Quick answer: Astral Ascent and Luftrausers are the two verified PC base games currently free to claim and keep from Epic’s U.S. store. Epic’s live catalog marks both as BASE_GAME offers with positive regular prices and active 100% discounts, while Epic’s indexed official FAQ says a claimed free game remains in the library after the offer ends. [1] [8]
The $34.98 figure is simple arithmetic from Epic’s current regular U.S. listings—$24.99 plus $9.99—not a guarantee of personal value or future pricing. [1]
Astral Ascent
A colorful, fast platform roguelite built around four heroes, spells, repeated escape attempts and battles against 12 Zodiac bosses. It supports single-player and local shared-screen co-op. [4]
- Regular / promo: $24.99 / $0
- Windows storage listed: 1 GB
- Best for: action-roguelite and couch co-op fans
Luftrausers
Vlambeer’s compact arcade shooter puts a customizable fighter against planes, battleships and submarines in rapid score-driven runs. It is single-player and supports controllers. [5]
- Regular / promo: $9.99 / $0
- Windows storage listed: 200 MB
- Best for: short arcade runs and high-score chasing
Claim first; download later. Sign into the Epic account that should own each game, choose Get, confirm the base game and a $0 order total, complete checkout, and verify the title appears in the account library or transaction history. Epic’s indexed official FAQ says a claimed free game remains in the library after it is no longer free to new customers. [8]
Astral Ascent: fluid roguelite combat with a co-op option
Epic’s active record identifies Astral Ascent as offer e9bb092228f544c582e2c9395fae96f3 in namespace 0cb5817d554740e8bedf9ceea32522bd, with a regular U.S. price of $24.99 and a current promotional price of $0. [1]
Publisher-supplied storefront metadata names Hibernian Workshop as developer, lists Hibernian Workshop and MP2 Games as publishers, and dates the PC release to November 14, 2023. [4]
What you play
You choose one of four heroes and try to escape the Garden, an astral prison guarded by 12 Zodiac bosses. Runs combine platforming, fast combat, spells and build experimentation. Shared-screen co-op and Steam Remote Play Together are listed on the publisher-supplied PC page, but Epic-package feature parity should be confirmed in the launcher before relying on a specific multiplayer path. [4]
Published Windows minimums
The publisher-supplied PC listing gives a 64-bit Windows minimum, an Intel Core i3-540 or AMD Phenom II X4 965, 2 GB RAM, GeForce GTS 250 or Radeon HD 5770 graphics, and 1 GB of available storage. These are listed specifications—not performance testing by The IT Guys or proof that an old unsupported Windows release is advisable. [4]
Official developer preview
YouTube oEmbed resolves “Astral Ascent – Reveal Trailer EN (on Kickstarter March 29th 2021)” to Hibernian Workshop, the game’s developer. [6]
Get Astral Ascent freeLuftrausers: stylish dogfighting built for quick retries
Epic’s active record identifies Luftrausers as offer c76046dddcdb43619c33ce0395941033 in namespace 639daf403b554ee9b02eee5eedafc302, with a regular U.S. price of $9.99 and a current promotional price of $0. [1]
Publisher-supplied storefront metadata names Vlambeer as developer, Devolver Digital as publisher, and March 18, 2014 as the PC release date. [5]
What you play
Each run is an arcade dogfight over sea and sky. You combine plane parts, launch into escalating resistance, hunt score objectives and restart quickly after destruction. The listing marks the game single-player with full controller support, achievements, cloud saves and leaderboards. [5]
Published Windows minimums
The publisher-supplied listing gives Windows XP, a 1.2 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, OpenGL 2.1-compatible graphics with 256 MB video memory, and 200 MB of storage. Treat those as historical minimums, not a guarantee of trouble-free operation on every modern PC. [5]
Official publisher preview
YouTube oEmbed resolves “LUFTRAUSERS – Launch Trailer (How to Train Your Rauser)” to DevolverDigital, the game’s publisher channel. [7]
Get Luftrausers freeHow to claim both correctly
- Open the official Epic pages for Astral Ascent and Luftrausers.
- Sign into the Epic account that should own the games.
- For each title, choose Get and confirm the product is the base game and the order total is $0.
- Complete each transaction before September 17 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.
- Verify both titles appear in the library or transaction history; install immediately or later.
Scope and regional note: This snapshot covers verified U.S. PC offers in USD. Permanently free-to-play games, demos, DLC, subscriptions and mobile-only promotions are excluded. Prices, availability, platform eligibility and displayed times can vary by country or account. Epic’s product pages challenged unattended browser access during this check, so current promotion identity, price and UTC timestamps are anchored to Epic’s live official catalog API; the direct official product links remain the correct claim destinations.
Frequently asked questions
Are these really free to keep?
They are temporary zero-price base-game giveaways in Epic’s weekly program, not free weekends. Epic’s indexed official FAQ says, “When you claim a free game, it remains in your library to play – even after the game is no longer available to new customers for free,” and describes a completed claim as purchasing a digital license. Direct FAQ rendering was Cloudflare-challenged during this check, so that statement is limited to Epic’s indexed wording. [8]
Do I have to download them before the deadline?
No. The deadline is for completing the claim. Confirm ownership in your library or transaction history, then install when convenient.
Can the promotion change?
Yes. Store offers are time-sensitive and region-dependent, so this article will be rechecked immediately before publication. The actionable source is Epic’s live U.S. catalog. [1]
Sources and verification
- Epic Games Store U.S. free-games promotions feed — active base-game identity, U.S. pricing and exact UTC windows.
- Astral Ascent on Epic Games Store — official claim destination.
- Luftrausers on Epic Games Store — official claim destination.
- Astral Ascent publisher-supplied PC storefront metadata — description, creators, release, modes and requirements.
- Luftrausers publisher-supplied PC storefront metadata — description, creators, release, features and requirements.
- Astral Ascent – Reveal Trailer EN (on Kickstarter March 29th 2021) — Hibernian Workshop uploader verified through YouTube oEmbed.
- LUFTRAUSERS – Launch Trailer (How to Train Your Rauser) — DevolverDigital uploader verified through YouTube oEmbed.
- Epic Games Store FAQ — indexed official wording for post-promotion library retention and digital-license context.
Checked: September 10, 2026 after the 11:00 a.m. EDT turnover, for the U.S. storefront and USD. The original hero is The IT Guys editorial concept art, not official game artwork. Official hosting establishes trailer provenance, not a general reuse license. The IT Guys is not affiliated with Epic Games, Hibernian Workshop, MP2 Games, Vlambeer or Devolver Digital.