A Total War Saga: Troy is the free selection on the Epic Games Store this week. The digital storefront has offered free games every week since its inception, including high-profiled titles ranging from Grand Theft Auto V to Civilization VI.
But what’s interesting about Troy is that it’s a brand-new game — and that you have only 24 hours to claim it.
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How to get A Total War Saga: Troy for free
Like most Epic freebies, there’s no special trick to this one. If you want the game, all you have to do is visit its Epic Games Store page, then click on “Get” beneath the price. The game usually costs $50, but until 9 AM on August 14, it costs nothing. If you don’t have an Epic Games Store account, you can sign up for one here; if you do, consider also activating two-factor authentication.
If you’re not familiar with the Total War series, it’s an engaging mix of grand strategy (planning out campaigns across a big map) and real-time strategy (fighting individual battles with huge armies). As A Total War Saga: Troy’s title suggests, this time you’ll be fighting the semi-historical Trojan War between the Greeks and the Trojans. This installment marks the first time that Total War has dealt with myth rather than straight-up history — although there are also the Total War: Warhammer spinoffs, which are outright fantasy. It’s also the first time the series has delved into Bronze Age warfare, as even Rome: Total War was set about a thousand years later.
It’s also worth noting that A Total War Saga: Troy doesn’t displace the Epic Store’s other freebies this week. Today, you can get 3 Out of 10 Ep 1: “Welcome to Shovelworks” (yes, that’s really the game’s name) and Wilmot’s Warehouse; starting tomorrow, you can get Remnant: From the Ashes and The Alto Collection instead.
Giving away A Total War Saga: Troy seems to be the first time that the Epic Store has offered a brand-new game as one of its freebies. The game just came out on Epic today (and won’t be on Steam until next year). Popular games usually sell significant volumes on day one, so giving a game away as soon as it launches is an unusual strategy.
If we had to guess, we’d say that Epic probably offered Sega (the game’s publisher) a sweet deal of some kind, but in theory, it could work to both parties’ advantage. Grand strategy isn’t necessarily the most accessible genre, and giving a high-profile game away for free is a great way to garner new fans. On the other hand, Total War has enough existing fans that many of them will probably sign up for the Epic Store just to get the game. That means new customers for both companies.
In any case, if you want the game, get it fast. Come tomorrow morning, it will be — like its inspiration — ancient history.
