Pico Park’s Classic Edition Goes Permanently Free on Steam—By Accident

Pico Park: Classic Edition, the chaotic 10-player co-op platformer that’s won over players since 2016, is now permanently free on Steam. Not as an act of extraordinary generosity, but because its developer, Tecopark, tripped over one of Steam’s lesser-known developer rules: if you make a paid game free, you’ll never be able to charge for it again.

Tecopark had actually planned to put a small price tag on Pico Park: Classic Edition after a big update. That plan backfired, and now, for PC gamers, this co-op gem has become a free-for-all, forever.

How a Simple Update Made Pico Park Free Forever

This unwitting turn of events started with a burst of inspiration from Tecopark. In August, the developer posted, “I’m thinking of updating Classic Edition for the first time in nine years. I kept Classic Edition because it’s Steam-exclusive and supports 10 players. Since I’m doing it anyway, I’ll update it with online support. I might charge a small fee for it. I recommend installing it while it’s still free.”

By mid-September, the promised update arrived: online multiplayer for two to ten players, improved graphics to bring it up to par with newer Pico Park games, full Steam Input support, and smoother play on 60Hz+ monitors. These were significant upgrades, and the plan was to keep it free “about a week” before asking for payment again.

But here’s the catch, something even seasoned devs forget. Once you switch a paid Steam game to free, Steam won’t let you flip it back. Tecopark admitted on X (formerly Twitter): “I forgot that once you switch from paid to free, I can never go back to paid.” With that, Pico Park: Classic Edition was locked in as permanently free.

Rather than wallow in regret, the developer shrugged it off with class: “If you enjoy playing this free version, be sure to try the series (Pico Park, Pico Park 2) too.”

Steam専用「PICO PARK:Classic Edtion(2016年)」は永久に無料だよ！https://t.co/MVs2BKQPeP

アプデして有料に戻そうとしたけど、有料から無料にしたら二度と有料に戻せないことを忘れてたよ！凹

この無料版を遊んで楽しかったらシリーズも遊んでみてね。これだけ10人で遊べるのも変だね凹… pic.twitter.com/FyxKH2ttWD

— PICO PARK / ピコパーク (@picoparkgame) October 5, 2025

Pico Park’s Charm and What’s Next for the Series

If you haven’t tried Pico Park: Classic Edition, here’s what you’re in for: cooperative platforming chaos with up to ten players. Every level is a puzzle that demands teamwork, communication, and probably more than a few friendly arguments as you work together to stack, push, and outsmart the game and each other.

The Steam reviews back it up; the game has a 74% Mostly Positive rating. The new online support means you can wrangle friends (or strangers) into the organised mayhem, no matter where they are.

Tecopark’s accidental move doesn’t mean Pico Park is standing still. At Kyoto’s BitSummit indie festival, players got hands-on with Pico Park 2 + Mouse Stage on Switch 2, a fresh chunk of downloadable content. This new mode throws in mouse-based controls for the Switch’s Joy-Con, think “Angry Birds but with far more gravity,” as described by those who played it at the event. The gameplay? Hold down the mouse button, pull back, and slingshot your little character around. Stack, slap switches, block lasers, and generally turn cooperative problem-solving into a shouting match. If you’re craving the funky multiplayer charm of something like Snipperclips, this is the next big contender.

No price hike or special promotion is coming for Pico Park: Classic Edition. There’s no catch, no “for a limited time” disclaimer, no microtransactions lurking beneath the surface. It’s just free, forever, thanks to a simple slip in the Steam backend. So if you want in on the action, grab Pico Park: Classic Edition on Steam while you can. Sure, the developer admits it wasn’t the plan, but sometimes, the best things happen by accident.