There’s less than a week to go before Amazon completely unwraps Secret Level, its in-house anthology series that looks like a true love letter to some of gaming’s most beloved franchises (and Concord) from the mind of Tim Miller, co-creator of Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots. Either Amazon is entirely too generous, or hype for Secret Level hasn’t reached the level it was hoping for. Either way, Amazon has some free games to just… give away.
Amazon’s best-kept secret
We’re inclined to believe it’s a mixture of both. Bezos’ retail empire has proven itself unafraid of giving away games in the past, usually when it’s trying to curry favour with its gamer audience. “Prime members can claim a variety of games from some of the franchises that feature in the show,” writes Chriss Leggett, Prime Gaming’s PR manager. We were probably going to watch Secret Level anyway, but who can say no to free games?
As always, claiming these games requires an active R80/m Amazon Prime account (although a Prime Video account works just as well in SA) and a fair bit of whacking the Ctrl + C button as you jump between GOG (Good Old Games) and the Epic Games Store. We’d advise signing into those accounts ahead of time if you plan on redeeming all the Secret Level games on offer of which there are currently nine. Those are:
- The Outer Worlds – GOG – From the creators of the best Fallout and South Park games comes The Outer Worlds, not to be confused with The Outer Wilds. The Outer Worlds combines the action RPG elements from New Vegas with gorgeous space scenery for a single-player adventure you won’t want to miss.
- Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition – GOG – Going back to where it all began, Baldur’s Gate defined the Dungeons & Dragons craze in videogame form to immensely overwhelming critical response. The Definitive Edition is certainly the best way to play this ’98 classic.
- Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition – GOG – BioWare takes everything that worked about the now-famous Baldur’s Gate and improves upon it dramatically, making it one of the best RPGs of all time. It’s well worth the hundreds of hours you can sink into its story-ridden depths.
- Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition – GOG – This is a Dungeons & Dragons you probably haven’t heard of, also from BioWare, that’ll stick you into the shoes of a rogueish dwarven paladin, sneaky elf, or ‘gnomish sorcerer’ – it’s up to you – playable in a single player campaign or with up to three friends.
- Necromunda: Hired Gun – Epic Games – Players unsurprisingly take on the role of a Hiren Gun in this fast-paced FPS from the creators of Space Hulk: Deathwing. It’s clearly not everybody’s cup of tea judging by the mixed reviews on Steam, but hey, it’s free.
- Spelunky – GOG – As platformers go, Spelunky is one of the best. Every new adventure is a fresh one, with randomised levels filled to the brim with monsters, treasures, and traps as you wade through the fully destructible universe created by Mossmouth that’s just overflowing with creativity at every turn.
- Space Hulk: Deathwing – Enhanced Edition – Amazon Games – Set in the world of Warhammer, Space Hulk puts its players in control of a Terminator of the Deathwing. If that jumble of letters doesn’t sound cool enough to at least give a shot, you probably won’t like the rest of this list.
- Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Amazon Games – Looking for a solely single-player FPS set to the backdrop of Games Workshop’s now-iconic Warhammer series? Look no further than Space Marine which puts the spotlight on Captain Titus, a Space Marine of the Ultramarines chapter.
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Amazon Games – Or, you can check out Dawn of War, yet another journey through the Warhammer universe and a battle that sees its main characters in a never-ending struggle for the fate of the galaxy.
Note: A tenth free game will join the roster next week, 12 December: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II.
If any of those piqued your interest, you’ll want to head here, sign into your Prime Video account, and start claiming. Some games will offer you a GOG code, which you’ll need to copy and bring to Good Old Games to redeem. Others, like Necromunda, require you to link your Epic Games account to Prime before they can be claimed, though no codes need to be copied. The rest? They’ll automatically be added to your Amazon Games library after clicking “Get game”.
While redemption of Prime’s free games does require an active Prime Video account, the games you claim will stick around in your account forever, regardless of your subscription. If you can see yourself diving into any of the games mentioned above or below, it’s well worth the R80/m entry fee, even if it’ll be discarded moments later.
But once you’ve combed through Amazon’s Prime Gaming, you’ll notice there are far more free games on the Prime Gaming site, begging to be redeemed. These aren’t part of the Secret Level promotion but are still worth the hassle to add to your collection. You can see the full list here, but we’ve highlighted a few of our favourites that are well worth your time over the coming holidays:
- Overcooked 2 – GOG – Do you hate your friends? No? Boot up Overcooked 2 and see how quickly that sentiment flies out the window as you quickly discover that your friends aren’t cut out for the fast-paced action kitchen and begin wondering how they got themselves dressed this morning. It is cute, however.
- Tomb Raider: Underworld – GOG – One of the more underrated campaigns within Lara Croft’s storied journey is Underworld – a game that sees Lara on the hunt for Mjolnir (yes, the Mjolnir) as a way to enter the gates of Helheim. It’s as bonkers as it sounds, complete with the tight controls you’d expect from the sequel to the excellent Legend.
- BioShock Remastered – GOG – It’s not often first-person shooters are expected to actually make you feel something, but BioShock somehow pulls it off. 2K weaves together a terribly sad narrative as players journey through the underwater city of Rapture in one of the best shooters of all time.
- Dishonored: Definitive Edition – GOG – This is first-person stealth done right, even if the story isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Players take to the shadows as a supernatural assassin in the strange steampunk world crafted by the folks at Arkane Studios. It’s well worth your time, as is its sequel, Dishonored 2.
While we’re at it, we might as well mention that Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is free on the Epic Games Store until 12 December 2024.