{"id":2231,"date":"2026-04-17T11:11:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/?p=2231"},"modified":"2026-04-17T11:17:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:17:59","slug":"epic-games-free-game-stone-of-madness-april-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/epic-games-free-game-stone-of-madness-april-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Epic Games Free Game This Week: The Stone of Madness and the Ripple Effect of Weekly Giveaways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Stone of Madness, a $29.99 real-time stealth tactics game from the Blasphemous developers, is free on the Epic Games Store until April 23, 2026. Here’s how to claim it, what to expect, and how Epic’s weekly giveaways continue to reshape the PC gaming market.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Stone of Madness is this week’s free game on the Epic Games Store, available to claim from April 16 through April 23, 2026. Normally priced at $29.99, the real-time stealth tactics title was developed by The Game Kitchen, the Spanish studio behind the acclaimed Blasphemous series. The game holds a 73\/100 Metacritic score, a “Mostly Positive” rating on Steam with 76% positive reviews, and a Gold Winner award from the NYX Game Awards 2025. This is one of the stronger indie offerings Epic has given away this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is The Stone of Madness?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Stone of Madness is an isometric real-time tactics and stealth game set inside an 18th-century Spanish Jesuit monastery that doubles as a madhouse and inquisitorial prison. Released on January 28, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X\/S, and Nintendo Switch, it was published by Tripwire Presents. Five prisoners with distinct skills and deep personal fears must cooperate to escape the monastery while uncovering its dark secrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Players control three characters at a time, each with unique abilities. Eduardo can move heavy objects to create new paths but is terrified of the dark. Alfredo panics near corpses. Leonora has her own set of strengths and weaknesses. The game’s standout mechanic is its sanity system: exposing characters to their phobias drains their mental health, spawning new vulnerabilities that can cascade into disaster. Characters may panic, hallucinate, or simply refuse to cooperate during critical moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The monastery follows a full day-night cycle. Patrol routes shift throughout the day, forcing players to constantly adapt their strategies. Nighttime offers risky but rewarding opportunities for stealth operations, though supernatural horrors emerge after dark. The Game Kitchen cited Commandos, Desperados III, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, and Darkwood as direct inspirations, and the influence is clearly felt in the gameplay loop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does It Look and Feel?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Visually, The Stone of Madness is striking. The art style draws heavily from the works of Spanish painter Francisco Goya, and most scenarios were hand-painted using rotoscoping techniques. Director Maikel Ortega described the process as “painful and expensive,” but the result is a genuinely distinctive aesthetic that multiple critics singled out as a highlight. Eurogamer awarded the game 4 out of 5 stars, praising its memorable setting and calling the gameplay “an electric combination of coincidence, luck, skill and opportunity.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game features two full campaigns, each with its own storyline, goals, and character dynamics. Completing both offers over 20 hours of gameplay according to Nintendo Life. The autosave system means mistakes are permanent, a design choice that divides players: some find it thrilling, others find it punishing. IGN gave the game 6\/10, citing technical issues and bugs, while Game Rant awarded it 80\/100, praising the studio’s clear passion and the game’s ability to “transform frustration into desperation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Claim The Stone of Madness for Free<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Claiming your free copy takes under a minute:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Create an Epic Games account<\/strong> at store.epicgames.com if you don’t already have one. It’s free.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Visit the Epic Games Store<\/strong> through your browser or the Epic Games Launcher app.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Navigate to the Free Games section<\/strong> on the store’s front page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Click “Get” on The Stone of Madness<\/strong>, then confirm the order. The price will show as $0.00.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. The game is permanently yours.<\/strong> You don’t need to download it immediately. Once claimed, it stays in your library forever.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The deadline is April 23, 2026, at 10:00 AM Central Time (3:00 PM UTC)<\/strong>. After that, the game returns to its regular $29.99 price. Next week’s free game will be Doomblade<\/strong>. On mobile, Epic is also offering Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars for free during the same window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Studio Behind the Game: The Game Kitchen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The Game Kitchen is a Spain-based indie studio best known for Blasphemous (2019) and Blasphemous II (2023), both critically praised Metroidvania titles deeply rooted in Spanish culture and religious iconography. With The Stone of Madness, the studio made a significant genre shift from 2D action-platforming to real-time isometric tactics. The project originally started at Teku Studio before The Game Kitchen acquired them and became a co-developer. Lead level designer Enrique Colinet cited The Name of the Rose and The Abbey of Crime as key narrative inspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Epic’s Free Game Program: The Numbers Behind the Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Epic Games Store’s weekly free game program remains one of the most aggressive user-acquisition strategies in PC gaming. In 2025 alone, Epic distributed 100 free games that were claimed over 662 million times across its 317 million registered users and 78 million monthly active players. The cumulative lifetime value of free games redeemed per user now averages approximately $2,316.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Player spending on the Epic Games Store hit $1.16 billion in 2025, a 6% year-over-year increase, with users logging 6.6 billion hours of playtime. Third-party game purchases saw a 57% increase, and over 6,000 titles are now available on the storefront. Fortnite remained the top title by engagement, followed by Wuthering Waves, StarRail, Rocket League, and Genshin Impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Halo Effect: How Epic Freebies Boost Steam Sales<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    One of the most counterintuitive findings from Epic’s own 2025 data is that free giveaways consistently boost competing platforms. Over 77% of games set an all-time peak concurrent user record on the Epic Store during their free week, but Epic also reported a measurable 40% average lift in Steam concurrent users for the same titles during the giveaway period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The most dramatic example came in December 2025, when Blood West was offered free on Epic during the holiday event. New Blood CEO Dave Oshry revealed that Steam sales for the game (still at full price) jumped roughly 200% on the same day. “Turns out having your game be free on Epic is great advertising for Steam sales,” Oshry remarked. This “halo effect” suggests that Epic’s giveaways function as high-visibility marketing events that drive awareness across the entire PC ecosystem, not just within Epic’s own storefront.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Some analysts have questioned the long-term sustainability of this approach. Data suggests that only about 16-18% of users who claim free games ever make a purchase on the Epic Store. Daily active users reportedly fell by 2% in 2025 even as the free game program continued at full pace. Still, Epic has confirmed that the initiative will continue into 2026 and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Is The Stone of Madness Worth Your Time?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    For a free game, The Stone of Madness offers substantial value. Two full campaigns, a unique sanity-driven gameplay system, hand-painted visuals inspired by Goya, and a setting that stands apart from anything else in the tactics genre. If you enjoy games like Desperados III or Shadow Tactics, this is a natural fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The caveats are real, though. The difficulty is punishing. The autosave system means poor decisions have permanent consequences. Controls can feel clunky, especially on keyboard and mouse (the developers recommend a controller). Some technical bugs remain, and the immortal ghost enemies that appear at night frustrated multiple reviewers. If you have the patience for trial-and-error stealth planning, you’ll find a deeply rewarding experience. If not, you might bounce off it quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Building Your Game Library: Beyond Free Claims<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Consistently claiming Epic’s weekly free games builds a substantial digital library over time. Accounts with years of accumulated free titles hold real value in the gaming community. If you’re looking to buy an Epic Games account loaded with past giveaways or sell one you’ve been building, GamerMarkt’s Epic Games account marketplace<\/a> provides a secure platform with verified sellers, escrow-based payments, and 24\/7 customer support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    GamerMarkt also offers listings for Steam accounts<\/a> and accounts for popular titles like Fortnite and Genshin Impact, making it a one-stop destination for gamers looking to expand their collections or monetize their existing accounts safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Common Questions About This Week’s Giveaway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Is The Stone of Madness really free forever once claimed?<\/strong>
    Yes. Once added to your Epic Games library before April 23, 2026, it remains permanently in your account with no hidden fees or subscription requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Do I need to install the Epic Games Launcher?<\/strong>
    You can claim the game through the web browser alone. To download and play it, you’ll need the launcher installed on Windows or macOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What platforms does The Stone of Madness support?<\/strong>
    The game is available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X\/S, and Nintendo Switch. The Epic free giveaway applies to the PC version only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How difficult is the game?<\/strong>
    Very. The Stone of Madness is a hardcore stealth tactics title with limited saves and permanent consequences for failure. It’s designed around learning from mistakes. Reviewers compared it to the difficulty level of classic Commandos games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What’s the next free game on Epic?<\/strong>
    Starting April 23, 2026, Doomblade<\/strong> will be the next free title on the Epic Games Store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Can I play it on Steam Deck?<\/strong>
    The game is a Windows PC title. Steam Deck compatibility depends on Proton support, but since this is an Epic Store copy, you would need to sideload it through a compatibility layer. Native Steam Deck support is not guaranteed for Epic versions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Stone of Madness, a $29.99 real-time stealth tactics game from the Blasphemous developers, is free on the Epic Games Store until April 23, 2026. Here’s how to claim it, what to expect, and how Epic’s weekly giveaways continue to reshape the PC gaming market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2232,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[297],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epic-games"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2231"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2233,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2231\/revisions\/2233"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gamermarkt.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}