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If you want a complete metroidvania rather than a demo, expansion, or free update, start with Eldritchvania or Thibalryn. Steam lists both as free metroidvania games. Eldritchvania is the stronger match for Lovecraft-inspired ruins, riddles, bosses, and upgrade-driven exploration; Thibalryn is aimed at players who prefer a retro NES-style maze filled with secrets, enemies, and skill-gated routes.
The two free Steam metroidvanias to start with
This is a focused shortlist based on the games’ current Steam store listings, not a claim that Steam has only two free metroidvanias and not a hands-on ranking. The useful distinction is the kind of exploration each listing emphasizes.
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| Game | Steam listing | Best fit | Release date | Review snapshot retrieved October 13, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eldritchvania | Free; tagged Metroidvania | Lovecraft-inspired atmosphere, arcane riddles, bosses, upgrades, and exploration | February 9, 2024 | Very Positive on Steam at retrieval; user sentiment can change |
| Thibalryn | Free to Play; tagged Metroidvania | Retro NES-inspired presentation, a challenging maze, secrets, enemies, and skills that open new possibilities | June 13, 2019 | Positive on Steam at retrieval; user sentiment can change |
Choose Eldritchvania when puzzles and an eldritch story are the attraction. Choose Thibalryn when you want an old-school maze and the satisfaction of finding secrets in a deliberately challenging layout.
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Both recommendations are presented by Steam as the game itself being available for free: Eldritchvania is listed as free, while Thibalryn is labeled Free to Play. That is different from a paid game that happens to advertise free additional content.
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A free content update does not remove the price of a base game. Hollow Knight, for example, is a paid Steam game even though its listing describes multiple free content updates. A free expansion is not the same thing as a free game either: Aestik’s Steam page promotes a free expansion, but the base game remains a paid product. A demo is a limited trial, not the full game; HAAK’s free demo therefore does not make HAAK free.
Prices, regional availability, and store labels can change. Before installing, open the live Steam page and confirm that the purchase button still shows the relevant free or Free to Play status in your region.
Eldritchvania: best for puzzles and Lovecraftian exploration
What the Steam listing establishes
DeathCount Games released Eldritchvania on February 9, 2024. Steam lists it as free and applies the Metroidvania tag. Its description centers on exploring unearthly ruins, solving arcane riddles, fighting bosses, collecting upgrades, and following a story inspired by H. P. Lovecraft.
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Those details point to an exploration loop in which progress is not only about defeating enemies. The ruins provide the setting to investigate, riddles supply a deliberate puzzle component, bosses create combat milestones, and upgrades are the rewards that expand what you can do. The Lovecraft inspiration signals an eldritch tone rather than a bright fantasy presentation, although the listing does not provide a formal content rating or a detailed account of every horror element.
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Why it is the better first choice for puzzle-minded players
- You want environmental discovery. Unearthly ruins suggest that the setting itself is part of the challenge, rather than a sequence of disconnected combat rooms.
- You expect explicit puzzle solving. The store description specifically calls out arcane riddles, making puzzles a stated feature rather than an assumption based only on the genre tag.
- You like progression tied to upgrades. Collecting upgrades is named alongside exploration and bosses, so the listing presents character or ability growth as a central part of the journey.
- You prefer a story with an eldritch identity. The H. P. Lovecraft influence gives the game a clear thematic direction for players seeking uncanny ruins and cosmic-horror flavor.
What is not established by the listing
The store evidence does not establish a completion-time estimate, difficulty settings, controller support, system requirements, or the number and type of upgrades. It also does not justify treating the game as a guaranteed quality winner. The Steam page showed a Very Positive review summary when checked on October 13, 2026, but that is a changing aggregate of user reviews, not controlled testing or an independent score.
Who should put it first
Make Eldritchvania your first download if your ideal free Steam metroidvania combines backtracking and ability upgrades with riddles, boss encounters, and an unsettling ruin-based story. If you mainly want a strict retro challenge or an NES-style visual identity, the other recommendation is more closely aligned with the evidence available.
Thibalryn: best for a retro maze and secrets
What the Steam listing establishes
CoolJosh3k released Thibalryn on June 13, 2019. Steam labels it Free to Play and tags it Metroidvania. The store description calls it a love letter to classic NES games and presents an expanding, challenging maze containing secrets, enemies, and skills that unlock new possibilities.
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The central image is a maze that grows in scope as you learn how its routes and abilities interact. The listing foregrounds exploration, challenge, and secrets rather than naming riddles or a specific narrative influence. That makes the game’s appeal easier to describe as retro navigation and discovery than as a puzzle adventure in the conventional sense.
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Why it suits retro-focused explorers
- You enjoy old-school presentation. The explicit NES inspiration is the clearest signal for players looking for a classic-console feel.
- You like difficult navigation. An expanding, challenging maze implies that route-finding and persistence are part of the intended experience.
- You search every corner. Secrets are a named feature, so optional discoveries are part of the game’s identity rather than an incidental bonus.
- You want ability-based progress. Skills that unlock new possibilities fit the genre’s return-to-earlier-area structure, even though the listing does not specify the individual skills.
What is not established by the listing
The store page does not specify how many skills exist, how the maze expands, whether the difficulty changes by mode, or how long a typical playthrough takes. Do not infer those details from the NES reference alone. Steam showed a Positive review summary on October 13, 2026; that label is a platform snapshot made from user reviews and may change as new reviews arrive.
Who should put it first
Start with Thibalryn if you want a free Steam metroidvania that advertises retro NES roots, a maze designed to challenge you, and secrets worth seeking. Players who need explicit puzzle solving or a Lovecraft-inspired story should look at Eldritchvania instead.
Eldritchvania vs. Thibalryn: the meaningful differences
| Decision point | Eldritchvania | Thibalryn |
|---|---|---|
| Exploration style | Unearthly ruins and secrets, framed by an eldritch story | An expanding, challenging maze with secrets |
| Puzzle emphasis | Arcane riddles are explicitly part of the description | The listing emphasizes exploration, challenge, and secrets; it does not specifically promise riddles |
| Combat and progression | Boss fights and collected upgrades are named | Enemies and skills that unlock new possibilities are named |
| Tone and presentation | Lovecraft-inspired, uncanny exploration | A love letter to classic NES games and retro-style design |
| Steam status | Listed as free | Listed as Free to Play |
| Review label at the October 13, 2026 check | Very Positive | Positive |
The table describes positioning from each store page, not a laboratory comparison. There is no reliable basis here for saying one has better controls, a longer campaign, more content, or a higher completion rate.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Eldritchvania when puzzles are non-negotiable
If you want to stop and interpret clues, investigate strange ruins, and connect exploration with an overtly uncanny story, Eldritchvania has the clearer match. Its listing is the only one of the two that explicitly foregrounds riddles, so it is the safer pick for a puzzle-first definition of metroidvania.
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Choose Thibalryn when maze mastery is the point
If your enjoyment comes from remembering routes, testing newly acquired skills against old barriers, and uncovering secrets in a difficult map, Thibalryn’s description speaks more directly to that experience. Its NES inspiration also makes it the natural choice for a retro presentation rather than a Lovecraftian atmosphere.
Choose by tone
Eldritchvania’s H. P. Lovecraft inspiration indicates an eldritch, story-led mood. Thibalryn’s “love letter to classic NES games” framing indicates a retro homage. When both gameplay descriptions sound appealing, tone is the simplest tie-breaker.
Choose by the kind of uncertainty you accept
Neither listing supplies every specification a cautious buyer might want. If you need confirmed requirements, accessibility options, controller details, or an expected playtime before installing, check the current Steam page directly; those facts are not established by the available descriptions. If you are comfortable discovering the details in-game, the two listings still provide enough information to make a genre-and-tone choice.
How to verify that a game is still free
- Open the game’s current Steam store page rather than relying on an old search result or a third-party list.
- Check the purchase area for the exact status: Eldritchvania should show a free listing, while Thibalryn should show Free to Play if the status has not changed.
- Confirm that you are viewing the correct title and edition. A demo, soundtrack, expansion, or bundle can appear beside a base-game listing.
- Check the page for regional restrictions or a changed availability message. Store status can differ by region and can change over time.
- Read the current description and review summary before installing. The review labels cited here are dated snapshots, not permanent ratings.
How to read Steam’s review labels
Steam’s Very Positive label for Eldritchvania and Positive label for Thibalryn were visible when the listings were checked on October 13, 2026. They summarize user reviews on the platform. They are useful signals of how reviewers were responding at that moment, but they are not controlled tests, expert scores, or guarantees that a particular player will enjoy the game.
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Do not turn those labels into a precise ranking. The labels and their underlying totals can change as reviews are added or revised. If community reaction matters to your decision, open the live page, read recent reviews, and pay attention to whether their comments match your priorities: puzzles and atmosphere for Eldritchvania, or maze challenge and retro design for Thibalryn.
Common mistakes when searching for free metroidvanias
Confusing free updates with a free base game
A paid game can receive substantial free updates while still requiring a purchase. Hollow Knight illustrates this distinction: its Steam listing mentions multiple free content updates, but the base game is paid.
Confusing a free expansion with a free game
An expansion is an add-on to a base product. Aestik’s free expansion does not change the price of Aestik itself, so it should not be counted as a free full-game recommendation.
Confusing a demo with the complete release
A demo is a trial portion. HAAK’s free demo lets players sample the game, but the demo is not the full paid game. For a list centered on games you can play for free, verify the base-game listing, not merely the presence of a downloadable demo.
Assuming a shortlist is exhaustive
Eldritchvania and Thibalryn are two candidates supported by current store-page evidence. This article does not establish the total number of free metroidvanias on Steam, so treat the list as a practical starting point rather than a census of the platform.
Bottom line
For a free Steam metroidvania built around unearthly ruins, arcane riddles, bosses, upgrades, and Lovecraft-inspired storytelling, choose Eldritchvania. For a free-to-play retro maze with NES inspiration, secrets, enemies, and skills that open new routes, choose Thibalryn. Verify the live Steam listing before downloading because price, availability, and review summaries are volatile.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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