If you play on PC, you know that Steam is a veritable monster of releases, sales, and promotions . Hundreds of new games are released every month, themed discounts are launched, free trials are offered, and even titles become permanently free. The problem is that many people don't know where to look or how to distinguish genuine deals from mere marketing ploys.
The good news is that, with a little know-how, you can fill your library with free and very cheap games without jeopardizing your account or your wallet . Steam has specific sections, filters, and tools that almost no one uses, and there are also external websites that tell you when a price is at its lowest ever or when a game can be claimed for free.
Why Steam is a goldmine of free and heavily discounted games
In the PC ecosystem, Steam remains the reigning platform for discovering new games, indies, and bestsellers . Its catalog is so vast that it's virtually impossible to get bored, and that includes a huge number of titles you can play for free or almost free.
Within the store itself, there's an entire section dedicated to free-to-play games and limited-time promotions , featuring a mix of competitive shooters, MMORPGs, casual games, roguelikes, cooperative games, and much more. In addition, there are weeks when certain titles can be played for free for just a few days , usually accompanied by a significant discount if you decide to purchase them.
Furthermore, Steam strongly supports small studios and independent projects , resulting in many inexpensive games, aggressive bundles, and discounts available without having to wait for the big summer or fall sales. The key is knowing where to look and how to verify that a supposed bargain truly is one.
What's more, many Steam games are compatible with Steam Deck and features like Remote Play Together , allowing you to play cooperative and multiplayer games even if you haven't purchased the game, as long as a friend has it and activates the feature.
Basic strategies for finding free games on Steam
Before delving into advanced tools, it's worth mastering Steam's own sections, which already offer a great deal if you know how to use them properly . The platform is quite well organized, but many features go unnoticed.
One of the quickest routes is the "Free to Play" section, which appears in the store's main menu . This section groups all the games that, by business model, you can download and play for free. Whether the game includes microtransactions or expansions is another story, but entry is free.
Within that category, you can apply filters to adjust the search to what you really want to play : number of players, type of multiplayer, genre (action, RPG, strategy…), visual style, language, or even additional features such as controller compatibility or Steam Deck support.
Alongside the dedicated free-to-play section, Steam's general search engine lets you filter results by price . This is very useful if you want to see completely free games, but also if you're interested in ridiculously cheap titles: you can select to only show free games or set a price limit, such as less than €5, and see what's on sale within that range.
Another great way to find free games is to check websites that compile weekly promotions for free games and limited-time trials . They usually list both titles that become free forever upon claiming them, and those that can be played for free only for a weekend or a few specific days.
How to use sections, filters, and wishlists within Steam
In addition to the Free to Play category, Steam offers built-in tools that, when used correctly, practically tell you when it's worth buying . The first of these is the wishlist.
If you add all the games you're interested in to your wishlist, the platform will send you an email or notification when their price drops . This is especially useful during themed festivals and big sales, because you can quickly filter which games on your list have the biggest discounts.
On the Steam store homepage, Steam always highlights the current event or festival . During August, for example, after the Summer Sale, themed festivals like Racing Fest or promotions focused on isometric RPGs, strategy games, or very specific genres often appear. From the homepage, you can jump directly to the event pages.
At each festival, the deals are organized by subgenres or key mechanics : simulation, arcade, kart racing, tactical RPG, etc. This not only makes it easier to find something that suits you, but also allows you to apply filters like "Biggest Discount" or "Best Rating" to go straight to what's really worth it.
Steam's "Explore Deals" section includes options to sort by discount percentage or user rating . Combining these filters with your wishlist and price cap significantly reduces the noise and makes it easier to spot genuine bargains.
Steam keys: where to buy them and what risks they entail
When it comes to passwords, not all online stores are created equal in terms of security and legitimacy . If you want to avoid problems, it's vital to stick to websites that work with official distributors or are recognized by the industry.
A very useful tool is IsThereAnyDeal, which compares the price of a game on Steam with that of other authorized stores at a glance . It also groups legitimate key sellers together so you don't have to check each one individually to see if they're reliable.
The main risk with game keys is that they can be revoked if the developer proves they were obtained fraudulently . A typical example is that of fake "content creators" who request game keys from studios promising reviews or videos, and then resell those keys on the black market. If the studio detects this abuse, it can revoke the keys.
Therefore, it's best to buy only from officially recognized stores and avoid opaque marketplaces . You might find even lower offers on dubious sites, but the risk of losing the game or having problems with your account isn't worth the savings.
It's also worth noting that if you activate a game with a key and write a review on Steam, that review may not count towards the total number of public reviews . In practical terms, this doesn't affect your gameplay experience, but it's an interesting detail about how Steam differentiates based on the license's origin.
Bundles and packages: when they really make sense
Bundles are one of those tricks that, when used correctly, can let you get an entire library for the price of one game . They usually come from stores like Humble or Fanatical, which offer official bundles with keys for Steam or other platforms.
The great advantage is that the combined value of all the included games and DLC is usually much higher than the price you pay for the bundle . There are bundles where the sum of the historical prices of each product exceeds 80 or 90 euros, but the entire pack comes to only 15 or 20 euros.
The downside is that you can never guarantee exactly which games will appear in a future bundle, or when . Furthermore, very recent titles are almost never included in these bundles; they usually focus on games that have been on the market for a while or on themed collections.
Bundles are especially appealing when they focus on a specific game and its extensive amount of additional content . In these cases, you can usually get almost all the DLC for a fraction of the cost of buying it individually, which is ideal for complex franchises with many expansions.
In any case, the smart strategy is to combine bundles with your wish list and price tracking tools , so you don't end up buying a bundle on impulse without really being interested in most of the titles it includes.
Free games to claim: limited but permanent offers
One type of promotion that many users overlook is games that become free for a limited time, but then remain in your library forever if you claim them . These aren't just free weekends: once you add them to your account, they're yours to keep.
Steam doesn't always highlight these promotions prominently on its homepage, so it's easy to miss out on these kinds of opportunities if you're not paying attention . Fortunately, there are websites dedicated to this very purpose: listing all the games that can be claimed for free at any given time.
One of the best-known is SteamDB, which has a specific section with upcoming free games to claim . From there you can see which titles are currently available, when each offer expires, and quickly access the game's page in the store to add it to your account.
These lists often include both small, well-rated games and more modest projects , but you can often find hidden gems that go unnoticed. The important thing is to get into the habit of checking them every few days so you don't miss anything.
These types of promotions don't usually give you collectible cards or internal rewards like if you had bought the game, but in return you get a complete title without spending a euro and forever , which more than makes up for that small limitation.
How to take advantage of big sales and themed festivals
Although classic sales like the Steam Summer Sale remain the prime time to save , themed events spread throughout the year and focused on specific genres or styles are becoming increasingly popular.
After a major seasonal event ends, the store often links up with specialized festivals like Racing Fest or weeks dedicated to isometric RPGs, horror, strategy, or indie games . During these days, it's not uncommon to find discounts of up to 80 or 90% on highly rated titles.
To get the most out of it, the first step is to visit the Steam homepage, where the current festival is always highlighted . From there, you can browse featured games, demos, developer livestreams, and, of course, the list of deals organized by subgenre.
Once inside the event, combine filters by game type with sorting by "Biggest Discount" or "Best Rating ." This way, you avoid getting lost among hundreds of listings and go straight to the titles that are both incredibly cheap and have great community reviews.
If you want to be even more selective, it's a good idea to update your wishlist before each big sale begins . When the discounts go live, you'll receive notifications about games that interest you and you can check in seconds whether it's worth buying now or waiting.
Earn credit with the Steam Community Market
Besides hunting for bargains, there's a trick many players use to partially finance their purchases without putting more real money into the platform : taking advantage of the Steam community market.
The system involves buying cheap items (trading cards, profile backgrounds, icons, etc.) and reselling them when their price increases . There are literally hundreds of thousands of new items every day, especially when a game adds trading cards or cosmetic content to its inventory.
The items that tend to perform best are trading cards from new or recently updated games, and very popular backgrounds or profile icons —the ones that "everyone's using." By buying at the right time and waiting for the price spike, you can scrape together pennies that gradually turn into euros.
Obviously, you're not going to get rich this way, but you can accumulate enough credit to take advantage of 50% to 90% discounts and get games practically for free . The important thing is to keep an eye on prices, avoid impulse purchases, and remember that all the credit you earn can only be spent within Steam.
With this arsenal of tricks—from Steam's free-to-play sections, wishlists, and deal filters, to tools like SteamDB, IsThereAnyDeal, official bundles, legitimate keys, and the community marketplace— it's possible to expand your library with quality games while spending very little money, and in many cases, absolutely nothing . The key is to always stick to reliable sources, be wary of suspicious bargains, and leverage the power of the community to uncover opportunities that would otherwise go completely unnoticed.
