Drawpie Explainers

Steam Free Games November 2026: What You Can Keep and What's Only Free to Play

By Kimi · November 7, 2026 · 11 min read
Steam Free Games November 2026: What You Can Keep and What's Only Free to Play
Photo by Resul Kaya on Unsplash
Key takeaways
  • At 13:00 UTC (8 a.m. EST) on Sat, Nov. 7, 2026, Steam’s US 100%-off filter shows exactly one item: the Hunting Simulator 3 Classic American Hunter Pack.
  • ⚠️ The Hunter Pack is a DLC, not a game. It is free to keep until Thu, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST (18:00 UTC), but it only works with Hunting Simulator 3, which lists at $39.99 ($31.99 on sale when we checked).
  • ⚠️ Last Gambit and Radiant Exodus are free now, and their developers say you keep them if you claim them before Nov. 13 and Nov. 17 respectively. Those are developer statements, not Steam promotions, and Radiant Exodus’s date is “pending confirmation from Steam”.
  • PAYDAY 3 and Age of Wonders 4 are free to play, not to keep, until Mon, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST (18:00 UTC). Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has a DMZ-only free trial until Wed, Nov. 11 at the same time.
  • New permanently free-to-play releases this month include WendyQuest, ROB RUN and a GeForce 8800 GTX tech demo. The 007 First Light Free Starter Pack is a demo of the opening chapter.
  • There is no Steam Autumn Sale or Next Fest in November 2026; both ran in October. Valve’s calendar lists an Auto-Battler RPG Fest on Nov. 16-23 and the Winter Sale from Dec. 17.

Very little on Steam is free to keep right now, and none of it is a full game backed by a Steam promotion. At 8 a.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 (13:00 UTC), Steam’s US store showed exactly one item at 100% off: a Hunting Simulator 3 add-on that is free to keep until Thursday, Nov. 12 and only works if you own the base game. Two free games, Last Gambit and Radiant Exodus, can be kept if you claim them before they go paid, but that is their developers’ word, not a Steam offer. PAYDAY 3 and Age of Wonders 4 are free to play, not to keep, until Monday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST), and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 has a free trial of its DMZ mode until Nov. 11.

What is actually free on Steam right now?

Steam’s free offers fall into four groups, and only the first is backed by Steam’s own free-to-keep promotion. We checked each item on its Steam store page between 12:59 and 13:00 UTC on Nov. 7 (7:59-8:00 a.m. EST) and checked the key offers again at 13:07 UTC.

  • Free to keep via a Steam promotion: claim it before the deadline and it stays in your library. Only the Hunting Simulator 3 Classic American Hunter Pack, a DLC, is in this group.
  • Free to keep on the developer’s word: Last Gambit and Radiant Exodus are free games whose developers say they will start charging soon and that anyone who already has them keeps them. Steam itself makes no such promise on their pages.
  • Free to play for a limited time: you can play until the window closes, then access stops unless you buy the game. This covers PAYDAY 3, Age of Wonders 4 and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 DMZ Free Trial.
  • Permanently free-to-play: free with no deadline. New this month: WendyQuest, ROB RUN and a GeForce 8800 GTX tech demo.

The table below lists each time-limited offer, what kind it is, and when it ends in US Eastern time (ET, currently EST). “Play only” means access ends with the window, “Keep (DLC)” is a Steam free-to-keep add-on that needs the base game, and “Keep (dev)” means the keep-forever promise comes from the developer, not Steam.

OfferTypeEnds (ET)
PAYDAY 3Play onlyMon Nov 9, 1 p.m.
Age of Wonders 4Play onlyMon Nov 9, 1 p.m.
MW4 DMZ trialPlay onlyWed Nov 11, 1 p.m.
Hunter PackKeep (DLC)Thu Nov 12, 1 p.m.
Last GambitKeep (dev)Nov 13, no time
Radiant ExodusKeep (dev)Nov 17, planned

Two offers from our October list have ended. Asleep: Act 1 is back to its $9.99 price, and anyone who claimed it in time keeps it. The Football Manager 27 free window closed on Nov. 3. The game itself is not out yet: Steam lists a Nov. 10 release, with a 10% pre-purchase discount ($53.99) until then.

Is the Hunting Simulator 3 Classic American Hunter Pack a free game?

No, it is a free add-on for a paid game. The Classic American Hunter Pack is free to keep until Thursday, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST, 6 p.m. GMT, 18:00 UTC). The US store page reads “Free to keep when you get it before Nov 12 @ 10:00am” and shows the $4.99 list price cut by 100%.

What you need to know:

  • It is DLC. Steam lists it as downloadable content from Nacon Studio Ghent, published by Nacon. To use it you need Hunting Simulator 3, which came out on Oct. 29. It lists at $39.99 and was $31.99 (20% off) when we checked, with that discount ending Nov. 12.
  • Platform: Windows only, like the base game.
  • Claiming without the base game: the page shows an “Add to Account” button next to a notice that the content requires Hunting Simulator 3. We did not test whether the claim goes through without it, so if you plan to buy the game later, try adding the pack now.

On its own, it does nothing. It is the only item on Steam’s US 100%-off list as of 8 a.m. EST on Nov. 7.

Is Last Gambit free to keep?

It is free now, and its developer says you keep it if it is in your library before Nov. 13, but that is the developer’s promise, not a Steam promotion. Last Gambit is a free-to-play chess roguelite in Early Access from Trabucco team, released on Aug. 27, 2026. You build an army of rule-bending pieces, fight through a story of bosses and merchants, then play online.

In a Steam announcement on Oct. 30, the developer said:

  • Version 1.0 arrives on Nov. 13, when the game leaves Early Access.
  • From then it will cost €4.99 “or the regional equivalent”. Steam does not show a US price yet.
  • Anyone who has the game in their Steam library before Nov. 13 keeps it free, forever.

A few caveats. The post calls Nov. 13 a Thursday, but Nov. 13, 2026 is a Friday, and it gives no time of day. A Nov. 5 post describes the latest update as the last one in Early Access, which fits the same plan. The store page carries no Steam “free to keep” line. Platforms: Windows, Mac and Linux. Reviews: Mostly Positive, 75% of 28 user reviews (read at 13:00 UTC on Nov. 7).

If you want it, add it well before Nov. 13 rather than on the day.

Is Radiant Exodus still free to keep?

Yes for now, and its developer says anyone who claims it while it is free keeps it, but the Nov. 17 paid date is “pending confirmation from Steam”. Radiant Exodus is an action-horror game from the studio Horrawr. You play as Sarah, an ex-soldier searching for her missing father as strange lights break apart Gleam City. It has been free since Aug. 4.

  • The developer’s Steam post of Oct. 20 says the game “is planned to return to a paid game on November 17, 2026, pending confirmation from Steam”. No newer post was listed on Nov. 7.
  • The same post says anyone who adds it to their library while it is free will keep it permanently.
  • When the developer announced on July 27 that the game would go free on Aug. 4, it called the change permanent, so the plan has already changed once.
  • No time of day has been given for Nov. 17.
  • Windows only. Reviews: Very Positive, 85% of 62 user reviews (read at 13:00 UTC on Nov. 7).

Steam lists it as a free game with no price, which is why it does not show up in the 100%-off filter.

Which Steam games are free to play this weekend?

PAYDAY 3 and Age of Wonders 4 are free to play until Monday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST, 6 p.m. GMT, 18:00 UTC), and you do not keep either one. Both windows started on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 18:00 UTC, and both store pages read “Play for free until Nov 9 @ 10:00am”. Starbreeze says PAYDAY 3 progress made during the free weekend stays if you buy the game later; the Age of Wonders 4 free-weekend announcement doesn’t address progress.

  • PAYDAY 3: the co-op heist shooter from Starbreeze. It was $8.99, 70% off its $29.99 list price, with the sale ending Thu, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. EST. Windows only.
  • Age of Wonders 4: the turn-based fantasy strategy game from Triumph Studios. It was $19.99, 60% off its $49.99 list price, with the sale ending Wed, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. EST. Windows only.

When the window closes, the games stay in your library but you can’t launch them unless you buy them.

Is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 free on Steam?

No, only its DMZ mode is free to try, until Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST, 18:00 UTC). Steam labels the offer “Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4 - DMZ Free Trial”. It started on Friday, Nov. 6 at noon PST (3 p.m. EST, 20:00 UTC), not at Valve’s usual 18:00 UTC, and the store page reads “Play for free until Nov 11 @ 10:00am”.

The trial covers the DMZ mode, not the full game’s campaign or other modes. The full game, released on Oct. 22, is $69.99 on Steam with no discount when we checked.

What new free-to-play games came out on Steam in November?

Three notable free releases arrived in the first week of November, and all are free with no deadline. Review summaries are Steam’s labels, read at 13:00 UTC on Nov. 7, and move daily.

  • WendyQuest: Legend of the Four Corner Stones: a 2D pixel-art adventure RPG from Wendy’s, developed by 81monkeys, released Nov. 3. You play as a warrior named Wendy fighting mech-monsters. Windows only. Very Positive, 92% of 213 reviews.
  • ROB RUN: an Early Access multiplayer crime sandbox from Kefir, released Nov. 4. Windows only. Mixed, 58% of 2,232 English-language reviews.
  • GeForce 8800 GTX - 20 Years of a Legend: a free, semi-interactive tech demo by Dylan Browne, released Nov. 5. You install the 2006 graphics card in a period gaming room. Windows only. Mixed, 50% of 194 reviews.

Also new on Nov. 5: the 007 First Light Free Starter Pack from IO Interactive, which Steam lists as a demo. It contains the opening chapter, set in Iceland; the full game is sold separately.

Is there a Steam sale or Next Fest in November 2026?

No, there is no Steam Autumn Sale and no Next Fest in November 2026; both ran in October. Valve’s Steamworks event calendar, as archived on Aug. 29, 2026, listed the Autumn Sale on Oct. 1-8 and Next Fest on Oct. 19-26. The current calendar lists the next Next Fest for Feb. 22 to March 1, 2027.

What is coming on Valve’s calendar:

  • Auto-Battler RPG Fest: Nov. 16-23, 2026, a themed event for games where battles play out on their own while you upgrade your units.
  • Steam Winter Sale: Dec. 17, 2026 to Jan. 4, 2027.

Valve says themed fests prioritise discounted games and also welcome free games, upcoming games and games with demos.

How do you claim a free game on Steam and keep it?

Log in to Steam, open the item’s store page, and click “Add to Account” before the deadline. It then stays in your library permanently. You don’t have to download or play it during the offer.

  1. Sign in to your Steam account in the Steam app or a web browser.
  2. Search for the item’s name in the Steam store, or use the Steam pages listed under Sources.
  3. Find the box that says “Free to keep when you get it before…” and click Add to Account.
  4. Check your library. The item should be listed even if it isn’t installed.

For free games like Last Gambit and Radiant Exodus, the button says Play Game or Download instead; clicking it adds the game to your library. For PAYDAY 3, Age of Wonders 4 and the MW4 DMZ trial, Play Game gives you access only until the window closes.

How can you tell a real free-to-keep offer from a free weekend?

Look for the exact line on the store page: “Free to keep when you get it before [date]”. If the page shows that line with a 100% discount and “Add to Account”, it is a giveaway you keep. If it says “Play for free until [date]” and still shows a price to buy, access ends on that date.

  • Steam’s deadline text gives no time zone. On the US store the times match Pacific time, and this guide’s times come from the timestamps in Steam’s page data.
  • A developer’s announcement that a game will “go paid” is not the same as a Steam promotion. Dates in those posts can move.
  • Roundups often mix stores. Ubisoft advertised an Anno 117 free weekend to Nov. 9, but its Steam page showed no free play when we checked, only a 40% discount. If it is not on the Steam page, it is not a Steam offer.

Not Steam: the Epic Games Store runs its own weekly giveaway. Its current free items are Flotsam and an Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms offer until Thursday, Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. EST (16:00 UTC), followed by Knightica from Nov. 12 to Nov. 19. You can’t claim these on Steam.

Sources

How we verified this

Every Steam item on this page was read on Steam itself between 12:59 and 13:00 UTC on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 (7:59-8:00 a.m. EST), and the key offers were checked again at 13:07 UTC (8:07 a.m. EST) with no change. Steam’s US store search with the 100%-off filter (maxprice=free, specials=1, cc=us, JSON results) returned one result, Hunting Simulator 3 - Classic American Hunter Pack (app 4693960); the same search with cc=gb returned the same single item. Each game’s details (type, price, release date, developer, platforms) were read from Steam’s appdetails API for the US store, and offer end times from the timestamps embedded in each store page.

The deadlines come from Steam’s own page data, not from news coverage. Steam’s visible text (“Free to keep when you get it before Nov 12 @ 10:00am”, “Play for free until Nov 9 @ 10:00am”, “Play for free until Nov 11 @ 10:00am”) gives no time zone, so the zone was taken from the Unix timestamps: free_to_keep_ends 1794506400 (Thu 12 Nov 18:00 UTC) for the Hunter Pack; free_weekend start 1793901600 and end 1794247200 (Thu 5 Nov 18:00 UTC to Mon 9 Nov 18:00 UTC) for both PAYDAY 3 and Age of Wonders 4; and free_weekend start 1793995200 and end 1794420000 (Fri 6 Nov 20:00 UTC to Wed 11 Nov 18:00 UTC) for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, whose free_weekend text reads “Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4 - DMZ Free Trial”. On the US store, the “10:00am” shown matches 18:00 UTC, which is Pacific time. Sale end dates come from each page’s discount_end_date: PAYDAY 3 Thu 12 Nov 18:00 UTC, Age of Wonders 4 Wed 18 Nov 18:00 UTC, Hunting Simulator 3 Thu 12 Nov (about 17:00 UTC). US clocks are on standard time, so times are given in PST/EST. The line on PAYDAY 3 progress comes from Starbreeze’s Steam announcement of Nov. 3 (“All game progress made during the Free Weekend will remain after the event has ended”); the Age of Wonders 4 free-weekend announcement of Nov. 5 says nothing about progress.

Last Gambit’s and Radiant Exodus’s keep-forever promises and paid dates rest only on their developers’ Steam announcements, read via Steam’s news API on Nov. 7 and re-listed at 13:07 UTC. Last Gambit’s post of 30 Oct 2026 (“Version 1.0 arrives on November 13”) says the game leaves Early Access on “Thursday, November 13” and will then cost “€4.99 (or the regional equivalent)”, and that anyone with it in their library before Nov. 13 keeps it free forever. Nov. 13, 2026 is a Friday, and the post gives no time of day; its Nov. 5 post (“Polish and fixes”) calls itself the last Early Access update. Steam shows no US price yet, so the article does not state one. Radiant Exodus’s post of 27 Jul 2026 announced that the game would become “permanently free on Steam starting August 4, 2026”; its post of 20 Oct 2026 says it “is planned to return to a paid game on November 17, 2026, pending confirmation from Steam” and that claimers keep it; no newer post was listed. Neither store page carries Steam’s own free-to-keep line, and both are listed as free games with no price, which is why neither appears in the 100%-off filter.

Event dates come from Valve’s Steamworks “Upcoming Steam Events” page, read on Nov. 7 (Auto-Battler RPG Fest Nov. 16-23; Winter Sale 17 Dec 2026 - 4 Jan 2027; Next Fest 22 Feb - 1 Mar 2027; the description of what themed fests prioritise), and from the same page as archived by the Wayback Machine on 29 Aug 2026 (Autumn Sale Oct. 1-8, 2026; Next Fest Oct. 19-26, 2026).

Whether the Hunter Pack can be claimed without the base game was not tested. The page shows “Add to Account” with a notice that the content requires Hunting Simulator 3, so the article hedges that point. Review summaries are Steam’s labels as read at 13:00 UTC on Nov. 7 and move daily; ROB RUN’s count covers English-language reviews only. The Epic Games Store dates in the “not Steam” note come from Epic’s public free-games feed (country US), read at 12:59 UTC on Nov. 7.