Steam Now Offers 90-Minute Game Trials, Starting With Dead Space

Valve now offers Steam game trials, starting with 2023’s Dead Space remake. Previously, players could buy a game on the platform and then return it within a two-hour window, but this new trial feature makes things a bit easier for consumers.

It seems only Dead Space has a trial available on Steam right now, but the feature may come to other games later on. With Dead Space, you don’t need to purchase the game to play during the 90-minute trial period. The Dead Space trial isn’t restricted to a certain point in the game, allowing players to explore as much as they want within the 90-minute period.

Valve and other publishers are likely watching this new feature closely to see if it’s worth implementing across other games. The Dead Space remake is currently available for $48 on Steam. Game trials on Steam are noteworthy since recent PC ports of popular games such as The Last of Us Part I and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor have been poorly received, mainly due to performance issues.

Giving players a chance to try games first could alleviate some of the frustrations of poorly optimized PC games, though it’s unclear if Steam trials will become more ubiquitous.