Steam vs Epic: free games, cashback and loyalty rewards

If saving money matters more than where your library lives, the two stores reward you in very different ways. Epic pays you to show up: a free game every week and store credit on purchases. Steam rewards patience: bigger and more frequent sales, regional prices, and a points system that only buys cosmetics.

Main comparison: Steam vs Epic Games Store.

The quick comparison

	Steam	Epic Games Store
Free to keep	Rare publisher giveaways	A game every week, daily in December
Free to try	Free weekends, demos, Next Fest	Rare
Free-to-play	Large catalog	Fortnite, Rocket League, Fall Guys and others
Cashback	None	Epic Rewards: 5%, 20% on Epic's own games
Points	Steam Points, cosmetics only	None
Big sales	Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter + fests	Mega Sale, Holiday Sale
Store coupons	Rare, personal	Store-wide coupons during some sales

Epic's free games program

Every Thursday Epic swaps the free game (sometimes two or three). Claimed games stay in your library permanently, and the program has run without a break since 2018. Epic said that in 2025 alone it gave away 100 games and players claimed 662 million copies.

The program's quality varies. Some weeks are small indies; others are major releases. The December holiday event gives a new mystery game every day; the 2025 edition had 17, starting with Hogwarts Legacy. Epic runs a separate weekly free-game program on its mobile store (Android worldwide, iOS in the EU).

Habits that get the most out of it:

• Claim every week, even games you will never play: some become worth having later, for example if a sequel or co-op friend group shows up.
• Use the Epic website, not the launcher, if you only want to claim; it is faster.
• Turn on two-factor authentication. It is not required to claim today, but it protects a library that grows by dozens of games a year.
• Check a game's Steam reviews before investing hours; Epic's 5-star ratings tell you less.

Steam: free weekends, demos and giveaways

Steam's free options are temporary or limited by design:

• Free weekends let you play a full game for a few days, often with a discount if you buy; progress usually carries over if you buy the game.
• Demos, especially during Steam Next Fest, cover hundreds of upcoming games several times a year.
• Free-to-keep giveaways happen when a publisher decides, usually announced on the store page; they are not scheduled.
• Free-to-play is the biggest category: from Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 to thousands of smaller games.

Cashback: Epic Rewards vs Steam Points

Epic Rewards returns 5% of most store purchases made through Epic's checkout as credit you can spend in the store. Purchases of Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys earn 20%. Credit for refundable purchases unlocks after the refund window. A 20% store-wide promotion ran until 8 January 2026 and has ended.

Steam Points are earned on Steam purchases and spent in the Points Shop on profile items, chat stickers and seasonal cosmetics. During major sales Steam often adds free daily stickers. Points cannot buy games or reduce a price.

In money terms Epic wins clearly: 5% of a $60 game is $3 of store credit; Steam Points for the same purchase buy a profile background.

Sales and price drops

Steam's seasonal sales are larger, more frequent and include more of the back catalog. Regional pricing is broader, so in many countries Steam is cheaper for the same game. Epic's Mega Sale and Holiday Sale sometimes add a store-wide coupon that discounts already discounted games again.

Our tools help compare without guessing:

• Steam sale calendar for upcoming event dates.
• Historical low checker to see whether a "sale" is actually low.
• Buy now or wait for a decision on one title.
• Regional price comparator for differences by country.
• Epic Mega Sale 2026 and Steam Winter Sale 2026 for event guides.

Fortnite cosmetics with game purchases

Since early 2026 Epic attaches Fortnite cosmetics to some partner games bought on its store, starting with Resident Evil Requiem and Crimson Desert. If you play Fortnite, that is extra value only Epic offers. Refunding the game removes the cosmetic.

How to spend less across both stores

1. Claim Epic's free game every Thursday.
2. Wishlist on both stores; let notifications tell you about sales.
3. When the price is the same, buy on Epic for 5% back unless you need Steam features (Workshop, Deck, Families, Steam reviews, trading cards).
4. When Steam is cheaper because of regional pricing or a deeper sale, buy on Steam.
5. Avoid key resellers you do not trust: a revoked key costs more than any discount.
6. Remember refunds: both stores give 14 days and under 2 hours of play. See refunds compared.