Field guide · 9 games

Free single player FPS games and offline demos on Steam

By Ekin, a solo developer in Istanbul (Whale Development Studios). Published 8 November 2026. Every date, list price, platform and demo below was read on the US Steam store on 8 November 2026; sources at the foot of the page.

First person view in Iron Curtain Call: punching a wind up tin soldier into bolts and springs in solo campaign combat
Strictly single player: Iron Curtain Call’s Mission 1 Steam demo and 60s browser trial are both free.
The short answer

Want a free FPS without multiplayer lobbies or Battle Passes?

Almost every "free FPS" list online is 95 percent online multiplayer PvP. If you want to play alone, offline and at your own pace for zero dollars, this list leaves out every battle royale and team hero shooter.

Two games here are 100 percent free standalone single player shooters on Steam: psychological horror campaign Cry of Fear and compact retro arena shooter SCORCH. The other seven are substantial, free single player opening demos on Steam that require no purchase: my 1930s cartoon noir shooter Iron Curtain Call (Mission 1 free on Windows, macOS and Linux plus a free 60 second browser trial), Half-Life 2, ULTRAKILL, CULTIC, HROT, AMID EVIL and Prey.

At a glance

Nine free solo FPS experiences on Steam right now

What is free, the solo campaign tone, and Steam store facts read on 8 November 2026.
GameWhat you get for freeSolo campaign toneFree demo nowUS list priceRelease
Iron Curtain CallMy gameFull Mission 1 Steam demo + 60s browser trial1930s rubber hose cartoon noir comedyYes, free demo + browser trialNot priced yet11 March 2027free demo since 28 October 2026
Cry of FearComplete standalone game (free to play)Bleak psychological survival horror in SwedenNoFree to play25 April 2013
SCORCHComplete standalone game (free to play)Short, fast retro movement shooterNoFree to play15 May 2021
Half-Life 2Opening City 17 and Ravenholm Steam demoDystopian physics driven sci fi classicYes, free$9.9916 November 2004
ULTRAKILLOpening prelude and Act 1 Steam demoRelentless blood fueled score attackYes, free$29.993 September 2020Early Access
CULTICOpening cult compound Steam demoGritty 1990s Build style folk horrorYes, free$9.9913 October 2022
HROTOpening 1986 Prague episode Steam demoDeadpan Czechoslovak Cold War retro FPSYes, free$19.9916 May 2023
AMID EVILOpening fantasy episode level Steam demoColorful Heretic style arcane boomer FPSYes, free$19.9920 June 2019
PreyOpening hour aboard Talos I Steam demoDeep Arkane sci fi immersive simYes, free$29.994 May 2017
The 9 games, up close

Free solo shooters and free Chapter 1 campaign demos

Every entry lists its developer, publisher, Steam release date, platforms, US list price and free demo status.

Iron Curtain Call

My game · Free Mission 1 + browser trial

Play it if: you want a free 15 to 20 minute single player cartoon chapter with a boss fight, or a 60 second browser shooter with no download.

Iron Curtain Call is a strictly single player cartoon noir FPS set in an absurd alternate 1965 where a customer service machine runs World War III with an army of wind up tin robots. You dash, grapple, parry and punch robots into scrap to refill health and ammo.

You can download the free Mission 1 demo on Steam for Windows, macOS and Linux right now, or launch the free 60 second browser trial in a desktop tab with no install before the full twelve chapter game arrives on 11 March 2027.

Zero multiplayer, zero login walls, and native Windows, macOS and Linux support in the free demo.

Developer and publisher
Whale Development Studios
Release
11 March 2027
Free demo
28 October 2026
On Steam
Windows and macOS (demo: Windows, macOS and Linux)
US list price
Not priced yet
Demo
Yes, free
Gameplay trailer · 1:00 · Twelve chapters in sixty seconds. YouTube · Video page

Play the free Steam demoPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download

First person view in Iron Curtain Call: firing a typewriter submachine gun at the 6:15 steam train
Mission 1, Welcome to Rubbleton, is playable solo and offline in the free Steam demo.

Cry of Fear

Full game free

Play it if: you want a full length, standalone single player horror shooter on Steam for zero dollars.

Team Psykskallar released Cry of Fear on 25 April 2013 as a completely free standalone game on Windows.

Cry of Fear is terrifyingly dark; Iron Curtain Call is bright 1930s cartoon comedy.

Developer and publisher
Team Psykskallar
Released
25 April 2013
On Steam
Windows
US list price
Free to play
Demo
None on Steam

SCORCH

Full game free

Play it if: you want a short, fast, completely free indie boomer shooter on Windows.

Accidentally Games released SCORCH on 15 May 2021 as a free single player shooter on Steam.

SCORCH and Iron Curtain Call both give solo players fast retro gunplay at zero cost.

Developer and publisher
Accidentally Games
Released
15 May 2021
On Steam
Windows
US list price
Free to play
Demo
None on Steam

Half-Life 2

Free Steam demo · {p:hl2} full

Play it if: you want to play the free opening demo of Valve’s single player classic on Windows or Linux.

Valve released Half-Life 2 on 16 November 2004 ($9.99 on Windows and Linux) and still hosts its free demo on Steam.

Half-Life 2 and Iron Curtain Call both drop a silent protagonist into a satirical authoritarian regime.

Developer and publisher
Valve
Released
16 November 2004
On Steam
Windows and Linux
US list price
$9.99
Demo
Yes, free

ULTRAKILL

Free Steam demo · {p:ultrakill} full

Play it if: you want a free multi level taste of the fastest single player movement shooter on PC.

Arsi "Hakita" Patala and New Blood Interactive keep ULTRAKILL’s opening demo free on Steam (3 September 2020, $29.99 on Windows).

Both ULTRAKILL and Iron Curtain Call reward aggressive close range combat with instant health.

Developer
Arsi "Hakita" Patala
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Early Access since
3 September 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$29.99
Demo
Yes, free

CULTIC

Free Steam demo · {p:cultic} full

Play it if: you want a free opening chapter of a crunchy 1990s horror shooter.

Jasozz Games and 3D Realms offer a free Steam demo for CULTIC (13 October 2022, $9.99 on Windows).

CULTIC is gritty folk horror; Iron Curtain Call is 1930s rubber hose slapstick.

Developer
Jasozz Games
Publisher
3D Realms
Released
13 October 2022
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$9.99
Demo
Yes, free

HROT

Free Steam demo · {p:hrot} full

Play it if: you want a free Cold War retro shooter demo that runs on any low end PC.

Spytihněv offers a free opening demo of HROT (16 May 2023, $19.99 on Windows).

HROT and Iron Curtain Call both lampoon Cold War absurdity as solo developed single player shooters.

Developer and publisher
Spytihněv
Released
16 May 2023
On Steam
Windows (demo: Windows)
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

AMID EVIL

Free Steam demo · {p:amidevil} full

Play it if: you want a free fantasy boomer shooter demo with magical staffs and non Euclidean temples.

Indefatigable and New Blood Interactive offer a free Steam demo for AMID EVIL (20 June 2019, $19.99 on Windows).

AMID EVIL is high fantasy; Iron Curtain Call is 1965 cartoon noir.

Developer
Indefatigable
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Released
20 June 2019
On Steam
Windows (demo: Windows)
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

Prey

Free Steam demo · {p:prey} full

Play it if: you want a full free opening hour of a slow burn sci fi immersive sim.

Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks offer a free opening demo of Prey (4 May 2017, $29.99 on Windows) on Steam.

Prey is an open ended space station sim; Iron Curtain Call is a fast linear arcade shooter.

Developer
Arkane Studios
Publisher
Bethesda Softworks
Released
4 May 2017
On Steam
Windows (demo: Windows)
US list price
$29.99
Demo
Yes, free
Questions

Questions players ask about free single player FPS games

Are there any free FPS games on Steam that are single player, not multiplayer?

Yes. Cry of Fear and SCORCH are completely free standalone single player shooters on Steam, and Iron Curtain Call, Half-Life 2, ULTRAKILL, CULTIC, HROT, AMID EVIL and Prey all have free single player campaign demos you can play offline.

Do I need an account or an internet connection after downloading these solo demos?

No. Once downloaded through Steam, single player demos like Iron Curtain Call’s Mission 1 run locally on your machine with no matchmaking server required. And if you want zero install at all, Iron Curtain Call: 60 Seconds of War runs in your browser tab.

Which free single player FPS demos work on Mac and Linux?

Iron Curtain Call’s free Mission 1 demo runs natively on Windows, macOS and Linux, and Half-Life 2 runs on Windows and Linux.

What PC and indie games are coming out in 2027?

More than one page can hold: Steam shows a lot of PC and indie games with a 2027 date, and dates keep moving. What we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026 are the shooters and the Mac action games, in two dated lists: upcoming FPS games and upcoming Mac games. Iron Curtain Call, our own cartoon noir shooter, is due 11 March 2027 on Windows and macOS, and its free demo is on Steam now.

What games release on 11 March 2027?

Among the shooters we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026: Blood of Rations (11 March 2027) and Iron Curtain Call (My game, 11 March 2027). We only checked shooters, so this is not the full set for that day; Steam’s own Coming Soon page has the rest.

What is a good new single player FPS I can play for free right now?

Iron Curtain Call has a free demo on Steam (Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutes) and a free 60 second browser trial with no download. It is a single player cartoon noir shooter, and it is our game, so weigh that. For other free shooters, our list of free FPS demos on Steam holds the best rated ones.

Sources

Every release date, list price, platform and demo status on this page was read from these US Steam store pages and reference articles on 8 November 2026.

  1. Iron Curtain Call, Steam store page
  2. Cry of Fear, Steam store page
  3. SCORCH, Steam store page
  4. Half-Life 2, Steam store page
  5. ULTRAKILL, Steam store page
  6. CULTIC, Steam store page
  7. HROT, Steam store page
  8. AMID EVIL, Steam store page
  9. Prey, Steam store page
  10. Single player video game, Wikipedia
  11. Cry of Fear, Wikipedia
  12. Half-Life 2, Wikipedia
  13. Ultrakill, Wikipedia
  14. Cultic (video game), Wikipedia
  15. Amid Evil, Wikipedia
  16. Prey (2017 video game), Wikipedia
  17. Game demo, Wikipedia

Zero multiplayer, zero cost: play Mission 1 free tonight.

Download the free single player Mission 1 demo of Iron Curtain Call on Steam for Windows, macOS and Linux, or play 60 seconds in your browser.

Play the free Steam demoWishlist on SteamPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download