding on land at auctions, manually searching for oil, and making under-the-table deals with local NPCs. The game offers familiar modes found in other simulation titles, like a campaign mode, along with unique features such as procedurally generated levels that challenge players to achieve as much as possible within a single in-game year. Like other games in this genre, there are numerous modes and strategies to explore, ranging from carefully planned approaches to the wildest “what if” scenarios players can imagine.
Turmoil cleverly captures the essence of how oil tycoons made their fortunes in the past, all while infusing a delightful sense of humor that contributes to the game’s well-loved relaxing atmosphere. Although it has a self-described “tongue-in-cheek” approach to the oil rush, it still only manages to secure a 50% recommendation from critics on OpenCritic. Nevertheless, despite the mixed feedback, Turmoil is reported to have a fun beginning, making it a potential hidden gem for simulation game enthusiasts when it becomes available on Epic.
Regardless of the reception of Turmoil, there are certainly plenty of advantages to experiencing an underdog game like Gamious’ simulation for free. Some gamers might view Turmoil as a fantastic deal on the Epic Games Store, especially if they overlooked it back in 2016. Even if the oil-digging theme doesn’t appeal to everyone, there’s always the possibility of discovering a game that suits their taste when the next title is announced.