Steam Free-to-Play Weekend: Three Games Up to July 13

While Steam’s free-to-keep deals are often the headline for players who want permanent access, the platform’s free-to-play weekends deserve attention too. You still only get the three featured games for a limited window—running until July 13—but that’s sometimes enough time to figure out whether a title clicks before the offer window closes.

Key takeaways

• The Steam Free Weekend runs from July 9 through July 13, with the featured games playable until July 13 at 1:00 PM.
• Three genres are included: a dinosaur survival remake, a roguelite city builder, and a cozy idle game.
• Players can claim ARK: Survival Ascended, Against the Storm, and Gogh during the promotion, with discounts applying during and shortly after the free period.
• ARK: Survival Ascended is available free until July 13 at 1:00 PM and has a stated discount from $44.99 to $11.24 (until July 23).
• Against the Storm is available free until July 13 at 1:00 PM and has a stated discount from $29.99 to $8.99 (until July 23).
• Gogh can be played for free until July 13 at 1:00 PM, with a stated discount from $11.99 to $7.19 (until July 23).

Steam Free Weekend promotion (July 9–July 13)

Steam users have until July 13 to jump into ARK: Survival Ascended, Gogh, and Against the Storm. As with most Steam Free Weekend events, the games are expected to be discounted while the promotion is live and shortly afterward—so if you end up wanting to keep playing, you can purchase the titles permanently once you’ve sampled them.

To make it easier to choose where to spend your free time, here’s what each game offers.

ARK: Survival Ascended

Ark: Survival Ascended is the most recognizable entry on the list, partly because of its broader visibility and the remake’s potential as a streaming favorite. It’s an Unreal Engine 5 remake of Ark: Survival Evolved, featuring updated visuals across its creatures—ranging from Megalodons and T-Rexes to Dodos—with both character models and map presentation receiving an overhaul.

There are also welcome additions such as a photo mode, along with quality-of-life improvements including a UI refresh. That said, the game comes with mixed feedback due to performance problems. Even on strong systems, crashes can still occur, which is a notable risk for an early-access build. On top of that, controversy has followed the game around the cost of mods and DLC, even though the core crafting and combat are described as genuinely enjoyable.

• Release Date: October 26, 2023
• Genre: Survival, Open-World
• Developer: Studio Wild Card
• Overall rating: 60% positive
• Can you beat it before the free-to-play promotion ends? With the default map providing hundreds of hours of content—and additional maps available—you won’t see everything the game offers in a single weekend.
• Price and discount information: $44.99 → $11.24 (Until July 23)
• Steam Link: Play ARK: Survival Ascended for free until July 13 at 1:00 PM.

Against the Storm

If ARK: Survival Ascended is a high-profile survival remake that can be polarizing, Against the Storm sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. Even though its city-builder roguelite niche may keep it under the radar for some players, it’s broadly liked by people who try it. The game is praised for balancing city-building strategy with roguelite structure, meaning each run feels meaningfully different.

While you’ll make the usual share of mistakes along the way, the loop still rewards you with lasting progress between attempts. Expect to oversee a variety of citizens with distinct strengths, constantly weighing where to assign them so tasks get handled efficiently—even as storms keep rolling in and bringing enemies and other threats.

If you’re chasing that classic roguelite craving—“just one more run”—this strategy game is positioned as a strong match.

• Release Date: December 8, 2023
• Genre: Strategy, City-Builder
• Developer: Eremite Games
• Overall rating: 95% positive
• Can you beat it before the free-to-play promotion ends? Completing the first Seal, an endgame objective that significantly improves future runs, takes roughly 20 hours and can be done over the free weekend. Even so, because the game is designed around replayability, there’s also about 100 more hours of content to explore.
• Price and discount information: $29.99 → $8.99 (Until July 23)
• Steam Link: Play Against the Storm for free until July 13 at 1:00 PM.

Free Game Giveaways

Gogh

Gogh is the least traditional “gameplay” option among the three free weekend picks, designed more to be used alongside your real-life routine. If you’re studying for an exam, working at a desk with spreadsheets, watching a TV show or sports event, or waiting out commercial breaks, the idle setup is built for exactly that: letting you progress while you handle other things.

Instead of focusing on fast-paced battles or tight action loops, Gogh centers on customizing your presence and environment. Players create anime-style avatars, then decorate workspaces using chosen images and GIFs to surround them. Online play also supports hanging out in the same area—chatting with others or even watching YouTube videos together in-world, with avatars able to emote while you do.

For real-world productivity, the game includes utilities like to-do lists and timers. And if your goal is simply to work next to your avatar, you can do that through mini-window mode.

• Release Date: April 30, 2025
• Genre: Cozy, Customization, Idle
• Developer: ambr
• Overall rating: 93% positive
• Can you beat it before the free-to-play promotion ends? N/A—there’s nothing to “beat” in Gogh.
• Price and discount information: $11.99 → $7.19 (Until July 23)
• Steam Link: Play Gogh for Free until July 13 at 1:00 PM.

All three titles are available on Steam Deck, though only ARK and Against the Storm are listed as Verified.

Aside from Gogh—which was already priced fairly low—the discounts tied to this event are described as especially large. If any of the free weekend games end up standing out, buying them sooner rather than later could be a smart move while the discounted pricing is still active.