Gleam City goes dark. People are disappearing from its streets. Something is hanging in the sky that shouldn’t be there, and you have one old rifle to face it with.
That’s the premise of Radiant Exodus, a first-person survival horror shooter you can pick up on Steam right now for nothing. The free period has an end date: on November 17 the game returns to a paid model, so if it sounds like your sort of evening, claim it before then.
Free for now, paid again soon
Radiant Exodus was developed and published by Horrawr. It came out on May 24, 2025, priced at $4.99. In August this year the developers dropped the price to zero so more players would try it, and a recent announcement confirmed that the free access stops in November.
Horrawr hasn’t announced a price for after November 17. Going back to roughly the original $5 would make sense, but that’s only a guess. A demo is available if you’d like to try before committing, which is a strange option when the full game and the demo cost exactly the same: zero.
A soldier, a missing father and an experiment gone bad
The player character is Sarah Caldwell, a former soldier pulled into the chaos after mysterious lights appear above Gleam City and things fall apart. The streets become dangerous and people vanish. What starts as a search for her missing father becomes a struggle to survive.
The cause of it all is the Exodus Project, an experiment that set out to make stronger humans and build a better future. It failed horribly, and it’s now linked to the catastrophe unfolding around Sarah.
You’ll make your way through the wrecked city, take on hostile enemies and assemble the mystery from notes, transmissions and other items you collect. This isn’t a huge open world. Radiant Exodus is a linear, single-player action horror shooter: a straightforward campaign of combat, exploration and story.
What players are saying (and what they aren’t)
On Steam the game holds a “Very Positive” rating, with 88% of 52 reviewers recommending it. Players described it as short and sweet, with good mechanics and few bugs.
Part of that goodwill comes from the price, though. Some reviews suggest the fact that it’s free is a big part of the appeal, and a few players felt $5 could be too much for a game you can complete in an hour or less. With only 52 reviews, the 88% figure is encouraging and not much more.
The decision is still simple. If first-person shooters with horror elements, scarce resources and a story-driven campaign appeal to you, the cost is an hour of your evening and no money. The offer lasts until November 17.