Steam drops 16 free games you can download and keep forever

Christmas is a time for seeing family, but after about five minutes with the family you realise your time is much better spent hiding upstairs and playing video games.

Good news, then: there are a ton of free titles currently available on Steam that could be just what you need. I should stress the games outlined aren't AAA. They're not even AA, or A (is that a thing?), but it's always nice to highlight some of the smaller games that might otherwise fly under the radar.

I should also point out these free games are fully free, so no need for subscriptions like with PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass.

Here are the 16 free games you can currently help yourselves to on Steam!

• MetaStrike - An FPS with some nice Call Of Duty vibes.
• Excommunicated - An adventure/puzzle game in which you need to overcome obstacles by typing out words.
• Sivi's Factory - A horror game set inside what appears to be an abandoned factory.
• Hidden Pass Skirmishes - A turn-based tactical RPG set in a fantasy realm.
• Small Dragon Big Appetite - Control Chompie "as he explores the enchanted bunny kingdom, hunting down bunnies to satisfy his insatiable appetite!”
• Presidents Tower Defense - Fight off an alien invasion as one of the US presidents. There are too many jokes to make here so I'll just stay shut up.
• Mash Box - “a prototype sandbox game from an indie team, offering endless creative possibilities.”
• Cemetery Warrior 6, - A DOOM style boomer shooter.
• Clash Battle Simulator - A surprisingly robust and very silly battle sim.
• Global Chess - Chess with an exciting twist.
• The Cursed Hour - Some kind of spooky horror/walking simulator.
• Valley Of Stars - An incredibly simple looking Chinese RPG, but I kinda dig the basic PS1-style visuals.
• Stampede Royal Racing - A free-to-play kart racer that already has a huge amount of positive reviews.
• Oh Baby Kart - Another kart racer, obviously.
• Chess Ultimate - More chess with a twist.
• Pizzapocalypse - A shockingly fun 3D platformer made a team of students.