Halloween is coming, Epic too : two horror titles to grab before Thursday
The calendar lined up perfectly this week. The Epic Games Store is dropping two free games just days before Halloween, and the timing is clearly no coincidence : we are getting two horror titles with very different atmospheres, both perfectly tailored for the season. On one hand, a chaotic action shooter to enjoy in a group; on the other hand, an intimate adventure to savor alone in the dark when everyone else is asleep. Both remain yours to keep forever in your library once claimed. You have until Thursday, October 29 at 4 PM to add them to your account. Grab them now, download them whenever you want.
💡 At a glance :
- Sker Ritual and Home are free on the Epic Games Store until Thursday, October 29 at 4 PM, and stay in your library forever afterward.
- Sker Ritual : wave-based FPS, co-op for up to 4 players online, 1914 horror atmosphere, celtic powers, and steampunk weapons.
- Home : solo pixel art adventure lasting around 2 hours, adaptive storytelling featuring multiple endings depending on your choices.
- Both games remain permanently tied to your Epic Games account once claimed before the deadline.
Sker Ritual : when Zombies mode meets Welsh folklore
A wave-based FPS to blow off steam with friends before Halloween
If Maid of Sker rings a bell, you already know the setting : a remote island in Wales, local folklore, and experiments that went terribly wrong. Sker Ritual takes all of that and throws stealth right out the window. No more hiding under beds, as this time you bring out the heavy artillery. The game is a wave-based FPS, an acknowledged cousin of the Call of Duty Zombies mode, transposed into 1914 with an atmosphere to match.
The Quiet Ones arrive relentlessly, wave after wave, featuring elite enemies and bosses with unique abilities that force you to adapt your strategy on the fly. The maps are packed with hidden objectives and easter eggs for keen explorers. Playing solo or with up to 4 players online, intensity scales automatically to group size. Even alone, you never catch a breather for long.
The core gameplay mechanic revolves around Miracles : powers dropped by enemies, each tied to a Celtic god, which boost or transform your gunfire, melee attacks, grenades, and healing. Combine them effectively for absolute chaos. Add in overcharged steampunk weapons, a Sker Pass, and Dread Levels to earn free cosmetic rewards, and you have enough content to sustain entire game nights.
🕹️ Upon its release in 2024, Sker Ritual received mixed reviews, often compared to a lower-budget Zombies mode. Wales Interactive has since addressed and fixed a massive number of issues. At zero euro for a game night before Halloween, it is clearly the ideal time to dive in.
👉 Claim Sker Ritual on the Epic Games Store
Home : a stormy night, a murder, and your own truth
The pixel art adventure that builds its story around your decisions
Following the intense action, quiet introspection awaits. Home is created by Benjamin Rivers, an indie title released in 2012 that quietly evolved into a classic of pixel art horror. You wake up in a house that is not yours, a thunderstorm raging outside, holding a lantern with zero recollection of how you got there. A murder took place. Figuring out what happened, and why, rests entirely in your hands.
Home operates on a simple yet devastatingly effective principle : everything you explore, pick up, or decide alters how your character perceives the night's events, ultimately shaping the specific ending you reach. With a playtime hovering around 2 hours, it represents the kind of game you replay two or three times just to see how choices alter the narrative.
💾 Home launched back in 2012, during an era when indie games sold for two dollars and constantly surprised everyone. Over a decade later, this compact title by Benjamin Rivers still speaks volumes. A quiet masterpiece of pixel art horror.
Curious players will appreciate the Postmortem mode added during an anniversary update : developer commentary and a creation gallery unlock while you play, offering a window into how the game was built. A wonderful touch for a title boasting over ten years of history.
👉 Claim Home on the Epic Games Store
Two horror titles, zero excuses : grab them before Thursday night
A cooperative shooter to smash through hordes with friends, alongside an intimate pixel art adventure for insomnia-filled nights : for a Halloween lineup, Epic Games could not have timed it better. Both games are available to claim before Thursday, October 29 at 4 PM, and as always with Epic, once added to your account they remain yours forever with no strings attached. Which of the two appeals to you most : the co-op action shooter or the solitary dark investigation ? Drop your verdict in the comments !
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Frequently Asked Questions about Sker Ritual and Home
What exactly is Sker Ritual, and how is it connected to Maid of Sker ?
Sker Ritual is a wave-based FPS developed by Wales Interactive, the Welsh studio behind Maid of Sker. It adapts the universe and folklore of the original title into an intense co-op shooter, playable solo or with up to 4 players online, featuring Celtic powers and steampunk weapons unlocked across waves.
Can you play Sker Ritual solo without online friends ?
Yes, Sker Ritual is fully playable in solo mode. Difficulty and wave intensity scale automatically based on the number of connected players. The experience feels much tenser alone while remaining entirely accessible. Playing in co-op up to 4 players remains the optimal way to maximize synergies between Celtic Miracles.
Does Home truly offer different endings based on your choices ?
Yes. Home relies on an adaptive narrative system where everything you explore, collect, or decide shapes your character's understanding of the night's events. Each playthrough can lead to a different interpretation, naturally encouraging replayability to compare outcomes.
What is the Postmortem mode in Home ?
The Postmortem mode is an anniversary feature integrated directly into the game. Developer commentary from Benjamin Rivers gradually unlocks during your playthrough alongside a concept art gallery. It serves as an interactive making-of, perfect for understanding the origins of a game with over a decade of history.
Until when can we claim these two free games ?
Sker Ritual and Home are free to claim until Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 4 PM on the Epic Games Store. Once added to your account before this deadline, they stay in your library permanently, requiring no subscription and featuring unlimited downloads.
