Published May 4, 2026, 12:00 AM EDT
Ewan is Deputy Editor for ScreenRant's gaming section. He still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase, and knows more about The Legend of Zelda and Doctor Who than is probably healthy.
Ewan oversees the content operation of ScreenRant's gaming output, working with a talented team of writers and editors to cover everything from the latest GTA 6 news to the indie games you need on your radar.
Former Editor of GAMINGbible, Ewan also has words at Kotaku, Den of Geek, NME, and UNILAD. He's appeared on various podcasts, including VGC's and BBC's Let's Talk About Tech.
Steam is one of the very best places to go if you're looking for free games to play, I'm sure we can all agree. There are demos, limited-time discounts of 100 percent on the occasional larger release, and even a generous mix of completely free indie games. There's always something, and it's always worth checking.
With all the free games on Steam, it can be a little tricky to know what's worth your time and what isn't. It can also be incredibly painful for your backlog of games, which undoubtedly are sat alone in the dark of your Steam library and wondering why you haven't come to play with them yet.
Well, today's Steam backlog is tomorrow's problem, as there's currently a free download on Steam for one of 2026's best games so far.
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors (yes, that is its full title) recently released, and it's pretty much the most absorbing game I've played so far this year. Like Vampire Survivors before it, developer Poncle has mastered the art of "one more game" becoming a 3am bedtime.
"From the creators of Vampire Survivors comes a turbo-charged, turn-based roguelite deckbuilder," reads the game's synopsis. "Deal world-ending combos, blitz through infested dungeons, and master the Turboturn to obliterate hordes of familiar foes with a chaotic hand of cards."
One of the best things about Vampire Crawlers is that you can grab it for less than $10 at full price. But if you still need convincing, there's a demo available via the Steam store so you can let the game really sink its teeth into you.
At the time of writing, Vampire Crawlers has a 96% rating on Steam with Overwhelmingly Positive reviews. It's not hard to see why. I picked it up for Nintendo Switch 2 over the weekend, and I've already forgotten what color the sky is.
Oh, it's also available for free with an Xbox Game Pass subscription, so if you already have access to Game Pass you should skip the demo and get right down to business.
If, for whatever reason, you don't want Vampire Crawlers to completely destroy your life, there are plenty of other free demos available on Steam right now. There's a taster of the excellent Capcom hit Pragmata, for instance. If that doesn't strike your fancy, there's a genuinely funny new comedy/puzzle game called Trees Hate You that I think you should check out. The choice is very much yours, though.
Brand Valve
Original Release Date September 12, 2003
English (US) ·