Six Steam games are free to play this weekend, which means you have just 24 hours left to check them out. You can get lots of free games on Steam, if you know where to look. Some games are free-to-play from the very start; others are free to keep if you claim them within a limited timeframe; and still others get the occasional “free weekend.”
All six of this week’s games are the latter case: while they’re all normally pay-to-play, each and every one of them is free to download and play this weekend. However, since they’ll all disappear from your library at 1 p.m. on June 15 (Eastern Time), this is your last chance to check them out.
Here are all the free games on Steam this weekend:
- Goblin Cleanup
- Rogue Point
- Hearts of Iron 4
- Neon Abyss 2
- Mechabellum
- 下一站江湖Ⅱ (Next Stop Jianghu)
We’ll start with Goblin Cleanup, published by Team17 of the Blasphemous, Dredge and the Overcooked series. This is very much in the vein of House Flipper or PowerWash Simulator: it’s a game all about cleaning, but, in this case, you’re a goblin tidying up your dungeon before a new party of adventurers comes through to tear it up again, all while some of the dungeon hazards are still active.
Like other games of its type, Goblin Cleanup is relaxing and satisfying. It also has a co-op mode for up to four people, so you can check it out with your friends before free play weekend wraps up on Monday.
Up next is Rogue Point, a four-player co-op shooter by the creators of Half-Life remake Black Mesa. You’ll conduct a series of raids with your allies, upgrading your gear and adapting to ever-evolving circumstances.
Rogue Point encourages a considered approach; you can share and collectively draw on maps of each mission, delegating tasks and discussing different strategies. It can be a good, chaotic time with a group of friends this weekend.
For the strategically-minded, there’s also Hearts of Iron 4, the fourth in a series of World War 2 strategy games by grand strategy giant Paradox (Crusader Kings, Victoria, Stellaris, et cetera). You’ll choose to control any nation involved in World War 2, making strategic decisions and potentially changing the course of history.
Admittedly, 24 hours really isn’t enough to learn Hearts of Iron; like most Paradox games, there’s a steep learning curve to it. Still, it’s enough time to give it a shot and decide if you want to pick up the full game later. This one also has multiplayer modes; you and a group of friends can each choose a country and either align or compete with each other.
Neon Abyss 2 is a highly stylized cyberpunk roguelike with fast-paced run-and-gun gameplay. It’s a 2D side-scroller with a massive, flexible roster of weapons and items — collect and test different loadouts each time. There’s even a system that lets you collect adorable companion creatures called Hatchmon, which sounds strangely familiar.
Neon Abyss 2 also has co-op for up to four players, and can be a lot of fun with a group. It’s a great roguelike in the vein of things like The Binding of Isaac, Risk of Rain, or Dead Cells, and definitely worth diving into while it’s free.
Then we have Mechabellum, a strategy auto-battler with tons of giant mechs. You’ll customize your own units, put together an army, and head into a variety of different battles with different objectives.
There are a handful of different modes to try out: solo and co-op survival, 1v1 or 2v2 for competitive play, and the chaotic Rift Mode. Mechabellum prioritizes strategy over constant clicking: your units will attack whatever’s in front of them, so you’re free to plan and strategize.
Last but certainly not least, there’s wuxia action game Next Stop Jianghu. This one features a beautifully designed open world, with tranquil nature and bustling cities, along with some cool parkour mechanics that’ll see you skating on water and doing backflips in the air. Next Stop Jianghu also includes some Mount and Blade-style faction-building and conquest mechanics.
Remember, all these games are free to play through 1 p.m. ET on Jun 15; after that, you’ll have to buy them. Thankfully, all of these titles happen to be on sale this weekend, so if you want to keep them in your Steam library, you may get a good discount.
- Brand
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Valve
- Original Release Date
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September 12, 2003