Prime Day, the annual avalanche of can’t-say-no prices on stuff you don’t need but just gotta have, will be here soon, and this year’s festivities will feature a very nice boon for gamers: More than 30 games, including some pretty good ones, will be free for the taking for Amazon Prime subscribers.
It’s actually Prime Days, technically, as the event will kick off at 3 am ET on July 12 and run through July 13. But the game giveaways will begin ahead of all that, on June 21, with 25 indie games from the past and present:
- 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 Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark
- The King of Fighters 2000
- The King of Fighters 2002
- The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor
Another half-dozen games join the mix when Prime Day(s) proper gets underway on July 12. The headliner (in my eyes, anyway) is Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the remastered package of the big BioWare space opera trilogy, but racing fans may better appreciate Grid Legends and Need for Speed Heat. Star Wars fans are also covered, with Star Wars: Jedi Knight – Jedi Academy, Star Wars: Jedi Knight – Jedi Outcast, and Star Wars: Republic Commando. They’re not the newest games on the block, but they are classics, and also free, which is a big plus.
Prime Gaming offers regular monthly game and loot giveaways, and is included with Amazon Prime, which goes for $15 per month and also includes access to Prime Video, free shipping on eligible products, a monthly free Twitch channel subscription, and more. New subscribers can take advantage of a free 30-day trial period, and—this is important—any free games you claim are yours to keep, even if you cancel the subscription.
As always, we’ll be tracking the best Prime Day deals in hardware, software, and accessories from Amazon and all the other retailers who jump the bandwagon, to help ensure everyone has a shot at the best deals possible.