Can You Keep Free Steam Games Forever

Free games are one of the best aspects of Steam, but users are confused whether they can keep free games forever.

In this article we breakdown Steam and free games they offer including time limits on these offers.

What Is Steam

Steam is a digital game distribution platform that was founded in 2003. Steam lets it users download, play and create their own PC games. Currently there are over 30,000 games available to download and this number in constantly growing. With new users joining the platform every day, there have been a number of issues reported with the platform.

Do Steam Offer Free Games

Yes, Steam do offer free games. Steam often offer free game weekends that include a number of popular games. This means Steam users can install these games and play them over the weekend for free.

This is great for both Steam and its users because a lot of new users will create an account on Steam in order to play certain free games. This can often result in the user continuing to use the platform and spending money on different games.

Read More: What To Do With Games I Don't Use On Steam

Pros Of Limited Time Free Steam Games

There are a number of benefits to Steam offering free games such as:

• It gives users an opportunity to try new games without having to spend their money.

• If you like a free game, you might be inclined to purchase the game. This not only benefits Steam but also benefits the developers of the game. Both Steam and the developer will get a cut of the purchase money.

• Current Steam users may inform their friends that a good game is free which might result in new users joining the platform. This boosts Steam’s overall users and popularity.

• When players try new games, they often ask questions about the game on Steam’s community forums. This results in media hype for Steam and enables the platform to reach more people.

Cons Of Limited Time Free Steam Games

There are a number of cons to free games on Steam:

• Can result in users spending money on a game they hadn’t planned to buy.

• You may not like the free game and you’ve wasted time installing it.

How Often Does Steam Give Out Free Games

Steam commonly offers limited time free games on certain holidays and every couple of months. This is to give Steam users the opportunity to try out new games without spending their hard-earned money.

When Steam offer free games, they often have a sale at the same time. This not only gives Steam users an opportunity to try out new games for free, but they could also purchase the full game at a discounted price. It’s a win for both the users and Steam.

Best Way To Get Free Games On Steam

There are 3 methods of getting free games on Steam.

Firstly, users can wait for a limited time offer which often occurs on weekends. This is when Steam offer specific games for a limited time completely free. One downfall to this is once the weekend ends, users can no longer play the games unless they purchase them.

The second option is to specifically search for free games. Many game developers offer their games for free in order to get players onto their game and start building their brand. It is also a great method of testing because users will report any errors that occur, and the developer can release patches for these before their game gets too many users.

Thirdly, developers often offer trail versions of their game in order to test them. This is another method of getting free games on Steam, but trail games are usually removed once the full version is realised. This means the game may only be free for a limited time.

Read More: How To Upload My Game On Steam For Free

Is It Possible For A Paid Steam Game To Be Free

Once a developer uploads their game to Steam, it’s their choice if the game will be free. Many developers want to charge a small amount for their game because they’ve had to pay a $100 service fee to upload their game onto Steam’s platform.

It is smart for developers to offer their game for free if the game is unknown to users. Many users will not want to spend money on a random game that might not be good.

Popular Free Steam Games in 2022

Currently, there is a large selection of free games on Steam. Here are some of the best games available today:

1. Counter Strike – Global Offensive

2. Dota 2

3. Apex Legends

4. Runescape OSRS

5. Crusader Kings 2

6. Dota Underloards

7. Valorant

8. Path of Exile

9. Warface: Blackout

10. Warframe

Conclusion

Overall, Steam offer a variety of free games, but they are usually only available for a short time. How long a user can keep a free game relies on a number of factors such as, if the developer sets their game as free, how long Steam are running an offer and much more.

When Steam offer free games temporality, it’s important to make the most of it. You may be able to keep free games on Steam forever depending on the developer and Steam. Usually if Steam advertises an offer on free games, it will be time limited.

There are a mixture of pros and cons to limited time free games but the important aspect to remember is that you’re getting to play a game for free. A lot of platforms don’t offer this, and this is one of many reasons why Steam is a popular platform.