The Epic Games Store's weekly free game rotation just got a genuinely strong pairing. Starting September 17, players can claim Shogun Showdown and Mindcop at no cost, and both are worth your time for very different reasons.
This is a notable week for the giveaway. Neither of these titles is filler. Shogun Showdown has built a loyal following since launch, and Mindcop is the kind of experimental solo-dev project that tends to quietly find its audience. Getting both for free, back to back, is a solid deal for anyone with an Epic account.
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What Shogun Showdown actually plays like
Shogun Showdown, developed by Roboatino, is a turn-based roguelike built around positional combat and deckbuilding. The core loop is deceptively simple: you move left and right along a line, positioning yourself to trigger action tiles that determine your attacks, blocks, and special moves. Combat reads quickly, but the depth creeps up on you fast once enemies start stacking and tile combos become the difference between a clean run and a wipe.
Here's the thing: the simplicity is the hook. You can understand the basics within two minutes, and yet you will still be optimizing tile placement an hour later. The pixel art is sharp, the soundtrack does exactly what a good roguelike soundtrack should (keep you locked in without getting annoying), and the unlock progression gives each run a reason to push further. The Steam community has responded accordingly, with 97% of players leaving positive reviews.
For fans of adventure games and strategy-heavy roguelikes, Shogun Showdown fills a specific niche well. It is the kind of game that fits into a lunch break and then somehow eats your evening.
Mindcop and its five-day murder clock
Mindcop, created by solo developer Andre Gareis, takes a completely different direction. A murder has occurred in the village of Merrylin Crater Camp, and you have five in-game days to solve it. Every action you take advances the clock, which means wasted time on dead ends can actually cost you the case. The pressure is real.
The standout mechanic is the ability to enter suspects' minds and navigate their "Sea of Thoughts" through a match-three minigame. It sounds strange because it is, but the surreal noir tone carries the whole thing. The writing is strong enough that a second playthrough to catch what you missed does not feel like a chore.
The Sekiro connection and why free games matter right now
For players already deep in FromSoftware's catalog, this week's drop is a good reminder of how the free game ecosystem works as a discovery engine. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition sits at the top of the samurai action genre, and Shogun Showdown, while a completely different mechanical experience, taps into that same appetite for precise, punishing combat with real positional thinking. Players coming off a Sekiro run looking for something to fill the gap will find Shogun Showdown scratches a related itch.
Free game weeks like this one tend to convert the most players when the titles have genuine replay value. Shogun Showdown has it. Mindcop is shorter but has enough branching mystery structure to pull players back for a second run. Neither feels like a clearance bin pick.
How to claim before the window closes
Both games are available through the Epic Games Store's free games page. The offer runs until September 24 at 8am PT, so there is a full week to add them to your library. You do not need to install them immediately, just claim them before the deadline and they stay in your account.
If you end up picking up Shogun Showdown and want to build on that interest in the samurai genre, the Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - GOTY Edition guides are a solid next stop for getting deeper into FromSoftware's take on feudal Japan combat.
