Steam drops dozens of free downloads in massive new promotion

There's a massive new Steam promotion on right now that's absolutely perfect for those of you looking to get lost in a good story.

Unless you've been living in a bit of old pipe at the bottom of the sea since the 90s, you'll be aware that video games have long been a stellar medium for unique stories. Whether you're after something classic like Uncharted or Red Dead Redemption 2, or something a little more off the beaten track like Outer Wilds or Telling Lies, some of the best stories of the last century live within games.

Speaking of Red Dead Redemption 2, take a look at some of the best Red Dead wins and fails below!

This latest Steam sale is dedicated to the art of the video game story, and is solely focused on visual novels. For those more used to action-oriented games, the visual novel genre is one that really puts narrative front and centre. As far as describing what it is as a genre it 'visual novel' definitely does a better job than 'metroidvania', huh?

Anyway, Steam is holding a Visual Novel Fest until 14 August, so expect a huge number of discounts, demos, and free downloads on all the best visual novels. You can take a look at the full run of offerings here, but let's talk you through some of the biggest free games.

At the time of writing there are literally dozens of free visual novels to dive into, including Our Life: Beginning And Always, Doki Doki Literature Club, The Lion's Song, and XOXO Droplets. There's hours of great content to be had here, so don't miss out.

There are also heaps of free demos for acclaimed titles like Coffee Talk Episode 2, Eden, and the sublime Season: A Letter To The Future, which I reviewed (and loved) earlier this year.

There's a huge amount to get through in this sale, so be sure to take a look and get hold of anything that catches your eye before it expires next week. If you're craving big stories to get stuck into, this is definitely your time to shine.