Published Apr 17, 2026, 11:00 PM EDT
Austin King is the Senior Editor of Gaming at ScreenRant and has been with the site since 2020 with a focus on RPGs and tabletop games. He previously managed content for Geek to Geek Media, and has served as a writer for sites like Nintendad, Geek Fitness, and more.
In addition to his work at ScreenRant, he also hosts the Dragon Quest FM podcast and is the author of several books, including co-writing Nimbus (a #1 bestseller in 2013). His latest is the nonfiction The Dragon Quest Book, available now.
He's written about pop culture, video games, and genre studies over the course of his career. You can find him on BlueSky, X, and at Dragonquestaustin.com
It's no secret Steam has a wide selection of free games to choose from, especially when you consider the games that are part of special discounts and events, or ones that get free demos or early access. And even when considering the free games you can keep forever that are available on Steam, very few of them can supply 300 hours of content.
No, I don't mean the kind of game that's 300 hours to get 100% while the main story is only 10 hours. While those games do exist, there's a bevvy of live-service and F2P games on Steam that can keep you busy for hundreds of hours without even really trying. And thanks to a new update, one of the biggest free-to-play RPGs just got even bigger.
This Free-To-Play Steam RPG Is A Monster
I'm talking about Summoners War, a turn-based strategy RPG that's completely free. Even though it released years ago, it gets regular updates that keep adding to the amount of time you can spend playing it. And considering it boasts over 300 million players worldwide, you shouldn't have to worry about finding someone to play with. There's currently around 1,500 Monsters to team up with, so you also have plenty of variety in-game.
HowLongToBeat lists a playtime of 280 hours, mostly due to its multiplayer focus and regular updates that keep players coming back to it. It's always difficult to average the playtime for a game like this, but Summoners War is currently deep into its Version 9 cycle, so that should give you an idea of just how much content is included. And with its 12th Anniversary update out now, the average playtime should hit closer to the 300-hour mark.
Summoners War Just Got A Major Update
As of April 13, there's also a new update in Summoners War. Version 9.1.8 is the 12th Anniversary Update (you can watch a trailer above), which adds Relics, new Monsters to summon, commemorative backgrounds and skins, and a 12th Anniversary Festival with a ton of rewards. You can read up on everything the new update includes by visiting the Steam page, because this really only scratches the surface of everything included.
Unlike a number of free games on Steam this April with offers expiring soon, Summoners War is always free-to-play. If you're looking for something different to check out, and don't want to spend a lot of money, give this RPG a chance and see what you think. The reviews for Summoners War are admittedly Mixed, but with the 12th Anniversary update live now, it's the perfect time to give this one a try on Steam.
Brand Valve
Original Release Date September 12, 2003
English (US) ·