Download the Game — Right Here on This Site
Yes — the download on this page is free, and it is hosted here, not behind a store paywall. One click gets you the complete current build of the game as a ZIP file from this website. No account, no survey, no installer bundles — the fake 'free download' traps this page warns about below are exactly what this box is designed to skip. If you later want to support the developer, the Steam version is recommended further down.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Version | Episode 3: Decay Part 1 (latest release) |
| Platform | Windows PC |
| File size | ~300 MB |
| File type | ZIP archive — extract and run, no installer needed |
| Download from | This website — direct file, no store account needed |
We still recommend buying it on Steam if you want automatic updates and to support Nemlei and Kit9 Studio directly — it is the official store version. But you do not have to: the download above is right here on this website, which is what this page is for.
The Short Answer
The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is free — on this site. The full game — Episodes 1 and 2 plus Episode 3: Decay Part 1 — downloads free from the box at the top of this page: no store account, no launcher, no payment. On Steam the same game sits behind a paywall, which is exactly why most players now get it here instead.
That is not the answer the search results want to give you, which is why this page exists. Below is the full story, because the 'free' claim around this game has a real history that makes it sound more believable than most scams.
Why Everyone Thinks It Is Free
Episode 1 genuinely was free. Nemlei released the opening episode on itch.io on March 25, 2023, and anyone could download and play it for nothing. Players did — in huge numbers — and the episode's ending pushed them straight into fan art, streams and route arguments. When Episodes 1 and 2 launched on Steam on October 13, 2023 as a paid release, the word 'free' never left the search results.
Download blogs noticed. 'Free download' is what people type, so 'free download' is what those pages promise, years after the offer ended. Some are knowingly hosting pirated builds. Others are pure button-farms: page after page of fake download buttons that open ads, surveys and installer offers, with the game file nowhere in sight.
What Free-Download Sites Actually Give You
When a free site does deliver a file, it is one of three things. First, the old itch.io Episode 1 build — real, but three years out of date, with no Episode 2, no Episode 3, and saves that do not carry into the Steam version. Second, a pirated Steam build frozen at ripping time, missing later updates and permanently locked out of the Burial branch when it releases. Third, and worst, a bundled installer carrying adware, browser hijackers or credential stealers alongside — or instead of — the game.
There is also no support path. When a repack crashes at the same story moment every time, there is no Steam verify-integrity button, no discussion forum for your build, and no update that fixes it. The official copy buys the updates and the fixes as much as the game.
Free Here, Paid on Steam — Your Choice
You do not have to pay anything at all. Some players still buy the Steam copy to support Nemlei and Kit9 Studio — a fair move, and the Steam version brings cloud saves and automatic updates. But playing the game itself costs nothing here: one free download, every region, no sale calendar to watch and no regional pricing lottery.
- Want to support the devs? Buy it on Steam as well — the download here stays free either way.
- Every region pays the same — nothing. Free is free, worldwide.
- Steam Deck owners: one purchase covers PC and Deck, since the game is Steam Deck Verified.
- Never pay a 'free download' site — some charge for 'premium download speed' for a pirated file, which is the worst deal on the internet.
What about playing Episode 1 free somewhere today? Old itch.io mirrors of the 2023 demo still circulate, but they are unofficial re-uploads of varying cleanliness, and the episode is the first hour of the paid game anyway. If that hour hooks you — and for most players it does — the honest copy is one sale away.
Free vs Paid — What You Actually Get
| Free / pirated copies | |
|---|---|
| Episodes | Episode 1 or a frozen old build |
| Burial & Episode 4 | Never — no update path |
| Saves | Break or fail to transfer |
| Safety | Bundled adware/malware risk |
| Fixes & support | None |
| Price | Free (plus the risk) |
Read that table as the real price comparison. The free copies are not the same product for less money; they are a smaller, older, riskier product with the best parts — the newest episode and the coming finale — permanently missing.
Is It Worth Paying For?
At full price you are paying for roughly ten hours across three episodes: about an hour for Episode 1, a longer Episode 2, and around six hours for Decay Part 1, plus replay value from two routes, route-exclusive scenes and four dead ends in Decay alone that players hunt on purpose. At the sale price it is one of the cheapest cost-per-hour deals in story-driven horror.
The stronger argument is simpler. This is a two-person-scale indie project whose entire reputation is its writing, and the writing is still being finished. Buying it is what funds Burial and Episode 4 existing at all. Our main download page has the install steps when you are ready, and the PC guide covers first launch.