Last Day To Claim GTA 5 For Free On The Epic Games Store

Epic Games Store's next free game is a big one: Epic has confirmed Grand Theft Auto V - Premium Edition is the next free game available to claim and keep. GTA V is free now until Thursday, May 21, at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET, when it'll be replaced by next week's free mystery game. This comes after a deleted tweet earlier this week leaked the offer early. Please note you'll need to turn on two-factor authentication to claim the game.

When attempting to download a free game, some Epic Games Store users are encountering an error message that says, "Your account is unable to download any more free games at this time." Epic has addressed the issue in a tweet and asks people to wait 24 hours before trying again to download the free game, which should fix the issue.

The reveal of GTA 5 as this week's free game brought so much traffic to the site that the Epic Games Store and its launcher were down for most of the day on May 14. However, everything seems to be working smoothly once again.

The Premium edition of GTA V includes the full story experience, free access to Grand Theft Auto Online, and all existing gameplay upgrades and content. You'll also get the Criminal Enterprise Starter Pack and $1,000,000 in-game bonus cash to spend in GTA Online.

To claim any Epic free games, all you need is a free Epic Games Store account to add the game to. Once you add the game to your cart and "purchase" it for zero dollars, it'll be in your library forever, ready to download at your leisure.

Grand Theft Auto V is only the latest in a long list of free games Epic has given out since the program started in December 2018, with previous giveaways included other acclaimed titles like What Remains of Edith Finch, The Witness, Batman: Arkham Collection, Celeste, and more. You can check out our updated list of all of Epic's past free games for a quick look at what's been free in the past.

Grand Theft Auto V earned a "superb" 9/10 in GameSpot's GTA V review, which has been updated for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions. Critic Mark Walton praised its stunning visuals, excellent first-person mode, and fantastic writing and voice acting.

"The fact that I'm even thinking about this at all in a video game that's as popular and as, well, mainstream as GTA V is a testament to its quality," he wrote. "Over a year later, GTA V remains one of the most consistently entertaining video games I've ever played. Even without the spectacular new visuals, first-person mode, the epic new rail gun, the new murder mystery missions for Michael, the new, even furrier animals, remote play support on PS4, a mountain of new songs on the radio (including my personal favourite, I Want It That Way by the Backstreet Boys on the pop station), and the return of vehicles like the classic Dodo seaplane, GTA V would be still be worth playing."

The store also just launched its annual Mega Sale to coincide with this week's freebie. The sale includes discounts on some of Epic's biggest games, like Control, Borderlands 3, and Red Dead Redemption 2. Epic has also brought back its coupon offer for the sale--if you buy a game or add-on that's $15 or more, you'll get a $10 Epic coupon, and every time you make a purchase during the sale, you'll get another coupon.