Steam users currently have four massive games to play completely free of charge, but only for a limited time. Gamers can currently head to the Steam store and download Fallout 76, Deep Rock Galactic, Dead by Daylight, and Grounded 2 for free, with steep discounts available on most of them for those who want to keep playing after their trial periods are up.
Steam frequently runs freebie promotions for gamers. The platform frequently offers free-to-play periods, where games that are usually paid are available to try until a set date. After these promotions finish, players lose access to the game, serving more as an extended trial than a full giveaway. Steam also frequently holds free-to-keep promotions, giving away plenty of titles that gamers can permanently add to their library free of charge. Right now, Steam users can claim multiplayer game Untrusted for free, as well as the action platformer Cursedland. While these free-to-keep giveaways are great, they’re often restricted to more niche games, whereas free-to-play promotions are much more likely to offer AAA titles to enjoy.
The Best Local Co-Op Games on Steam (Couch & Split-Screen Included)
Steam has so many great couch co-op games, and here are the best ones to play right now in 2026.
Current Free-To-Play Steam Games
Gamers should head to Steam right now to download Fallout 76, Deep Rock Galactic, Dead by Daylight, and Grounded 2, completely free. Fallout 76 is arguably the biggest title on offer – Bethesda’s multiplayer game has come a long way since its disastrous launch back in 2018, and now even has new content featuring The Ghoul from the Fallout TV show as of the recent Burning Springs update. Of all the free-to-play games offered in this promotion, Deep Rock Galactic has arguably enjoyed the best reception from players. This co-op FPS has “Overwhelmingly Positive” Steam reviews of over 167,000 in total, indicating that it’s well worth investing time in.
Dead by Daylight is the oldest game in the latest Steam free-to-play promotion, released back in 2016. However, thanks to many years of Dead by Daylight updates, the game still pulls in upwards of 70,000 concurrent players on Steam, achieving longevity that most games only dream of. These types of free promotions help, of course, but the game achieves high player counts outside these periods, too. Grounded 2 is the newest game here – it only launched back in July 2025, and remains in Early Access. Despite this, Grounded 2 still has “Very Positive” Steam reviews, which is a good sign that the game is headed in the right direction.
Users have until February 2 to try Deep Rock Galactic, Dead by Daylight, and Grounded 2 for free. The promotion for Fallout 76 lasts a little longer, concluding on February 5. This takes the free-to-play period beyond the air date for the season finale of Fallout Season 2, making it the perfect time to jump into the action.
There’s good news for users who try some of these games and want to keep playing after the trial, too. As is often the case with free Steam promotions, most of these titles have steep discounts lasting beyond the promotion dates. Fallout 76 is 80% off right now, bringing it down to just $7.99. Dead by Daylight is also $7.99, although this only represents a 60% discount. Finally, Deep Rock Galactic is $8.99 at 70% off, matching its lowest-ever price on Steam. As the newest game here, Grounded 2 does not have a discount to take advantage of throughout its free-to-play period.
These types of promotions are proof that gamers don’t have to spend tons of cash to play on PC. And while Steam has plenty of promotions, those willing to venture a little further out to the Epic Games Store will find plenty more free games. The Epic Games Store gives away one free PC game a week, which are often much more well-known than the free-to-keep titles on Steam.
