Forge of the Fae just dropped a free Steam demo, and it does a rare thing well: it mixes classic JRPG combat with a Celtic steampunk world where every rune stitches into a piston. Anyone who finishes the demo is going to want more of the aesthetic, and the good news is the genre has quietly built up a real library. The best steampunk RPG games on desktop go deep on airships, boilers, gaslamps, and the moral weight of a world that never quite left the industrial revolution.
We looked at seven RPGs and RPG-adjacent games on Steam that ship a steampunk world and reward the same “sit down, read a bit, plan the next move” pacing Forge of the Fae’s demo does. Some are classic turn-based, some are exploration-heavy, all of them will feel at home in a stack next to Forge of the Fae.
What to look for in a steampunk RPG
The genre spans a wide range of gameplay. Watch for these before installing.
- A world that treats steam and clockwork as design decisions, not decoration.
- Written text that carries weight, not filler.
- Meaningful choice with consequence rather than a menu of side quests.
- Combat that is deliberate rather than reflex-heavy.
- A save system that respects long sessions.
- Steam Deck support for handheld reading time.
Quick comparison table
| Game | Best for | Playtime | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunless Sea | Story-driven survival exploration | Long | Around twenty dollars | Zubmariner DLC deep dive |
| Sunless Skies | Steampunk locomotive across skies | Long | Around twenty-five dollars | Sovereign Edition polish |
| 80 Days | Verne-inspired travel narrative | Short-medium | Around ten dollars | Route planning as story |
| SteamWorld Quest | Turn-based card RPG | Medium | Around twenty-five dollars | Card synergies |
| Curious Expedition 2 | Steampunk roguelike expeditions | Medium | Around twenty dollars | Random expeditions |
| Forge of the Fae | Celtic steampunk JRPG (demo now) | Demo | Free demo | Runic weapon crafting |
| The Long Journey Home | Sci-fi with steampunk aesthetic | Medium | Around thirty dollars | Procedural galaxy |
| Iron Harvest | Dieselpunk RTS with RPG hooks | Medium | Around forty dollars | 1920s alt-history |
The games
1. Sunless Sea – Best for atmospheric survival storytelling
Sunless Sea is the Failbetter Games title that put the Fallen London universe on Steam. Captain a small steamship across a black underground ocean, keep the crew’s morale up, avoid the terrors that live in the dark. Every port is a written encounter with real weight.
Where it falls short: the pacing is deliberate. Anyone chasing action bounces off.
Pricing:
- Around twenty dollars.
- The Zubmariner DLC is essential and often bundled.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Steam.
Bottom line: the foundation of the modern steampunk RPG library.
2. Sunless Skies – Best for the sequel with a bigger world
Sunless Skies takes Failbetter’s world to a solar system where sky-trains carry passengers between rocks that hang in a warped sky. The Sovereign Edition rebalanced combat and pacing after the initial release. Same writing pedigree as Sunless Sea, with a broader menu of stories.
Where it falls short: the transit time between ports can drag on lower difficulty.
Pricing:
- Around twenty-five dollars.
- Regular deep sales.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Steam.
Bottom line: if Sunless Sea landed, this is the second course.
3. 80 Days – Best for verse-quality writing in a shorter package
80 Days is the Meg Jayanth and inkle title based on the Verne novel. Plan a route around a steampunk Earth, negotiate luggage weight against opportunity, and pick which stories to chase across cities.
Where it falls short: it is more interactive fiction than combat RPG. Anyone expecting battles will be disappointed.
Pricing:
- Around ten dollars.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
Download: Steam.
Bottom line: the short, brilliant one to slot between longer runs.
4. SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech – Best for turn-based card RPG combat
SteamWorld Quest is Thunderful’s card-based RPG in the SteamWorld universe. Combat is deck-building, the party dynamic gives each character a signature spread, and the world runs on gears and boilers.
Where it falls short: the story is lighter than Failbetter’s, and card synergies do most of the heavy lifting late.
Pricing:
- Around twenty-five dollars.
- Frequent sales.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: Steam.
Bottom line: the pick when card-based combat and steampunk both matter.
5. Curious Expedition 2 – Best for steampunk roguelike expeditions
Curious Expedition 2 sends a Victorian-era explorer into procedurally generated island expeditions. Each run is short, tense, and full of ethical choices about the peoples we meet and the artifacts we take.
Where it falls short: the roguelike structure means losing a run to bad RNG.
Pricing:
- Around twenty dollars.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Download: Steam.
Bottom line: the pick when we want twenty-minute expeditions instead of twenty-hour campaigns.
6. Forge of the Fae – Best for Celtic steampunk (demo now)
Forge of the Fae is the new indie the story leans on. Its Steam demo is free, and the JRPG combat plus rune-forged weapons captures a Celtic take on steampunk that the other games on this list do not.
Where it falls short: the full game is not out yet. The demo caps the story after a few hours.
Pricing:
- Free demo.
- Full release TBD.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: Steam (search “Forge of the Fae”).
Bottom line: the reason we made this list. Try the demo first.
7. The Long Journey Home – Best for sci-fi with steampunk sensibilities
The Long Journey Home puts a small crew in a bespoke starship built like a brass-and-copper contraption. The tone is more sci-fi than pure steampunk, but the ship management and encounter writing hit the same notes as Sunless Sea.
Where it falls short: the difficulty spikes are punishing; expect to save-scum.
Pricing:
- Around thirty dollars.
- Frequent sales.
Platforms: Windows.
Download: Steam.
Bottom line: the pick when the aesthetic reads sci-fi steampunk instead of Victorian.
How to pick the right one
- If Forge of the Fae’s demo left us hungry: Sunless Sea and SteamWorld Quest are the closest structural matches.
- If the writing carries the game: Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, and 80 Days.
- If combat matters more than the writing: SteamWorld Quest.
- If shorter sessions fit better: 80 Days or Curious Expedition 2.
- If we already finished the Failbetter catalog: The Long Journey Home stretches the aesthetic.
- If dieselpunk squints into steampunk: Iron Harvest.
- Skip any of these if we want realtime action combat. The steampunk RPG genre lives on pacing.
FAQ
When does Forge of the Fae fully release? The developer has not announced a public date. The demo is live on Steam.
Which of these games works well on Steam Deck? Sunless Sea, Sunless Skies, 80 Days, and SteamWorld Quest all run well on Deck.
Is Sunless Skies better than Sunless Sea? They tell different stories. Skies is more polished after Sovereign Edition; Sea has the tighter atmosphere.
Is there a free option on this list besides the Forge of the Fae demo? Not on Steam directly. 80 Days sometimes goes free on mobile stores.
Are any of these multiplayer? Iron Harvest supports skirmish multiplayer. The others are single-player.
