Epic's Second Free Game Of 2022 Is Available Right Now

From developer Stardock, Galactic Civilizations III got a good roster of scores from reviewers when it released in 2015. There are a dizzying number of features and options when you get into the game, inviting you to play, play again with a range of alien races with their own histories, technology trees, unique ship components and more that affect how political, economic and martial events play out. Multiple win conditions mean you might unite every single individual in the galaxy in a show of peaceful cooperation, outstrip your competition with technological supremacy, assimilate all through cultural domination or lay waste to those who threaten your hold on the galaxy's resources with military conquest. And it's hardly a sci-fi expedition to write home about without powerful artifacts that sway peers to your side, or demystify the darkest reaches of the galaxy, or spawn a Queen space monster.

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Plus, the game now comes with its Retribution and Crusade expansions - the former offering a new campaign, the Drath and Korath civilisations, and hypergates, and the latter allowing players to create their own custom factions, sprinkle spies onto enemy worlds, and choose a citizen to represent the civilisation's values. Oh, and the Mega Events are also included which cause shockwaves through the entire galaxy that the player must handle and contain to an agreeable resolution. Or not. Sometimes disagreeable solutions are fun too.

Galactic Civilizations III is available for PC for free through the Epic Games Store until January 20th. If this is your first rodeo, the game is yours forever once it's attached to your Epic Games account and the next free game offered by the company will roll out next Thursday. Previously, we've seen stunners like Star Wars Battlefront 2: Celebration Edition, Alien Isolation, Control, A Plague Tale: Innocence, Minit, Loop Hero and more appear for the low, low price of nothing on the store. So it's worth pencilling in a reminder to grow your collection of games even more.