Free Documentary Games on Steam
Steam currently has 166 Documentary games available to download and play. Explore our list of the best free games ranked by popularity and ratings. Data for this list is calculated from reviews and player counts reported directly by Steam and will be updated in real-time. Free Documentary game rankings were last updated on 10/2/2024.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Best documentary games on Steam
- Best documentary Steam Deck games
- Best documentary Steam games for Mac OS
- Best documentary Linux games on Steam
- Free Steam games
- Most played Steam games
- Best rated Steam games
1. The Book of Distance
In 1935, Yonezo Okita left his home in Japan and began a new life in Canada. Then war and state-sanctioned racism changed everything—he became the enemy. His grandson leads us on an interactive virtual pilgrimage through an emotional geography of immigration and family to recover what was lost.
The Book of Distance holds the #1 spot for "best free Documentary game on Steam" with a Player Score of 88. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 172 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 168 positive reviews and 4 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run The Book of Distance on the Steam Deck.
| Release Date | 10/8/2020 |
| Developer | National Film Board of Canada |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 1245640 |
2. DeathTolls Experience
With DeathTolls Experience, virtual reality artist Ali Eslami is seeking to resensitize the general public to the reality behind the abstract statistics on the hundreds of thousands of deaths in the Middle East.
DeathTolls Experience has achieved a Player Score of 78, placing it in the #2 spot for the best free Documentary games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 23 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 22 positive reviews and 1 negative reviews — making it "Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
| Release Date | 4/24/2018 |
| Developer | Ali Eslami |
| Publisher | XRBASE |
| Steam App Id | 847900 |
3. The Mind of Marlo
Uniquely presented as an hour long documentary film, The Mind of Marlo is a narrative driven adventure game focusing on love, loss and silly heads. Laugh and cry with Marlo as he gets to the bottom of his life changing condition, known as Spontaneous Silly Head Syndrome.
The Mind of Marlo has achieved a Player Score of 85, placing it in the #3 spot for the best free Documentary games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 241 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 226 positive reviews and 15 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on both Windows and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play The Mind of Marlo on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 10/19/2017 |
| Developer | Point Bleep Studios |
| Publisher | Baffled Crab |
| Steam App Id | 722870 |
4. Guildford Castle VR
Guildford Castle is a free roaming, narrative VR experience with light interactivity.
Guildford Castle VR has achieved a Player Score of 85, placing it in the #4 spot for the best free Documentary games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 89 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 86 positive reviews and 3 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
| Release Date | 3/24/2022 |
| Developer | Historic VR |
| Publisher | Historic VR |
| Steam App Id | 1862880 |
5. Eternal Spring VR
Immerse yourself in 'ETERNAL SPRING (長春) VR,' an animated 360 documentary that goes inside the world of a real-life survivor of religious persecution in China, adding a new dimension to the feature film that was Canada's official submission to the 2023 Oscars®.
Eternal Spring VR has achieved a Player Score of 64, placing it in the #5 spot for the best free Documentary games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 9 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 7 positive reviews and 2 negative reviews — making it "9 user reviews" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Eternal Spring VR on the Steam Deck.
| Release Date | 5/11/2024 |
| Developer | Lofty Sky Entertainment Inc. |
| Publisher | Lofty Sky Entertainment Inc. |
| Steam App Id | 2689630 |
6. Night Of The Living Dead VR
NOTD VR is an exploratory experience that captures the original spirit of the film in black and white, immersing users in a 3D recreation of the film’s farmhouse set. Exclusive interviews with film experts and original cast and crew enrich the experience with insights into the horror classic.
Night Of The Living Dead VR has achieved a Player Score of 73, placing it in the #6 spot for the best free Documentary games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 18 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 16 positive reviews and 2 negative reviews — making it "Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
| Release Date | 1/21/2020 |
| Developer | Pyramid Attack Inc. |
| Publisher | Hollywood Suite Inc. |
| Steam App Id | 1210910 |
7. AVROD
A virtual reality archaeology free-to-play online social platform.
AVROD has achieved a Player Score of 47, placing it in the #7 spot for the best free Documentary games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 20 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 9 positive reviews and 11 negative reviews — making it "Mixed" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
| Release Date | 1/5/2021 |
| Developer | AVROD Technologies Inc. |
| Publisher | AVROD Technologies Inc. |
| Steam App Id | 1495350 |
8. Zero Days VR
Based on the Oscar short-listed Participant Media documentary Zero Days, Scatter's Emmy Award-winning, immersive documentary Zero Days VR visualizes the story of Stuxnet in a new way: placing you inside the invisible world of computer viruses, experiencing the high stakes of cyber warfare at a human scale.
Zero Days VR has achieved a Player Score of 73, placing it in the #8 spot for the best free Documentary games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 23 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 20 positive reviews and 3 negative reviews — making it "Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Zero Days VR on the Steam Deck.
9. Wanderlust: Bangkok Prelude
Take your first step toward a great adventure. Play the introduction to the Wanderlust: Travel Stories anthology. See the many faces of Bangkok in a narrative game from the makers of The Witcher, co-created with real-life adventurers.
Wanderlust: Bangkok Prelude has achieved a Player Score of 81, placing it in the #9 spot for the best free Documentary games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 25 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 25 positive reviews and 0 negative reviews — making it "Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Wanderlust: Bangkok Prelude on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 5/28/2020 |
| Franchise | Pretty Soon 1 |
| Developer | Different Tales |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 1306990 |
10. Eye of the Beholder
Step into war-torn enemy territory in this immersive VR game experience based on the Oscar-shortlisted documentary MY ENEMY, MY BROTHER (2015). EYE OF THE BEHOLDER is a 20 minute beta experience that subverts the war-game genre as players must choose to combat or collaborate with others.
Eye of the Beholder has achieved a Player Score of 70, placing it in the #10 spot for the best free Documentary games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 14 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 12 positive reviews and 2 negative reviews — making it "Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
| Release Date | 11/30/2020 |
| Developer | Reptoid Games |
| Publisher | Fathom Film Group |
| Steam App Id | 1425330 |
More Free Documentary Games
Explore even more rankings for the 16 best free Documentary games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10/8/2020 | 88 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 2 | 4/24/2018 | 78 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 10/19/2017 | 85 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 3/24/2022 | 85 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 5/11/2024 | 64 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 1/21/2020 | 73 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 1/5/2021 | 47 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 12/14/2017 | 73 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 5/28/2020 | 81 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 11/30/2020 | 70 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 8/13/2021 | 76 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 3/19/2014 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 4/2/2018 | 86 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 12/30/2020 | 70 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 5/11/2020 | 78 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 11/30/2022 | 54 | Free | Steam Charts |
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Player counts and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, October 2). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, October 2). The Book of Distance on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, October 29). DeathTolls Experience on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, July 29). The Mind of Marlo on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 20). Guildford Castle VR on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 2). Eternal Spring VR on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, October 8). Night Of The Living Dead VR on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 22). AVROD on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 19). Zero Days VR on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 15). Wanderlust: Bangkok Prelude on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, October 8). Eye of the Beholder on Steam. Steam Store.