Moonlighter, the popular dungeon-crawling shopkeeping game, is currently free to claim on Steam for a limited time.

Digital Sun and 11 bit studios have dropped the price of Moonlighter to zero dollars as part of a promotion celebrating the upcoming release of Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault. Players can add the original game to their Steam libraries for free until August 9, after which the normal price will return.

Moonlighter combines two very different gameplay loops. During the day, players run a shop in the small town of Rynoka, displaying and selling treasures recovered from dangerous dungeons. Players need to figure out how much customers are willing to pay for everything from weapons and armor to magical artifacts.

At night, the focus shifts toward dungeon exploration. Players venture into procedurally generated areas, battle enemies, collect valuable loot, and take on increasingly difficult bosses. Anything that survives the journey back to town can then become inventory for the shop.

The result is a hybrid of management simulation and roguelite action, with elements reminiscent of games such as Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale. While the dungeon crawling provides the action, the shopkeeping mechanics give Moonlighter much of its personality, particularly as players learn what the residents of Rynoka are willing to buy.

The free promotion arrives ahead of Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, which is currently available in Early Access and is scheduled to reach its full 1.0 release on September 2.

The sequel expands on the original formula while introducing several major changes. Combat is now presented from an isometric perspective, with the developers drawing inspiration from games such as Hades. The town of Tresna also plays a much bigger role, with players able to develop relationships with its residents.

Moonlighter 2 also changes how dungeon exploration works. Instead of relying primarily on the first game's Binding of Isaac-style dungeon structure, the sequel incorporates a node-based system influenced by games such as FTL and Slay the Spire.

Despite those changes, the sequel retains the original's combination of dungeon exploration, shopkeeping, and town development, while adding more opportunities to interact with the characters around the player.

Anyone curious about Moonlighter 2 can also try its demo through the game's Steam page. But if you've never played the original, there's little reason not to grab it while it's completely free.