Deal | Free-to-play online action-shooter with 87% rating is now getting delisted from Steam

The genre of asymmetrical horror has seen a lot of casualties lately, but a new announcement regarding Puppet Master: The Game has caught its dedicated community off guard. Developed by October Games and Full Moon Features, the free-to-play title is officially scheduled for removal from the Steam storefront on February 25, 2026. While the developers have not provided a specific reason for the delisting, they have confirmed that anyone who adds the free-to-play game to their library before the deadline will keep permanent access to the software and any previously purchased DLC.

The game gives players a surprisingly deep interpretation of the franchise, with four unique game modes including the 3-vs-1 "Thief COOP" and the 4-vs-4 "Puppet Wars". Unlike many of its peers, it has a lot of verticality-heavy elements; recent updates in late 2025 introduced retro-style "spiderweb" ladders and trap-door mechanics to the Underworld and Arcadia maps to increase hunting pressure against human opponents. The game currently holds a "Very Positive" 87% rating from over 1,300 reviews - long-time players praise its mechanical loyalty to characters like Blade and Six-Shooter. However, the 1.0 experience has seen a fair amount of friction - recent player feedback shows a trend we’ve seen with mobile-adjacent titles like Heartopia, where "polish" often feels secondary to the gameplay loop.

This delisting interestingly coincides with more "Free to Keep" activity on the platform. While Puppet Master is effectively becoming a permanent legacy item for those who act now, other titles like Crown Champion: Legends of the Arena and Battle Simulator: Counter Stickman are also 100% off until January 22. The dev team had even explored console ports and a Kickstarter campaign last year, though those plans were ultimately scrapped after the team felt they couldn't guarantee the scope of the project. For fans of the genre, the next 30 days is a final window to preserve a neat little piece of horror history before the strings are officially cut.

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