Sonic Mania and Horizon Chase Turbo are free on the Epic Store

Sonic Mania
(Image credit: Sega)

The Epic Games Store is giving away two games this week, and both of them are all about going fast: The arcade racing game Horizon Chase Turbo, and Sonic Mania, an old-school platformer starring a blue hedgehog who runs real good.

Horizon Chase Turbo is "a tribute to classic arcade racers" that trades realism for speed and a 16-bit-inspired visual style. It offers 111 tracks and 48 cities to race through, 33 unlockable cars, and 12 different cups to compete for. If multiplayer is more your thing, it supports local split-screen racing for up to four and an "Online Competitive Ghost Mode" with friends and global leaderboards.

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Sonic Mania is a retro-speedster in its own right, with familiar 2D gameplay brought into the modern era in an all-new adventure featuring new bosses and highly-detailed levels. We called it "the best Sonic game in years" in our 82% review: "A breakneck platformer that uses classic Sonic as a foundation for something fresh and exciting." 

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Horizon Chase Turbo and Sonic Mania are free until July 1. Next week's giveaway is The Spectrum Retreat, a near-future narrative-driven first-person puzzle game set within the walls of The Penrose Hotel, "peaceful yet unsettling refuge from the outside world."

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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