Every year since 2019, the Epic Games Store has offered a treasure trove of free games during the holiday season and in the lead up to the new year. These games – usually around 15 separate titles – release daily and are a total mystery until they're officially revealed the day they go live on the storefront. And unlike the Epic Games Store's weekly free games, these daily offerings are available for just 24 hours.
The Epic Games Store won't be breaking its annual tradition this year. Starting from December 18, EGS is releasing one free game every day until an unspecified date. Previous years' mystery holiday giveaways have offered a nice range of AAA and indie titles, and users can probably expect the same this year. That said, that initial Epic Games Store mystery free game for December 18 is going to have a hard time following EGS' most recent freebie.
The Epic Games Store Free Mystery Game for December 18 Will Struggle To Reach The Heights of Hogwarts Legacy
The Epic Games Store has been offering at least one free game every week since December 2018, and while obviously not all of these free games can be AAA heavy hitters, there have been some pretty huge additions over the years. In 2019, the Epic Games Store offered the Batman: Arkham Collection for free, while Grand Theft Auto 5 was added in 2020, Alien Isolation was made free in 2021, and Death Stranding was part of the Epic Games Store's mystery holiday giveaway in 2022. Over 70 free games have been offered on the Epic Games Store this year alone, with Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and Dead Island 2 being just two of the biggest additions.
The current Epic Games Store free game certainly belongs on that list of heavy hitters. Originally teased as a mystery game that fans could redeem following The Game Awards 2025, the Epic Games Store free game for December 11 was Hogwarts Legacy. Despite releasing in February 2023, Hogwarts Legacy is still a major pull for the Epic Games Store, and an undeniable win for the platform's users, with it still officially retailing for $59.99.
Hogwarts Legacy's lowest price on Steam was $8.99 during the Steam Black Friday sale, but it's since returned to its $59.99 retail price.
Following up Hogwarts Legacy is going to be an incredibly difficult task for the Epic Games Store's December 18 free game. If it's not a AAA title of the same caliber or with a similar retail value to Hogwarts Legacy, some users may feel a little disappointed, and that's likely not the result Epic Games would want for the start of its annual holiday giveaway.
The Leaked List of Epic Games Store Free December Mystery Games Could Meet Expectations
A few days ago, several Chinese social media accounts began circulating an allegedly leaked list containing the names of all 15 Epic Games Store free mystery games for December 2025. That leaked list looked like this:
- Hogwarts Legacy - December 11
- Jurassic World Evolution 2 - December 18
- Desperados 3 - December 19
- Total War: Warhammer - December 20
- Tropico 5 - December 21
- Chicken Police: Paint It Red - December 22
- Loop Hero - December 23
- LEGO Batman - December 24
- Commander Keen - December 25
- Farming Simulator 2022 - December 26
- Slime Rancher 2 - December 27
- Terraria - December 28
- Detroit: Become Human - December 29
- Mortal Kombat 11 - December 30
- Red Dead Redemption 2 - December 31
If this leak is genuine, then it would be a very strong list for Epic Games Store's free mystery giveaway that many users would likely be pleased with. It may not be quite on the same level as Hogwarts Legacy, but Jurassic World Evolution 2 would be a very solid follow-up for the December 18 free game, with it being a AAA game that's also attached to a popular IP. Offering a free copy of Red Dead Redemption 2 would also be an incredibly exciting way for the Epic Games Store to end its holiday giveaway, with it still being one of the most revered AAA games out there seven years after its original launch.
That said, all leaks should always be taken with a hefty pinch of salt, and that's especially pertinent when a leak seems too good to be true. Along with a lack of credible sources, this leaked list of Epic Games Store free games contains several titles that EGS has offered before, some as recent as March 2025. On top of that, the choice of Commander Keen as the December 25th free game doesn't fit with EGS' usual strategy of offering a bigger title on Christmas Day. These factors don't necessarily mean that this leaked list is fake, but they certainly raise some concerns over its legitimacy. Fans will just have to wait until December 18 to find out for themselves if the free game can live up to the high bar set by Hogwarts Legacy.