The next Epic Games Store freebie has a secret identity

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Conarium went free today, but next week's is a mystery—or is it?

(Image credit: Epic Games Store)

I hope you've already grabbed your free copies of The End is Nigh and Abzu from the Epic Games Store, because they're back up to regular price. In their place is Conarium, a Lovecraft-styled horror-adventure about a group of scientists who set out to explore the "absolute" limits of nature.

Conarium begins as you awaken in an abandoned scientific research station near the South Pole. You soon realize that you weren't merely unconscious, you were dead—and have now returned, "subtly changed, speaking of strange memories and of strange places." Something has been lost, and something sinister has taken its place. From there, you'll explore the base, as well as your dreams and visions, avoiding grotesque creatures while working to unlock secrets and discover the truth of this horrific, unearthly mystery.

But it's not the only mystery afoot: There is also the question of which game will be free next week. There's no title listed, just "? ? ?," and an image that's clearly Batman—but there are currently no Batman games listed on the Epic Store. It's the "Long Live the Bat" image used by DC Comics to promote the 80th anniversary of Batman, but with a few of the small pictures of Batman replaced with Lego Batman images. There are currently three Lego Batman games, released between 2008 and 2014, but none of them available from Epic; given that age, maybe a trilogy is on the way?

We'll find out next week, unless Epic lifts the cowl sooner than that: Conarium is free for the taking until September 19.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

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.