Flotsam Free to Keep, Payday 3 at 70% Off and Age of Wonders 4: 3 PC Games to Play Free This Weekend on Steam and Epic
The first full weekend of November 2026 brings a strong lineup of PC deals for players looking to jump into something new without spending a dime. Alongside the eight titles featured in this weekend's Xbox Free Play Days, both Steam and the Epic Games Store have opened the gates to a colorful post-apocalyptic city-builder you can claim forever, paired with two major co-op and 4X strategy heavyweights playable for free through Monday, November 9.
Flotsam: Claim the Floating City-Builder for Free on the Epic Games Store Until November 12
If you want a permanent addition to your PC library, head straight over to the Epic Games Store. Normally priced at $24.99, the ocean survival management sim Flotsam on the Epic Games Store is completely free to claim until Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 11:00 AM ET. Unlike temporary weekend trials, grabbing it before the deadline locks the game into your Epic account for good.
Developed by Belgian indie studio Pajama Llama Games and published by Stray Fawn Publishing, Flotsam trades bleak post-apocalyptic clichés for a vibrant, feel-good ocean world. You manage a drifting settlement of survivors salvaging plastic debris and driftwood from the surface, desalinating seawater, researching new technologies across skill trees, and sailing across submerged ruins and rusted factories to rescue fellow drifters and rebuild civilization.
Payday 3: Risk-Free Co-Op Heists Until November 9 and 70% Off on Steam
Over on Valve's storefront, two major titles are running temporary free-play events until Monday, November 9, 2026. First up is Starbreeze Entertainment's four-player co-op heist shooter Payday 3 on Steam. After a rough launch back in September 2023, the studio has spent the past three years overhauling progression, matchmaking, and stealth mechanics to win back its community.
This free weekend is the ideal chance to gather a crew of friends and test how the heists play today without spending a cent. If the current state of the game wins you over, Starbreeze is also running a steep 70% discount on Steam that drops the standard edition to $8.99 (down from $29.99), letting you keep all your weekend progression.
Age of Wonders 4: Triumph Studios' Fantasy 4X Free to Play and 60% Off
Strategy fans can also dive into Age of Wonders 4 on Steam for free through November 9. Developed by Triumph Studios and published by Paradox Interactive, this acclaimed fantasy 4X strategy RPG blends grand empire building with turn-based tactical combat, letting you customize your own faction and physically transform your subjects as you unlock new magical tomes.
The free trial arrives right on the heels of the recent announcements surrounding Age of Wonders 4's The Silver Seas expansion and the Manta update. While some multiplayer hiccups still crop up occasionally, solo empire builders can easily sink dozens of hours into its campaign, and the game runs smoothly even on older hardware starting at an Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 and 6 GB of RAM. Players who want to continue their campaign after Monday can grab the base game for $19.99 (60% off its usual $49.99 price tag).
Weekend Free PC Games Summary and November's Humble Choice Bonus
Here are the direct store links and deadlines to claim or download all three PC games this weekend:
- Flotsam (Epic Games Store): Free to claim and keep forever until November 12 (regularly $24.99) , Claim on the Epic Games Store.
- Payday 3 (Steam): Free to play until November 9 and on sale for $8.99 (70% off) , Download on Steam.
- Age of Wonders 4 (Steam): Free to play until November 9 and on sale for $19.99 (60% off) , Download on Steam.
As a final bonus for PC players looking to stretch their November budget, this month's Humble Choice lineup on Humble Bundle is stacked with recent releases. November members receive permanent PC keys for Mafia: The Old Country, The Outer Worlds 2, and Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, alongside the Spanish horror shooter Crisol: Theater of Idols, which launched back in February.
SEO consultant for over 20 years and digital entrepreneur, Charles "Grimtag" is the founder of Pro-Gamer.gg, Retrocharting.com, and Gamescharting.com. A competitive gamer, streamer, and retro game collector, he has worked in the video game industry for over 15 years, notably as a consultant for leading game price comparison platforms. Passionate about real-time performance data and gaming technology, he analyzes competitive esports, gaming hardware benchmarks, and creator workflows on Pro-Gamer.gg with an authentic player perspective.
