July 11, 2026
Against the Storm is free to play this weekend, 10 Game Pass games leave Tuesday, and Xbox's free trials end Sunday
Steam opened a free-to-play weekend led by a 95%-positive city builder you can keep at its all-time low, the Game Pass exodus hits Tuesday, and three Xbox trials close tomorrow. Every end date checked.
Steam: free to play through Monday, one standout
Three games are free to play on Steam right now through Monday, July 13 at 10am PT. These are temporary trials, not permanent keeps, but one is genuinely worth your weekend.
- Against the Storm (Steam): a dark-fantasy roguelite city builder, 91 on Metacritic and 95% positive across 18,558 Steam reviews. Rock Paper Shotgun called it one of the year's best, and Polygon flagged it as the one "truly great" game in this free-weekend batch. This is the one to play. If you want to own it, it is 70% off at $8.99, which Steambase confirms is its Steam all-time low. The official store has never dropped below $8.99, and it has hit that price repeatedly since December 2025. The discount runs through July 23.
- ARK: Survival Ascended (Steam): the Unreal Engine 5 dino-survival remaster, still in early access. 60% positive on Steam, with a notorious 211 GB install. 75% off at $11.24 through July 23 if the trial wins you over. Try before you buy, and check your hard drive first.
- gogh: Focus with Your Avatar (Steam): a cozy multiplayer co-working sandbox, 93% positive. Niche and gentle, built for studying or working alongside others. 40% off at $7.19 through July 23.
Deadlines: what ends and starts in the next four days
- Xbox Free Play Days end Sunday, July 12. MLB The Show 26, The Alters, and Stuffed are free to play for Game Pass Ultimate, Premium, and Essential members through Sunday (Xbox Wire). MLB The Show 26 and The Alters are 50% off if you want to keep them; Stuffed has a free trial with a $12.49 purchase option. Covered Thursday.
- 10 games leave Game Pass on Tuesday, July 15. The confirmed list: PowerWash Simulator, Stellaris, Dungeons of Hinterberg, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, EA Sports FC 24, Golf With Your Friends, Minami Lane, Super Fantasy Kingdom, Techtonica, and Splitgate perk packs (Polygon). Dungeons of Hinterberg (81 on OpenCritic) and Stellaris (81) are the ones most worth finishing before they go. A couple of titles, including Back to the Dawn, may stick around until July 31 in some regions.
- Ascend to Zero arrives Game Pass Monday, July 13. A day-one time-bending roguelike, available on all tiers (Xbox Wire). PBA Pro Bowling 2026 follows on July 14.
- Steam Social Deduction Fest starts Monday, July 13 and runs to July 16 (Steamworks). Discounts on imposter-and-deduction games. The full deal list is not public yet, so check the store page Monday morning.
Still claimable
- Epic Games Store: Nova Lands ($19.99) and Tattoo Tycoon ($29.99) are free to keep through Thursday, July 16 at 8am PT (Epic). The next pair, Echo Generation: Midnight Edition and Luto, goes live that same morning. Covered Thursday.
- Prime Gaming: Still There and Regular Factory: Escape Room are claimable now via GOG, kept permanently (Regular Factory through Aug 8, Still There through Aug 12) (Amazon). The next drop arrives July 16 with Poly Vita, Framed Collection, and Escape Academy.
- PS Plus (Essential): Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, For the King II, and CrossCode are claimable through August 3 (PlayStation Blog).
- Steam free-to-keep (pending): The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante and Yet Another Zombie Defense HD are confirmed for a future free-to-keep giveaway but still have no start date as of today.
Want the next one?
Every new Free Games & Deals Daily issue by email. One tap to unsubscribe.