Knight’s Empire, a roguelike tower-defense hybrid that launched back in 2024, has just had its price tag removed for good. Developer StarsCrew dropped the game’s $9.99 price on September 8, and it now sits at $0.00 on Steam for anyone who wants it.
Games going permanently free happens fairly often on Steam, and it’s easy to miss when it happens to a smaller title. Knight’s Empire isn’t the only recent example either – a retro-style platformer called Hayfever went free shortly before it, showing that this kind of pricing shift isn’t limited to one genre.
What You Actually Do in Knight’s Empire
The core loop is simple to describe: waves of enemies attack a kingdom, and you have to wipe them out before they deal permanent damage. Between waves, you control Knight, the protagonist, exploring the surrounding map to gather resources. Those resources let you expand your camp, upgrade Knight’s skills, or lay down traps for the next wave of invaders.
Build-Crafting and a Real Ending
Like most roguelikes, Knight’s Empire leans on a build-crafting system – you spend points to boost specific attributes and shape Knight into a stronger fighter for that particular run. You can also recruit allies during waves who fight alongside you and help defend the kingdom, which adds another layer to how each playthrough plays out.
Unlike a lot of endless roguelikes, this one actually has a finish line. If you collect enough resources across enough invasion rounds, you can secure a full victory instead of just surviving indefinitely.
Other Steam Games That Recently Turned Free
Knight’s Empire isn’t the only paid Steam game that recently dropped its price to zero. A few other examples worth knowing about:
- BlackColled Madala Force 2 – an indie first-person shooter set during a fictional World War 3, which once cost as much as $18
- Prismals – previously priced at $2.99
- Shadows of Memory 2 – previously priced at $7.99
Of that group, BlackColled Madala Force 2 stands out the most. It’s a rough-around-the-edges FPS, but its old-school feel could appeal to fans of earlier Call of Duty or Battlefield entries.
A Time-Limited Freebie Is Also Live
Separately from these permanent price drops, Steam is currently running a claim-to-keep giveaway for Crystal Crisis, a PvP fighting game where you take down opponents by solving Tetris-style, color-matching puzzles. The offer runs only until September 21, so anyone interested needs to claim it before that date to keep it for good.
If you like keeping tabs on free Steam offers, we’ve also covered For Honor becoming free to keep on PC, and there’s a free alpha demo currently available for Wo Long 2 ahead of its full launch. On top of that, Bayonetta is set to join another game’s roster as a free racer down the line.
FAQ
It’s a permanent price change. StarsCrew removed the price tag entirely on September 8, so the game stays free going forward rather than being a time-limited giveaway.
It combines roguelike and tower-defense elements. You defend a kingdom against wave-based enemy attacks while exploring between rounds to gather resources and improve your character.
Yes. Collecting enough resources across enough invasion rounds lets you achieve a full victory instead of playing indefinitely.
BlackColled Madala Force 2, Prismals, and Shadows of Memory 2 all dropped from paid pricing to free-to-play around the same time as Knight’s Empire.
Yes, Crystal Crisis is currently available to claim and keep for free on Steam, but that offer ends on September 21.