Steam’s Free-to-Keep Promotion is shaping up to be a little thin for July 2026, as of this writing, with backend tracking only confirming two full games for the coming month. The silver lining is that Steam will likely add more to the promotion throughout July without backend data necessarily confirming them ahead of time.
For anyone unfamiliar, Steam’s Free-to-Keep Promotion is essentially a publisher-driven giveaway system where a game is made available for free for a limited time (typically around a week, though it can vary). If players claim it during that window, it’s permanently added to their library (no strings attached afterward). In general, not every game that ends up on the Promotion pops up in this backend data with much head’s up, but practically every game mentioned through Steamdb’s backend data ends up on the Free-to-Keep Promotion before it’s all said and done. None of the listed games is available yet, but they will be available at some point in July 2026.
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- The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
- Yet Another Zombie Defense HD
- The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu – Lost Explorers’ Swords Pack
As it stands, Steam’s Free-to-Keep Promotion has all but outright confirmed the addition of The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante and Yet Another Zombie Defense HD for July 2026. There is a bonus freebie confirmed for next month, and that’s the Lost Explorers’ Swords Pack for The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu. Set to release on July 15, The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is a first-person, Lovecraftian co-op horror game where players search a cursed jungle for hidden treasure, complete with Cthulhu mythology, psychological horror elements, and an emphasis on communication. That said, to be clear, The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is NOT free on the service, just an in-game content pack via Steam’s FTK promotion.
GameRant Quiz
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Otherwise, fans can expect the remaining games to be given away sometime in July 2026, with more details listed on what each game is here. Of course, it’s recommended that you wait before purchasing if you’ve been considering these games thus far.
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante
Check It Out on Steam (89% Very Positive Reviews)
The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante is a hardcore-narrative RPG that puts players into the entire life of the titular character. This hardcore narrative RPG on Steam lets players live out their entire life under an oppressive empire, starting as a child in a lower-class family through to adulthood. Similar to the decisions made in Disco Elysium, players must navigate through social rules, political expectations, and religious authority.
Choices matter in this Steam game because that’s what the entire game is. Not only do players make those decisions as far as they define Sir Brante, but they also impact the player’s role in society, what relationships develop and how they form, and even what opportunities players are afforded later in their life. Overall, it’s not the most action-packed addition, but it is steep, hardcore, and challenging, all in unique ways.
Yet Another Zombie Defense HD
Check It Out on Steam (87% Very Positive Reviews)
Whereas The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante is a unique spin on the growing Disco-like game genre, Yet Another Zombie Defense HD is the opposite end of that—such a cliche that its name even points out the humor in that.
It’s but one of many zombie games on Steam, where the core premise is simple and straightforward: surviving waves of zombies by building up defenses, stockpiling weapons, and fighting back the hordes. It’s got more of a classic arcade gameplay loop, which is even better when played in co-op, so it’s worth picking up just for the co-op chaos alone.
What’s Free on Steam Right Now?
As of this writing, Tell Me Why is free to keep on Steam until July 1. It’s been available on the promotion all of June in celebration of Pride Month, and it’s a narrative-driven adventure game focused on twins Tyler and Alyson. They return to their hometown in Alaska to decode a painful event from their childhood, as well as their mother’s death, and how the two have come to understand those moments.
