The Best Free Steam Games for 2023

The Valve-owned Steam is the go-to source of PC games. Its encyclopedic library and constant influx of new titles make it a fantastic store for entertainment-hungry people in search of video game diversions. Steam also contains many excellent free-to-play games that you can enjoy without spending a single cent.

Our free Steam games list covers a wide gamut of genres, including action, multiplayer, card battling, military simulation, and even party-style fighting. Of course, you can expect a few iconic games, too, such as Valve’s highly popular Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2. There are many other genres and titles that you should check out, so we’re sure there’s at least one Steam game that will catch your eye.

Free Steam Deck Games

If you’re a PC gamer, you’re likely playing on a Windows PC. In that case, all you need to do is download and install these free Steam games. That said, if you want to play these titles on the Steam Deck, check out Valve’s game compatibility list. There, you can see the free games that work with SteamOS. At the time of this writing, there are more than 5,000 total games listed as Steam Deck Verified or Playable. What does that mean, you ask? A green checkmark (Verified) indicates that game is fully verified to run well on Steam Deck; a yellow checkmark (Playable) indicates that the game is playable on Steam Deck, “but requires extra steps or manual work from the user.” Please note that games requiring an online connection may not be ideal for on-the-go-Steam Deck play unless you can find a Wi-Fi signal.

So, why not venture out of your comfort zone and try something new? It won’t cost you anything.

Brawlhalla

3.5

$0.00

at Steam

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If you’re a PC gamer who’s thirsty for some Super Smash Bros.-style action, direct your parched eyes at Brawlhalla. The platform-based fighting game tasks you with fighting up to three opponents on floating stages, and attempting to knock them off the platform to score points. Directional inputs change your fighter’s attacks, but, much like Smash, the character movesets are relatively easy to learn.

Brawlhalla has a strong focus on weapon-based attacks, so weapons randomly rain down from above. Brawlhalla rotates playable characters every week, though you can purchase your favorite characters using the in-game currency.

Brawlhalla (for PC) Review

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (for PC)

4.0

$0.00

at Steam

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Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) debuted in 2012, backed by a strong heritage of multiplayer FPS titles, including the original Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Source. Years later, the fast-paced PC game still mostly holds its own against more modern titles, partly because of its established core gameplay and active community.

Visually, however, CS: GO is starting to show its age, and it’s not as thematically rich as popular titles like Overwatch. Still, many players will enjoy CS: GO’s no-frills experience and highly competitive esports scene.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (for PC) Review

DCS World: Steam Edition

$0.00

at Steam

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This hyper-realistic combat simulator delivers one of the most detailed battlefields you’ll experience in video games. DCS World: Steam Edition boasts a shockingly deep learning curve, so don’t expect to simply take control of an airplane (or other military vehicle) and start shooting nerds out of the sky.

Even the most basic tanks, fighter jets, and ships require mastery, to say nothing of the advanced war machines you can pilot. If you’re in the mood for realistic military combat, Digital Combat Simulator World is the game to download.

Destiny 2

$0.00

at Steam

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In Destiny 2, you and your crew play as Guardians, immortal warriors who travel the solar system taking down interplanetary threats. This sci-fi shooter has seen many changes since its 2017 launch, such as moving to a free-to-play model, adding the Destiny Content Vault(Opens in a new window), and increasing the planet count. Destiny 2 is one of the most action-heavy MMOs that you’ll find on PC, so it could be your bag if you dig Call of Duty.

Dota 2

4.5

$0.00

at Steam

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Dota 2 is an excellent MOBA, and one that’s exclusive to the Steam platform. The game pits two teams of five players against one another, with the goal of destroying the rival squad’s base.

Dota 2’s play systems have a steep learning curve, so you’ll have plenty of content to explore. All Heroes are available from the jump, so you can keep your cash in your wallet unless you really want to deck out your characters with new skins.

Dota 2 (for PC) Review

The Elder Scrolls Online

$0.00

at Steam

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From Zenimax Online comes the only MMO that takes place in the best-selling Elder Scrolls franchise. Set a thousand years before Skyrim’s events, ESO lets you visit majestic locations from the series’ lore and take part in legendary events.

In it, you can explore Morrowind’s swamps and alien environments, Summerset’s sun-drenched isle, and Skyrim’s snow-covered peaks. In terms of storytelling, Elder Scrolls Online is one of the stronger MMOs, featuring well-written characters and full voice acting.

Eve Online

$0.00

at Steam

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Space empires rise and fall within the free-to-play Eve Online. This is the king of sandbox MMOs, a game that places you in a cosmos filled with starships, pirates, and player-created corporations.

Truthfully, Eve Online is more of a social experiment than a game, as it forces you to engage with a vast universe of potentially cutthroat existing users merely to survive. If you decide to give it a go, you’ll discover that Eve Online is one of the most rewarding and unique games ever made.

Lost Ark

4.0

$0.00

at Steam

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Lost Ark hacks and slashes its way into the Western market after two years worth of polish and content updates in the international scene.

Smilegate RPG’s free-to-play title features exciting action and 15 classes that don’t adhere to the traditional MMO structure. Each class is designed to deal damage, so don’t expect to see a dedicated healer playing the background. You knuckle up, cast a spell, or grab a sword to defeat the demons hunting for the titular ark.

Lost Ark could use better controller support, but the action-RPG is worth your time (and maybe your money) as you raid and loot.

Lost Ark (for PC) Review

MultiVersus

3.5

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at Steam

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Want to mix it up in a platform fighter that’s less Smash Super Bros. and more Super Warner Bros.? Check out MultiVersus, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s free-to-play platform-fighter. The expanding roster includes a bevy of entertainment icons from HBO, Cartoon Network Studios, and other brands, including Arya Stark, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Velma, and LeBron James (remember Space Jam: A New Legacy?). Unique, team-based mechanics open up new strategic possibilities. Now, can we please have a playable Tony Soprano?

MultiVersus (for PC) Review

Paladins

$0.00

at Steam

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Paladins is a character-based shooter similar to Overwatch and Team Fortress 2. Each playable Champion falls into one of four categories, be it front line fighter, damage dealer, support hero, or flanking character.

Paladins features more than three dozen playable characters, and a unique card system that lets you tweak your Champions’ load-outs at the start of a match. Load-outs let you modify your characters’ health, ability cool downs, or movement speeds, adding an engaging and strategic gameplay twist.

Path of Exile

$0.00

at Steam

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If you love Diablo, particularly Diablo II, then you may want to give Path of Exile a spin. You control a single character from a top-down perspective, and raid dungeons and explore caves while wrecking the monsters that impede your mission.

Encampments let you interact with other players, but venturing out into the wild tosses you and your buddies into randomly generated maps filled with loot to collect and beasts to slay.

Planetside 2

$0.00

at Steam

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This MMO shooter drops you in the middle of a planet-wide war that features futuristic vehicles, explosive weaponry, and battle-scarred environments. There are many offensive options available to you right from the offset, including various class and vehicle types, giving you lots of play styles to choose from.

You can tackle the war alone if you’ve got the courage, but Planetside 2 boasts a beefy player base, so it certainly doesn’t hurt to cozy up with veterans to learn the ropes.

Runescape

$0.00

at Steam

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Runescape is an MMORPG that’s been around for ages: 20 years in fact, and still going strong. Despite its age, Runescape remains popular, receiving frequent updates to keep long-standing fans happy and engaged.

The game found its footing well before the MMO character-archetype trinity (tank, DPS, and healer) became popular, so it uses a rock-paper-scissors system where melee beats range, range beats magic, and magic beats melee. Gameplay is largely a point-and-click affair, but it incorporates a blend of combat scenarios, social interactions, quests, and mini-games. Runescape is easy to get into, and its casual feel and old-school style may engross you enough that you may never want to leave.

Shadowverse CCG Image

Shadowverse CCG

$0.00

at Steam

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A digital, collectible card game boasting eye-catching anime-style artwork, Shadowverse CCG may scratch your game-of-chance itch. It enjoys new updates every few months, which adds new cards and tweaks the game balance.

The core gameplay sees you attempting to strategically whittle down a foe’s defense to zero, or force the enemy to draw from an empty deck. If you’re into card games, or have never tried your hand in one, Shadowverse CCG might just be the game for you.

Smite

4.0

$0.01

at Amazon

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Smite is a third-person MOBA that pits deities from a dozen pantheons against one another in tight 5 vs. 5, team-based combat. Every playable character has a basic attack, a passive trait, and four special abilities that can be used strategically during a fight.

Like other MOBAs, Smite tasks you with destroying your opponent’s base and towers. Still, its unique third-person perspective makes combat surprisingly dynamic.

Smite (for PC) Review

War Thunder

$0.00

at Steam

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War Thunder is a vehicular combat action game similar in some respects to Wargaming’s World of Tanks series. War Thunder offers arcade-style simplified matches, in which two teams of up to 16 players each can pick their favorite war vehicle and mix it up with others.

It also offers highly detailed simulation style battles, incorporating realistic physics, ammo usage, and repair mechanics, which is sure to satisfy your war-gaming hunger.

Warframe

3.5

$0.00

at Steam

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Warframe is a stylized, movement-heavy, third-person shooter that can be boiled down to a wonderfully simple premise: robot ninjas fighting in space.

You can play through the mainline story, or tackle side quests, either alone or with friends. Warframe is a time-sink of a game; while its shooting action is solid and the mission-based structure is very accessible to new players, weapons, equipment, and the like will demand significant grinding to earn if you’re a collection-crazed player. Nonetheless, Warframe is a stylish-looking title, so give it a shot if you’re itching for action.

Warframe (for PC) Review

World of Tanks Blitz

$0.00

at Steam

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The World of series is an incredibly popular PC franchise, with World of Tanks Blitz consistently appearing near the top of the Steam’s most-popular list. As far as combat games go, World of Tanks Blitz is the simple to get into, as it lacks DCS World’s complex, simulator-like gameplay systems.

If you want some goofy 7-vs.-7, tank-crushing action, World of Tanks Blitz is a recommended title; it contains more than 300 iconic war machines and 26 battle arenas.

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