Steam free games weekend promotion

Steam's Free Weekend promotion unlocks full paid games for a few days at no cost. Here is what's free this weekend, how claiming works, and how free weekends differ from permanent giveaways.

Free to play, not to keep Usually Thursday–Monday Progress saves if you buy later
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This weekend: zombie survival game DeadPoly is free to play on Steam through October 26, 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET — open its Steam store page and hit Play Game, no purchase needed. Free weekend lineups rotate; the live list is always on Steam's specials page and each free game's store page shows the exact deadline.

Free weekend vs. free-to-keep — know which one you're claiming

Promotion typeWhat you get
Free WeekendFull game unlocked for a limited window (typically Thu–Mon). When it ends, the game locks again — but your save progress stays if you buy it later. Usually paired with a discount.
Free to KeepClaim during the promo window and the game stays in your library forever. Much rarer than free weekends.
Free to PlayPermanently free titles — no promotion needed, just install.
The catch most people miss: clicking "Play Game" during a free weekend adds the game to your library temporarily — it does not become yours. If you want to keep playing after the deadline, the promo discount is the buy point.

How to claim a free weekend game

  1. 1
    Open the game's Steam store page

    Free weekend games show a green "Play Game" button instead of a price.

  2. 2
    Click Play Game

    Steam adds a temporary license and starts the install — no checkout, no card.

  3. 3
    Play before the deadline

    The store page shows the exact cutoff (usually Monday morning US time). After it passes, the game locks.

  4. 4
    Buy during the window for the discount

    Free weekends almost always stack with a sale price — and your weekend progress carries over.

Where to catch each week's lineup

  1. ●
    Steam store front page

    The "Free Weekend" banner appears in the specials carousel whenever a promotion is live.

  2. ●
    Steam news hub & emails

    Wishlisted games trigger an email when they go free for a weekend — the easiest passive alert.

  3. ●
    Deal trackers

    Sites like GG.deals and FreeToKeep publish weekly free-weekend roundups every Thursday–Friday.

Common questions

When do Steam free weekends start?

Most run Thursday through Monday, aligned with US Pacific time. There's no fixed weekly schedule — some weekends have several games, others none.

Do I keep the game after a free weekend?

No — the license expires at the deadline. Your save files and achievements remain, so buying the game later picks up exactly where you left off.

Is a free weekend the same as a demo?

No. A free weekend unlocks the complete game for a limited time; a demo is a permanently available slice. Steam Next Fest demo events sometimes overlap with free weekends — they're separate things.

Can I preload a free weekend game?

Only once the promotion goes live. There's no early preload — but clicking Play the moment it starts gets you the most play time out of the window.