Steam‘s Free-to-Keep Promotion is one of the best sources for free PC games on the internet, especially because they are permanent additions to anyone’s digital library, but it seems August might be a slower month. What makes it stand out, even compared to Steam’s own Free Weekend promotions, is that each game can be downloaded and kept forever (via Steam at least) as long as it is claimed before a specific date. For August, as of this writing, there’s only 1 game confirmed right now.
What’s worth noting is that this confirmation comes from backend info via Steamdb, which isn’t necessarily “official,” but it is highly accurate. Not every Steam Free-to-Keep game appears via this backend data until it is added, but every game that appears on its upcoming list typically gets added eventually. As such, it’s entirely possible and likely that more than one Steam FTK game promotion goes live in August, but given that previous months have had 3-7 listed by this point, it may indicate a slower month.
Check Out Moonlighter on Steam
Steamdb lists Moonlighter as a free-to-keep game for August 2026, although when remains a question. Steamdb typically never confirms this information, but developers sometimes do. For those unfamiliar, Moonlighter is a roguelike RPG from developer Digital Suns and publisher 11 bit studios. In it, players take on the role of Will—a merchant who also wants to be a hero. One part of the gameplay loop is the merchant gameplay focused on Rynoka Village, where players can enjoy story management gameplay, but the second part sees players go out, explore, and face enemies and bosses for items to sell in the story. And through each roguelike run of Moonlighter, players can craft and enchant their equipment to get further and further.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
As of this writing, Moonlighter sits at an 80% Very Positive review rating after 7K user reviews, which is impressive. Many reviewers love the characters, the story, the gameplay loop, and the charm, but many reviews also cite its PC controls as incredibly lackluster. For many folks, it loses out in that department and struggles with depth in others, according to some: combat, dungeons/enemies, and the UI. That said, it was popular enough to warrant the release of Moonlighter 2 in Steam Early Access.
If someone enjoys the first Moonlighter as a free Steam game, then it may be worth moving on to Moonlighter 2 afterward. It’s still in Early Access, but it’s shaping up to release some time this year. It’s more of a 3D take on the formula, with developers aiming to improve on every critical area mentioned by fans. It seems to be mostly working. On Steam, it sits at an 86% Very Positive review rating overall, but it’s worth mentioning that its recent reviews have been more mixed (currently 69% positive). A lot of critiques are aimed at bosses and balance, so perhaps that’ll be fixed in the coming months.
Overall, hopefully more games get confirmed for Steam’s Free-to-Keep Promotion in the coming days or weeks. Moonlighter won’t be the only one, almost certainly, but it stands alone right now.
