Steam's latest free hit is an 'action packed' 8/10 friendslop shooter

The friendslop genre continues to dominate the PC gaming space, with Catto Pew Pew the latest hit to fly up Steam’s charts.

Friendslop is an unfortunate name. The genre is built around the idea of projects being low-budget and designed to be enjoyed with friends, but ‘slop’ can undermine the hard work of developers.

Catto Pew Pew hasn’t yet proven to be as popular as the likes of R.E.P.O, Peak, or Content Warning, but it’s impressed Steam users with an 80% rating, correct at the time of writing.

Developed by Oakley Blade, Catto Pew Pew is a free physics-based shooter that makes use of proximity chat.

The goal of the game is simple: “Shoot your opponents into the sky and claim your victory.”

You’ll step into the shoes (paws?) of a round little cat avatar, platforming your way around a zany floating world as you try to yeet your best friends into the great abyss that sits below.

You can go for the full immersive experience in a VR mode or just enjoy regular flatscreen play with cross-play available if you have mates using the Meta Quest.

If you do opt for the VR view, there’s a ‘Monke Mode’ where you can swing your arms to parkour around the arena.

“Outplay, outlast, and outrank the competition as you fight your way to the top. Win matches and rack up trophies to climb the ranks and become the ultimate Catto Competitor,” reads the game’s synopsis.

It comes from developer Oakley Blade, with the trailer included below.

READ MORE: Steam freebie is Zelda-style RPG oozing with Stardew Valley charm

The “goated” game won’t cost you a penny or dime to play

With a ‘Mostly Positive’ rating, there’s a lot to like about Catto Pew Pew.

“Very fun game, very action-packed,” said one happy player, while another added, “Pretty good game, although it is best enjoyed with friends and peers, as playing with randoms will get boring.”

Don’t miss out on some of Steam’s other recent free treats:

• Steam co-op freebie is a hysterical alternative to Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
• Steam 2027 RPG drops gorgeous free taster that screams classic Zelda

“Catto Pew Pew has been really fun so far! I am writing this review on the launch day. I was looking for something new to play, and I ended up enjoying this even more than I expected,” began one lengthy review.

“The maps feel different from each other, and the voice chat makes matches especially chaotic and funny. I love the game modes and ranking system too. It’s easy to jump in for a few rounds whenever I have some free time. Definitely recommend giving it a try!”

Catto Pew Pew is completely free-to-play, so you’ve got nothing to lose if you do have access to Steam.

Someone simply wrote, “goated”, which says it all.

The friendslop genre shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. It’ll be interesting to see what new ideas devs come up with next.