Horror Co-Op Game Content Warning Is A Surprise Hit Thanks To Free-To-Keep Promotion

The co-op horror game Content Warning is the latest independent title to climb the charts on Steam, thanks in part to a promotion that made the game free-to-own for 24 hours.

Content Warning launched on April 1. The game is free until 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET on April 2, after which the game will revert to its base asking price of $8. Content Warning is a riff on Lethal Company, another smash hit co-op horror game. Like Lethal Company, it tasks players with exploring strange environments and completing objectives while running from terrifying creatures. The primary twist is that players are content creators, recording themselves exploring and fleeing from horrors. If they survive and return, they can upload their footage to the game’s equivalent of YouTube, “SpookTube,” for fame and fortune.

Back at home base, the game’s aesthetic is cute and cuddly with bright colors. Even the game’s diver avatars have neon-colored helmets styled with emoji. Once players take their diving bell to the underground, they’ll find a sheer, dark, and monochrome world with plenty of terrors, both great and small.

According to a tweet from publisher Landfall Games, Content Warning hit over 100K active players and 4.5M owners within that first 24 hours. As of writing, the game sits at the sixth position on the Steam “most played” chart, has over 200K concurrent players, and got 8,865 reviews with an overall rating of “overwhelmingly positive.”