Epic Games Store — Sker Ritual and Home (October 22–29)
Epic Games Store launched its weekly free games today, Thursday October 22 — with a double helping of horror, perfectly timed for the upcoming Halloween week. The two titles take very different approaches but share the ability to make players sleep with the lights on.
Sker Ritual ($24.99) is a cooperative survival FPS by Wales Interactive, released in April 2024. Inspired by the critically acclaimed Maid of Sker, the game takes place on Sker Island, overrun by a horde of supernatural enemies known as Quiet Ones. Players must survive endless waves of creatures, collect and upgrade weapons — from swords to machine guns — and unlock god-like supernatural abilities called Miracles, bestowed by Celtic gods. The game supports solo play or co-op for up to four players online. The visual style is deliberately retro, with a steampunk aesthetic reminiscent of 2000s hord shooters. Critics consider the story incidental, though it continues from the "evil" ending of Maid of Sker, adding extra context for returning fans. The real strength lies in its escalating difficulty — the more players are online, the more enemies adapt and the more intense the waves become. Promotion runs until October 29.
Sker Ritual — Epic Games Store
Home: A Unique Horror Adventure ($14.99) is a cult indie horror classic by BancyCo, released in June 2012. It just received an update celebrating its 14th anniversary, including developer commentary and behind-the-scenes footage — perfect motivation for revisiting. What makes Home truly unique is its narrative mechanism: the player wakes up in a dark house within a pixel world that subtly changes as decisions are made. There are no pre-written dialogue lines — every choice alters the player's perception of events. It's a murder mystery where truth is subjective. The game was acclaimed for its innovative design and psychologically unsettling approach, subverting the point-and-click genre by making the player a co-author of the narrative. Steam reviews reflect this polarizing quality: 69% positive from 1,138 reviews, with praise for atmosphere and originality.
Home: A Unique Horror Adventure — Epic Games Store
> Epic Games Store summary: > | Game | Price | Condition | Ends | > |---|---|---|---| > | Sker Ritual | $24.99 | Free to keep | Oct 29 | Windows, macOS | > | Home | $14.99 | Free to keep | Oct 29 | Windows, macOS |
Amazon Prime Gaming — Ad Infinitum and Time Travel (October 22)
Amazon Prime Gaming's October rotation added two new titles today. Again a thematic choice: one is a WWI psychological horror, the other a point-and-click escape room game.
Ad Infinitum ($34.99) is a first-person horror by N-Space Games, published by 11 bit studios. Players take on the role of a German soldier haunted by the horrors of the Great War, oscillating between two realities: the dark trenches of No Man's Land and the decaying walls of an abandoned family home. The game blends exploration, puzzle-solving, and supernatural horror elements — blind creatures that hear every footstep, articulated puppets that move in darkness. The central theme is war trauma and how the mind tries to process the unprocessable. The game has "Most Positive" reviews on Steam and was praised for its innovative level design — alternating between the two worlds is not just a visual trick but a narrative metaphor. Available via Epic Games Store until the end of October. Requires Amazon Prime to claim.
Ad Infinitum — Epic Games Store (via Prime Gaming)
Time Travel: Escape Room Game — by Legacy Games — is a point-and-click adventure placing the player in an escape room challenge with chronologically demanding puzzles. No combat, just exploration and logical reasoning. Available via Legacy Games code until the end of October. Requires Amazon Prime to claim.
Time Travel: Escape Room Game — Legacy Games (via Prime Gaming)
> Prime Gaming summary (requires Amazon Prime): > | Game | Condition | Platform | Duration | > |---|---|---|---| > | Ad Infinitum | Free to keep | Epic Games Store | Until end of October | > | Time Travel: Escape Room | Free to keep | Legacy Games | Until end of October |
Xbox Game Pass — Dodo Duckie (October 22)
Today also brought Dodo Duckie to Xbox Game Pass, an indie title that surprises with its creativity. The game follows Duckie, a duck who believes he's a chicken, on a journey where he must learn to fly — and upon discovering he can actually swim, discovers there's much more to his abilities than expected. The standout feature is the 2D/3D perspective switching system, allowing players to solve puzzles and explore environments by using a magical hat to instantly change perspective. Available on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC — on Ultimate, Premium, and PC Game Pass tiers.
Upcoming events
- Steam Next Fest (Oct 19–26): Still active until Saturday, with 8,000+ demos. Highlights include ArcheAge Chronicles, Emberville, Frostrail, and horror titles Deep Frost, UNFROST, and Keelblade. - Next Epic round (Oct 29–Nov 5): Sorry We're Closed already confirmed as the next free title. - Next Prime Gaming round (Oct 29): Trash Goblin (Epic) and Kiborg (Amazon Games App). - Upcoming Game Pass: Scramble Knights Online (Oct 26), The Séance of Blake Manor (Oct 27), Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (Oct 29), Mouthwashing (Oct 29).
Sources: GameSpot — Epic Games Store free games list (permanente), Blizzard Watch — Epic giving away Home, Sker Ritual, Notebookcheck — Amazon Luna October 2026 games, Xbox Wire — Next Week on Xbox (Oct 19-23), Eurogamer — Xbox Game Pass October 2026 second wave, Kotaku — Game Pass FF7, Blake Manor
✓ Independent sources cross-checked and verified before publishing
