Free Steam games the community loved in August

Steam is filled with free games. Often too many to even count, let alone play them all and see if it’s one for you or not. That’s where the Steam community comes in with their reviews. You can pick pretty much any game on the PC storefront and you’ll find a range of opinions and these thoughts and feelings are summed up by Steam with a positive or negative verdict.

This month there have been some great free games highlighted by Steam users. Some are prologues to much bigger games that will be released soon, while others are smaller, standalone titles looking for an audience. We’ve trawled through lots of games released in the past few weeks with ‘Mostly Positive’ or better verdicts from the community. Why not give some of these a try this week?

TCG Card Shop Simulator - Prologue

This simulator has you setting up a TCG Card Shop, stocking the shelves full of booster packs and boxes, while also letting customers take part in local tournaments. Of course, the aim is to run the best and most profitable shop you can, even opening packs of cards and looking for expensive singles that you can sell for a pretty penny. With control over a host of features and options to make your store the best it can be, you’ll need to keep the customers happy. You can even spray the smelly patrons down with deodorant to improve the ambience, and there’s a spoof Pokémon game to collect too.

TCG Shop Simulator - OPNeon Games

This prologue currently has an ‘Overwhelmingly Positive” rating and players are loving various aspects of it. Steam user, pjmallo, says “Having to open card packs and collect is quite an addictive touch that I absolutely love! A+ game in my opinion.” Another player, Jeffubis, is excited to see more, “If this is just the beginning, I am excited to see where they take it from here!”

The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land

Much like the zombies of the franchise, The Walking Dead doesn’t seem to end. This most recent addition to the video game series sees things go in a more tactical direction. As a free-to-play turn-based RPG, you build a squad of recognisable heroes from the TV show and move through missions, fighting off hordes of undead. With a base to upgrade, PvP raids on your safe zone, plus seasonal content, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into. Success with the title was seen on mobile, but this Steam port looks great and plays even better.

The Walking Dead: No Man's Land - Deca Games

The Walking Dead: No Man’s Land is currently rated as ‘Mostly Positive.’ One Steam reviewer said the “Story levels are good and close to the spin-offs.” Which bodes well for fans of the show who want to replay the classic plotlines. A second player known as Sai’Koh says, “I actually really enjoy this game. It gives me that little serotonin boost that I’m used to from mobile games but on my PC.”

Dungeon Tycoon - Prologue

Another prologue for you here - as they seem to be a great way to see what a game will feel like upon release - and this one has you building dungeons to attract heroes. Think Theme Park, but dungeons instead and you’re on the right track. Dungeon Tycoon looks familiar right from the off; grid-based object placement, room creation, putting down NPCs, it all feels like the classic strategy games we’ve loved for years. Created in a lovely Voxel visuals, you have to create the best dungeon possible to bring in heroes who want to battle their way through for loot that you choose to give out. Lots of items, monsters, and quests await in the dungeon-building business.

Dungeon Tycoon - Lunheim Studios

Rated ‘Very Positive’ it seems most fans of this game love the idea of building dungeons and find the options available “charming” and “filled with personality.” Steam user, Zachary said “This game honestly went BEYOND my expectations.” Also really feeling the prologue was General Ginger who “Will be awaiting with baited breath for the full release.”

Fantasmagorie

This short platformer was built by a team of students and only includes a few levels, but it comes as a fully realised game. It’s a little spooky as you make your way through a distorted puppet theatre held together by the fragile mind of a grieving puppet master. Wielding a needle to thwart enemies, you’ll make your way through theatre-inspired sets in order to escape this world.

Fantasmagorie - Needlepoint Productions

For a small team, Fantasmagorie has achieved a ‘Very Positive’ rating. Steam user Dispenser said this is an “Incredible free horror game reminiscent of Little Nightmares.” While wierdothe3rd agrees and says, “Nice short experience with beautiful graphics, wonderful music, creative level designs, and a SWEET LOCOMOTION SYSTEM.”

Slider

This 10+ hour adventure game is completely free to play and it’s remarkably good. Do you remember those sliding puzzles you used to get in Christmas crackers or department stores? You’d move the tiles around to form a picture. Slider is a lot like one of those, and you’re required to shift tiles to expand the character’s world. You’ll be rearragining tiles to form connections with other areas or bring people together, all while solving environmental puzzles too.

Slider - boomo

Another title with a ‘Very Positive’ rating, many players can’t quite believe this game is free. This is echoed by CheeseSlice who said, “I can't believe this game is free. It's really, really good. At least make a supporters DLC so people can throw you some money. One Steam player, galo de kalsa, says Slider is “One of the best indie games I've played this year so far. Great puzzle/level design.”

Pawn Planet: First Sales

Here’s a demo that is completely free to try out and another that puts you in charge of a busy shop. Pawn Planet: First Sales is about buying and selling, but also repairing items in order to get the best prices. Your aim is to keep trading with weird and wonderful customers, turning a profit and becoming a great shopkeeper. Oh, and it’s set in outer space, so all the customers are aliens. It’s a nice twist on the usual shop simulators out there.

Pawn Planet: First Sales - Gambol Games

With an overall rating of ‘Very Positive’ it seems that many players love the cartoony visuals and the soundtrack is “sick.” Tattyspronkels seemed to really enjoy their few hours with the demo, saying, “I opened this up to play the music again that was stuck in my head. Ended up playing for like another 2 hours.” Mr.Spoder thinks the game has a lot of potential, “The art is already beautiful, and once the UI/UX sides are developed, it will be a fully polished game.”