UPDATE: 5/5/22 MOB Games has now confirmed Poppy Playtime is free to download on Steam. The game will remain free forever. Original story as follows.

The immensely popular indie horror game Poppy Playtime is now available for free on Steam, likely in celebration of the release date of Poppy Playtime Chapter 2. The title, from MOB Games, found success in part thanks to viral videos and YouTube Let's Plays, which have seen a host of popular streamers and content creators terrified by their time at Playtime Co.

Poppy Playtime follows in the footsteps of iconic horror franchises including Five Nights at Freddy's and Bendy and the Ink Machine. Seemingly taking inspiration from both, the title revamps innocent-looking characters into menacing and terrifying creatures that players must escape from. The game's first chapter featured antagonist Huggy Wuggy, and it seems that Chapter 2 has its own new villain in the form of Mommy Long Legs. The latest chapter of the game launches today, May 5, but fan theories about Poppy Playtime's Mommy have been circulating for some time now.

Related: Poppy Playtime: Coolest Huggy Wuggy Merch

Those curious to play Poppy Playtime for themselves can now grab the game on Steam for free. While Poppy Playtime is usually sold for $4.99, the Steam page is currently showing the game is now available to download and play without cost. This has likely been done to bolster interest in the new Chapter 2, which will be available as DLC for the base game sometime later today. However, MOB Games has yet to formally announce Poppy Playtime's change in price, which could potentially mean it's an error as Chapter 2 prepares to go live. At the time of writing, the game is showing as "Free to Play."

Poppy Playtime Free on Steam

While the game being free to play is good news for those who've not yet tried it out for themselves, it could cause frustrations for those who paid the initial $4.99 for Poppy Playtime. While it's not uncommon for companies to decide to change their game prices, it can leave a bitter taste in the mouths of players who consider themselves to have lost out in paying money for the game. As MOB Games hasn't formally announced Poppy Playtime is now free, it's very possible this has been done in error, and could potentially be related to the launch of Poppy Playtime Chapter 2. While the game DLC will release today, Chapter 2 doesn't have a Steam price tag yet, but many believe it could be free DLC for those who own the base game.

Players who've already paid to have the base Poppy Playtime in their Steam library might be disappointed in the news, but if the new price of free isn't an error, it's very possible these users will be compensated in some way. When games like Rocket League went free-to-play, those who'd previously purchased the title were gifted in-game rewards. While that's fairly easy to do in a live service game, it remains to be seen how exactly that might work in the single-player survival horror of Poppy Playtime.

Next: Poppy Playtime's Story Won't Be Ruined By Its Movie Version

Source: PoppyPlaytime/Steam