Free Narrative Games on Steam
Steam currently has 791 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 12/31/2025.
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 4,799 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 4,694 positive reviews and 105 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 78, placing it in the #2 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 649 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 538 positive reviews and 111 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. Moral Dilemma: The Interview
A fourth-wall-breaking narrative adventure. It’s interview day, and you really need this job—enough to ignore the talking printer, the anomaly corridor, and the ridiculous life-or-death trials your interviewer keeps putting you in. But deep down, you know... something here is very, very wrong.
Moral Dilemma: The Interview has achieved a Player Score of 82, placing it in the #3 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 880 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 760 positive reviews and 120 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 Moral Dilemma: The Interview on the Steam Deck.
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 266 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 241 positive reviews and 25 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. 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 #5 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 5,241 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 4,990 positive reviews and 251 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 |
6. 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 #6 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,560 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,460 positive reviews and 100 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 |
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 90, placing it in the #7 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 678 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 656 positive reviews and 22 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play MetaWare High School (Demo) on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 4/2/2020 |
| Developer | Not Fun Games |
| Publisher | Not Fun Games |
| Steam App Id | 1194740 |
8. Shadow's Grove
Step into the serene yet ever-shifting afterlife on a journey to reunite with your lost wolf companion. Explore surreal environments, solve thought-provoking puzzles, and navigate distorted enemies as you work through the tangled emotions of loss and moving forward.
Shadow's Grove has achieved a Player Score of 53, placing it in the #8 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 22 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 12 positive reviews and 10 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 | 10/17/2025 |
| Developer | Fenris Games |
| Publisher | DigiPen Institute of Technology |
| Steam App Id | 4011870 |
9. Rewoven Self
Rewoven Self is a 2.5D side-scrolling narrative puzzle game where fantasy and reality intertwine. Through folding, cutting, and stitching, you rebuild yourself in a cycle of brokenness and renewal — a gentle yet profound journey of emotional healing.
Rewoven Self has achieved a Player Score of 79, placing it in the #9 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 43 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 40 positive reviews and 3 negative reviews — making it "Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
| Release Date | 11/7/2025 |
| Developer | Tang Yuanyuan |
| Publisher | Tang Yuanyuan |
| Steam App Id | 4099100 |
10. Project Hailstorm
Step into the shoes of a researcher in the depths of the antarctic and uncover the mysteries behind Project Hailstorm.
Project Hailstorm has achieved a Player Score of 79, placing it in the #10 spot for the best free Narrative games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 641 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 535 positive reviews and 106 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.
More Free Narrative Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best free Narrative games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 8/15/2024 | 94 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 64 | 9/14/2023 | 78 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 27 | 1/31/2025 | 82 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 25 | 8/6/2021 | 83 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 4 | 1/14/2022 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 4 | 9/21/2021 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 3 | 4/2/2020 | 90 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 2 | 10/17/2025 | 53 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 2 | 11/7/2025 | 79 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 2 | 2/10/2025 | 79 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 2 | 10/22/2021 | 77 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 2 | 5/4/2023 | 85 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 2 | 12/14/2017 | 70 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 2 | 11/11/2024 | 61 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 10/8/2020 | 87 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 11/29/2024 | 75 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 3/14/2024 | 73 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 5/27/2020 | 72 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 6/30/2023 | 77 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 12/6/2024 | 66 | 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. (2025, December 31). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, December 31). Katawa Shoujo on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, January 7). Strongblade - Puzzle Quest and Match-3 Adventure on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, December 14). Moral Dilemma: The Interview on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, November 10). Descent: Legends of the Dark on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, October 4). How Fish Is Made on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, September 27). If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, November 10). MetaWare High School (Demo) on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, January 13). Shadow's Grove on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, January 9). Rewoven Self on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, November 26). Project Hailstorm on Steam. Steam Store.