The XDA piece on the free-to-keep Steam tracker pulled an honest number into the headline: 600,000 notifications already pushed by a tool that did not exist a year ago. Epic gives away weekly games, Steam runs free weekends and free-to-keep promotions, GOG drops giveaways, Prime Gaming ships codes, and the typical PC gamer misses at least two of those each month. Worse, half of them expire inside 48 hours. The fix is a small stack of desktop launchers and one or two browser extensions that ping the moment something free goes live.
We tested 7 of the best apps for free PC game alerts on desktop in 2026. The list mixes the official storefront launchers (which catch their own giveaways but nothing else), the cross-store launchers like Razer Cortex, browser extensions that overlay Steam, and a couple of free-claim aggregators built specifically for this job.
What to look for in a free-claim tracker
Five things separate the tools that earn their permanent place in your taskbar:
- Push, not poll. A daily email digest will lose you Epic’s Thursday slot. The good tools ping inside an hour of a free game going live.
- Cross-store coverage. Steam alone is a one-storefront tool. A real free-game tracker covers Epic, Steam, GOG, Humble, and Prime Gaming at minimum.
- Claim, do not just notify. The strongest tools open the claim page or trigger the launcher directly. Pure RSS feeds add a click between you and the game.
- Active maintenance. The free-claim space is fast-moving and brittle. Tools maintained in 2026 are worth real attention; abandoned scripts and forks are not.
- No upsell pressure. The category attracts shady “deals” extensions. Stick with tools that ship clean install bundles and clear source code.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Coverage | Notifications | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | Wishlist + free weekends | Steam | Yes | Free |
| Epic Games Launcher | Epic free weekly | Epic | Yes | Free |
| GOG Galaxy | GOG promos + cross-library | GOG, optional Epic / Steam | Yes | Free |
| Razer Cortex | Cross-store deal feed | Steam, Epic, GOG, Humble | Yes | Free |
| Augmented Steam | Steam-page overlay | Steam | In browser | Free |
| IsThereAnyDeal | Web waitlist + browser ext | All major stores | Email + browser | Free |
| Free To Keep | Free-claim aggregator | Steam, Epic, GOG, Prime | Push | Free |
The apps
1. Steam — best for Steam-specific alerts
Steam’s desktop client handles wishlist alerts for any Steam title and pushes notifications for free weekends and free-to-keep promotions. Pin the client to your taskbar, accept notifications in Steam Settings → Friends & Chat → Notifications, and the alerts arrive without a third-party tool.
Where it falls short: Steam only. Does not see Epic, GOG, or Prime Gaming. The notification UX is rudimentary compared to dedicated trackers.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Steam
Bottom line: You probably have it installed already. Turn the notifications on and it covers Steam’s own giveaways automatically.
2. Epic Games Launcher — best for Epic weekly free games
Epic Games Launcher ships the most important single feature in this category: a one-click claim on the weekly free game from Thursday onward. The store tab shows that week’s pick, you click claim, and the game lives in your library forever. The launcher also surfaces Mega Sales and limited-time bundles.
Where it falls short: Notifications are weaker than Steam’s. The launcher is mandatory if you want the free claims to be permanent on your account. Resource use has been criticized historically.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: Epic Games
Bottom line: Install it for the weekly free game alone. Set a Thursday calendar nudge if you do not trust the launcher to ping you.
3. GOG Galaxy — best for DRM-free promos
GOG Galaxy is the GOG store client and the only one of these that aggregates other launchers’ libraries into a single shelf. Connect your Steam, Epic, Xbox, and PSN accounts and Galaxy shows everything in one library, then alerts you to GOG sales and giveaways from its own promotions calendar.
Where it falls short: GOG’s free giveaways are infrequent compared to Epic. The library aggregation is the headline feature, not the deal tracking.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Windows, macOS (beta).
Download: GOG
Bottom line: Install if you want one library view across Steam, Epic, and GOG, and want GOG’s own promo alerts in the same place.
4. Razer Cortex — best cross-store deal feed
Razer Cortex ships a cross-store deal feed for Steam, Epic, GOG, Humble, and the Microsoft Store. The dashboard lists current giveaways and percentage-off deals, and the wishlist features alert you when a wishlisted title drops below a target price across any covered store.
Where it falls short: The launcher includes a game optimizer and gameplay capture tools you may not want. Some sponsored placements appear in the deal feed. Razer account required.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: Razer
Bottom line: Install when you want one cross-store deal feed in a single desktop app. Decline the optimizer modules during setup if you only want the deals.
5. Augmented Steam — best Steam-page overlay
Augmented Steam is the browser extension formerly known as Enhanced Steam, now maintained by IsThereAnyDeal. It overlays every Steam store page with historical low prices, lowest cross-store prices, and free-game flags. The “Waitlist” tab integrates IsThereAnyDeal’s tracker so you get a push on any wishlisted game across any store.
Where it falls short: Browser extension only. Adds load time to Steam pages on slow connections. Requires you to sign in with an IsThereAnyDeal account for the full waitlist sync.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari (works on macOS and Linux via the browser).
Download: Chrome Web Store · Firefox Add-ons
Bottom line: Pair with IsThereAnyDeal. Together they cover Steam-page overlays and cross-store waitlist alerts in one workflow.
6. IsThereAnyDeal — best cross-store waitlist
IsThereAnyDeal is the web app behind Augmented Steam and the most thorough cross-store database in this list. Create a waitlist, set price thresholds per title, and receive email or browser-extension alerts when any tracked store drops below your target. Free claims and giveaways are flagged separately.
Where it falls short: Primary interface is a web app, not a desktop launcher. Push notifications depend on browser permissions or email.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Web (works on any OS). Pair with the Augmented Steam browser extension for desktop integration.
Download: IsThereAnyDeal
Bottom line: This is the database that Augmented Steam reads from. Sign in once, build your waitlist, and the rest of the stack runs on top of it.
7. Free To Keep — best free-claim aggregator
Free To Keep is the tool the XDA piece pointed at. It scrapes official feeds from Steam, Epic, GOG, Prime Gaming, and Stove with about one-minute latency, then pushes a notification to a paired browser, a Discord webhook, or an RSS feed. The site is simple, the data is current, and there is no upsell.
Where it falls short: Newer than the others, so the feature set is narrower. Push channels are limited to the ones above; no native desktop tray app yet.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Web (works on any OS).
Download: Free To Keep
Bottom line: Add the Discord webhook to a channel you already check, or set the browser push. It is the lowest-friction way to never miss an Epic Thursday or a GOG giveaway.
How to pick the right ones
Most PC players want a stack of three. Install Steam (you already have it), Epic Games Launcher (one-click weekly claim), and either Razer Cortex or GOG Galaxy as the cross-store launcher.
Layer on Augmented Steam if you spend most of your shopping time on Steam pages. Add IsThereAnyDeal with a waitlist for any title above $20 that you might buy if it drops.
If you find yourself missing free claims despite the launchers, Free To Keep is the simplest fix — set a browser push or a Discord webhook and you stop missing the 48-hour windows.
If you only have room for one, install Razer Cortex. The cross-store deal feed catches most of what the other tools cover from one place.
FAQ
What is the best way to never miss an Epic free game?
Install Epic Games Launcher, accept notifications, and add a backup like Free To Keep or Razer Cortex. The Epic Launcher alone is enough if you check the store tab once a week; the backup catches the weeks you forget.
Does Razer Cortex track Steam free weekends?
Yes. Razer Cortex covers Steam, Epic, GOG, and Humble. Free weekends and free-to-keep promotions show in the same deal feed as discounts.
Is IsThereAnyDeal a desktop app?
It is a web app. The companion is Augmented Steam (a browser extension) that overlays IsThereAnyDeal data on Steam pages. Together they function as a desktop workflow.
Can I get Discord notifications for free PC games?
Yes. Free To Keep supports a Discord webhook URL. Set up a channel, paste the webhook, and free-claim alerts post directly there.
Are these tools safe to install on Windows?
Steam, Epic Games Launcher, GOG Galaxy, and Razer Cortex are signed installers from the publishers. Augmented Steam and IsThereAnyDeal are open source. Free To Keep is web-only, so there is nothing to install. Avoid third-party “free game claim” tools that ask for your Steam credentials directly.
Do these tools work on Linux?
Steam runs natively on Linux. GOG Galaxy has community-maintained Wine workarounds. The browser extensions and web apps (Augmented Steam, IsThereAnyDeal, Free To Keep) work on any Linux browser.
