Free Retro Games on Steam
Steam currently has 11,840 Retro 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 Retro game rankings were last updated on 6/5/2025.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Best retro games on Steam
- Best retro Steam Deck games
- Best retro Steam games for Mac OS
- Best retro Linux games on Steam
- Free Steam games
- Most played Steam games
- Best rated Steam games
1. 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 holds the #1 spot for "best free Retro game on Steam" with a Player Score of 83. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 8,768 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 7,489 positive reviews and 1,279 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 |
2. Sword of Convallaria
Fantasy Tactical RPG revitalizing the beloved Japanese turn-based & pixel art genre. Collect & train a roster of mercenaries, customize your squad, and use your own strategy to save the nation of Iria. Journey through a world of plot twists where every choice you make will reshape your destiny.
Sword of Convallaria has achieved a Player Score of 72, placing it in the #2 spot for the best free Retro games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 3,881 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,878 positive reviews and 1,003 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 Sword of Convallaria on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 7/31/2024 |
| Franchise | XD International |
| Developer | XD |
| Publisher | XD |
| Steam App Id | 2526380 |
3. Wizardry Variants Daphne
3D Dungeon RPG The portal of despair opens again. The labyrinth calls you to destruction. Revel in the endless dangers, relish the risk, devour the rewards. Savor the risk.
Wizardry Variants Daphne has achieved a Player Score of 52, placing it in the #3 spot for the best free Retro games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,977 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,040 positive reviews and 937 negative reviews — making it "Mixed" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Wizardry Variants Daphne on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 3/6/2025 |
| Franchise | Wizardry Official |
| Developer | Drecom Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher | Drecom Co., Ltd. |
| Steam App Id | 2379740 |
4. Reverse: 1999
Reverse: 1999 is a 20th Century Time-Travel Strategic RPG developed by Bluepoch. As the Timekeeper, the observer of eras, you will embark on a journey across time and space, from the Roaring '20s to the turn of the millennium, uncovering the truth about the "Storm" and the mystery of the year 1999.
Reverse: 1999 has achieved a Player Score of 90, placing it in the #4 spot for the best free Retro games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,300 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,157 positive reviews and 143 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 Reverse: 1999 on the Steam Deck.
| Release Date | 10/9/2024 |
| Developer | BLUEPOCH GAMES CO., LIMITED |
| Publisher | BLUEPOCH GAMES CO., LIMITED |
| Steam App Id | 3092660 |
5. 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 #5 spot for the best free Retro games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 8,055 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 7,216 positive reviews and 839 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.
6. STRAFTAT
STRAFTAT video game ::::::::::::::::::::: 1v1 ONLINE first person pov SHOOTER ::::::::::::::: quick rounds in 150 MAPS ::::::::::::: Including all WEAPONS and proximity chat
STRAFTAT has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #6 spot for the best free Retro games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 8,357 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 8,060 positive reviews and 297 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly 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.
| Release Date | 10/24/2024 |
| Developers | |
| Publisher | Lemaitre Bros |
| Steam App Id | 2386720 |
7. Real Pool 3D - Poolians
Real Pool 3D (Poolians) is one of the best online pool games. Play against the computer or real players all over the world! It supports 8 different types of pool games and team play mode.
Real Pool 3D - Poolians has achieved a Player Score of 75, placing it in the #7 spot for the best free Retro games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 16,962 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 13,044 positive reviews and 3,918 negative reviews — making it "Mostly 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 | 1/4/2018 |
| Developers | |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 670290 |
8. ENA: Dream BBQ
Experience surreal environments and inexplicable characters as ENA in a new wild world.
ENA: Dream BBQ has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #8 spot for the best free Retro games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 24,419 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 24,094 positive reviews and 325 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.
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 Retro games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,206 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,570 positive reviews and 636 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. Sven Co-op
Sven Co-op is a co-operative game originally based around Valve Software's Half-Life. In this game players must work together against computer controlled enemies and solve puzzles as a team.
Sven Co-op has achieved a Player Score of 92, placing it in the #10 spot for the best free Retro games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 31,314 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 29,314 positive reviews and 2,000 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 Sven Co-op on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 1/22/2016 |
| Developer | Sven Co-op team |
| Publisher | Sven Co-op team |
| Steam App Id | 225840 |
More Free Retro Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best free Retro games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,332 | 12/22/2020 | 83 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 793 | 7/31/2024 | 72 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 669 | 3/6/2025 | 52 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 602 | 10/9/2024 | 90 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 531 | 9/14/2021 | 87 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 527 | 10/24/2024 | 93 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 426 | 1/4/2018 | 75 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 327 | 3/27/2025 | 96 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 266 | 9/15/2022 | 69 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 263 | 1/22/2016 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 236 | 11/2/2017 | 71 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 225 | 4/11/2025 | 59 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 225 | 9/10/2019 | 77 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 200 | 2/7/2019 | 85 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 157 | 10/21/2022 | 90 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 131 | 12/4/2017 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 129 | 12/14/2017 | 84 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 119 | 2/17/2024 | 68 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 116 | 5/30/2023 | 63 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 109 | 9/26/2017 | 85 | 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, June 5). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, June 5). Idle Slayer on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, June 4). Sword of Convallaria on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, June 6). Wizardry Variants Daphne on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, May 29). Reverse: 1999 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, June 6). RetroArch on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, June 5). STRAFTAT on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, May 6). Real Pool 3D - Poolians on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, May 24). ENA: Dream BBQ on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, May 14). Idle Skilling on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, May 14). Sven Co-op on Steam. Steam Store.