The most underrated shooter of 2023 is free on Epic right now, and going for cheap on Steam

Deceive Inc screenshot — (Image credit: Sweet Bandits Studios)

Deceive Inc. is an extraction shooter that foregoes the usual gritty shooter thematics in favor of spies, gadgets and colourful locales. In our review, Russel Adderson described it as "a creative blend of sneaking and shooting that will have squads coming back for more." It's well worth trying, and there's no reason not to, because it's currently free on the Epic Games Store.

While it's essentially an extraction shooter, there are some unique twists. Each playable spy has their own weapons and skills, and there's a nice variety of gadgets ranging from obvious stuff like turrets and hologram decoys through to a bouncy inflatable mat. But Deceive Inc.'s defining twist is its disguise system, which lets you masquerade as NPCs to not only get the jump on enemies, but also to access otherwise inaccessible parts of the maps.

In other words, it's as sneaky as it is shooty, with a cheerful presentation and satisfying depth. The devs have supported it well since its March 2023 release too, with a major November 1 update aiming to "shake up the meta" while adding a new map and two new gadgets.

If this sounds appealing to you but you don't do the Epic Games Store (possibly because you want to play on Steam Deck, for which Deceive Inc is "verified"), Steam is offering a big 70% discount at the moment, bringing it down to $5.99.

If you're still grabbing free Epic Games Store goodies, the Apex Legends Ash Bundle is currently going for nothing. Next week, the Castlevania Anniversary Collection goes free from November 15.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.