Steam’s Free Weekend selection is giving PC gamers a handful of games to check out this weekend, including a highly-rated open-world survival-crafting co-op game in Core Keeper this weekend. It’s worth noting that this Free Weekend promotion is a little more scattered than usual, as typically games expire on the following Monday at 10 am PT/1 pm ET (October 12 this time around). While that’s true for one of the Free Weekend games, specific expiration date/times are listed below because they are a little disparate.
For those new to Steam’s Free Weekend promotion, it’s pretty simple. Typically on Thursday (although it can vary), Steam makes a handful of paid, premium games 100% free-to-play for a time. There’s almost always a steep discount on these games after Steam’s Free Weekend too, for anyone who enjoyed a specific game that much.
Steam Free Weekend Games List (October 8-October 12)
Steam’s Free Weekend games can vary anywhere from 1-2 games to 5 games+, but this weekend is aiming for that sweet spot in the middle, it seems, with ARC Raiders, Core Keeper, and Squad 44 making up this weekend’s free promotion games. Alongside core info like the discount, how long to beat, and links to each free game, the items are listed below to help readers decide which games to play for the promotion.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
Steam Free Weekend Game: ARC Raiders
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Image via Embark Studios -
Image via Embark Studios -
Image via Embark Studios
ARC Raiders drops players into a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been forced underground by a mysterious army of deadly machines. As a Raider, players venture to the surface alone or with a squad to search abandoned areas for weapons, resources, and valuable loot while avoiding or fighting the ARC machines and other players. Every ARC Raiders expedition is a risk, since surviving the journey and successfully extracting with supplies is just as important as finding them in the first place. With customizable gear, dynamic encounters, and a mix of PvE and PvP combat, ARC Raiders turns each trip into a tense fight over how much can be collected before it is time to get out.
- Release Date: October 30, 2025
- Genre: Extraction Shooter
- Developer: Embark Studios
- Publisher: Embark Studios
- Steam Review Rating: 81% Very Positive (200K+ User Reviews)
- Can you beat it before the Promotion ends? No.
- Purchase Discount: -50% Off until October 15 ($39.99–>$19.99)
- Steam Link: Play ARC Raiders for Free until October 12 at 1 am PT/4 am ET
Steam Free Weekend Game: Core Keeper
Core Keeper turns underground caverns into one of Steam’s best open-world survival-crafting games, dropping players into a mysterious world where digging deeper is the key to uncovering what happened to the civilization that came before. Mining through the darkness provides the resources needed to craft better equipment, expand a customizable base, grow crops, fish, and prepare for the dangerous creatures and massive bosses lurking throughout the caves. Exploration gradually o pens up new biomes and secrets, while progression gives players more powerful tools to push even farther underground, fulfilling all the major conventions of the genre. Whether played solo or with friends, Core Keeper is built around that constant pull of finding out what is waiting just beyond the next wall (and whether it is something worth fighting).
- Release Date: August 27, 2024
- Genre: Open-World Survival Co-Op Game
- Developer: Pugstorm
- Publisher: Fireshine Games
- Steam Review Rating: 94% Very Positive (20K+ User Reviews)
- Can you beat it before the Promotion ends? At roughly 30 hours, it’s not likely
- Purchase Discount: -40% Until October 22 ($19.99–>$11.99)
- Steam Link: Play Core Keeper Free on Steam until October 12 at 10 am PT/1 pm ET
Steam Free Weekend: Squad 44
Squad 44 is a hardcore World War 2 tactical shooter built around large-scale battles where teamwork and communication matter just as much as shooting straight. Players can step into roles ranging from infantry and medics to machine gunners, engineers, and tank crews, with battles unfolding across historically inspired maps filled with trenches, villages, forests, and open fields. Vehicles, artillery, logistics, and defensive positions all become part of the fight, while realistic weapon handling and a slower pace make charging into combat without a plan a quick way to end up dead.
- Release Date: August 9, 2018
- Genre: Military Simulation
- Developer: Offworld
- Publisher: Offworld
- Steam Review Rating: 79% Mostly Positive (11K User Reviews)
- Can you beat it before the Promotion ends? There’s no real “campaign” to beat
- Purchase Discount: -70% until October 15 ($19.99–>$5.99)
- Steam Link: Play Squad 44 Free on Steam until October 13 at 10 am PT/1 pm ET
