Civilization 6 available free now on Epic Games Store

With Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 5 no longer available for free on the Epic Games Store, another game has stepped up to take its place: Sid Meier’s Civilization 6. The 4X turn-based strategy game will be available on the Epic Games Store for free until 11 a.m. EDT on May 28.

Free games are available weekly on Epic Games’ platform. For the past week, it was GTA 5 — a download that was so popular that it created loads of problems (including 12 hours of downtime) for the store and its launcher.

Civilization 6 was released in October 2016 on Mac and Windows PC. It came to iOS in 2017, Nintendo Switch in 2018, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2019. Earlier this month, developer Firaxis Games announced a new season pass for Civilization 6 that will add eight new civilizations to the base game. The pass, available on all platforms except mobile, will cost $39.99. Six add-on packs are expected as part of the pass, the first of which will be released Thursday. It’s the Maya & Gran Colombia Pack, and it includes “leaders, buildings and units from each respective civilization, a new Apocalypse game mode, new City-States, Resources, and Natural Wonders,” according to a news release.

Epic Games started giving away games on its store in 2019. Currently, the platform is running a four-week sale on games called the “Mega Sale.” Epic Games Store users can expect discounts up to 75% off PC games.

GeForce RTX 2060

• $360

Prices taken at time of publishing.

Nvidia’s high-end GeForce RTX graphics cards allow for enhanced “cinematic-quality” graphics with real-time ray tracing.

• $360 at Amazon

Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy.