Nobody has explained it, but 22 games now cost nothing.
The offer is live on Steam today. Most free games on the store come with a cash shop attached. This one has none.
It’s called Cartomancy Anthology, a group project funded with $30,000 raised on Kickstarter. Inside are 22 separate games, each made by a different studio and linked by a common tarot theme. The collection came out on Steam and itch.io in 2022 and was priced at $24.99 until very recently. Then the price fell by 100% with no warning, and it’s staying there.
A tarot deck split between 22 studios
Each game in Cartomancy Anthology stands on its own. None of them are filler minigames stuck in a menu to pad things out. All 22 are complete games with their own hooks, and any one of them could swallow a few evenings if you let it.
UFO 50 is the nearest comparison. It launched to critical acclaim in 2024, and if it ate a chunk of your life, you’ll get why a collection with different rules in every entry is appealing.
The people who played it liked it. Cartomancy Anthology sits at 94% positive on Steam, which is a strong score for any release and an even better one for an experimental indie anthology that most people never heard of.
No catch that anyone has found
A free game on Steam usually comes with a condition. Sometimes the publisher is celebrating an anniversary. Sometimes microtransactions fund the game, and the free download is just the way into the store.
Neither applies here as far as anyone can see. No microtransactions have been added after launch, and there’s no strange cash shop. You get the complete package with all 22 original games, at no cost.
The only thing missing is a reason. No update has explained why Cartomancy Anthology went free, which makes the surprise pleasant and a little odd.
The console release that never came
At one point the project had bigger ambitions. The campaign fell short of the money needed for console ports, so Cartomancy Anthology stayed on PC. That limits who can play it, and it’s the reason a free price could make a difference: far more people may finally try it.
The giveaway also follows a decent stretch of free Steam games. The previous group included a competitive first-person shooter with a retro PlayStation look and an emotional narrative game with a twist. Most recent freebies have been small indies with big ambitions, or games built on one sticky idea that lasts a few hours. Cartomancy Anthology has 22 ideas.
How to claim it
Head to the Cartomancy Anthology Steam store page and download it. It’s also free on its itch.io page if you prefer that store.
Whichever you pick, the game stays in your library permanently. There’s no deadline, so take your time: draw a card, play one game, then come back next week for another. After the first, 21 are still waiting.