Frigid survival sim Frostpunk goes free on the Epic Store

Remember when we put a bunch of children to work in the coal mines, and one of them was horrifically injured? And then instead of giving the kid a little time off to recover, we yelled at him so the rest wouldn't get any funny ideas? Good times. Anyway, if you've ever aspired to that sort of firm-but-fair father figure position, today is your lucky day, because the society survival game Frostpunk is free on the Epic Games Store.

Frostpunk puts you in charge of the last city on Earth, although calling it a "city" is generous. It's really just a small collection of people struggling desperately to survive in the ice-packed end of days. And it's not just the weather and lack of resources that you'll have to contend with: The people have little patience for nonsense, and while sacrifices have to be made, push them too hard and they'll start pushing back. It's an older game, but a very good one: We called it a "grim and engrossing survival-strategy" game in our 89% review, and later selected it as the Best Sim of 2018.

You thought I was kidding, didn't you?

Frostpunk is free on the Epic Store until June 10, and the Rifts and Last Autumn DLCs are on sale for 20% off until June 17. Next week's freebie is yet another mystery, so stay tuned for that—and if you're interested in even more free games, be sure to keep an eye on our list.