Christmas is a time for giving. But sometimes it’s big gaming companies doing the giving, rather than us.
Sure, they may be only be trying to gnaw away at a rival’s market share or eventually get you to spend more money than you otherwise would, but we can’t say no to a free game or two.
Around Christmas is also one of the best times to find deep discounts on digital game platforms. It’s time to check if that title you’ve had your eye on for six months has hit a price you’re willing to pay. Here are the top spots for cheap and free games around Christmas 2022.
Epic Games Christmas giveaway
The Epic Games store is famous for giving away games. A lot of games. That goes into overdrive around Christmastime, and the festive fun has just begun for this year.
On December 15, Epic Games unlocked super-moreish tower-defence classic Bloons TD 6 for 24 hours only. After that window, another game will be available for free. Unlike the store’s usual weekly giveaways, you don’t know what that game will be until it is unlocked. This pattern is expected to last for 15 days, taking us up to the end of the year.
Last year’s line-up included some true big-hitters, such as Prey, Control, and the Tomb Raider trilogy.
Humble Bundle Holiday Encore
Game bundle maestro Humble Bundle is in the process of resurrecting some of its recent bundles. One appears each day at 7pm, although we don’t know how long that will last.
Deals to date include a 16-pack of publisher 2K’s games for £13.12, including Borderlands 3 and the XCOM series, and a Civilisation-creator Sid Meier collection for £12.20. Humble Bundle says stocks are “highly limited”, and each is only available for a few days.
Sony PlayStation Plus sale
You can currently get £25 off a PlayStation Plus membership. This means the basic Plus Essential membership costs just £2. It lets you unlock a handful of games each month. These are playable as long as you have an active Plus membership.
Sony also offers higher Extra and Premium tiers, which are also discounted. They grant you access to a massive game catalogue of PS4 and PS5 titles, while Premium adds stacks of older titles from the PS3, PS2, and PS1 generations.
Bonus games from Amazon Prime Gaming
Have an Amazon Prime membership? You may have missed that it includes a stack of free PC games each month. In December, Prime Gaming titles include Quake, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Desert Child, Spinch, Banners of Ruin and more.
However, as part of the festive period, Amazon is going much further this month, with an additional 10 freebies. These are the brilliant Dishonored 2, and a stack of retro arcade titles. From December 27, you can snag Metal Slug, King of Fighters 2003, the 24-game-strong SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, and more.
Incoming Xbox Countdown sale (and more)
Microsoft is expected to start its Christmas Countdown sale any day now. In 2021, it started on December 17 and, on December 18, in 2020. Bargains already available include the Resident Evil 2 remake for £7.99, the fantastic Titanfall 2 for £4.99, and Cyberpunk 2077 for £24.99.
Those more interested in the Steam Winter Sale will have to wait until December 22. Sony’s PlayStation Store is likely to start at a similar time. Current Sony promotions are due to end on December 21, the clearest sign big things are planned for the next day.
And, if you’re a PC gamer who simply can’t wait that long, head to Gog.com. Its Winter Sale started on December 12. Highlights include the recently enhanced The Witcher 3: Game of the Year Edition for £6.99 and XCOM 2 for an almost absurdly cheap £1.79.
CDkeys is also one to check out while comparing prices. It currently appears to offer the best price on the PC version of game of the year contender Elden Ring at £32.99.
