Last Gambit is a 2026 turn-based game inspired by chess that is currently free on Steam, but the developer plans to charge new players around $5 USD starting November 13. Unlike Steam’s usual free-to-keep promotions, which put a 100% discount on a game for a limited time, Last Gambit‘s offer works differently: Players who claim it before November 13 can keep it for free, while newcomers will have to pay.
In Last Gambit, players collect 27 chess pieces, each with unique abilities and traits that set them apart from traditional ones. These abilities and synergies let players develop unorthodox strategies on the board. For example, they can fuse pieces to create stronger ones, freeze one piece in place, or teleport another to a different tile. As developer Mads puts it, “The [chess] board is the same as always. Everything else isn’t.”
Claim Last Gambit on Steam Before It Becomes a Paid Game
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Image via Mads -
Image via Mads -
Image via Mads
Announced in a Steam Community post, Last Gambit will soon leave the roster of free games on Steam and receive a €4.99 price tag (or the regional equivalent). Developer Mads says, “If Last Gambit is in your Steam library before November 13, you keep it for free, forever.” Explaining the reasoning behind the change, the studio also said it does not want to add in-game ads or subscriptions to Last Gambit. Instead, the new price tag will help the studio sustain the game.
Last Gambit is actually a PvP and PvE game, offering several ways to experience its chess-inspired gameplay. Players can complete the campaign, which pits them against powerful AI opponents, or compete with a friend on the same device in split-screen mode. PvP matches can be played between two online players or in a 2v2 format, with two teams facing off against each other. Interestingly, when an online player declines to join a PvP match, the player who invited them can still battle their shadow, an AI-controlled opponent that uses the invited player’s formation and pieces.
Also worth noting, Last Gambit doesn’t have many user reviews on Steam at the time of writing, but the handful of comments it has received seem mostly positive. Developer Mads has also released multiple updates so far, with the 1.0 version expected to address more of the indie game’s issues. And the good news is that players who claim Last Gambit for free on Steam will continue to receive updates after November 13, when the game officially exits early access.
Other Free Games to Claim on Steam Right Now
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Image via Coding398
Steam has yet to announce its first batch of free-to-keep games for November. The storefront recently gave away Asleep: Act 1, and it remains to be seen which other indie games it will offer at a 100% discount in the coming weeks.