Co-op escape room puzzler Escape Academy is free to keep on Epic Games Store for the next day

Easy to get into, harder to exit

While the weather outside is still a bit chilly and everyone’s bank accounts are recovering from the holidays, visiting an escape room with friends might not be at the top of your to-do list. Fortunately, you can currently get some of the same puzzly satisfaction for free - and without having to go outside - by nabbingEscape Academyover on the Epic Games Store for the next 24 hours.

Having been on a bit of an escape room fix for a few years now, whether it’s in person or one of thosehome escape roomsin a box, I enjoyed my time playing Escape Academy with my wife back when it came out. It’s a polished, charmingly presentedpuzzle gamethat manages to strike just the right balance between being thinky enough to give you the real pleasure of working out a tricky answer without being too obscure to end in frustration.

Unlike the more nuts-and-bolts sandbox ofEscape Simulator, it’s tied together with a bit more of a curated story experience too, though the narrative is definitely a secondary element versus the escape rooms themselves. That’s probably not much of a surprise given that developers Coin Crew Games enlisted the help of real-life escape room designers to craft the virtual rooms.

Ed found the samein our review, calling it “a fantastic co-op brainteaser that’s perfect material for catch-ups and corporate days”. Personally, it’s one I’d recommend playing in local or online multiplayer if you can, but I imagine the puzzles hold up nicely solo if you’re just after a nice bit of brain-tickling to fill the dark January evenings.

Escape Academy can begrabbed for free over on the Epic Games Storeuntil 4pm GMT tomorrow, January 2nd, being the latest daily game giveaway via the PC marketplace afterSaints Row,Cat Questand more.

Looking for more free games? Read our round-up of thelatest free games on the Epic Games Store, as well as our list of thebest free PC gamesyou can play today. Want to take your free Epic games on the go? Then here’show to install the Epic Games launcher on your Steam Deck.