The 25 best free Steam games you can play in 2026

If you're looking to try out the best free Steam games available right now in 2026, then we're here to help.

Valve's platform is home to so many games, and finding the highlights that are free-to-play can take some work. So, to make it easier for you, we've rounded up the 25 best free Steam games we'd recommend trying out, from multiplayer shooters, to narrative adventures, and much more. If you're after more recommendations and you don't mind dropping some money, our pick of the best Steam games is here for you, too. Or, if you've picked up Valve's handheld, we've also put together a list of the best Steam Deck games.

It's also worth noting that Valve's platform often drops lots of free demos throughout the year, which our Steam Next Fest guide has all of the details on, and you can also grab some bargains with our guide to all of the Steam sales dates for 2026. But for the best free Steam games you can play right now, read on to explore our selection.

Latest Videos From

Watch full video here:

The very best free Steam games in 2026, starting with...

25. Emily is Away

A narrative game set in the instant messaging services of yesteryear, Emily is Away is a touching story of love, friendship, and betrayal. The eponymous Emily is the character you'll interact with the most, with the choices you make shaping your shared story from high school to college.

A 2017 sequel, Emily is Away Too, is also available for a small price, as is third instalment, Emily is Away <3.

Play Emily is Away here

24. Conqueror's Blade

If you've been looking for a way to capture the feeling of defending Helm's Deep since 2002, Conqueror's Blade is likely to be the closest you can get. The tactical medieval MMO puts your unique warlord in control of entire armies.

Using varied abilities, devastating siege weapons, and your own sense of cunning, engage in huge battles with up to 29 other players. Premium membership limits the XP and gold grind, and paid DLC offers new armour and more siege weapons.

Play Conqueror's Blade here

23. The Finals

This turbocharged arena-shooter has been making waves on Xbox and PC alike. The Finals is one of the latest free-to-play FPS titles worth a download if you're on the hunt for a free Steam game with a thriving player base, countless guns to collect, and tons of online multiplayer action – all for the cool price of nothing.

It's the very first title to launch from Swedish developer Embark Studios, and it's already impressing us with its high-fidelity graphics, fast-twitch gunplay, and delightfully destructible environments for you to build your own battleground on the fly.

Play The Finals here

22. A Raven Monologue

A Raven Monologue is a silent visual novel about a top-hatted Raven that doesn't know how to croak. With beautifully-stylized characters set against a charming and colorful background, it's the kind of game you'll want to devour in a single sitting, and is very much worth your time.

Plus, you can get this one on both PC and Mac computers, a great choice for anyone who spends time on either operating system.

Play A Raven Monologue here

21. Off-Peak

Stranded at a train station without a ticket that'll allow you to leave, Off-Peak lets you kill time by wandering its surreal world and talking to its larger-than-life inhabitants.

There are a few narrative threads to pull together, but if you can find them in among the bizarre encounters, you're more attuned to this kind of thing than I am. If it is your jam though, there's a paid-for sequel, The Norwood Suite, available too.

Play Off-Peak now

20. Dota Underlords

There are plenty of auto-battlers out there, but Dota Underlords is easily the best one on Steam, as well as being one of the best free games on the platform. A spin-off of Dota 2, it puts you in control of a team of heroes from the famous MOBA, who'll battle it out for supremacy against seven foes until only one player remains.

What sets this offering apart are the Underlords themselves, which each bestow their own unique strengths upon your team. Auto-battlers can feel daunting at first, but they're also great forums for experimentation with plenty of depth. And if you fancy checking out the place where it all began, the original Dota Auto Chess is still playable within the Dota 2 client.

Play Dota Underlords here

19. Crusader Kings 2

The third instalment in the medieval series might be the new king on the chopping block, but Crusader Kings 2 remains a serious competitor thanks to its mammoth quantities of DLC. The base game, which puts you in charge of your own corner of Europe at the end of the Dark Ages, is entirely free-to-play, and offers hundreds of hours of map-based diplomacy and warfare.

Without the subscription service, which offers access to the 13 post-launch expansions for $4.99 a month, it's one of the best free PC games.

Play Crusader Kings 2 here

18. Cry of Fear

Having started life as a total conversion mod for the original Half-Life, Cry of Fear was released as a standalone game in 2013. It's built on some aging tech, but it makes the most of Valve's GoldSRC engine, making for a brilliantly-paced and deeply unnerving horror shooter.

It's up there with the best free Steam games not only because it's free, but because the atmosphere is so tense that you'll forget you paid nothing for it.

Play Cry of Fear here

17. Brawlhalla

There are a few contenders when it comes to great PC platform fighters, but Brawlhalla fits the bill while costing you nothing. Regular seasonal updates, as well as loads of different fighters, weapons, and gadgets ensure it always feels fresh across both online and local multiplayer.

Real-money purchases can be used to buy new characters as well as cosmetic items, but as far as free Steam games go, this one is hard to beat.

Play Brawlhalla here

16. Fallout Shelter

Unfortunately, it's unlikely that Bethesda will ever choose to give away one of its best RPGs for free, but if you want to immerse yourself in its post-apocalyptic universe at no extra cost, Fallout Shelter captures much of the series' charm within a charming management game.

Placed in charge of one of Fallout's massive vaults, you'll have to keep your residents alive in spite of the radiation, monsters, and raiders raging outside. Microtransactions offer opportunities to gain new items and increase stats.

Play Fallout Shelter here

15. Gwent: The Witcher Card Game

There are plenty of great collectible card games out there, many tied to franchises even bigger than The Witcher, but Gwent is the best one available on Steam. Adapted from The Witcher 3 minigame of the same name, Gwent offers a twist on the formula with its best-of-three format, which requires intricate bluff and deck-management skills, and makes for some truly heart-in-mouth moments.

Gwent is fairly generous with its free gifts, especially when you're learning the ropes, but as with many CCGs, entry is free but new cards will cost real money. The game left developer hands at the end of 2023, but the meta will continue to evolve as players have now taken the reins to decide the future of each card's stats.

Play Gwent here

14.  War Thunder

War Thunder is a hugely detailed military MMO that's easy to grasp but features an enormous degree of depth for those players who want to master its system. Whether you're into ground, air, or naval combat, there's something on offer, with dozens of vehicles from some of the world's most advanced armies making for epic dogfights, tense tank skirmishes, and pitched warship battles.

Paid DLC offers a means to unlock new vehicles faster, but if you're prepared to truly master the basics, you might never need anything else.

Play War Thunder here

13. Marvel Rivals

Regularly getting updates and events, Marvel Rivals is a fantastic free Steam game if you're after a multiplayer hero shooter. With a cast of playable Marvel super heroes and super villains to chose from, you can get stuck into PvP 6v6 matches as the likes of Spider-Man, Black Widow, Dead Pool, Venom, Blade, and so many more.

With each character offering up their unique abilities, you can team up with other players to synergize your attacks, with various combinations to try out. With each season introducing new characters in to the fray, the universe keeps on expanding with more maps, so now's a great time to give it go.

Play it here.

12. Runescape / Old School Runescape

Both modern-day RuneScape and its enduringly popular Old School equivalent exist on Steam, providing two ways to scratch your classic MMO itch. Both games offer huge worlds to explore, complete with their own fully-functioning economy, deceptively deep combat, and a wide variety of skills to master, from smithing to cookery.

Dozens of quests, from collecting ingredients for the local chef to hunting down and slaying legendary dragons, will keep you busy for a very long time, as will vibrant communities and regular developer updates. Paid membership subscriptions offer access to more skills, quests, and map areas, but it's possible to pay your fees with in-game gold if you're invested enough.

Play RuneScape Here

Play Old School RuneScape here

11. Doki Doki Literature Club!

The less you know about Doki Doki Literature Club going in the better, but suffice to say that its cutesy dating-sim aesthetic is only the beginning, and contributes to one of the most notable visual novels of recent years.

And if you're prepared to dip in for a second playthrough, it'll push the limits even further, creating a game that tries to mess with you while you play. A premium version now exists, but you can still play the original for free.

Play Doki Doki Literature Club! here

10. Warframe

If you're into Destiny's high-tech space opera but are looking for something a little faster-paced, Warframe is a lightning-quick third-person PvE sci-fi shooter. The focus here is on a swift cycle of upgrades, letting you jump into quickfire missions using your choice of more than 40 character archetypes and enough customization options to make any loadout feel unique.

You can spend real money on items, but half the fun of Warframe comes from the satisfaction of the grind.

Play Warframe here

9. The Sims 4

The Sims 4 is one of the best simulator games for good reason, and it went free-to-play on Steam in 2022, meaning you get to explore Oasis Springs and Willow Creek without even touching your wallet.

From creating your own families to building homes and community lots, there's always lots to do in The Sims 4. You might even find a secret or two hidden across its myriad worlds... but we'll let you discover those for yourself.

Play The Sims 4 here

8. Apex Legends

There's a whole bunch of free-to-play battle royale games out there - you can find several of them on Steam, in fact - but Apex Legends might just be the best of the lot. Building out of the fast-paced world of the Titanfall series, movement and gunplay are as slick and exciting as you'd expect, but its the titular Legends themselves that set this game apart.

From speed demon adrenaline junkies to anti-gravity Scottish scientists, there's something here for you no matter your playstyle, with a regularly-evolving world to help keep things fresh.

Play Apex Legends here

7. Final Fantasy 14 trial

It's not technically a free game, but there's enough on offer within just the trial version of Final Fantasy 14 that it'll keep you busy far longer than many of the other games on this list. As well as offering access to the base game (also known as A Realm Reborn), the expanded trial includes the Heavensward expansion, and raised the level cap from 35 all the way to 60.

There are other restrictions, like limits to character creation and a currency cap, but they're a small price to pay for a lengthy no-obligation look at one of the most interesting modern MMOs out there.

Play Final Fantasy 14 Online Free Trial here

6. Path of Exile

Path of Exile might be 11 years old, but it's still one of the best free Steam games out there. The dark fantasy action-RPG sees players setting out across an unforgiving realm as an Exile, gathering your strength and vanquishing enemies on a quest to bring swift justice upon those who have wronged you.

Its isometric camera will be a familiar sight for any Diablo 4 fan, and if you can stomach a whole lot of grinding, there are hours of grueling RPG adventuring to be had as you explore Path of Exile's vastness. With Path of Exile 2 currently in development, there's no time like the present to get stuck into the game that started it all. Did we mention it's free? Because it is.

Play Path of Exile here

5. Eve Online

Eve Online might be drawing in on its third decade, but the monstrously huge space MMO shows no signs of slowing down. The free version limits the ships you can fly and some of the skills you can pick (a subscription will set you back £10 a month).

But if you can find your way through the grunt work that often faces many new recruits, you could find yourself a cog in one of the most fascinating gaming communities out there. At its best, Eve Online is part political thriller, part intricate military campaign, and part economic rollercoaster

Play Eve Online here

4. Dota 2

Valve's take on the MOBA phenomenon remains one of the best examples of the genre, crafted by the people who helped start the entire craze. With hundreds of heroes to master, all with their own unique skills, Dota 2 can be daunting, especially for genre newcomers.

But stick with it and you'll find one of the deepest and most expansive experiences available on PC, as well as one of the most high-stakes esports scenes out there, all for absolutely no cost.

Play Dota 2 here

3. Lost Ark

A few years after its launch in Korea, Lost Ark came to the West in 2022. Mixing Diablo-style ARPG gameplay with detailed MMO architecture, it swiftly hit one of the highest concurrent player counts in Steam's history, topping out above even the juggernauts of Dota 2 and CS:GO.

With lots of different classes to master and plenty of other options to let you chill out in your downtime, if you're looking for a new MMO, Lost Ark could be the perfect fit.

Play Lost Ark here

2. Destiny 2

Destiny 2's more recent additions will set you back a little, but the base game, alongside two older expansions, are available on Steam completely free. Bungie's phenomenal FPS/MMO hybrid offers best-in-class gunplay, across both a sprawling space opera narrative, and a host of PvE and PvP game modes.

While Bunge officially ended active development for Destiny 2 as of June 2026, it's still playable, and all-in-all, there's hundreds of hours of gameplay on offer, no matter what you're looking for.

Play Destiny 2 here

1. Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 officially landed on Steam in 2023, and it's been a rip-roaring success. It displays Valve's talents at its very best, with razor-sharp and slick gunplay and vibrant worlds to rip through.

Better still, all your favorites from CS:GO have been imported to make you feel right at home from day one. If you're an FPS fan who's yet to try out the Counter-Strike series, now's your chance to get in on its exciting latest chapter.

Play Counter-Strike 2 here.

Free Steam games FAQs

Fancy a walk down memory lane? Here are the best classic PC games that set the stage for today.