The only thing better than discovering a great PC game is also getting it for free. We’re in a heyday of roguelike deckbuilders – Balatro rode high at The Game Awards 2024, and Slay the Spire 2 is set to deliver us a sequel to the genre’s still-undisputed champion. Right now, however, you can get the beautiful 2023 roguelike Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles for nothing – that’s right, it’s a completely free game, yours to keep. But you’ll have to move fast, as you’ve got just 24 hours to grab it.
Runs of Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles resemble the format of many of the best roguelikes such as Slay the Spire or FTL, but at its core lies a unique dual-damage system. Rather than collecting cards, each run has you gathering a bag of fantastical dice with effects that are split between two elements, Purification and Corruption. The former typically damages enemies or heals you, while the latter is focused on damaging yourself or healing enemies.
The various dice at your disposal are determined by your chosen character, and range from safer but less-exciting options with consistent rolls to ones with a much bigger risk-reward range. You must use any negative rolls before ending your turn – but, critically, because each character has abilities (known as ‘virtues’) tied to their health bar, taking a little corruption damage on purpose can actually be a smart strategy. Just be careful you don’t overshoot the mark and leave yourself open to a run-ending assault.
A recent Astrea update introduced daily runs to keep things fresh for the long-term, along with the ability to set your own custom parameters to challenge yourself or make things easier. The whole thing is brought together by some absolutely sublime art design. I love watching turns play out in Astrea, and its distinctive mechanics ensure it really stands out from the pack. 92% of Steam reviews recommend it, too, and while there is a demo, now you can get the full game at absolutely no cost, courtesy of Epic Games.
Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles is a free PC game via the Epic Games Store. It’s yours to keep once you claim it – but you only have until Saturday December 21 at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT / 5pm CET to do so. Don’t wait around; get it now.
Fancy something a little more traditionally deck-based? Here are the best card games you can play right now. Or take a look through the best free Steam games for more great options that won’t set you back financially.
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