Epic Games Store offers Astrea and Mechabellum free this week

A deck-building roguelike and a mech auto-battler are this week's giveaways on the Epic Games Store, and both are yours to keep forever if you grab them in time.

How the giveaway works

Every week, Epic gives away one or two games on its store for a limited window. Anyone who claims them while they're free keeps them in their library permanently — when the promotion ends and the games return to full price, the copies you claimed stay yours at no cost.

This week's pair

Astrea: Six-Side Oracles is a deck-building roguelike with a twist: it uses dice instead of cards. Its selling point is a dual damage system built around "Purification vs Corruption."

"Purification can be used to damage enemies or heal yourself," the game's description explains. "On the other hand, corruption can be used to damage yourself or heal the enemies." That means every roll asks you to weigh healing yourself against hurting the enemy — or corrupting yourself to unlock abilities that "help tip the scales."

Mechabellum, meanwhile, is an "epic mech auto-battler" focused on pre-battle decisions rather than reflexes. Players draft troops, customize units and master formations before watching them clash in 3D battles. The description sums it up as "all strategy, no clickfest," with 1v1, 2v2, free-for-all and Survival Mode on offer.

The deadline — and what's coming next

Both games are free to claim now, but only until Thursday, October 1, when they rotate out at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm BST and return to their regular prices.

Taking their place will be Buried Stars and System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster, so if neither of this week's titles appeals to you, that lineup may be worth waiting for. If you want the dice-based roguelike or the mech strategy game, though, the safest move is to claim both now and decide later — a claimed free game costs nothing.

Source: the original publisher