A realistic first-person puzzle game called Ellingboy House, which previously cost around $5 on Steam, has permanently dropped its price tag, allowing everyone to experience it for free. Steam’s free-to-keep promotions are popular among PC gamers, and while Ellingboy House isn’t part of one of those giveaways, it still lets players add the game to their libraries at no cost and keep it.
PC users have at least two games in Steam’s July free-to-keep lineup to look forward to: The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante and Yet Another Zombie Defense HD. However, neither promotion has a set start date yet, so it’s still unclear when they will go live. In the meantime, anyone looking for a fun free game on Steam can check out Ellingboy House, which recently became permanently free.
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Ellingboy House Used to Cost $4.99, Now It’s Free
Developer Jepfore Games announced on June 20 that its 2025 puzzler would switch from a paid title to a free-to-play game on Steam. According to SteamDB data, Ellingboy House originally launched with a $13.99 price tag before dropping to $4.99 and eventually becoming completely free. This isn’t a limited-time offer, either. As Jepfore Games explained on Steam, Ellingboy House will remain free on the platform indefinitely. Explaining the decision, the developer said, “We will be making Ellingboy House free to play on Steam to bring in more players and get more reviews.”
Ellingboy House Gameplay Features
First-person point-and-click puzzler
Lots of interactive objects
Realistic 3D graphics
Real-life-inspired British settings
Environmental storytelling
A detailed narrative intertwined with puzzles
As a point-and-click game, movement in Ellingboy House is handled by clicking on the area where the protagonist should go. The same applies to interacting with objects and solving puzzles. One notable aspect of the gameplay is that it offers very little guidance, so the pacing depends largely on how quickly players can understand the mechanics and figure out each puzzle. As for the story, Ellingboy House follows a tragic day in which people wake up to a “ransomware plague,” while also exploring themes of financial crisis and corporate corruption in a British setting.
On Steam, Ellingboy House has earned a 92% positive review score, although fewer than 100 users have rated it as of this writing. One of the game’s most common points of praise is the amount of content it offers, with many players considering it excellent value even when it cost $5. One fan wrote, “I paid for the game and feel I got more than my money’s worth.” Jepfore Games hopes that making Ellingboy House permanently free on Steam will encourage more players to try it and leave reviews.
Ellingboy House isn’t the only game to drop its price tag in July 2026. Recently, another Steam solo developer made their 2025 2D platformer permanently free as well. That game is called Greenhouse: Schism, and like Ellingboy House, it previously sold for around $5 but can now be added to players’ libraries at no cost. Meanwhile, at least two Steam games are set to be delisted soon, and anyone who claims them beforehand will get to keep them permanently. One is Glitched Out, a first-person horror game, while the other is The Lonely Helmet, a 2D retro-style platformer.
