Steam's free game selection has recently expanded to include four new titles. While all four are minor releases, they make up a motley group of arrivals that could potentially appeal to bargain hunters, especially those browsing Steam in search of a new action game or three.
While giveaways are a regular occurrence on Valve's storefronts, more often than not they are time-limited. Even so, completely free-to-play releases are far from unprecedented, as most recently exemplified by Fly up, Crimson Loop, Dog's Waltsand Ze Gunner – four new indies that debuted during the same window at the end of February as the last edition of Steam Next Fest.
Steam users have limited time to get 7 great games for dirt cheap
Steam is currently offering steep discounts on 7 well-reviewed games that expire on various dates, from March 16th to March 19th.
Steam's latest freebies share more than one release window
Although the four games vary in style, they share some distinct characteristics. Notably, they all come with a promise of action-packed gameplay, and they all quantify player performance in some way, something that's likely to appeal to high scorers. This applies in particular Fly up and Dog's Waltsboth fast-paced games that continue to increase in difficulty as the chaos unfolds on screen.
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
Start
Rearrange the cases in the correct US release order.
Light (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
As the name suggests, Dog's Walts has a canine protagonist. A hammer-wielding one, with the game's overall premise centered on physics-based action and a chaotic point-attack setup. Conversely, Fly up is a free-to-play action platformer that tasks players with climbing ever higher through a series of monster-filled rooms. Its core hook is a mix of combat, platforming, and time-based pressure, with the game encouraging repeat runs by chasing the leaderboard.
New free games on Steam
Crimson Loop is a free-to-play action roguelite about surviving increasingly intense waves of monsters while stacking defensive and offensive upgrades and abilities between runs. Its biggest hook is a mix of auto-shooter combat and layered meta-progression that makes each subsequent run a little more successful. While such incentives to boost numbers are as old as gaming itself, this particular blend of roguelite mechanics and autoshooting is a more modern formula that harkens back to 2019 Magical Survival and the 2021s Vampire Survivorwhich ultimately popularized the survival-like genre, also known as bullet heaven.
Ze Gunner is a free-to-play base defense game that casts players as the operator of a 360-degree turret system protecting the last line of defense for their people. Compared to the other new Steam free games, its pitch is the most straightforwardly tactical, built around quick objective acquisition, quick turns, and holding the line as incoming enemies close in and start firing back at the player's base.
Humorous adventure Deponia is still free to claim on Steam, but not so much anymore
In related news, comic adventure Landfill is still free to claim on Steam, and its giveaway is now approaching one week. Originally released in 2022, Landfill is a comic adventure about a serious dump that has swallowed much of its fictional world inhabited by many bizarre people. Developer Daedalic Entertainment frames the game's tone as being in line with that of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and Matt Groening. Since these writers are essentially the holy trinity of making absurdity feel diagnostic, anyone who enjoys witty monologues and deeply flawed characters will be intrigued by what Landfill has to offer.
Landfill is free to claim and keep through March 16 at 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET / 6:00 PM CET. Valve's Tower Defense Fest is scheduled to end on the same day. The conceptually much more ambitious Steam Spring Sale 2026 is then scheduled to begin on March 19, marking Valve's first large-scale shopping holiday of the year. Square Enix and Spike Chunsoft, meanwhile, seem to have grown tired of waiting for spring, with both publishers already running their own Steam campaigns ahead of Valve's bigger seasonal push.
