All Free PC Games to Keep This Weekend — 8AM, Nocturnal, DOOMBLADE, Aeonic: Full Deadline List April 25–29, 2026

Four games are free to keep forever on Steam right now. Epic is giving away an award-winning Metroidvania. GOG is handing out an adventure game. Some expire today. Here is the full list sorted by urgency, with honest reviews of which are actually worth adding to your library.

Free-to-keep means exactly that — claim once, own permanently, no subscription required.

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Full Deadline Table — Claim These Before They Expire

Steam Free-to-Keep — Game by Game

⚠️ SurrounDead Poly Construction — Expires TODAY

Deadline: April 25 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET

This open-world survival sandbox by LivingEveryday launched in Early Access in November 2025 and is still unfinished. Players solve puzzles, fight enemies, and build structures in a low-poly environment with solo and online multiplayer modes.

Honest assessment: The Steam reviews currently trend Mostly Negative. Common complaints include empty open world, asset flip accusations, and a bug that requires renaming the .exe file to launch. One reviewer noted: "I get the fact that it says 'players will solve puzzles' but I wasn't expecting getting the game to run to be one of them."

It is free and you keep it permanently — claim it if you have time, but do not prioritize it over Nocturnal.

⭐ Nocturnal — Expires April 26 at 10 AM EDT

Deadline: April 26 — tomorrow

This is the best free game available right now. Nocturnal is a 2023 side-scrolling action platformer from Swiss studio Sunnyside Games, set in a dark fantasy world blanketed in supernatural mist.

You play as Ardeshir, a soldier returning home to the island of Nahran to find it consumed by fog and sinister forces. The twist: fire is your only weapon against the darkness. Letting your torch die out means the mist closes in. Combat, platforming, and light management work together throughout a focused 4-to-6 hour campaign.

Steam reviews: Very Positive. This is the first time Nocturnal has ever been offered at 100% off in three years of release. Sunnyside Games released it free to promote Nocturnal 2, which is in development for 2026.

Claim this one first. It expires tomorrow.

8AM — Expires April 27 at 10 AM PT

Deadline: April 27

8AM is a short horror game built around hidden camera footage and unsettling atmosphere. The premise places you as someone reviewing surveillance footage — and what you find is not what you expected.

Typically priced at $3.99, it sits at the shorter end of the free-to-keep spectrum but offers a genuinely distinct experience. If you enjoy found-footage horror or short atmospheric games, this is worth an hour of your time.

Aeonic — Expires April 29 at 10 AM PT

Deadline: April 29

Aeonic is a text-based historical adventure. Players start at the dawn of humanity and navigate through key eras by making branching choices — throw a spear or shoot a bow, for example — with text describing the consequences before advancing to the next era.

Important note: The developers disclose on the Steam page that generative AI tools were used to create some of the game's artwork. Most reviews since the free promotion began are negative.

Claim it if the concept interests you — it is free regardless.

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Epic Games Store — DOOMBLADE Free Until April 30

Deadline: April 30

DOOMBLADE is the strongest freebie across all platforms this week. Developed by Muro Studios, it is a 2D action Metroidvania where you control Gloom Girl, a girl fused with a demon sword that has its own personality and moveset.

The core hook: the sword, not Gloom Girl, does the attacking. Players switch between controlling movement and guiding the sword's independent slashing arcs mid-combat. The result is a fast, stylish system that earned 3rd place in the Action category at the 2023 Game Development Championship.

Steam rating: Very Positive.

How to claim DOOMBLADE:

1. Go to the Epic Games Store (browser or app)
2. Search: DOOMBLADE
3. Click Get — it is listed at $0.00
4. The game is added to your Epic library permanently

No purchase required, no trial period.

GOG — The Whispering Valley (Limited Time)

GOG is giving away The Whispering Valley, a point-and-click adventure set in a rural village with a mystery at its core. The game has a relaxed pace and hand-drawn art style. No account required beyond a free GOG login.

Deadline is unlisted — claim it as soon as possible.

How to Claim Free Steam Games (60 Seconds)

If you have never used Steam's free-to-keep system before:

1. Open Steam in a browser or the desktop app
2. Search the game name directly, or go to its store page
3. Click Add to Account — the button replaces the price when a game is 100% off
4. The game appears in your library immediately — no download required to secure it

You do not need to download the game to claim it. Add it to your account now and install whenever you want.

Priority Order — What to Claim Right Now

If you only have five minutes, do it in this order:

1. SurrounDead → expires in hours (claim even if you never play it)

2. Nocturnal → best game of the batch, expires tomorrow

3. DOOMBLADE → strongest overall, Epic, April 30

4. 8AM → solid horror short, April 27

5. The Whispering Valley → GOG, no hard deadline posted

6. Aeonic → April 29, skip if you dislike text games or AI art

One More Free Game Worth Trying This Weekend

While you are in the mood for free PC gaming, one more title is worth downloading — playable immediately with no account setup needed.

Play Free on PC Right Now →

Bonus: Age of Mythology: Retold — Free to Play Until April 27

Not free-to-keep, but free to play until April 27: Age of Mythology: Retold is running a free weekend on Steam in celebration of its new Obsidian Mirror DLC. The base game is also 50% off ($14.99) during the window — if you enjoy it during the free play period, buying it at half price before Sunday is the smart move.

Get Age of Mythology: Retold at the Best Price →

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