Epic Games Store’s free PC games for Thursday, July 2 through Thursday, July 9, 2026 are River City Girls 2 and I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream. Epic’s U.S. promotion feed lists both games at $0 for the current weekly free-game window, ending at 11 AM Eastern on July 9.
This is one of Epic’s more unusual pairings: a colorful modern beat-’em-up on one side and a bleak classic horror adventure on the other. Claim both while they are free, even if you only plan to install one right away.
Quick Claim Details
| Game | What It Is | Normal Epic Price | Free Claim Window | Direct Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| River City Girls 2 | Pixel-art beat-’em-up with local and online co-op | $39.99 | July 2-July 9, 2026 | Claim on Epic |
| I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream | Classic point-and-click psychological horror adventure | $9.99 | July 2-July 9, 2026 | Claim on Epic |
- Verified timing source: Epic’s public U.S. free-games promotion feed.
- Promotion end time: July 9, 2026 at 15:00 UTC, which is 11 AM Eastern.
- Account needed: a free Epic Games account is required to claim the games.
- Install later: once claimed, the games stay in the Epic library even after the weekly giveaway changes.
River City Girls 2: Arcade Brawling With Co-Op
River City Girls 2 is a side-scrolling beat-’em-up from WayForward. Epic’s store description highlights Misako, Kyoko, Kunio, Riki, Marian, and Provie, with local or online co-op, new abilities, shops, recruitable helpers, more areas to explore, and a day-night cycle.
This is the easier recommendation for a shared gaming night. It is colorful, fast, and built around repeated action rather than slow reading. The watch-out is that beat-’em-ups can still become repetitive if you do not enjoy combo timing, enemy waves, and replaying areas to level up or buy upgrades.
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream: Dark Classic Adventure
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is not casual comfort food. It is a classic point-and-click psychological horror adventure based on Harlan Ellison’s story, built around bleak choices, disturbing themes, and a hostile artificial intelligence. It is historically interesting, but it is not a family-friendly pick.
The practical reason to claim it is preservation: older PC adventure games can be easy to overlook until they disappear from a sale or giveaway. If you like retro games, narrative horror, or games-as-history, add it to the library now and decide later whether the subject matter is something you actually want to play.
Good Points And Watch-Outs
- Good: claiming both games adds about $49.98 of normal Epic list price to the library for free during the promotion window.
- Good: the two games serve very different moods: co-op arcade action and serious retro horror.
- Good: River City Girls 2 is a strong local/online co-op pickup if your gaming PC is already set up for controllers.
- Watch-out: I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream has mature, disturbing story material. Check the store page before recommending it to a younger player.
- Watch-out: claim before 11 AM Eastern on July 9. After Epic rotates the lineup, the free price usually disappears.
- Watch-out: always claim from Epic’s official store pages. Fake giveaway ads and lookalike login pages are a common account-stealing trick.
PC And Account Safety Reminder
Free-game weeks are a useful time to check the basics: use a unique Epic password, turn on two-factor authentication, keep the Epic Games Launcher updated, and avoid downloading “unlockers,” cheats, or unofficial patches from random videos or Discord links. A free game is not free if it comes with a stolen account or malware cleanup.
For local customers around Port Saint Lucie, Jensen Beach, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, and nearby Treasure Coast communities, The IT Guys can help with slow gaming PCs, Windows update problems, storage upgrades, account security, parental controls, and cleanup after sketchy game downloads.