In one, a plane crash leaves you stuck in the middle of the Pacific. In the other, you’re fighting a war with tanks and fighter jets. Until October 19, you can play both on Steam without paying anything.
Stranded Deep and Battlefield 6 are free to play on Steam this weekend, but only for a limited time. If either has been on your wishlist for a while, you can now try it out before you spend any money.
Stranded with no way to call for help
Stranded Deep opens with a mysterious plane crash that leaves you alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. No rescue is coming. To stay alive, you’ll need to find supplies, craft tools, gather food and put up a shelter.
Building shelter is only the first job. You also have to keep hunger, thirst and exposure under control while you explore islands and search underwater spots for useful resources. Dangerous wildlife and the risk of running out of supplies make every trip away from camp a gamble.
You can play alone, but you don’t have to. Stranded Deep supports solo play and co-op with a friend, so you can bring a partner if surviving solo sounds like too much.
According to the official Steam store page, Stranded Deep is free to play until October 19 at 10 a.m. PT. It’s also 60% off during the promotion, so it costs $7.99 if you decide to buy it after trying it.
The timing works out well. On October 15, the developer posted an update on Stranded Deep 2 that covered its desert environment and wildlife. If you’re interested in the sequel, you can add it to your Steam wishlist now.
Rather fight than gather coconuts?
If so, try Battlefield 6. The military shooter launched in 2025, and its battles mix infantry, tanks, fighter jets and a range of modern weapons.
It’s nothing like Stranded Deep. Battlefield 6 is about fast-paced combat on large and unique battlefields. Multiplayer has several modes to fight in, and Battlefield Portal gives you more ways to experiment with the game’s maps and gameplay.
The Battlefield 6 free trial runs from October 15 through October 19. The publisher’s official access guide says the trial gives you the full game, including all available game modes, events and Battlefield Portal. If it has sat on your wishlist forever because you didn’t want to pay without trying it, this offer is worth taking.
It’s on sale as well. If you buy it after the trial, you’ll get 60% off, which brings the price down to $27.99.
How to start playing before time runs out
Open the official Steam store page for either game, sign in to your Steam account and choose the play for free option to install it. Both free play periods end on October 19, so download early. If you wait until the last minute, you won’t have any time left to play.
Battlefield 6 has one extra requirement: you’ll need an EA account linked to Steam and a persistent internet connection.
Keep in mind that these are free-play offers, so you don’t get to keep the games. When the promotions end, you lose access to the full versions unless you buy them. The one exception is Battlefield REDSEC, which remains its own separate free-to-play game.