“Free to Keep” on Steam is a limited-time giveaway for a permanent game license. You must claim the game while the promotion is active, but once the promotional license is added to your account, you can keep it and access it later. The offer window is temporary; the license awarded during that window is permanent in nature. This is different from a Free Weekend, which provides temporary access, and from a free-to-play game, which remains free to acquire.
What “Free to Keep” means
Valve’s Steamworks documentation defines the offer plainly: “A Free to Keep promotion is a time-limited promotion that allows a player to permanently acquire a license for a game for free.” In practical terms, a game that is normally sold for money can be claimed at no charge during a specific promotional period.
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There are two separate time periods to understand:
- The promotion window: the limited period during which new players can claim the game.
- The license after claiming: the promotional license is permanent in nature and stays associated with the account after the window closes.
When the offer ends, Steam removes the special promotional package from the game’s store page. That removal stops new claims; it does not turn an already claimed license into a temporary trial. The official definition and package behavior are documented in Steamworks’ Free to Keep documentation.
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This answers the common question, “If you get a paid game for free, will it be permanent?” If you successfully claim the Free to Keep offer before its deadline, the license is intended to remain in your Steam account rather than expiring when the promotion ends.
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How a Free to Keep promotion works
1. A publisher schedules a limited offer
Free to Keep is a promotional arrangement, not a permanent change to the game’s normal price. Steamworks says developers request this type of promotion through Steam; it is not a self-service switch that players activate.
The promotion has a defined start and end time. Steamworks requires a Free to Keep promotion to run for at least 24 hours, giving customers in different time zones a reasonable chance to claim it. Steamworks generally recommends keeping the promotion under two weeks, but that is developer guidance rather than a guaranteed duration for every game.
2. The store page shows the live offer
The exact deadline belongs to the individual promotion. The general 24-hour minimum and under-two-week recommendation do not tell you when a particular game’s giveaway ends. Open the game’s current Steam store page and look for the Free to Keep wording, the promotional price, and any countdown or end-time information shown there.
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3. You claim the license before the deadline
While the promotion is active, use the offer control on the game’s store page and complete the no-cost claim. Steam may present a normal checkout-style confirmation even though the amount due is zero. The important result is that the game is added to your account, not merely that it can be launched during the promotional period.
4. The game remains in your library afterward
After claiming, check your Steam Library or account licenses to make sure the title is attached to your account. You do not have to install it immediately. The store’s Free to Keep package can disappear when the promotion ends while the claimed license remains available through your library.
Free to Keep versus Free Weekend and free-to-play
Steam uses similar “free” language for several different arrangements. The license type, not the price displayed during a particular day, determines what happens next.
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| Steam offer type | What is free | What happens after the period | Reader takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free to Keep | A normally paid game can be claimed at no cost during a promotional window. | The acquired promotional license is permanent in nature; the claim package disappears from the store page when the window ends. | Claim it while the offer is active if you want the lasting license. |
| Free Weekend | Temporary access to a game. | Access under the temporary license ends with the event. | Playing during the event is not the same as claiming a Free to Keep license. |
| Free-to-play | The game is free for customers to acquire on an ongoing basis. | It remains free to acquire, although an individual game may sell optional content or impose its own limits. | No limited-time giveaway is required to acquire the game. |
Free Weekend is a trial, not a giveaway
A Free Weekend gives you a temporary license. You may be able to download and play the full game during the scheduled event, but that access ends when the event ends unless you separately purchase the game or receive another valid license. Simply launching a title during a Free Weekend does not convert the temporary license into a permanent one.
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Free-to-play is an ongoing access model
Steam Support describes free-to-play games as titles that can be downloaded and played without a subscription or credit card. The game may still include optional purchases or its own restrictions. Because the title is already free for customers to acquire, there is no need to watch for a short Free to Keep deadline. Steam’s explanation is available in its free-to-play support article.
How to claim a Free to Keep game safely
- Open the current Steam store page. Use the game’s page rather than relying on a third-party post, because the page contains the live offer status and deadline.
- Confirm that it says Free to Keep. Do not assume that a zero-price button means permanent ownership; check that the page describes a Free to Keep promotion rather than a Free Weekend or another temporary event.
- Check the end time. The deadline is specific to that game’s promotion. The platform-wide 24-hour rule is only a minimum duration for the promotion, not the game’s actual closing time.
- Complete the no-cost claim. Follow the store page’s offer or purchase control and finish the confirmation so the license is recorded on your account.
- Verify the title in your Library. Seeing the game in your account is a stronger confirmation than merely having downloaded or launched it.
- Install whenever you want. Installation can wait until after the promotion ends; the critical step is claiming the license before the deadline.
If the Free to Keep wording or promotional package is no longer visible, the offer may have ended. Steamworks says the special package is removed from the store page after the promotion, so a late visit may show only the game’s ordinary purchase options.
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What “permanent” does—and does not—promise
It describes the license you received
“Permanent” describes the nature of the license awarded by the promotion: it is not scheduled to expire when the giveaway period closes. The title should remain associated with the account that claimed it, subject to Steam’s ordinary account and licensing systems.
It is not a guarantee about every future circumstance
The Free to Keep definition does not promise that a game’s servers will operate forever, that online features will never be discontinued, or that every future operating system and hardware configuration will remain compatible. It also does not guarantee that a publisher’s external services will always be available. Those are separate technical, business, and service-availability questions.
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Special treatment compared with a paid license
Steamworks identifies two differences for players who receive a title through the Free to Keep package:
- Reviews: Reviews written by Free to Keep players are readable, but they do not count toward the game’s review score.
- Trading cards: Players using that promotional package do not receive trading card drops through it.
These rules concern how Steam treats activity and items associated with the promotional package. They do not change the central distinction between the temporary offer period and the lasting license obtained by a successful claim. The review and card details appear in the Steamworks documentation.
Deadlines, time zones, and missed offers
The 24-hour rule is not your game’s deadline
Steamworks requires at least 24 hours for a Free to Keep promotion so customers in different time zones have an equal opportunity to participate. Steamworks’ recommendation of a period under two weeks is also general guidance to developers. Neither number establishes the end date for a specific title.
Use the live store page for the authoritative timing
Because each promotion has its own schedule, rely on the game’s current Steam store page for the displayed end time. A post, video, or social-media message may have been published before the offer was extended, shortened, or ended.
If you only played during a Free Weekend
There is no Free to Keep license to preserve unless you separately claimed that promotion. Temporary access ends with the Free Weekend event. To continue playing after it, you generally need another valid license, such as a purchase; the event itself is not a permanent acquisition.
A quick decision checklist
- Does the store page explicitly identify the promotion as Free to Keep?
- Is the offer still active, with an end time shown?
- Have you completed the no-cost claim rather than only launching the game?
- Does the title appear in your Steam Library afterward?
- Are you distinguishing the permanent promotional license from a Free Weekend’s temporary access?
If all five answers are yes, you have used the promotion as Steamworks defines it: a time-limited opportunity to acquire a game license permanently for free. The promotion can end and its special store package can vanish, while the license you claimed remains tied to your account.
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