The weekend brings a generous wave of free and discounted games, and this time the Epic Games Store kicks off a brand-new cycle. Since the last rotation, on Thursday August 6, two titles can be added to your library permanently at no cost: Beacon Pines and We Were Here Together. Both are free to claim until August 13, so there's a comfortable window — but it's worth grabbing them early, because Epic swaps the pair the following Thursday without notice.
Beacon Pines is a narrative adventure with a storybook visual style, a look reminiscent of an illustrated winter tale, built around a clever mechanic: you collect keywords in each chapter and use them to reshape how the plot unfolds. It's a short experience, around five to six hours, but with a mystery hook that surprises — it was well received by critics, holding an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam. For those who enjoy a well-told story over reflexes and action, it's a safe bet.
We Were Here Together, by contrast, is almost its opposite in every way: a first-person co-op escape room designed to be played with a friend (or someone from a game club), where two people trapped in a frozen castle must talk over radio to solve puzzles. It cannot be completed alone — collaboration is the core mechanic. That makes it an appealing pick for a social weekend activity, but it also means that without a partner on hand, the title sits in your library until you find someone for the journey.
On the console side, Microsoft opens this week's Xbox Free Play Days with a strong lineup: NBA 2K26, both open-world entries in the Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series (Wildlands and Breakpoint), and the quirky Wax Heads, all available to play free this weekend. The window runs August 6 through 9, with access open to all Xbox players — no subscription required for the headline titles. NBA 2K26 is the standout: beyond Free Play Days, it got an extended window running until August 14, giving more time to try the career mode.
Game Pass members also get Sports Renovations, a sim about refurbishing sports facilities, available this weekend. It's an example of how Microsoft uses Free Play Days to showcase partner studio games before deciding on a permanent catalog addition.
A practical note: Epic redemptions require an account on the store, but the games stay in your library forever, even after August 13. On Xbox, the access is temporary — when Free Play Days ends, you lose access until you buy the games. That difference in model is worth understanding before you queue up downloads.
This week's lineup is strong because it spans very different audiences: a solo, contemplative adventure, a logic-focused co-op, and a sports-and-tactics selection for consoles. You don't need to spend anything to try all three profiles. The question that remains: after testing these options, does any of them earn a permanent spot in your library — or even a purchase once the free windows close?
Sources: TechTimes, Blizzard Watch, PCGamesN, Xbox Wire
✓ Independent sources cross-checked and verified before publishing
