Weekly Free Games on the Epic Games Store Feb 19 – Feb 26, 2026
This week, the Epic Games Store has come through with a collection of games that couldn’t be more different. On the PC, you’ll experience a heartfelt visual novel adventure in the afterlife, fight your way through a story-driven MMO FPS. And you’ll engage in a survival platformer on your mobile device. It’s a group of games that gives you a lot of different things to fit whatever mood you might be in.
Return To Ash
Based just on the description, I’d recommend a handy box of tissues before you begin this one. Ashleigh is a 22-year-old who has been in the hospital for seven years. She wakes up in the afterlife free of pain, but it seems, quite confused. In this narrative-driven visual novel, you’ll meet other characters who are trapped in this place, learn about their lives, and you’ll be called upon to make choices that matter to the story. You’ll also encounter a being who calls themselves “Death” and challenges you with difficult trials.
The entire game is meant to take about two to four hours, but it does have multiple endings, so you may want to play through it more than once. Return to Ash is rated Teen, and this looks like the kind of game that could spark conversations about difficult things.
STALCRAFT: X Starter Edition
From the afterlife to fighting for your life, next up is STALCRAFT: X Starter Edition. STALCRAFT: X is a free-to-play MMOFPS that has elements of an RPG. This starter pack, which is normally $24.99, includes 7-day Premium, weapons, armor, artifacts, and cosmetics. This is the stuff you need to get started with style and gear. You can see the full list of everything that’s included on the Epic Games Store page.
There are some notes about these goodies. You can only get this pack once per account, and the stuff is bound to your account; no trading. It’s only good for the Epic Games Store version of the game, so it won’t apply if you have the game on another platform. Once you claim it, you have until June 1, 2026, 04:00 PM UTC to redeem it in-game.
In the game, you’ll get to engage in gunfights in the open world, including clan wars. You can hunt for artifacts, trade with others, and participate in auctions. And, like many FPS games, there are faction wars.
The game is free-to-play; however, they state, “STALCRAFT: X adheres to a fair F2P model: all key items can be obtained through gameplay. If desired, the convenient monetization system allows you to accelerate certain areas of character progression or obtain cosmetics.” This game is rated Mature 17+.
Mobile Game: Residual
And, finally, we have the Epic Games Store free mobile game. This week, it’s Residual, an exploration survival game with crafting and help from your very own Personal Disaster Bot. In this 2D platformer, you are the survivor of a crash on an alien planet (which is procedurally generated) who is tasked with survival. The planet’s hazards will vary depending on the world that was created. That alone has my interest!
This is a non-violent survival game with the challenges coming from the environment. You’ll be tasked with solving puzzles to learn about the civilization that once inhabited that world while also trying to stay alive and repair your ship. Another impressive detail is the option to choose a male, female, or non-binary character.
This game is rated E for Everyone and is available for PC and Mac as well, but it would set you back $19.99 for that version at this time. So I’m going to go grab it on my Android phone! (If you’re in the EU, you can grab it for iOS devices too.)
How to Claim Freebies From the Epic Games Store
Whether you want to play on your PC, Mac, Android, or iOS device, you can find the download information on the Epic Games Store website. If you’re on a computer, you can download the Epic Games Launcher to access and play your games. I know that’s not exactly shocking, and you probably figured that out already.
For the mobile games, you’ll need the QR code. Use the camera on your mobile device to scan the QR code, which will direct you to the download page. You will have to enable downloads from other sources. (Other than the native app store, that is.) This app isn’t available on the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store. After installing the app, launch it, sign in, and then scroll down to find the current free game.
And that’s what we have for you this week! Check back next week, and we’ll highlight the new game offerings from the Epic Games Store. We’re staying on top of the latest gaming news, so you don’t have to worry about any FOMO.
Happy gaming!
