Fallout New Vegas is free on Epic Games Store — and it’s one of the best RPGs ever made

Fallout: New Vegas keyart
(Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

The latest freebie via the Epic Games Store has been confirmed, and it’s a real doozy. Right now, the Steam rival is offering one of the best RPGs ever made for free and you’ll want to clear your calendar to spend some time in the Mojave Wasteland.

Until June 1, you can claim a free copy of Fallout: New Vegas: Ultimate Edition on PC on the Epic Game Stores. And that’s an offer that beats pretty much any of the impending Memorial Day gaming sales. You can’t really beat getting the complete version of a role-playing masterpiece without having to spend a single penny.  

This Fallout freebie is part of the Epic Mega Sale event which is set to run until June 15. A new free game is being offered each week, prior to Fallout: New Vegas, the digital storefront gave away polarising sci-fi adventure Death Stranding, and next week a new mystery game will be given away, so be sure to check back then. 

Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition: FREE @ Epic Games Store

Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition: <a href="https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/fallout-new-vegas--ultimate-edition" data-link-merchant="store.epicgames.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">FREE @ Epic Games Store
Fallout New Vegas Ultimate Edition is free to claim on the Epic Games Store until Thursday, June 1. Often cited as one of the best modern RPGs ever made, this open-world game casts you as a courier on a revenge mission after a job gone wrong. But, how your quest plays out is entirely up to you as key decisions are in your hands. This Ultimate Edition includes the four essential DLC chapters. 

Why you should play Fallout: New Vegas 

Fallout: New Vegas screenshot

(Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

Released in 2010, and building upon the foundations laid out by Fallout 3 two years earlier, Fallout: New Vegas is an open-world RPG that casts you as a courier on a mission in the Mojave Desert to find your would-be-killer after being left for dead in the wake of a delivery gone wrong.

This is a true role-playing game with a quite staggering amount of freedom in how you tackle the game’s main questline. You can pick and choose which characters and factions you ally with and these decisions will have a tangible impact on the game’s story. Most quests can also be completed in a variety of ways. You can use your silver tongue to talk your way out of trouble or cause complete chaos with an assortment of weapons and perks.  

Fallout’s trademark satirical humor is also very much present, and you might be surprised just how funny some of the electric inhabitants of New Vegas are. And while the core shooting gameplay is a little rough around the edges, Fallout’s trademark VAT system is once again present which allows you to auto-target enemies making firefights significantly smoother.

Often cited as one of the best modern RPGs ever made.

Epic Games is also giving away the Ultimate Edition of the game which is a significantly bigger package than just the base game alone. This version comes with four sizeable expansions: Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, and Lonesome Road. Some Fallout fans consider these DLC chapters better than the core game, and they are absolutely vital to get the full New Vegas experience. 

Of course, as it’s almost 13 years old, there are some irritating design quirks that you’ll need to tolerate. And Fallout: New Vegas wasn’t exactly a looker even in 2010. The passage of time hasn’t improved the visuals. But it’s easy to put aside these mostly minor problems when the core RPG mechanics remain some of the strongest in the entire genre. 

Fallout: New Vegas is considered by many fans to be the best game in the franchise. In fact, players continue to beg developer Obsidian Entertainment to make a sequel to this very day. If you haven’t experienced the joys of Fallout: New Vegas (or are just itching to return to the wasteland), now that it's free, there's no excuse not to explore its post-apocalyptic world. 

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Rory Mellon
Entertainment Editor (UK)

Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team.