Epic’s September 2026 free games rotation is live with Luftrausers and Astral Ascent on PC, while Alone With You headlines the mobile giveaway.
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Epic’s September PC freebies are live, but the clock is short
The current Epic Games Store free games rotation has switched over to Luftrausers and Astral Ascent on PC, with both available to claim until Thursday, September 17, according to PCGamesN and Notebookcheck. Notebookcheck reports that the offer expires at 15:00 UTC, while PCGamesN lists the claim window as Thursday, September 10 through Thursday, September 17. Once claimed during that period, PCGamesN says both games are yours to keep.
That makes this a unusually tidy September 2026 giveaway for players who like compact, mechanics-first indies. One is Vlambeer’s 2014 airborne arcade shooter, built around score-chasing, sharp plane handling, and modular loadouts. The other is Hibernian Workshop’s Astral Ascent, a 2D action roguelite about escaping an astral prison called The Garden. Both are older releases arriving as Epic freebies, and GameRant notes an interesting wrinkle: they technically function as day-one Epic Games Store releases because their giveaway coincides with their EGS debuts, even though Luftrausers and Astral Ascent have been available elsewhere for years.
The tension for players is simple. This is a claim-now rotation, not a wait-and-see sale. GameRant’s weekly free games tracker says the next September 17 giveaways have already been revealed as Mindcop and Shogun Showdown, so anyone searching for Epic free games September 2026 should treat Luftrausers and Astral Ascent as the immediate priority before the page turns again.
Astral Ascent is the strongest value play in this week’s PC pair
If you are only measuring the giveaway by store value, Astral Ascent is the clear headliner. Notebookcheck lists Astral Ascent at a regular retail price of $24.99, while Luftrausers is listed at $9.99. GameRant similarly describes the two-game PC giveaway as a combined $34.98 in value based on regular retail prices on other platforms. There is no practical reason to claim only one, of course, but Astral Ascent carries the larger dollar value before the free period ends.
Its reputation also gives that value some weight. GameRant cites an 84 average score on OpenCritic and says Astral Ascent held an “Overwhelmingly Positive” Steam rating in early September 2026 based on more than 1,800 reviews. Notebookcheck reports a similar Steam reception figure, saying 95% of more than 1,800 reviews were positive at the time of writing. PCGamesN also points to that “Overwhelmingly Positive” Steam user average.
The craft pitch is easy to understand if you live in side-scrolling action games. According to PCGamesN and GameRant, Astral Ascent lets players choose from four heroes while trying to escape The Garden, an astral prison guarded by 12 Zodiacs. GameRant says players combine dozens of spells during escape attempts and can play solo or in two-player local co-op. PCGamesN frames it as a fit for players who enjoy the side-scrolling action feel of games such as Dead Cells or Absolum, paired with run-by-run narrative progression reminiscent of Hades. That comparison is an outlet assessment, not an official genre label, but it captures the audience Epic is likely catching here: roguelite players who want buildcraft, boss pressure, and a reason to start another run.
Luftrausers is the smaller freebie with the sharper arcade hook
Luftrausers may have the lower listed price, but it is the giveaway with the cleanest mechanical identity. PCGamesN attributes the game to Vlambeer, the studio also known for Nuclear Throne, and describes its setting as an alternate-history space between World War II and the Cold War. The same report cites Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail’s earlier description of the premise as “Superweapon dogfighting in a world with World War II-era Thunderbirds.”
The important bit for players is how much of Luftrausers lives in feel. PCGamesN highlights tight controls, demanding action, and the way players can customize plane bodies, engines, and weapon types. Both PCGamesN and Notebookcheck report more than 125 possible aircraft combinations, while Notebookcheck also says the game includes over 100 missions. PCGamesN adds a lovely technical detail: changing parts also dynamically alters the soundtrack to match the aircraft setup.
That is the kind of design flourish that keeps a compact arcade game from feeling disposable. A good Luftrausers run is about reading the sky, committing to a build, and understanding the price of every turn. Notebookcheck does flag age-related caveats, saying the UI and controls are not as polished as something modern. That is a useful warning for players coming directly from newer roguelites and platformers. Still, Notebookcheck reports that Luftrausers had more than 2,500 Steam reviews with 91% positive at the time of writing, which suggests the game’s stripped-down scoring loop still has pull.
The mobile free game is a very different kind of indie discovery
Epic’s mobile-side freebie gives this rotation a softer, sadder counterpoint. Pocket Gamer reports that Alone With You is the latest Epic Games Store mobile free game, available free to download and keep on EGS this week. The outlet describes it as a sci-fi romance about the lone survivor of a doomed space colony who must prepare an escape while uncovering what happened to the other colonists.
The structure, as reported by Pocket Gamer, splits the experience between daytime exploration and escape preparation, then nighttime interactions with holographic companions. Pocket Gamer says the game is heavily inspired by Sega-CD adventure games and highlights its pixelated visuals and original retro-inspired soundtrack. That puts Alone With You in a very different lane from the PC pair. Luftrausers asks for reflexes and scoring discipline. Astral Ascent asks for run planning and combat execution. Alone With You asks players to sit with loneliness, routine, and doomed-colony melancholy.
The mobile timing is less precisely documented in the provided sources than the PC offer. Pocket Gamer says Alone With You is free on the Epic Games Store for mobile “this week,” but the provided text does not include an exact end time. For practical purposes, mobile players should claim it promptly rather than assuming it will match the PC September 17 cutoff.
This rotation shows Epic using freebies as storefront debuts, not only discounts
The most interesting store-page angle here is the way Epic is mixing library-building with platform expansion. GameRant reports that Astral Ascent and Luftrausers technically qualify as day-one releases only because their Epic Games Store giveaway coincides with their EGS debuts. That matters for how players should read the phrase “new” in a free-games rotation. These are not new games in the broader market. GameRant says Astral Ascent left early access in mid-November 2023, and Luftrausers was 12 years old as of March 18, 2026. They are new to Epic’s storefront.
That makes the giveaway a discovery tool. Players who missed Astral Ascent during its Steam and broader PC life get a no-cost entry point. Players who know Vlambeer through Nuclear Throne but never picked up Luftrausers get a reason to sample one of the studio’s tighter arcade works. On mobile, Pocket Gamer frames Epic’s free games program as a way the storefront is exposing mobile players to interesting releases, with Alone With You following earlier mobile freebies such as Observer, according to the outlet.
There is also a platform split worth keeping straight. The confirmed PC freebies are Luftrausers and Astral Ascent through the Epic Games Store free games page. The confirmed mobile freebie from Pocket Gamer is Alone With You. The provided sources do not state that Luftrausers or Astral Ascent are part of the mobile giveaway, and they do not give a PC technical requirements breakdown beyond Notebookcheck saying both PC freebies have proper controller support.
Claim order before September 17
For players trying to make the most of the Epic Games Store free games before the next changeover, the sensible approach is to claim all three where available: Astral Ascent and Luftrausers on PC, and Alone With You on mobile. If you need a priority order, Astral Ascent has the strongest conventional value because Notebookcheck lists it at $24.99, compared with Luftrausers at $9.99, and multiple outlets point to very strong user reception.
After that, Luftrausers is the one to install when you want a fast read on whether the game is for you. Its aircraft customization, score pressure, and soundtrack-reactive loadout system are all reported strengths, and its lower price does not make it a lesser recommendation for arcade players. Alone With You, meanwhile, is the curiosity pick for mobile users who want narrative mood over combat mastery.
The key dates are the part not to miss. PCGamesN says Luftrausers free Epic Games Store availability and Astral Ascent free Epic Games Store availability run from September 10 to September 17. Notebookcheck gives the PC expiration time as 15:00 UTC on September 17, 2026. GameRant says Mindcop and Shogun Showdown are the revealed September 17 follow-ups. In other words, this is the week to add the current games to your account, then decide later which one deserves your weekend.