Free Steam games that are genuinely worth your time

If you're after free Steam games worth playing, these eight from the catalogue cost nothing to start and cover very different tastes: co-op shooters, platform fighting, racing, grand strategy and adventure. Some have an optional in-game shop, so check each game's details before installing. What changes is what they ask in return: time, patience or good company.

For co-op without spending a penny

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  WarframeShooter · Co-op · Free-to-playWhen you want to drop in, play a mission or two and leave: a quarter of an hour gets you a little further across the star chart.When to play it and when not to
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  Alien Swarm: Reactive DropShooter · Co-op · Top-downWhen you have friends online and want a quick, tactical co-op mission without paying a penny.When to play it and when not to

Warframe is a third-person shooter that keeps growing. With your warframe, a suit with powers, you chain together quick missions full of parkour, solo or in squads of up to four, and craft dozens of warframes and hundreds of weapons. It's Verified for Steam Deck. Its game details warn that if you hate grinding, the start is tough, the story is slow to take off and there are systems galore.

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop is a top-down co-op shooter: a squad of marines fights through swarms of aliens, with different classes, plenty of campaigns and community maps. It supports up to eight players. Playing solo you get bots, but it's best with other people. It doesn't work on Steam Deck.

For a thousand hours of loot and upgrades

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  Path of ExileAction RPG · Loot · Free to playWhen a new league kicks off and you fancy starting a character from scratch with brand-new mechanics.When to play it and when not to
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  Farmer Against Potatoes IdleIdle · RPG · Free to playWhen you want to leave something progressing while you do something else and only come back to choose upgrades.When to play it and when not to

Path of Exile is a dark-fantasy ARPG in the mould of Diablo II: you carve through monsters, collect loot, socket skill gems into your gear and spend points on a tree of more than 2,000 passives. After the campaign come the maps. It's playable on Steam Deck, but it doesn't look after newcomers: it throws a lot at you with little guidance.

Farmer Against Potatoes Idle is the opposite in effort: a farmer with a sword faces waves of potatoes while you upgrade stats, gear, classes and talents. Combat runs by itself and you decide what to improve. It has an optional in-game shop, so if you can't stand that or want a story, it's not for you. It's Verified for Steam Deck.

For competing or a quick game with friends

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  BrawlhallaFighting · Party · Free to playWhen you have 15 minutes and want light competitive action, solo or with friends.When to play it and when not to
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  TrackmaniaRacing · Time trial · ArcadeFor a short session when you want to improve: each attempt lasts seconds and every hundredth counts.When to play it and when not to

Brawlhalla is a platform fighter in the style of Smash Bros: you knock rivals off the stage in chaotic matches of up to eight players. It's very easy to pick up and has depth if you want it. Verified for Steam Deck. If you'd rather have a traditional technical fighter or a solo experience, it isn't the one.

Trackmania is time-trial racing on impossible tracks with loops, jumps and walls. There are no collisions with other cars: you race your own ghost and everyone else's times, and there's a new track every day. If you don't enjoy replaying a track many times, it will wear thin.

For thinking, reading and deciding

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  Crusader Kings IIGrand strategy · Medieval · FreeWhen you've got a long afternoon and fancy stories that write themselves: the base game has been free on Steam since 2019.When to play it and when not to
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  Heroine's Quest: The Herald of RagnarokPoint-and-click · RPG · FreeWhen you fancy a long adventure for free: according to its creator, a first playthrough can take around 20 hours.When to play it and when not to

Crusader Kings II is medieval grand strategy: you guide a dynasty up to 1453, marry off your children with inheritance in mind, keep an eye on vassals with plans of their own and declare wars with a legal excuse. If information overload bothers you, beware: there's data everywhere, a weak tutorial and abstract battles.

Heroine's Quest: The Herald of Ragnarok is an adventure game with RPG elements, a successor to Quest for Glory set in Norse mythology. You pick a warrior, a sorceress or a rogue, and each class solves the puzzles its own way. There's combat, you level up skills and hunger and cold affect you. If getting stuck frustrates you, be patient: some quests only move on if you do something the game doesn't tell you about.

How to choose yours

• With friends? Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop (up to eight) or Brawlhalla (up to eight).
• Solo and unhurried? Farmer Against Potatoes Idle, Crusader Kings II or Heroine's Quest.
• Want a game that lasts for years? Warframe and Path of Exile.
• For Steam Deck? Warframe, Brawlhalla and Farmer Against Potatoes Idle are Verified; there are more ideas in games that take up little space.

Free doesn't mean it costs nothing: almost all of them ask for hours. That's why it pays to pick the one that really fits your energy today.

Which one is for today?

Tell us how much energy and time you have and we'll suggest one. If you connect your Steam account, we'll choose from the games you already own.