Free Text-Based Games on Steam
Steam currently has 5,040 Text-Based 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 Text-Based game rankings were last updated on 4/26/2026.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Best text-based games on Steam
- Best text-based Steam Deck games
- Best text-based Steam games for Mac OS
- Best text-based Linux games on Steam
- Free Steam games
- Most played Steam games
- Best rated Steam games
1. Your Chronicle
"Let's begin your own story." This is a text-based idle RPG game. There are already more than 3,000 unique story actions and it's still growing.
Your Chronicle holds the #1 spot for "best free Text-Based game on Steam" with a Player Score of 77. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,567 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,047 positive reviews and 520 negative reviews — making it "Mostly Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Your Chronicle on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 4/5/2021 |
| Developer | Samurai Games |
| Publisher | Samurai Games |
| Steam App Id | 1546320 |
2. Idling to Rule the Gods
Idling to Rule the Gods is a free to play Idle-Game with a lot of content and some Minigames. Depending on your play-style, you can play it fast or slow. Either way it can be fun for hundreds of hours!
Idling to Rule the Gods has achieved a Player Score of 81, placing it in the #2 spot for the best free Text-Based games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,084 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,767 positive reviews and 317 negative reviews — making it "Very Positive" on Steam.
It can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Idling to Rule the Gods on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 5/27/2016 |
| Developer | Shugasu GmbH |
| Publisher | Shugasu GmbH |
| Steam App Id | 466170 |
3. 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 #3 spot for the best free Text-Based games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,228 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,025 positive reviews and 1,203 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).
4. Soccer Manager 2026
Manage elite football clubs and lead your dream team as a football manager!
Soccer Manager 2026 has achieved a Player Score of 72, placing it in the #4 spot for the best free Text-Based games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 3,358 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,484 positive reviews and 874 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 Soccer Manager 2026 on the Steam Deck.
| Release Date | 10/23/2024 |
| Developer | Invincibles Studio Ltd |
| Publisher | Invincibles Studio Ltd |
| Steam App Id | 3217240 |
5. Trimps
A text-based incremental idle game with a ridiculous amount of unique content. Automate old stuff as you unlock new stuff to keep things interesting for hours and hours, no spam clicking necessary! Trimps is everything you love about your favorite games, distilled to their purest form.
Trimps has achieved a Player Score of 86, placing it in the #5 spot for the best free Text-Based games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,436 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,303 positive reviews and 133 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 Trimps on the Steam Deck.
| Release Date | 5/2/2022 |
| Developer | Greensatellite |
| Publisher | Greensatellite |
| Steam App Id | 1877960 |
6. Bitburner
Bitburner is a programming-based incremental game. Write scripts in JavaScript to automate gameplay, learn skills, play minigames, solve puzzles, and more in this cyberpunk text-based incremental RPG.
Bitburner has achieved a Player Score of 92, placing it in the #6 spot for the best free Text-Based games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 7,173 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 6,823 positive reviews and 350 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 Bitburner on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 12/10/2021 |
| Developers | |
| Publisher | Fulcrum Games |
| Steam App Id | 1812820 |
7. A Date with Death
Fight against & romance the one hunting for your soul in A Date with Death, a romance chat simulator where you date(?) the Grim Reaper himself. Create your own character, decorate your apartment, and chat away with the charming yet dangerous Grim Reaper through text and video calls.
A Date with Death has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #7 spot for the best free Text-Based games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 13,511 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 13,246 positive reviews and 265 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 A Date with Death on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 12/7/2023 |
| Franchise | Two and a Half Studios |
| Developer | Two and a Half Studios |
| Publisher | Two and a Half Studios |
| Steam App Id | 2415010 |
8. Kill the Lich Idle
Kill the Lich is a minimalist incremental game about time compression and resource flow. Route your primary resource—Momentum—downstream to unlock over 300 actions. Design granular automation, visualize exposed formulas, and trigger deep prestige layers to ultimately defeat the Lich!
Kill the Lich Idle has achieved a Player Score of 62, placing it in the #8 spot for the best free Text-Based games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 29 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 20 positive reviews and 9 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 | 4/14/2026 |
| Developer | Stop Sign Gaming |
| Publisher | Stop Sign Gaming |
| Steam App Id | 4522510 |
9. Koltera 2
Gather resources, craft items, and grow a team of creatures in this relaxed incremental idle RPG. Automate your skills, send creatures on expeditions, and keep progressing even while offline.
Koltera 2 has achieved a Player Score of 71, placing it in the #9 spot for the best free Text-Based games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 158 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 122 positive reviews and 36 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 Koltera 2 on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 3/7/2026 |
| Developers | |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 2834700 |
10. Scratch Inc.
Build an Empire, From Scratch, in this Scratch Card Idle/Incremental game.
Scratch Inc. has achieved a Player Score of 86, placing it in the #10 spot for the best free Text-Based games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,542 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,402 positive reviews and 140 negative reviews — making it "Very 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.
More Free Text-Based Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best free Text-Based games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,062 | 4/5/2021 | 77 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 1,058 | 5/27/2016 | 81 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 824 | 3/6/2025 | 46 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 554 | 10/23/2024 | 72 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 534 | 5/2/2022 | 86 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 466 | 12/10/2021 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 339 | 12/7/2023 | 95 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 328 | 4/14/2026 | 62 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 304 | 3/7/2026 | 71 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 274 | 9/17/2025 | 86 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 228 | 3/18/2026 | 75 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 224 | 3/27/2026 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 174 | 3/22/2025 | 86 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 126 | 2/7/2026 | 79 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 108 | 8/15/2024 | 94 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 77 | 8/1/2022 | 81 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 76 | 10/13/2023 | 75 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 76 | 7/6/2024 | 44 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 69 | 8/11/2020 | 74 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 62 | 7/29/2024 | 44 | 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, April 26). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 26). Your Chronicle on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 27). Idling to Rule the Gods on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 27). Milky Way Idle on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 27). Soccer Manager 2026 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 3). Trimps on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 13). Bitburner on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 21). A Date with Death on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 27). Kill the Lich Idle on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 12). Koltera 2 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 3). Scratch Inc. on Steam. Steam Store.