Pixel mining sim Steamworld Dig is free to keep right now, but act fast

Indie darling SteamWorld Dig is coming up on its 12th anniversary this August, but the metroidvania mining game is just as good as it was over a decade ago. If you're yet to add it to your library, now's the perfect time to do so, as SteamWorld Dig is free to keep on Steam - but not for long! You have until Thursday, June 26 to add SteamWorld Dig to your Steam library if you want to start your underground adventures in Tumbleton at no cost.

And if you want to keep the steampunk vibes going, you can also nab its follow-up, SteamWorld Heist, for a massive 90% off at $1.49 in the US and £1.13 in the UK, and its sequel, SteamWorld Dig 2, for a 94% discount at $1.19 / £0.92. But again, you've got to act fast, as both of these are also only on sale until Thursday, June 26.

For those unfamiliar with the original Steamworld Dig, the general gist is that you play as a steam-powered robot called Rusty who investigates the mines under the Western-themed Tumbletown, collecting resources, battling enemies, and solving puzzles along the way. It also features some procedural generation, making for a clever twist to the metroidvania formula, which is why it's still considered one of the best metroidvania games available.

Its follow-up, SteamWorld Heist, has more of a focus on action, featuring side-scrolling tactical shooter gameplay instead, where you control a crew of robot pirates in turn-based combat, XCOM-style. Then, SteamWorld Dig 2 returned to the mining roots of the original, refining and adding to the unique metroidvania formula of the original.

All three games sport a 'Very Positive' recent rating on Steam, with SteamWorld Dig 2 earning the coveted "Overwhelmingly Positive" badge for overall reviews. It's also the most critically acclaimed of the bunch, currently sitting at a Metacritic score of 88.

So, unless you have a real beef with steam-powered robots for some reason, there's no harm in at least adding SteamWorld Dig to your Steam library to see for yourself if it lives up to all the hype. You can download it here.

Remember, you only have until June 26 to claim it for free, so don't wait too long!

If you're a fan of the procedural generation in SteamWorld, then you might also want to check out the best roguelike games available right now, but if puzzles are more your thing, then check out our list of the best puzzle games on PC.

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