July 14, 2026

Epic's fifth free game is live, PBA Pro Bowling 2026 joins Game Pass today, and 10 games leave tomorrow

A third surprise developer giveaway, the found-footage co-op horror Together After Dark, pushes Epic's free count to five. PBA Pro Bowling 2026 arrives on Game Pass with a Very Positive Steam rating, tomorrow is the last day for 10 titles including Dungeons of Hinterberg and PowerWash Simulator, and the Social Deduction Fest closes Thursday. Every end date checked.

Epic: five free games claimable now, one new

The Epic Games Store has five free games live right now, and the newest is a surprise developer giveaway that went live this week.

Together After Dark (Epic Games Store): a 4-player co-op found-footage horror game from solo developer RedForge, normally $2.99. Four teens explore a dark forest through the lens of a camcorder, trying to escape without being seen. The game released in January 2025 and received its final update in April 2026, so what you claim is the complete version. Steam reviews are Mixed, with about 56% positive across roughly 330 reviews, and players consistently say it is boring alone but can be fun with a full group of friends. It is a short, linear experience. Free to keep through July 27 (GameRant).

The other four, all previously covered here, remain claimable with unchanged deadlines:

• Nova Lands ($19.99, 89% positive on Steam, Factorio-like automation builder) and Tattoo Tycoon ($29.99, Mixed on Steam): the weekly pair, free through Thursday, July 16 at 8am PT (Epic).
• No Rush! Tower Edition ($2.49, casual 3D platformer, too few reviews for a consensus): surprise dev freebie, free through July 20 at 10am UTC (GameRant).
• KeepUp Survival ($14.99, open-world survival sandbox, Mixed 63% on Steam): surprise dev freebie, free through July 19 at 10am PDT (GameRant).

Next week's pair, Echo Generation: Midnight Edition (90s-nostalgia turn-based RPG, OpenCritic 77) and Luto (P.T.-style horror, OpenCritic 78), goes live July 16 at 8am PT and runs through July 23.

Game Pass: PBA Pro Bowling 2026 arrives today, 10 games leave tomorrow

PBA Pro Bowling 2026 joins Xbox Game Pass today, July 14, on Ultimate, Premium, and PC Game Pass tiers (Pure Xbox). This is not a day-one release. The game launched on Xbox last December and is joining the subscription catalog months later. It earns its spot on honest reception: Very Positive on Steam with a 94 player score across roughly 350 reviews, and Eurogamer called it "an earnest, accurate sports sim that feels like it fell out of 2010" in a positive review. Metacritic has too few critic reviews for an aggregate score, but user ratings there sit at 9.4. Pure Xbox described it as "surprisingly great." If you want a bowling sim with realistic oil patterns, licensed PBA pros, and deep career progression, this is the one, and it is included with your subscription starting today.

The bigger urgency is tomorrow's exodus. Wednesday, July 15 is the last day for 10 games leaving Game Pass (gg.deals, Polygon):

• Dungeons of Hinterberg: the standout loss, a well-reviewed dungeon crawler with action combat and a colorful alpine setting. Polygon called it one of the best dungeon crawlers without "Zelda" in the name.
• PowerWash Simulator: the popular relaxing cleaning game with co-op support.
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition: the finale of the modern Tomb Raider trilogy.
• Stellaris: the acclaimed sci-fi grand-strategy game from Paradox.
• Golf With Your Friends: chaotic mini golf with online multiplayer.
• EA Sports FC 24, Minami Lane, Splitgate: Arena Reloaded, Super Fantasy Kingdom (PC only), and Techtonica also leave.

If any of these are on your list, today is the day to start or finish them.

The week ahead

• Wed Jul 15: 10 Game Pass departures (above); Quarantine Zone: The Last Check arrives on Game Pass (all tiers).
• Thu Jul 16: Epic swaps to Echo Generation: Midnight Edition and Luto (free through Jul 23); Prime Gaming drops Escape Academy (Epic), Poly Vita (Legacy Games), and Framed Collection (GOG); Steam Social Deduction Fest closes at 10am PT.
• Fri Jul 17: FixForce and Fogpiercer (PC only) arrive on Game Pass.
• Jul 21: The Planet Crafter and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 arrive on Game Pass.