Quick answer: System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster and BURIED STARS are the two active free-to-keep PC base-game offers in the U.S. Epic Games Store this week. Epic’s official U.S. promotions feed lists both at $0 from October 1 through October 8, 2026. [1]
The $69.98 total is simple arithmetic from the current Epic catalog prices: $29.99 for System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster plus $39.99 for BURIED STARS. It describes the two U.S. list prices visible in the official feed at this cutoff; it is not a promise of cash value, historical savings, resale rights, or how much enjoyment either game will provide. [1]
System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster
Wake aboard the Von Braun in 2114, investigate a catastrophe, shape a character through one of three military branches, and survive mutants, machines, and SHODAN. Nightdive’s remaster preserves the old PC design while modernizing presentation, controls, multiplayer, and mod support. [4]
Best for: players who want tense exploration, deliberate resource management, build choices, environmental storytelling, and systems that interact in surprising ways.
BURIED STARS
A survival-audition broadcast becomes a disaster scene after the studio collapses. Trapped contestants and crew communicate face to face and through an in-game social network while suspicion grows around a murder. Choices open routes, endings, and hidden stories. [11]
Best for: visual-novel and adventure fans who prefer dialogue, investigation, social tension, character relationships, and replaying branches over reflex-heavy action.
System Shock 2 returns as a careful remaster of a landmark FPS/RPG
Remaster studio: Nightdive Studios · Original-game credits: Looking Glass Studios and Irrational Games · Publisher credits: Nightdive Studios and Atari · PC remaster release: June 26, 2025 [6] · Epic price this week: $0, normally $29.99 in the U.S. [1]
Epic’s active record identifies System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster as offer ID 7ae00c3e89174012b175cc73b4737723, namespace a90f2381d7aa48c09b4080515a9541cd, product slug system-shock-2-25th-anniversary-remaster-cb94d9, and offer type BASE_GAME. Its U.S. original price is $29.99 and its promotional price is $0 for the exact October 1, 15:00 UTC through October 8, 15:00 UTC window. [1]
This release is not the 1999 game dropped unchanged into a modern store. Nightdive describes it as a modernized remaster, while the publisher-supplied Steam credits preserve the lineage by listing Nightdive Studios, Looking Glass Studios, and Irrational Games as developers. The PC edition launched June 26, 2025; Atari’s later July 10 date relates to the console launch and should not replace the PC date. [5] [6]
Premise: alone, confused, and hunted aboard the Von Braun
The year is 2114. You wake from cryosleep aboard the faster-than-light ship Von Braun without a clear memory of your identity or circumstances. The corridors are occupied by hybrid mutants and hostile machines, the crew’s fate must be reconstructed from the environment and records, and the rogue artificial intelligence SHODAN is at the center of the threat. The official synopsis frames the task as exploring the ship deck by deck, understanding what went wrong, and stopping SHODAN before the crisis expands. [4]
That setup supports a form of horror built as much from scarcity and uncertainty as from monsters. Corridors loop into practical spaces rather than existing only as shooting galleries. Locked access, damaged equipment, limited ammunition, character statistics, research, hacking, powers, and competing upgrade priorities repeatedly ask what kind of survivor you intend to be. A firefight can solve an immediate problem, but it can also consume resources needed for the next deck. The result is an FPS/RPG and immersive sim: aiming matters, yet your build, preparation, exploration, and interpretation of connected systems matter just as much.
Three branches, interacting systems, and room for experimentation
The official feature list begins with a choice among the O.S.A., Marines, and Navy. Those military branches point toward different styles rather than sealing every player into one rigid class. A combat-focused plan can emphasize weapons and durability; a technically minded character can lean into maintenance, hacking, and ship systems; psionic investment offers another toolbox. Publisher copy and Nightdive’s development discussion emphasize the original design’s interconnected objects and mechanics, which is why the game is remembered as more than a linear shooter. [6] [5]
Modernization is deliberately bounded. Official materials describe enhanced models and animations, quality-of-life changes, optimized controller support, ultrawide display support, and performance up to 144 frames per second. [6] Nightdive also says the project involved more than six years of work, missing or incomplete source code, and extensive reverse engineering. That history makes the remaster a preservation project: the goal was to recover and stabilize a complicated old game rather than replace its identity with an entirely new one. [5]
Co-op is substantial, but solo is the recommended first trip
The current PC metadata lists single player, online and LAN co-op, and cross-platform multiplayer. Atari’s official product material says co-op can support up to four players, while Nightdive’s technical retrospective describes restored lobby, interface, synchronization, and networking work. [8] [5]
However, the developer itself strongly recommends experiencing the game alone first. Nightdive explains that a first solo playthrough better preserves the isolation and unsettling atmosphere of the Von Braun. [5] That is useful expectation-setting: co-op can turn a frightening, methodical journey into a more social systems sandbox. Neither mode is automatically wrong, but they produce different rhythms. Newcomers who want to understand why the setting became influential should consider solo first; returning players can treat co-op as a different way to revisit familiar decks.
Reasons to claim it
- It combines first-person combat with character growth, exploration, hacking, resource pressure, and environmental problem-solving.
- Nightdive’s preservation-focused work modernizes presentation and input while retaining the original PC-centered structure. [5]
- Single player, online/LAN co-op, cross-platform multiplayer, and support for up to four co-op players broaden the ways to approach it. [8]
- PC custom campaigns and fan missions are supported in the post-launch patch history, extending the value for players interested in community content. [7]
- The publisher-listed 5 GB storage target is unusually modest for a modernized 3D release. [6]
Cautions before downloading
- The game intentionally preserves legacy complexity. Optimized controller support does not mean every interface and progression system was redesigned like a contemporary shooter.
- Official content information warns of frequent violence or gore and general mature content, with a required age of 17 in the Steam metadata reviewed. [6]
- The language selection is narrow: five text languages are listed, and only English has full audio. [6]
- The official pages reviewed do not document screen-reader support, text-size controls, color-vision filters, or one-handed presets. Undocumented is not the same as proven absent.
- Steam requirements and categories are planning evidence supplied for that storefront; they do not establish that Epic’s package is byte-for-byte identical.
System Shock 2 Windows requirements
Phone readers: swipe the table left to compare minimum and recommended specifications.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 64-bit processor and operating system | 64-bit processor and operating system |
| OS | Windows 7, 64-bit | Windows 10, 64-bit |
| Processor | Intel or AMD dual-core at 2.0 GHz | Intel Core i5-2300 2.8 GHz / AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0 GHz or equivalent |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM | 4 GB RAM |
| Graphics | DirectX 11 or Vulkan 1.1-capable GPU | DirectX 11 or Vulkan 1.1-capable GPU |
| Storage | 5 GB available | 5 GB available |
| Sound | 100% DirectX-compatible sound card or onboard sound | 100% DirectX-compatible sound card or onboard sound |
The minimum row’s Windows 7 wording is a publisher-supplied game requirement. Steam separately says its own client supports Windows 10 and later; that client policy should not be silently transferred to Epic’s launcher or used as proof about Epic compatibility. The honest reading is narrower: these are the published game specifications on Steam, not a current test of the Epic build, launcher, updates, or install footprint. Allow extra room for patches, caches, and launcher overhead.
Languages, controller support, and accessibility limits
The listing names English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish from Spain for interface and subtitles; English alone is marked for full audio. It also reports full and optimized controller support, captions, DualShock and DualSense support categories, custom bindings documented in patch notes, and a joystick-smoothing option. [6] [7]
Those facts are useful, but they do not amount to a comprehensive accessibility review. No official source examined for this article documents a screen reader, scalable body text, color-vision presets, a one-handed mode, or a complete inventory of difficulty and sensory settings. Players who depend on a particular accommodation should confirm it with the current publisher documentation, store page, or a trusted hands-on accessibility review before committing download time.
Official launch trailer
YouTube’s oEmbed metadata identifies this exact video as “System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster – Launch Trailer | Nightdive Studios” and names Nightdive Studios as the uploader. [9]
Watch the System Shock 2 launch trailer directly on YouTube. Official hosting verifies channel provenance; it does not grant a license to download and rehost the video or thumbnail.
BURIED STARS turns a collapsed TV set into a social mystery
Developer: LINE Games Corporation, with Studio LARGO named in the creative description · Publisher: LINE Games Corporation · Initial release: July 30, 2020 · Windows PC release: November 29, 2021 [13] [11] · Epic price this week: $0, normally $39.99 in the U.S. [1]
Epic’s active catalog record identifies BURIED STARS as offer ID af4c34934afe4db0870b8a1d82dceb94, namespace 9bd512d68e3143909842932ac45a4182, product slug buried-stars-d7c88c, and offer type BASE_GAME. It carries a $39.99 original U.S. price and a $0 promotional price from October 1, 2026 at 15:00 UTC through October 8 at 15:00 UTC. [1]
The chronology has two useful dates. LINE Games gives July 30, 2020 as the initial release, while the publisher-supplied PC listing dates the Windows release to November 29, 2021. [13] [11] That distinction prevents the later PC port from being mistaken for the game’s worldwide debut. Steam credits LINE Games Corporation as both developer and publisher, while its description says the mystery came from Studio LARGO in collaboration with LINE Games. This guide preserves the formal storefront credit and discusses Studio LARGO as creative context rather than substituting it into the developer field.
Premise: a survival show becomes a disaster and murder scene
A live television survival-audition show is underway when the studio building collapses. Contestants and members of the production crew are trapped beneath the rubble waiting for rescue. The danger then changes shape: there is a murder among the group, trust fractures, and every conversation can carry both useful information and self-protection. The official description builds its central questions plainly—who committed the murder, how was it done, and why? [11]
Despite the word “survival,” this is not presented as an action-survival combat game. LINE Games describes the genre as “Communication x Survival x Adventure,” and the documented mechanics center on dialogue, relationships, social-media posts, timeline review, clue interpretation, and choices. [13] That makes it closer to a visual novel and investigative adventure: the pressure comes from reading people and information while the characters endure a dangerous situation, not from mastering weapons or reflex systems.
Conversation, social feeds, and branching consequences
The in-game Social Media and Timeline systems do more than decorate the setting. The official description says public reactions and timeline information provide crucial hints for uncovering the truth. [11] That creates a useful tension between public narrative and private motive. A post can reveal how viewers interpret the broadcast, supply context a trapped character cannot otherwise access, or amplify misinformation and emotional pressure. The player must decide not only what information says, but who benefits when it circulates.
Dialogue choices and actions shape routes, multiple endings, hidden stories, and the fates of survivors. [11] Branching does not automatically mean every choice rewrites the entire plot, but it does make attention and replay part of the intended design. A first pass can be treated as your uncorrected reading of the group; later paths let you test different relationships, investigate missed signals, and expose material that one route cannot show.
The presentation combines illustrated 2D characters with detailed 3D environments, supported by an original score, environmental sound, and the theme “Be Honest.” Korean and Japanese performances provide the full voice tracks. [11] For readers who find fully static visual novels difficult to stay with, the spatial staging and audiovisual treatment may make conversations feel more grounded in the unstable physical scene.
Reasons to claim it
- The mystery is built around communication, contradictory perspectives, and the social pressure of a broadcast audience.
- Choices, routes, endings, hidden stories, and survivor outcomes support replay and close reading. [11]
- Social Media and Timeline features are described as clue-bearing systems, not merely fictional flavor. [11]
- The 2D-character/3D-environment combination gives a dialogue-heavy game more cinematic scene composition.
- Its published minimum—4 GB RAM, integrated Intel HD 520 graphics, and 10 GB storage—is approachable by modern gaming standards. [11]
Cautions before downloading
- The subject matter includes structural collapse, confinement, murder, mistrust, and people in danger under rubble.
- It is dialogue-led and single-player. Readers seeking combat, action traversal, or a conventional survival system should adjust expectations.
- There is no English voice track; English is supported for interface and subtitles. [14]
- No recommended PC specification is published in the official Steam requirements reviewed. Inventing a higher tier would be misleading.
- First-party accessibility documentation is sparse, and the controller metadata contains limitations that make broad promises unsafe.
BURIED STARS Windows requirements
Phone readers: swipe the table left to read the full minimum specification.
| Component | Published minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 | Not published |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-6300U | Not published |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM | Not published |
| Graphics | Intel HD Graphics 520 | Not published |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Not published |
| Storage | 10 GB available | Not published |
| Sound | DirectX-compatible sound card or onboard chipset | Not published |
| Controller note | DualShock 4, Xbox, or DirectInput-compatible controller supported | Not published |
The publisher-supplied metadata marks Windows as supported and macOS and Linux as unsupported. [12] The 10 GB figure is a planning baseline rather than an exact forecast for every Epic installation; launcher files, updates, and temporary space can increase the practical requirement.
Languages, controller support, and accessibility limits
English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean are listed for interface and subtitles. Japanese and Korean have full audio; English does not. [12] The official title site independently summarizes audio as Korean and Japanese and subtitles as English plus four other languages. [14]
Steam marks full controller support, and the requirements note names DualShock 4, Xbox, and DirectInput-compatible controllers. At the same time, the structured controller panel does not affirm PlayStation-specific glyphs, Bluetooth-specific behavior, Steam Input API support, or a completed controller wizard. [11] The careful conclusion is that controllers are supported; it would be unsafe to promise a particular icon set, wireless path, remapping workflow, or storefront-specific behavior without testing.
Accessibility evidence is still more limited. The official metadata reviewed does not declare resizable interface text, narrated menus, color alternatives, contrast controls, difficulty levels, save-anywhere operation, screen-reader support, or play-without-timed-input accommodations. Those blank or false declarations mean the features were not publisher-declared in that structured source; they are not independent proof that every feature is absent in every build. Verify any essential accommodation before installing.
Official gameplay movie
YouTube oEmbed identifies video ID xJc5tE59cwM as “[베리드스타즈] Game Play Movie” from uploader LINE GAMES. The Korean title text names BURIED STARS; the player below uses the same verified video ID. [15]
Watch the BURIED STARS gameplay movie directly on YouTube. The official channel establishes provenance, not permission to extract and republish the video or thumbnail as a separate asset.
Which game should you play first?
Start with System Shock 2 if you want to inhabit a dangerous place rather than mostly read about one. Its appeal lies in navigation, inventory pressure, character construction, combat decisions, and the freedom to combine tools. It asks for patience with an intentionally preserved older design language, but the reward is a ship that feels like a connected environment instead of a sequence of isolated encounters. If co-op is the feature that caught your attention, remember Nightdive’s own recommendation to make the first trip solo for the atmosphere. [5]
Start with BURIED STARS if you want a slower mystery centered on what people say, hide, post, and believe. It is the better match for an evening spent following dialogue and testing suspicions without managing a shooter’s combat and resources. Its branching routes also suit players who enjoy returning to a story to uncover alternate outcomes. The caution is equally clear: the structural-collapse and murder scenario is emotionally tense, and readers who need English voice acting will have to rely on subtitles. [11]
The most practical answer is to claim both while they are $0, then install only the one that fits your time and mood. Epic Support says a weekly free game remains in the account after a successful claim, so the download can wait. [2] That separates a deadline-sensitive account action from a storage and play-time decision that can happen later.
How to claim both games safely
- Open the two official Epic product pages from this article and sign in to the Epic account that should own the licenses.
- Check the exact title and edition on each page. The intended records are the PC base games, not DLC, a soundtrack, a bundle, or another similarly named item.
- Confirm that the price shown to your account and region is $0 before continuing. This report covers the U.S. storefront and USD; availability and tax presentation can differ elsewhere.
- Select Get and continue through Epic’s checkout for each game. Review the final total before placing the order. Never enter payment information merely because an article says an offer should be free.
- Complete both orders before October 8, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. EDT / 15:00 UTC. Adding a game to a wishlist is not a claim. A bookmark, open tab, or unfinished cart also does not establish ownership. Epic says the game must be claimed during the indicated free period. [2]
- After checkout, verify the library entry or account receipt for each title. That readback is stronger evidence than assuming the last button worked.
- Install through the Epic Games Launcher now or later. The claim has the deadline; the download can wait. [2]
These are account-based Epic offers. “Free to keep” means continued account access under Epic’s program after a completed promotion claim; it does not mean DRM-free files, transferable ownership, guaranteed offline operation, or freedom from the platform’s terms. If those distinctions matter, read the current product page and Epic agreement before ordering.
What is announced for next week?
Epic’s current U.S. feed contains upcoming zero-price windows for Out of Sight and TerraScape, scheduled from October 8 at 15:00 UTC through October 15 at 15:00 UTC. That converts to 11:00 a.m. EDT at both endpoints in New York. Both upcoming records are labeled BASE_GAME; their current U.S. prices remain $14.99 and $16.99 respectively because the announced giveaway windows have not started. [1]
This is advance catalog evidence, not a completed claim and not a promise that Epic cannot change a future listing. Treat the pair as provisional until October 8, refresh the official feed, and confirm each live checkout actually displays $0 before ordering. Rumors and third-party preview lists do not override the first-party feed.
Frequently asked questions
Are System Shock 2 and BURIED STARS free forever?
The $0 claim window is temporary, ending October 8, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. EDT / 15:00 UTC. Epic Support says a weekly free game claimed during its free period remains in the account afterward. [2] “Forever” should still be understood within the account and platform terms, not as a DRM-free or transferable copy.
Do I have to download both games before October 8?
No. You must complete each $0 order before the deadline, but the installation can wait. Epic Support separates claiming a weekly game during its indicated period from downloading it later. [2] Check your library or receipt after checkout.
Does adding a title to my wishlist reserve the free price?
No. A wishlist entry is a reminder, not a completed $0 transaction. The offer must be claimed during the free period. [2] Finish checkout for both titles before October 8 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.
Are these demos, trials, DLC packs, or free weekends?
No. Epic’s official feed marks both included offers as active BASE_GAME records with positive original prices and zero promotional prices for a defined seven-day window. [1] The article excludes add-ons, bundles, demos, trials, free-play access, mobile-only records, subscriptions, and permanently free-to-play games.
Can I play System Shock 2 cooperatively?
Official materials list online and LAN co-op, cross-platform multiplayer, and support for up to four players. [8] Nightdive nevertheless recommends single player for a first playthrough because it better preserves the intended isolation and atmosphere. [5]
Does BURIED STARS have English voices?
No English full-audio track is listed. English is available for interface and subtitles, while Korean and Japanese are the full-audio languages. [12] [14]
Why are the PC specifications sourced from Steam?
The Epic promotion feed supplies identity, pricing, offer type, and dates, but not the full requirement, language, and controller tables used here. Publisher-supplied Steam metadata provides those fields. The tables are explicitly labeled as planning guidance and are not claims that Epic’s packages, launcher behavior, file sizes, or updates are identical.
Are both games supported on macOS or Linux?
The publisher-supplied Steam metadata reviewed marks Windows supported and macOS/Linux unsupported for both titles. [6] [12] That is native-platform metadata, not a statement about unofficial compatibility layers.
Does either game have complete accessibility documentation?
No complete first-party accessibility inventory was located in the official sources reviewed. System Shock 2 has confirmed captions/subtitles, controller categories, custom-binding evidence, and joystick smoothing, but several common accommodations are undocumented. BURIED STARS has subtitles and controller support evidence, but its structured accessibility declarations are sparse. Absence from those pages should not be converted into proof that a feature is absent; verify essential needs independently.
What is announced for the next Epic giveaway?
Epic’s current U.S. feed schedules Out of Sight and TerraScape for zero-price BASE_GAME windows from October 8 at 15:00 UTC through October 15 at 15:00 UTC. [1] Both still show paid current prices because the future windows have not started. Treat the announcement as provisional and recheck the live $0 checkout on October 8.
Does this article contain affiliate links or official game artwork?
No. The links go to official storefront, developer, publisher, support, and video sources and are not affiliate links. The hero is original editorial artwork by The IT Guys, not official game art. The two embedded videos remain hosted by their verified official YouTube channels.
Sources and verification
- Epic Games Store U.S. free-games promotions feed — active offer identity, status, type, original and promotional prices, namespaces, slugs, and UTC windows.
- Epic Games Store Support: weekly free-game information — claim-period and install-later guidance.
- System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster on Epic Games Store — canonical product page.
- Nightdive Studios: System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster — official premise and remaster description.
- Nightdive Studios: Deep Diving into the Multiplayer Restoration Process — PC launch date, development history, design preservation, multiplayer work, and solo-first recommendation.
- System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster on Steam — publisher-supplied credits, release, gameplay features, content warning, languages, controls, platforms, and PC requirements.
- Nightdive Studios patch 1.2 notes — custom-binding, joystick-smoothing, subtitle, mod, and fan-mission evidence.
- Atari physical-edition product page — official up-to-four-player co-op description.
- System Shock 2 launch trailer — YouTube oEmbed-verified uploader: Nightdive Studios.
- BURIED STARS on Epic Games Store — canonical product page.
- BURIED STARS on Steam — publisher-supplied premise, mechanics, release, credits, requirements, controller, language, and accessibility metadata.
- Steam appdetails API: BURIED STARS — machine-readable publisher-supplied metadata for Windows support, release, languages, controller, and requirements.
- LINE Games: BURIED STARS — official developer/publisher page, genre wording, and initial release date.
- BURIED STARS official title site: Purchase — initial platform chronology and language/audio summary.
- [베리드스타즈] Game Play Movie — YouTube oEmbed-verified uploader: LINE GAMES.
Research cutoff: October 1, 2026 at 12:01 p.m. EDT (16:01 UTC). Region: United States; currency: USD; platform scope: Epic Games Store PC. The Epic product pages returned HTTP 403 to the scripted research fetch, so promotion identity, price, status, and timing were verified from Epic’s official public promotions feed rather than a third-party tracker. The feed snapshot also contains provisional upcoming zero-price BASE_GAME windows for Out of Sight and TerraScape from October 8 through October 15; those future records require a fresh check before publication and at the October 8 handoff. Steam fields are publisher-supplied PC guidance and are not evidence of Epic package parity. Atari’s page body was not archived locally because the scripted fetch was blocked; overlapping facts were cross-checked where possible. Official YouTube hosting establishes provenance, not a standalone reuse license. The hero is original editorial artwork by The IT Guys, not official game art. The IT Guys is not affiliated with Epic Games, Nightdive Studios, Atari, LINE Games, Valve, YouTube, or other rights holders. This report is independent and contains no affiliate links.