Some Great PC Games Are Free For Amazon Prime Members This Month

With Amazon Prime Day 2019 on the horizon, Prime subscribers are saving up for the biggest shopping event of the season, but one particular perk for Prime members will cost you nothing this month: Twitch Prime’s free PC games, which are available to claim now through July 31. And once you claim them, the games are yours to keep. July’s offering of games is very good (likely due to Prime Day); here’s a look at what’s available now.

Yooka-Laylee is a Banjo-Kazooie-inspired platformer where you hunt for collectibles, solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and more, all while playing as Yooka the chameleon and Laylee the bat. The duo is searching for “Pagies,” pages of their magical golden book that is stolen at the beginning of the game.

Cultist Simulator is what it sounds like–a game where every action you take will influence others and possible generate a cult-like following. Gameplay-wise, Cultist Simulator is a roguelike narrative card game where the cards you play determine your actions, attributes, emotions, wealth, items, and more. With a 1920s-themed setting and plenty of secrets, Cultist Simulator has no tutorial–it’s best to just dive in and experience it for yourself.

The Escapists is also free this month–the top-down strategy game places you in the role of a prisoner aiming to break out of various prisoner (there are six total, plus additional DLC prisons). The game is a sandbox experience, allowing you to get creative with how you plan your escape, whether that’s by digging a tunnel, organizing a riot, stealing a guard uniform, or some other clever tactic.

For the King is a single-player or multiplayer RPG with turn-based combat that pulls from multiple genres, such as tabletop and roguelike adventure. The game begins with the death of the king, which inspires citizens of the kingdom (such as yourself) to rise up and oust enemies from their homeland. You can control your own party or partner with up to three people online, or you can set off on your own, fighting monsters, exploring new locations, braving the elements, and more.

Twitch Prime also offers free in-game loot and other random benefits on a regular basis. You can currently get free loot drops in games like League of Legends, The Division 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 just by claiming them through Twitch. Plus–and this is perhaps one of its best offers–Twitch Prime is giving away 12 months of Nintendo Switch Online for totally free.

As a reminder, to claim all these free games, loot, and services, you have to link your Amazon account to your Twitch account; that’ll unlock all of Twitch Prime’s benefits. It’s a great month to sign up for an Amazon Prime 30-day free trial if you’re not already a member, as Prime Day 2019 officially kicks off on July 15, and we’re expecting some great gaming and entertainment deals as in previous years. Plus, Twitch Prime is offering additional freebies and perks for members this month, including free Apex Legends skins and EA Sports content. After the 30-day trial, an annual Prime membership costs $119 a year (or $59 a year if you’re eligible for Prime Student).

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Free Twitch Prime games for July 2019

  • Yooka-Laylee
  • The Escapists
  • Cultist Simulator
  • For the King

Switch’s Next Tetris 99 Tournament Is A Splatoon Crossover

Nintendo has announced the next in-game competition for Switch’s free battle royale-like Tetris game, Tetris 99. The fifth Maximus Cup kicks off next week, on July 12, and this time around, the event will be a collaboration with another first-party Switch game: Splatoon 2.

To commemorate Splatoon 2’s final Splatfest event, which takes place later this month, the next Maximus Cup will be themed after the colorful shooter. The event runs until 11:59 PM PT on July 15. Players who amass at least 100 event points during that time will unlock a special in-game Splatoon theme in Tetris 99.

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Tetris 99 is free to download and play for everyone who has a Nintendo Switch Online membership. Subscriptions for the service are available for $4 USD per month, $8 USD for three months, and $20 USD for 12 months. Nintendo recently released a $10 Big Block DLC that adds two offline modes, so non-members can also play Tetris 99 (provided they purchase the DLC). However, you’ll still need a membership to take part in the game’s Maximus Cup events and to play against other players online.

Splatoon 2’s final Splatfest, meanwhile, kicks off the following week, on July 18. Fittingly, the final event features an apocalyptic theme, pitting Team Order vs. Team Chaos. The Splatfest will also last much longer than normal, running for 72 hours. During the first 48, each Shifty Station stage from previous Splatfests will return to the rotation, with a brand-new stage appearing during the final 24 hours. Following the Splatfest, Splatoon 2 will receive a 5.0 update in late July.

Tetris 99 surprise launched this past February and garnered attention for its novel battle royale-inspired take on the puzzle series, but it won’t be the only Tetris game of this kind for much longer. A 100-player Tetris game called Tetris Royale is in development for mobile devices. The game is slated to launch in beta form in “select territories” later this year and will feature leaderboards, as well as daily challenges and a solo Marathon mode.

Guide: NBA 2K20 Pre-Order Bonuses, Legend Edition, Release Date

NBA 2K20, the latest in 2K’s ongoing annual basketball franchise, will arrive on September 6 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. It will also be available on Google Stadia when the tech giant’s game streaming service launches later this year. A new trailer also heralds the integration of WNBA players into the game for the first time in the series, although the extent of that integration is not yet clear.

Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat will grace the cover of the game’s standard, Digital Deluxe, and Legend editions. Davis was previously one of three cover athletes featured in NBA 2K16.

Check out the contents of each version and where you can get it below:

NBA 2K20 pre-order bonuses

Pre-ordering any version of NBA 2K20 includes a collection of in-game items and currency, depending on whether you purchased the Standard, Digital Deluxe, or Legend editions. What is included for pre-ordering each version is listed below.

Pre-Order NBA 2K20 Standard Edition

In addition to the base game, both physical and digital Standard edition pre-orders of NBA 2K20 include:

  • 5,000 Virtual Currency
  • 5,000 MyTEAM Points
  • 5 MyCAREER Skill Boosts
  • MyPLAYER Clothing Capsule
  • 10 MyTEAM League Packs (doled out one per week)
  • 5 MyTEAM Heat Check Packs (doled out one per week at the start of the NBA season)

NBA 2K20 Standard Edition for PS4 — $60

NBA 2K20 Standard Edition for Xbox One — $60

NBA 2K20 Standard Edition for Switch — $60

Pre-Order NBA 2K20 Digital Deluxe edition

At time of publishing, the Digital Deluxe Edition is much less widely-available than either of the other two versions. In addition to the base game, pre-ordering the digital deluxe edition will also include:

  • 35,000 Virtual Currency
  • 10,000 MyTEAM Points
  • 10 MyCAREER Skill Boosts
  • MyPLAYER Clothing Capsule
  • 10 MyTEAM League Packs (doled out one per week)
  • 10 MyTEAM Heat Check Packs (doled out one per week at the start of the NBA season)
  • 1 Sapphire MyTEAM Cover Athlete Card

NBA 2K20 Digital Deluxe edition for Xbox One — $80

NBA 2K20 Digital Deluxe edition for Switch — $80

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Pre-Order NBA 2K20 Legend edition

In addition to the base game, pre-orders of both physical and digital Legend editions will include:

  • 100,000 Virtual Currency
  • 50,000 MyTEAM Points
  • 20 MyCAREER Skill Boosts
  • MyPLAYER Clothing Capsule
  • MyPLAYER Apparel Collection
  • MyPLAYER Shoe Collection
  • 20 MyTEAM League Packs (doled out one per week)
  • 20 MyTEAM Heat Check Packs (doled out one per week at the start of the NBA season)
  • 5 MyTEAM Theme Packs (one per theme across the next five releases)
  • 2 Sapphire MyTEAM Cover Athlete Card

NBA 2K20 Legend edition for PS4 — $100

NBA 2K20 Legend edition for Xbox One — $100

NBA 2K20 Legend edition for Switch — $100