Free Steam games to play at home
With all the newfound downtime recently, there’s nothing wrong with indulging in some gaming every now and then. Steam, a digital video game distribution platform, has a massive library to explore. Thankfully, not all great games require a portion of our paychecks, with some free Steam games offering endless enjoyable entertainment.
Spanning genres such as atmospheric horrors, exciting shooters and cooperative multiplayer, there are plenty that will suit your gaming taste.
Check out these other articles on games:
- Best PS4 games
- Multiplayer Nintendo Switch Games
- Free online games to play with friends
- Free quirky online games
- Iconic 90s video games to play today
Shooters
1. Team Fortress 2 – massive community with many game modes
Image credit: Steam
Team Fortress 2 has been around for more than a decade, but the sprawling online community and game servers are still thriving like it was released yesterday. The nine cartoonish characters each have their own character traits and unique tactical playstyle, giving the game a rare personable touch many first-person shooters don’t have.
Multiple weapons and equipment for each character are also available, giving you the option to customise until your heart’s content. What’s even more fun is the myriad of game modes ranging from capture the flag, king of the hill to defence against robot hordes.
Get Team Fortress 2.
2. Fistful of Frags – cowboy & Wild West-themed shooter
Image credit: Steam
Welcome to the Wild West in Fistful of Frags, a period-based multiplayer shooter that masterfully combines absurdity with tactical skill. There’s nothing quite like a classic deathmatch or free-for-all shoot out to get that adrenaline pumping.
The weapons accurately reflect those of the time, meaning that slow-reloading revolvers and sawn-off shotguns will be your primary arsenal. There are also many alternative ways to engage in combat, be it knife-throwing, machete-hacking or dual-wielding. And if nothing else works, throw your pistol at the enemy and hope for the best.
Get Fistful of Frags.
3.Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – iconic, competitive FPS
Image credit: Steam
Chances are you’ve at least heard of the iconic Counter-Strike series. Global Offensive, the latest entry, is a difficult but addictive FPS that will keep you coming back despite how many times you die in-game.
The game is fun for casual and competitive players alike, and any kill you get will stroke your ego the same. The more you play and understand that even the tiniest of variations in the weapons’ recoils can have a monumental difference, you’ll realise how insanely accurate the game is. It’s understandable why CS:GO is still a regular in major Esports tournaments.
Get Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
4. Warframe – sci-fi third-person shooter with amazing graphics
Image credit: Steam
In a sci-fi world with aliens, techno-robots, distant planets and space guns, Warframe is an exciting third-person shooter. The graphics and world design are so high quality that you’d think it was an expensive triple A game. You can either slice your way through enemies with a katana, torch them with a flamethrower or stealthily sneak and leap past them – the choice is yours.
With a little mix of RPG, you’ll go from area to area to complete quests and loot all the shiny stuff you can find. If you’re feeling lonely, invite some friends for co-ops and roam the immersive world as space ninjas.
Get Warframe.
5. Apex Legends – battle royale
Image credit: Apex Legends
Move over Fortnite, there’s a new battle royale in town. Enter Apex Legends, a first-person-shooter battle royale where you’ll fight for victory in groups of three; solo players will be automatically grouped up with two other players to compete against 19 other teams. You also get unique abilities depending on the “legend” you choose
The weapons in the arena borrow from the Titanfall universe, so those who have played that other shooter would be familiar with them. And unlike other battle royales, you can also respawn in Apex Legends when you die, provided your teammates bring your respawn beacon to the respawn station.
Get Apex Legends.
Strategy
6. Crusader Kings II – medieval turn-based strategy
Image credit: Steam
On the surface, Crusader Kings II may seem like your typical era-hopping, turn-based strategy game, but there’s a great world-building aspect to the game that makes it enthralling. Based in the medieval ages from the 11th century, expand your dynasty through warfare, tactical assassinations, strategic marriages and ensuring your character has an heir.
With open-ended goals, you’re free to influence the politics of medieval Europe by plotting, warring or whichever way you’d like – just make sure your dynasty survives. History buffs will especially geek out over the chance to battle the Mongols and negotiate with the Byzantine Empire.
Get Crusader Kings II.
7. Battle for Wesmoth – fantasy turn-based strategy with endless replayability
Image credit: Steam
Delve into a fantasy realm with orcs and the undead in Battle for Wesmoth, a turn-based strategy with charming pixel graphics. You’ll be able to lead your character through perilous quests across the lands, grow your army to defend the kingdom against other factions and be wholly engrossed in the epic story-driven adventures.
The strategic combat system will put your skills to the test. What’s better is that the game is open source, meaning that there is infinite replayability via hundreds of community-made maps, characters, campaigns and stories. Rope in your friends for some versus campaigns as well!
Get Battle for Wesmoth.
8. Fallout Shelter – post-apocalyptic management game
Image credit: Steam
Why manage a company when you can manage an underground bunker to house survivors of nuclear fallout instead. In Fallout Shelter, you’ll excavate and build a flourishing underground vault colony, attract all sorts of dwellers and make sure their needs are met.
You’ll have to plan an optimal layout, generate resources like food and water and regularly send your dwellers out for scavenging.
As you play the game, you’ll realise that making sure your electricity generator is running while simultaneously feeding everyone is trickier than you think. One wrong move – such as a mutant creature intruding – can ruin everything, so stay sharp.
Get Fallout Shelter.
Horror
9. Cry of Fear – first-person horror game with co-op
Image credit: Steam
You’re stranded in a deserted town in the dark of night looking for answers. Wandering through the dimly lit streets with a sole flashlight your companion, terrors lurk around every corner as your sanity declines. An atmospheric thriller, Cry of Fear sets an immersively grim, depressing mood for players intensified by the protagonist’s haunting story.
The nerve-wracking experience will leave you second-guessing every corner in the game like an M Night Shyamalan movie. If you want to watch your friends squeal in horror, the campaign supports up to 4 players in co-op. You might not want to revisit the town after you’re done, but the multiple endings to explore might sway you otherwise.
Get Cry of Fear.
10. We Went Back – first-person horror puzzler in an abandoned space station
Image credit: Steam
We Went Back won’t take you more than an hour to finish, but it’s a beautifully crafted puzzle horror game that leaves you wanting more. Abandoned in a desolate space station, find a way to escape while keeping your bearings as the slightest metallic clank can creep you out. The environment is polished and detailed with clues lurking around waiting to be found.
Get We Went Back.
11. Ultimate Custom Night – mashup of the popular Five Night at Freddy’s franchise
Image credit: Steam
You might recall the Five Nights at Freddy’s series of survival horror games that went viral on the Internet. Ultimate Custom Night is a mashup of the series, containing characters that span the entire franchise.
There’s just something inexplicably terrifying about being trapped in a security room of a kid’s pizzeria, defending yourself against wandering animatronics as you watch them crawl from room to room via the security cameras.
The only tools to defend yourself against inevitable jump scares are sliding doors, vents, the A/C and a few more, all of which lead directly to your office. A challenging game in its own right, keeping Freddy Fazbear at bay might take a few tries – and scares along the way.
12. Doki Doki Literature Club – psychological horror
Image credit: Steam
Doki Doki Literature Club comes in the style of a visual novel as you join your school’s literature club. Innocent-looking and cute, you’ll spend the day with Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki and Monika as you learn more about them and write poems.
But if you’re wondering why this game falls under the “horror” category, let’s just say there’s more than meets the eye. The game is best enjoyed blind so without spoiling too much, just keep playing and there will come a point where things get strange, psychological and horrific.
It’s more than worth your time and once things pick up, it’s absolutely mental. You’ll end up questioning yourself, the game, your computer and more. Oh, and as you’re playing the game, remember the phrase “Just Monika”.
Story-based
13. missed messages. – thought-provoking visual novel
Image credit: Steam
With visually pleasing pastel art along with chill, lo-fi music, missed messages. hits you right in the feels with a story that’s relatable to many. Described by the creator as a “romance horror story with life, death and memes”, it’s a surprisingly apt definition of the emotions the game puts you through. The best story-driven games are the ones that change your perspective on life afterwards.
Note: the game touches on sensitive issues such as suicide and self-harm.
Get missed messages.
14. Emily Is Away – interactive and thoughtful story about friendship
Image credit: Steam
Emily Is Away takes place in a simple interface, the desktop of an old computer. Aside from the nostalgia trip with Windows XP and Yahoo Messenger, you’ll mainly be having a conversation with your childhood friend Emily over the span of 5 years, starting from when you’re both moving away for college.
The decisions you make during the dialogue will affect your friendship together and the conclusion to the story is hauntingly real and relatable. After completing a playthrough, you’ll be left reminiscing about your teen years and perhaps even contemplating past and present relationships.
Get Emily is Away.
15. Kyle is Famous – humorous text-based game with 21 different endings
Image credit: Steam
Kyle is Famous. Kyle has to prepare for an important interview at the end of the day. Kyle needs you to make decisions that affect his day. How Kyle manages to conduct the interview is up to you.
Don’t let the simplicity of the text-based game fool you, it’s a concoction of absurd humour and hilarity that will leave you laughing at your screen. Control Kyle’s decisions from the outfit he wears to the breakfast he eats, and each one of them sets you on a wildly different path. You could just conduct a perfectly normal interview, or end up becoming a ghost, time travel and swallow a fridge.
Get Kyle is Famous.
Simulation
16. Sinking Simulator – sandbox that allows you to sink ships
Image credit: Steam
If you’ve ever wanted to build your own ship only to ravage the oceans like Neptune himself and sink the ship, Sinking Simulator gives you the tools to do so. You’ll spawn intricately designed 2D ships only to unleash your wrath by putting holes in the ship or controlling the waves. There are thousands of community-made ships for you to sink – including the Titanic!
If slowly watching the boat tilt and descend into the depths of the Mariana Trench isn’t enough for you, you can even create hyper-unrealistic situations like zero-gravity water to see what happens. Some people just wanna watch the world drown.
Get Sinking Simulator.
Online multiplayer
17. Dota 2 – one of the biggest MOBA games
Image credit: Steam
Dota 2 is one of the most played games on Steam, and for good reason. This multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) is played with two teams of five players on either side of the map, with each team aiming to capture the other’s base. Choose from a huge catalogue of heroes with their own unique abilities and work together to win.
Not going to lie, the learning curve is rather steep. But get the hang of it via offline mode against bots and slowly hone your skill and carve a unique set of strategies for yourself. It’s dangerously addictive and you’ll dream of becoming an Esports champion at least once.
Get Dota 2.
18. Brawhalla – online 2D platform fighter
Image credit: Steam
Imagine Super Smash Bros but as an online multiplayer game on PC and you have Brawlhalla. The fighting mechanics are unique and dynamic with a variety of characters to choose from. The highlight comes in the many game modes on offer such as “Brawlball” and “Kung-foot” together with the weekly tournaments and ranked seasons.
Gather up to 8 friends and engage in 1v1 up to 4v4 battles or a free-for-all deathmatch for some maddening mayhem.
Get Brawhalla.
Idle/Clickers
19. AdVenture Capitalist – capitalism simulator
Image credit: Steam
In a nutshell, AdVenture Capitalist is about making money, buying upgrades and expanding your business with said money, waiting to make more money, and then buying even more upgrades. The more cash you make, the less effort you need to earn more – kinda like real life capitalism.
Grow your business from a lemonade stand to world-monopoly by clicking and idling. To those unfamiliar with the idle/clicker genre, a game where you simply wait around may seem like a strange concept. But once you get started, you’ll be hooked.
Get AdVenture Capitalist.
20. Crush Crush / Blush Blush – idle dating sim
Image credit: Steam
Crush Crush is a borderline inappropriate idle dating sim that is very much aware of how absurd it is in the genre of anime dating sims. The dialogue is witty with plenty of poking fun at pop culture. There is a surprising level of detail put into the game and there are also astonishingly regular updates from the developers.
Image credit: Steam
Not to mention that there’s a sequel called Blush Blush that’s pretty much the same ridiculousness, but with anime guys instead.
Get Crush Crush and Blush Blush.
Puzzle
21. Gravitas – physics-driven puzzle game where you manipulate gravity
Image credit: Steam
If you’re looking for a quick brain teaser to pass the hour, Gravitas does the trick. Inspired by the Portal series of games, the physics-driven puzzler allows you to manipulate gravity to create bridges, move cubes and progress from room to room.
The playing experience is enhanced by the humorous dialogue in the background with the “Curator” that’s bound to give you a good laugh.
Get Gravitas.
22. What Never Was – captivating first-person adventure
Image credit: Steam
It’s remarkable how a good point-and-click puzzle game with pleasing graphics and immersive storytelling can really reel you in. What Never Was is a short, first-person adventure where you’ll spend all of your time exploring the attic, searching for clues and learning about the mystery of your grandfather.
The puzzles are imaginative and will give you a good challenge. Meanwhile, take the time to read through the journals and enjoy the captivating narrative, complete with voice-over narration as well.
Get What Never Was
23. We Were Here – co-op puzzle game for you and your friend
Image credit: Steam
You’ll need a team of 2 to navigate the puzzles in We Were Here. Separated in a castle in the frozen wasteland, you and your partner must communicate via microphone. While one tries to decipher the strange patterns or glyphs on the walls and the other tinkers with odd mechanisms in a different room, the both of you must relay essential info across to help each other.
If you think it’s easy, try describing what a hieroglyph looks like to your friend. If you liked the game, you can also check out the two paid sequels in the series, We Were Here Too and We Were Here Together.
Get We Were Here.
Steam games you can play for free
You won’t have to spend a single penny to get all the satisfaction from gaming. Hopefully, these free Steam games will keep you occupied and entertained at home. So boot up your laptop or PC and get downloading.
Check out these other articles for activities during P2HA:
- Easy indoor sports & games
- Websites with free online books
- Netflix documentaries to watch
- Canned food recipes to try
- Free online games
Originally published on 16th May 2020. Last updated by Josiah Neo on 30th July 2021.
Cover image adapted from (clockwise from top left): Apex Legends, Steam, Steam, Steam
