For Prime Day 2022 this year, Amazon is giving away 31 free games, ranging from mainstream AAA games like Mass Effect Legendary Edition to smaller, more niche indie titles. This year, Amazon's annual Prime Day promotion goes from July 12-13. However, some deals are coming early, including a few free games through Prime Gaming, ready for download starting June 21.
In the gaming industry, summer is the season of announcements and big sales events. Between these free games and eventual sales that many games will likely see on Amazon, Prime Day will be an event for folks to keep an eye on. This is in addition to other gaming benefits members get through Amazon Prime, including one free subscription on the streaming website Twitch and freebies for multiplayer games, including Poké Balls and Stardust in Pokémon Go.
In total, 31 games are being given away on Prime Day. These are headlined by major games from publisher Electronic Arts. EA's free games include racing games, Star Wars games, and the acclaimed Mass Effect Legendary Edition. They also include some lesser-known, under-the-radar indie games that still offer a lot of fun, including HUE, Death Squared, and games from The King of Fighters series.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Headlines Prime Day's Free Games
The compilation of the iconic Mass Effect trilogy, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, is the biggest game to be free with Amazon Prime for Prime Day. Coming with 4K visuals and other quality-of-life upgrades, this freebie (and all of EA's other offerings) does come with one major caveat: they must be redeemed on Origin. While this decision may turn some players off from redeeming the game, the entire original Mass Effect trilogy for free is a hard deal to pass up, regardless of which launcher the game is redeemed on.
Buy Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
With the possibility of Commander Shepard returning in Mass Effect 4, getting Legendary Edition for free is the perfect way for players to experience Shepard's story before Mass Effect 4's eventual release. No date has been given for the upcoming game, but the lack of news seems to suggest the game is more than a year out. This should give players plenty of time to experience Shepard's journey - whether it's a player's first or fifth time - by using the free copy being given away on Prime Day.
Three Star Wars Games Are Also Part of Prime Day's Deals
Adding to Prime Day's sci-fi-filled lineup are three Star Wars games. These are Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, and Star Wars Republic Commando. All of these Star Wars games are from the early to mid-2000s, yet still have a dedicated cult following to this day. They've even gotten modern ports to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
Though the game has many great features, 2003's Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is known by some for having some of the best lightsaber combat of any Star Wars game. In this game, players take the role of Jaden Korr. Korr is a Jedi Padawan learning from Luke Skywalker's newly established Jedi Academy. The game also features Force powers, customizable lightsabers, and even a multiplayer mode.
The direct prequel to Jedi Academy, 2002's Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, is also going to be free on Prime Day. Alongside Jedi Outcast's creative lightsaber combat, this game features the protagonist Kyle Katarn, and his journey back into the Jedi Order after cutting his links to the Force, due to him nearly falling to the Dark Side. Instead, he starts the game as a mercenary, and works his way back to being connected to the Force. While this game starts a bit slower than its successor, due to not starting with a lightsaber, it's also still beloved by fans.
2005's Star Wars: Republic Commando is the final free Star Wars game for Prime Day 2022. Although it was recently ported to the Nintendo Switch, fans still think Republic Command0 deserves a full remaster alongside other Star Wars games of the era. For now, fans can at least enjoy Republic Commando free with Prime next month. Republic Commando follows Delta Squad, a special ops unit in the Grand Army of the Republic, completing missions during the Clone Wars. The game was praised for characterizing clones, a group that remained nameless and mostly just served as parts of a full unit instead of individual people.
Prime Day 2022: Two EA Racing Games Will Be Free As Well
Legendary racing game developer Criterion's Need for Speed Heat is another free game for Prime Day 2022. While not quite reaching great heights of critical acclaim, Need for Speed Heat was still seen as a strong return for the series, and showed that Need for Speed still had a future. If players have friends on Xbox or PlayStation, they can even play with them thanks to Need for Speed Heat's crossplay update. Although it may not be a revolutionary game by any means, Need for Speed Heat could be a fun free game for players to enjoy some time with.
Rounding out EA's contributions to Prime Day 2022 is another racing game, GRID Legends, developed by recently acquired EA studio Codemasters. This game is the most recent release in the Prime Day lineup, releasing early in 2022 on February 24. While the core gameplay of GRID Legends was praised, reviews were overall mixed, with the story and reused lineup of vehicles from the first game, in particular, being sticking points for some critics. However, the game may still be fun to check out for an afternoon to see how GRID Legends utilizes technology from The Mandalorian.
In addition to these more big ticket releases, there's a slew of indie games to play. From fighting games to puzzle games, this lineup likely has something for everyone to at least try for a few hours. The indie games are available even longer than the Prime Day window, with these smaller titles being available for free until July 13. The complete list of 25 indie games available to claim is:
- 10 Second Ninja X
- 8Doors: Arum’s Afterlife Adventure
- Addling Adventures
- Bang Bang Racing
- Clouds & Sheep 2
- Death Squared
- Fatal Fury Special
- Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams
- Gone Viral
- HUE
- Manual Samuel
- Metal Slug 2
- Metal Unit
- Pumped BMX Pro
- Puzzle of the Year - 10 Pack
- Rain World
- Road Trip - 3 Pack
- Samurai Shodown II
- Serial Cleaner
- The Crow’s Eye
- The Darkside Detective
- The King of Fighters 2000
- The King of Fighters 2002
- The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor
Overall, following 2021's Prime Day gaming sales, Prime Day 2022 has a fairly solid lineup of games for PC players to get their hands on. Heavy hitters like Mass Effect: Legendary Edition and three Star Wars classics give some titles that many players can flock to. On the other hand, 25 indie games rounding out the Prime Day 2022 lineup gives a huge variety of games that should give enough for players to choose from so that every player can find a hidden gem in the pile. To claim these titles, players just need to visit the Prime Gaming website and log into their Prime account.
Source: Prime Gaming