This week's free game selection on the Epic Games Store is A Total War Saga: Troy. This digital storefront has offered free games every week since its inception, including well-known titles from Grand Theft Auto V to Civilization VI.

But the interesting thing about Troy is that it is an entirely new game and can be claimed within 24 hours.

Like all Epic free offers, this one has no special tricks up its sleeve. If you want this game, simply go to the Epic Games Store page and click "Get" under the price. The game is normally $50, but it's free until August 14 at 9 a.m. If you don't have an Epic Games Store account, you can sign up here. If you do have one, please consider enabling two-factor authentication.

If you are not familiar with the Total War series, it is a fascinating mix of grand strategy (planning a campaign on a vast map) and real-time strategy (individual battles with huge armies) A Total War Saga: Troy. As the title suggests, this time you're fighting the semi-historical Trojan War between the Greek and Trojan armies; there's also a "Total War: Warhammer" spin-off, but this one is a complete fantasy. It's also the first time the series has delved into Bronze Age warfare: even Total War was set about 1,000 years later. [It's also worth noting that "A Total War Saga: Troy" is not replacing any other free games on the Epic Store this week. Today you can get "3 Out of 10 Ep 1: "Welcome to Shovelworks" (yes, that really is the name of the game) and "Wilmot's Warehouse": starting tomorrow you can get "Remnant: From the Ashes" and "Alt Collection."

The free distribution of "A Total War Saga: Troy" appears to be the first time the Epic store has offered a new game for free. The game was just released today on Epic (it won't be available on Steam until next year). Offering the game at launch is an unusual strategy, as popular games usually sell in significant quantities on the first day.

My guess is that Epic probably offered some favorable terms to Sega (the game's publisher), which could theoretically work to both parties' advantage. Grand strategy is not exactly the most accessible genre, and offering a well-known game for free is a great way to attract new fans. On the other hand, Total War has enough existing fans that many of them will sign up for the Epic Store just to get the game. This means new customers for both companies.

Either way, if you want this game, get it fast. Tomorrow morning, this game, like its inspiration, will be ancient history.