July 16, 2026

Echo Generation and Luto go free on Epic today, Escape Academy leads Prime's July 16 drop, and Mavrix launches on Game Pass

The weekly Epic swap lands Echo Generation: Midnight Edition (OpenCritic 77) and Luto (Metacritic 79) free through July 23. Prime's Thursday drop is led by Escape Academy (Metacritic 79, co-op escape rooms). Mavrix, a $40 open-world mountain biking sim, hits Game Pass day one. Plus a new Xbox Free Play Days round with a well-reviewed Blumhouse horror, and the Steam Social Deduction Fest closes at 10am PT. Every end date checked.

Epic: the weekly swap goes live today, plus three surprise freebies

The Epic Games Store's Thursday rotation flips today, Thursday, July 16. The new pair is claimable now through Thursday, July 23, and the old pair ends this morning.

• Echo Generation: Midnight Edition (Epic Games Store, $24.99): a 90s-nostalgia turn-based RPG from Cococucumber about kids unraveling a small-town summer mystery, Stranger Things vibes included. The Midnight Edition (released June 2024) adds fast travel, a quest journal, and reworked combat. It holds a Strong 77 on OpenCritic across 33 reviews (GameRant, July 9). Its all-time low price was $7.49, so free is an easy yes if you like turn-based RPGs.
• Luto (Epic Games Store, $19.99): a first-person psychological horror debut from Spain's Broken Bird Games, built around looping hallways and grief rather than jump scares. It lands at OpenCritic 77 and Metacritic 79 (Generally Favorable), with GameSpot calling it "a twisting, experimental horror game that goes places you won't see coming" (8/10). Steam users agree: Very Positive, 85% of ~1,161 reviews (Steam). A genuinely good horror pickup.

Last call: Nova Lands ($19.99) and Tattoo Tycoon ($29.99) end today at 8am PT (11am ET), so claim them first thing if you haven't (Epic free games).

Still free from surprise developer giveaways (not the weekly lineup):

• No Rush! - Tower Edition ($2.49, 3D platformer) free through Sunday, July 20 (GameRant, July 12).
• KeepUp Survival ($14.99, open-world survival, Mixed 63% Steam) free through Saturday, July 19 (GameRant, July 12).
• Together After Dark ($2.99, 4-player found-footage co-op horror) free through Monday, July 27 (GameRant, July 14).

Prime Gaming: the July 16 drop is live, Escape Academy headlines

Amazon's Thursday drop went live today, July 16, bringing three more PC games for Prime members. Claim them and they're yours to keep permanently, even if you cancel Prime later (Amazon Game Studios, July 2; GG.deals).

• Escape Academy ($19.99): the headliner. A co-op escape room puzzler where you train to become an "Escape Room Master" across a dozen handcrafted rooms, playable solo or online/local splitscreen. It earned Metacritic 79 (Generally Favorable), OpenCritic 88%, and Very Positive on Steam (86% of ~1,020 reviews) (Metacritic, OpenCritic, Steam). The strongest grab in July's Prime lineup.
• Poly Vita (Legacy Games code): a minimalist puzzle game, Positive on Steam. A quiet, relaxing pickup.
• Framed Collection (GOG): a noir comic-book puzzle game where you rearrange panels to change the story. Very Positive on Steam (Notebookcheck).

Redeem through Amazon Luna; Escape Academy uses an Epic key, Framed Collection a GOG key, Poly Vita a Legacy Games code. Next Prime drop arrives July 23 (In Sound Mind, Mystic Academy: Escape Room).

Game Pass: Mavrix launches day one today

MAVRIX by Matt Jones, an open-world mountain biking game, releases into full global launch today, July 16, and joins Xbox Game Pass on day one across Ultimate, Premium, and PC tiers (GamesPress, July 16; Xbox Wire). It's an Xbox Play Anywhere title, so progress carries between Xbox Series X|S, PC, and handhelds like the ROG Ally.

The honest read: Steam users rate it Very Positive, 81% of ~853 reviews (Steam), but the top reviews are candid about rough physics, performance hitches, and an early-access feel. Only one critic review is in so far, Gaming Nexus at 7.5/10: "an enjoyable open-world mountain biking game... a few features don't feel fully fleshed out, and the asking price is a little steep." That $39.99 asking price is exactly what Game Pass erases, so it's a low-risk try if extreme-sports games are your thing. The full release adds head-to-head racing and a Slopestyle Mode over the Early Access content.

Looking ahead: FixForce and Fogpiercer (PC only) arrive tomorrow, Friday, July 17, with The Planet Crafter and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 landing July 21 (Pure Xbox).

Xbox Free Play Days: a new round is live, led by a Blumhouse horror

Xbox's weekly Free Play Days round went live today, Thursday, July 16 (Xbox Wire). Three games require a Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, or Essential membership; two are free for all Xbox members with no subscription needed.

• Crisol: Theater of Idols (Blumhouse Games, $17.99, Xbox Series X|S): the standout. A Spanish-folklore survival horror where your blood is both your health and your ammunition. Critics liked it, including The Sixth Axis at 9/10 and IGN Spain at 8/10 (Metacritic), and Steam rates it Very Positive (Steambase player score 87, ~3,654 reviews) (Steambase, Steam). Free trial through Sunday, July 19 for Game Pass members.
• Planet Zoo: Console Edition (Frontier, $49.99): a zoo-building sim from the Planet Coaster team. Free trial through Sunday, July 19 (Game Pass members). It's also 90% off to $4.99 if you want to keep it, well under its prior Microsoft Store low of $17.48 (XD.deals).
• Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports ($49.99): an arcade sports mashup. Free trial through Sunday, July 19, and 70% off to $14.99 to keep.

Free for all Xbox members, no Game Pass required:

• Grand Theft Auto Online (Xbox Series X|S, $19.99): free to play through Tuesday, July 21, including the new Kortz Center Heist.
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 ($19.99, on sale for $4.99): free to try this weekend for all Xbox members.

Steam: the Social Deduction Fest closes at 10am PT today

Today is the last day for the Steam Social Deduction Fest, which ends Thursday, July 16 at 10am PT (Steamworks). That gives you about two hours from this issue's delivery to grab the deals.

• LOCKDOWN Protocol ($5.99, 40% off): a first-person social deduction game for 1 to 16 players, 86% positive across ~16,000 Steam reviews. This matches its all-time low per GG.deals, the best price ever tracked (Steam).
• Other notable discounts in the fest: Project Winter 80% off, Town of Salem 66% off, and Among Us 40% off (Express, July 14).

After this, there is no major Steam sale until the Autumn Sale on October 1. The next themed fest is Train Fest, July 20 to 27.

Tracking: PlayStation Plus monthly games (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, For the King II, CrossCode) remain claimable through August 3 with no change this week (PlayStation Blog).