Free Narrative Games on Steam
Steam currently has 528 Narrative 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 Narrative game rankings were last updated on 12/21/2024.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Best narrative games on Steam
- Best narrative Steam Deck games
- Best narrative Steam games for Mac OS
- Best narrative Linux games on Steam
- Free Steam games
- Most played Steam games
- Best rated Steam games
1. Katawa Shoujo
Katawa Shoujo is a romantic visual novel set in the fictional Japanese Yamaku High School for disabled children. Hisao's congenital heart defect forces him to move to a new school. Despite his difficulties, Hisao is able to find friends—and perhaps love, if he plays his cards right.
Katawa Shoujo holds the #1 spot for "best free Narrative game on Steam" with a Player Score of 94. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,927 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,884 positive reviews and 43 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Release Date | 8/15/2024 |
| Developer | Four Leaf Studios |
| Publisher | Four Leaf Studios |
| Steam App Id | 3068300 |
2. Strongblade - Puzzle Quest and Match-3 Adventure
Strongblade is a match-3 puzzle game where you play as Sean the Mouse. Travel through a captivating world filled with puzzles, outsmart cunning villains, befriend charming animals, and build unique camps.
Strongblade - Puzzle Quest and Match-3 Adventure has achieved a Player Score of 79, placing it in the #2 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 548 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 458 positive reviews and 90 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 Strongblade - Puzzle Quest and Match-3 Adventure on the Steam Deck.
| Release Date | 9/14/2023 |
| Franchise | MatryoshkaGames |
| Developer | Dekovir |
| Publisher | Matryoshka |
| Steam App Id | 2430830 |
3. How Fish Is Made
Are sardines trustworthy? Are you? Do you want to be? How Fish is Made is a janky little jaunt through the world of surrealist storytelling. Now featuring a Katamari-like DLC!
How Fish Is Made has achieved a Player Score of 92, placing it in the #3 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 4,216 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 4,038 positive reviews and 178 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Release Date | 1/14/2022 |
| Franchise | CRITICAL REFLEX |
| Developers | |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 1854430 |
4. Descent: Legends of the Dark
To play the Descent: Legends of the Dark board game, one player must download the free Descent: Legends of the Dark app on a compatible device. This companion app determines the setup of each quest, tracks your party’s inventory, skills, progress, and resolves combat while telling a narrative story.
Descent: Legends of the Dark has achieved a Player Score of 83, placing it in the #4 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 225 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 205 positive reviews and 20 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Descent: Legends of the Dark on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 8/6/2021 |
| Developer | Fantasy Flight Games |
| Publisher | Fantasy Flight Games |
| Steam App Id | 1611070 |
5. One True Path
A genre-bending VR adventure combining shooter, swordfighting and puzzle gameplay. YOU, ADVENTURER are drawn into the imaginary worlds of renowned gamebook author Jack Stevenson on a fantastical dimension-hopping journey to uncover the dark secrets behind his last masterpiece…
One True Path has achieved a Player Score of 84, placing it in the #5 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 45 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 45 positive reviews and 0 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 One True Path on the Steam Deck.
| Release Date | 9/25/2024 |
| Developer | InnerspaceVR |
| Publisher | InnerspaceVR |
| Steam App Id | 3217200 |
6. Conscience
Jack Beckham is found dead, hanging in his apartment alone. Police rule it a suicide. His father, refusing to accept the conclusion, hires you to investigate. Delve into the clues left behind in his apartment to discover what really happened.
Conscience has achieved a Player Score of 82, placing it in the #6 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 59 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 56 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 | 12/30/2024 |
| Developer | Bowker Studios |
| Publisher | Bowker Studios |
| Steam App Id | 3302650 |
7. MetaWare High School (Demo)
How do you see the world when nothing is real? An experimental metafictional visual novel.
MetaWare High School (Demo) has achieved a Player Score of 91, placing it in the #7 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 666 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 648 positive reviews and 18 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run MetaWare High School (Demo) on the Steam Deck.
| Release Date | 4/2/2020 |
| Developer | Not Fun Games |
| Publisher | Not Fun Games |
| Steam App Id | 1194740 |
8. If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers
If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers is a narrative-driven point-and-click adventure with horror elements that explores the stories of four characters in a masked ball taking place aboard a train in the late 1920s.
If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers has achieved a Player Score of 92, placing it in the #8 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,254 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,169 positive reviews and 85 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on both Windows and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Release Date | 9/21/2021 |
| Developer | Dead Idle Games |
| Publisher | Dead Idle Games |
| Steam App Id | 1603980 |
9. 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 #9 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 242 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 225 positive reviews and 17 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 |
10. Green Fairy VR
Follow the Green Fairy’s adventure as she learns to appreciate her unique green glow by finding refuge at the traffic lights in the Big Little City.
Green Fairy VR has achieved a Player Score of 74, placing it in the #10 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 25 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 22 positive reviews and 3 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.
More Free Narrative Games
Explore even more rankings for the 75 best free Narrative games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 8/15/2024 | 94 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 55 | 9/14/2023 | 79 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 8 | 1/14/2022 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 5 | 8/6/2021 | 83 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 2 | 9/25/2024 | 84 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 2 | 12/30/2024 | 82 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 2 | 4/2/2020 | 91 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 2 | 9/21/2021 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 10/19/2017 | 85 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1 | 6/23/2021 | 74 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 11/2/2022 | 57 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 9/27/2021 | 58 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 5/4/2023 | 84 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 2/1/2023 | 69 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 4/16/2024 | 72 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 1/7/2024 | 68 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 6/23/2022 | 87 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 12/18/2023 | 87 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 3/12/2021 | 48 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 4/24/2023 | 84 | 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, December 21). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 21). Katawa Shoujo on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 12). Strongblade - Puzzle Quest and Match-3 Adventure on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, January 4). How Fish Is Made on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, January 5). Descent: Legends of the Dark on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 11). One True Path on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, January 13). Conscience on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 23). MetaWare High School (Demo) on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 6). If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 24). The Mind of Marlo on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, November 29). Green Fairy VR on Steam. Steam Store.