Free Old School Games on Steam
Steam currently has 9,007 Old School 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 Old School game rankings were last updated on 2/8/2026.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Best old school games on Steam
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- Best old school Linux games on Steam
- Free Steam games
- Most played Steam games
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1. IdleOn
The management RPG where your heroes keep fighting even when you're gone! Spend their loot on upgrades, unlock classes from Elemental Wizard to Cannon Pirate, and level up 19 unique skills like Farming, Sailing, and even Construction!
IdleOn holds the #1 spot for "best free Old School game on Steam" with a Player Score of 79. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 27,367 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 21,920 positive reviews and 5,447 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play IdleOn on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 11/6/2025 |
| Developer | Lavaflame2 |
| Publisher | Lavaflame2 |
| Steam App Id | 1476970 |
2. Old School RuneScape
The best retro fantasy MMORPG on the planet. Old School is RuneScape but… older! This is the open world you know and love, but as it was in 2007. Saying that, it’s even better than that – Old School is shaped by you, its players, with regular new content, fixes and expansions voted for by the fans!
Old School RuneScape has achieved a Player Score of 81, placing it in the #2 spot for the best free Old School games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 19,842 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 16,502 positive reviews and 3,340 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 Old School RuneScape on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
3. Galaxy Idle Clicker
Embark on an interstellar journey with Galaxy Idle Clicker! Conquer galaxies, upgrade your spaceship, and face off against a myriad of enemy ships. With engaging minigames, powerful upgrades, GIC delivers an unparalleled idle space adventure. Join the cosmic conquest today and dominate the universe!
Galaxy Idle Clicker has achieved a Player Score of 72, placing it in the #3 spot for the best free Old School games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,096 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 823 positive reviews and 273 negative reviews — making it "Mostly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Galaxy Idle Clicker on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 8/6/2025 |
| Developer | Soehnle |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 2962810 |
4. Milky Way Idle
Milky Way Idle: A multiplayer idle RPG where automation replaces grinding. Level up skills, gather resources, craft powerful items, and battle monsters—all while AFK. Trade in the marketplace, join a guild, team up for party combat, and socialize in chat as you progress effortlessly.
Milky Way Idle has achieved a Player Score of 46, placing it in the #4 spot for the best free Old School games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,122 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 960 positive reviews and 1,162 negative reviews — making it "Mixed" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Milky Way Idle on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
5. Idle Slayer
Idle Slayer is an incremental game with idle and active playstyle mechanics, medieval pixel art visuals and retro 8-bit sounds and music.
Idle Slayer has achieved a Player Score of 83, placing it in the #5 spot for the best free Old School games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 9,934 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 8,464 positive reviews and 1,470 negative reviews — making it "Very 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 | 12/22/2020 |
| Developer | Pablo Leban |
| Publisher | Pablo Leban |
| Steam App Id | 1353300 |
6. RetroArch
RetroArch is an open source and cross platform frontend/framework for emulators, game engines, video games, media players and other applications
RetroArch has achieved a Player Score of 87, placing it in the #6 spot for the best free Old School games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 9,000 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 8,032 positive reviews and 968 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
7. EverQuest
Welcome to EverQuest® - the original fantasy MMORPG. Explore huge worlds, fight challenging foes, and grow your character with friends. Discover why players have quested, grouped, and raided in Norrath for more than two decades.
EverQuest has achieved a Player Score of 76, placing it in the #7 spot for the best free Old School games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,588 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,037 positive reviews and 551 negative reviews — making it "Mostly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run EverQuest on the Steam Deck.
| Release Date | 12/13/2012 |
| Franchise | Daybreak Game Company |
| Developer | Darkpaw Games |
| Publisher | Daybreak Game Company |
| Steam App Id | 205710 |
8. Royal Quest Online
Fantasy comes alive in this vast yet cozy free-to-play MMORPG! Choose between 4 classes and 8 subclasses, explore hundreds of locations, thousands of quests, dive into varied PvE and PvP modes, enter the unique vibrant world, and trade with other players. Play, explore, fight and be victorious!
Royal Quest Online has achieved a Player Score of 77, placing it in the #8 spot for the best free Old School games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 4,488 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 3,554 positive reviews and 934 negative reviews — making it "Mostly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Royal Quest Online on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 12/19/2024 |
| Developers | |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 2962300 |
9. Idle Skilling
Idle Skilling is the ultimate Idle Game with years of content! Meant to be played for 5-10 minutes a day, you gradually unlock new skills like mining, fishing, pet breeding, crusading, potion-making, lab-research, construction, and more! With new updates coming, you'll never run out of stuff to do!
Idle Skilling has achieved a Player Score of 69, placing it in the #9 spot for the best free Old School games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,313 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,638 positive reviews and 675 negative reviews — making it "Mostly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Idle Skilling on the Steam Deck.
| Release Date | 9/15/2022 |
| Developer | Lavaflame2 |
| Publisher | Lavaflame2 |
| Steam App Id | 1048370 |
10. Nin Online
Fight and train with powerful Jutsu to rise through the ranks of your village in a ninja open-world MMORPG. Join over a hundred thousand players worldwide. Play now for free!
Nin Online has achieved a Player Score of 74, placing it in the #10 spot for the best free Old School games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,279 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 993 positive reviews and 286 negative reviews — making it "Mostly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Nin Online on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
More Free Old School Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best free Old School games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,082 | 11/6/2025 | 79 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1,317 | 2/24/2021 | 81 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 907 | 8/6/2025 | 72 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 887 | 3/6/2025 | 46 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 745 | 12/22/2020 | 83 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 438 | 9/14/2021 | 87 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 366 | 12/13/2012 | 76 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 343 | 12/19/2024 | 77 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 307 | 9/15/2022 | 69 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 300 | 6/12/2025 | 74 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 271 | 3/22/2025 | 87 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 257 | 3/1/2011 | 73 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 204 | 10/15/2025 | 58 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 203 | 12/20/2019 | 61 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 189 | 10/16/2021 | 60 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 182 | 4/12/2023 | 74 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 158 | 11/2/2017 | 70 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 117 | 9/3/2022 | 72 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 108 | 5/21/2014 | 82 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 105 | 12/15/2022 | 88 | 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. (2026, February 8). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 8). IdleOn on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 2). Old School RuneScape on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 6). Galaxy Idle Clicker on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, January 28). Milky Way Idle on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 1). Idle Slayer on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 4). RetroArch on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, December 15). EverQuest on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 10). Royal Quest Online on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, September 30). Idle Skilling on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, February 10). Nin Online on Steam. Steam Store.