Epic Games Store Reveals October 22 Free Games

Weekly storefront giveaways remain a major discovery tool for PC players, especially when seasonal programming puts a genre in the spotlight. Epic Games Store is leaning into Halloween once again: its next free-game promotion will pair the co-op survival shooter Sker Ritual with pixel-art mystery adventure Home, extending an October schedule heavily shaped by horror.

Two horror experiences arrive on October 22

Sker Ritual and Home will be available to claim through the Epic Games Store from October 22 until October 29. The promotion opens and closes at 8 a.m. PT, 11 a.m. ET, and 5 p.m. CET. Together, the two games carry a listed value of $29.98.

The selection follows the store's October 15 giveaway, which replaced the previous TerraScape and Out of Sight offer with Bad Cheese and Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise. Epic's latest announcement keeps its pre-Halloween run focused on unsettling games, but does so with two very different interpretations of the genre.

Sker Ritual brings wave survival into Maid of Sker's world

Released by Wales Interactive in April 2024, Sker Ritual is a round-based first-person survival game that can be played alone or online with up to four players. It revisits the setting of Maid of Sker, the studio's 2020 survival-horror game, but takes the series in a more action-oriented direction.

Players face the returning Quiet Ones cultists, work through objectives between enemy waves, and improve steampunk-styled weaponry. The game also includes Miracles connected to Celtic gods. Rather than continuing the original game in a conventional sequel format, Sker Ritual builds on Maid of Sker's evil ending as a shooter spin-off. Epic previously featured Maid of Sker as a free game in July 2024, making this another opportunity for players to explore the wider series.

Home offers a smaller, choice-driven mystery

Home comes from BancyCo, previously known as Benjamin Rivers Inc., and originally released in 2012. Its pixel-art presentation and slower pacing contrast sharply with Sker Ritual's wave-based combat. The story begins after its protagonist wakes in an unfamiliar dark location and gradually investigates a murder mystery.

Exploration and player decisions influence how the events are understood, with multiple routes and endings avoiding one definitive interpretation of what happened. BancyCo already appeared in Epic's 2026 giveaway calendar when Alone With You was offered in early September. Home and Sker Ritual are both first-time Epic Games Store freebies.

What players should watch next

The October 22 offer continues a clear monthly trend. System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster started the month, followed by Out of Sight, Bad Cheese, and now a pair led by Sker Ritual and Home. Every announced October giveaway period has included at least one horror or horror-adjacent title.

Players interested in either game should add them to their Epic library during the seven-day claim window. Once claimed, the titles remain associated with the user's account, while the next weekly promotion will replace this horror-focused pairing on October 29.

Key points

• Sker Ritual and Home can be claimed from October 22 through October 29.
• The giveaway is scheduled for 8 a.m. PT, 11 a.m. ET, and 5 p.m. CET.
• Sker Ritual supports solo play and online co-op for up to four players.
• Both games are first-time free offerings on the Epic Games Store.

Epic Games Store October 22 giveaway

Expert View

Epic's October lineup shows how weekly giveaways can serve as seasonal curation rather than simply a rotation of unrelated catalog titles. Pairing a newer co-op shooter with an older narrative horror game broadens the audience: Sker Ritual may appeal to groups seeking repeatable survival action, while Home targets players looking for a compact, replayable mystery. The continued horror emphasis also gives studios extra visibility during the period when players are most likely to seek out darker games.