The Epic Store's 2023 Mega Sale kicks off with a free copy of Death Stranding for everyone

Death Stranding wallpaper
(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

The launch of its new Epic Rewards program isn't the only big thing the Epic Games Store has going on today. It's also kicking off the 2023 Mega Sale with discounts of up to 75%, the return of the never-ending Epic Coupon, and a free copy of Death Stranding for everyone.

Death Stranding is this week's Epic Store giveaway game, and it's definitely one of the biggest games that Epic has thrown on that particular pile. But this isn't the first time it's been free: It was previously Epic's giveaway game on December 25, 2022, which—without wanting to go too deep down the symbolism rabbit hole—I think very nicely illustrates its significance in the free games pantheon.

Death Stranding is free until May 25, which means you've got one week, no more and no less, to make it yours if you missed it the first time around. Next week's freebie is a mystery for now, but I anticipate that it will be another big one, because it too will arrive while the Epic Store's Mega Sale is in full flight.

The discounts in the Mega Sale (and Epic Games Store sales in general) generally don't run as deep as those in Steam sales, but there's some good stuff in there, like Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Red Dead Redemption 2, Far Cry 6, and Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition, all of which are available at deep discounts.

But Epic does bring a unique twist to its big sales in the form of the Epic Coupon, which takes 25% off every eligible purchase of $14.99 (or your local equivalent) or more. That applies whether a game is on sale or not—so for instance, Hogwarts Legacy and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor are not currently marked down, but the coupon will bump 25% off the regular price, which isn't bad at all for new, big-budget games. And when you use the coupon, you'll get another one to use in future purchases during the sale.

As always, you'll want to shop around before committing–these deals are good, but it never hurts to make sure you're not missing a deeper discount somewhere else. The Epic Games Store's 2023 Mega Sale is live now and runs until June 15.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.