Free games like Upstream
Below are 8 free-to-play Steam games similar to Upstream, ranked by player overlap and content similarity. No purchase or Steam login required to view the list. Every pick is a full free-to-play title — not a demo, trial, or time-limited giveaway. imho.run's catalogue refreshes daily, so newly free or newly popular titles surface here without manual editing.
Want the full alternatives list (paid + free + Steam Deck + cheaper picks)? See the parent games like Upstream page.
Ranked picks
- 1
The Looker
Free-to-play alternative to Upstream — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie with Upstream.
You wake up, alone, on a strangely familiar island full of puzzles that will frustrate and annoy you.
- 2
Sheepy: A Short Adventure
Free-to-play alternative to Upstream — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Adventure with Upstream.
A Short Handcrafted Pixel Art Platformer that follows Sheepy, an abandoned plushy brought to life. Sheepy: A Short Adventure is the first short game from MrSuicideSheep.
- 3
Grimm's Hollow
Free-to-play alternative to Upstream — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Adventure with Upstream.
A spooky, freeware RPG where you search the afterlife for your brother. Reap ghosts with your scythe, explore haunted caves, and eat ghostly treats on your journey through death.
- 4
![UNBEATABLE [white label] — Steam game cover](https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/1290490/header.jpg?t=1736770503)
UNBEATABLE [white label]
Free-to-play alternative to Upstream — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Adventure with Upstream.
A young girl learns a song. An exclusive side-story set in the world of D-CELL GAMES' upcoming rhythm-adventure.
- 5
Coloring Pixels
Free-to-play alternative to Upstream — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Casual with Upstream.
A relaxing coloring by numbers game. Enjoy completing a variety of images with differing themes, complexity, and sizes.
- 6
Paper Lily - Chapter 1
Free-to-play alternative to Upstream — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Adventure with Upstream.
Paper Lily is an RPG horror game in which you can solve puzzles in different ways. Explore a hidden world, meet strange characters, and guide Lacie as she attempts to find answers about her unusual condition.
- 7
An Arcade Full of Cats
Free-to-play alternative to Upstream — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Casual with Upstream.
Journey through gaming history's time and space, while searching for adorable feline companions in 'An Arcade Full of Cats,' the ultimate pet'em up hidden object game.
- 8
Control, I'm Not Coming Back
Free-to-play alternative to Upstream — no purchase or trial window. Shares Indie and Adventure with Upstream.
Control, I'm Not Coming Back is a short and emotional narrative game about a lost astronaut searching for a reason to keep going forward while facing the emptiness of space. Inspired by the Hopecore aesthetic, it’s a story about positivism, friendship and our human connection with Voyager 1.