Octodad (Student Edition)
Released Apr 2023
You are Octodad, a dapper octopus masquerading as a human, as he goes about a day of his life. His existence is a constant struggle, as he must master mundane tasks with his unwieldy boneless tentacles while simultaneously keeping his cephalopodan nature a secret from his human family!
92% positive · 154 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Where to get it
Free on Steam
Evaluation
Octodad (Student Edition) is a free release of the original student game made by DePaul University students before Young Horses was founded. The store description is explicit: this is a finished historical artifact — a 35-45 minute game originally created to enter the Independent Games Festival in 2010. Young Horses released it on Steam in April 2023 as part of their "Free Range" initiative for smaller side projects. The description directly points players to the fully complete commercial sequel, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, for a fuller experience. There is no post-launch update activity, no DLC, no announced future content, and the game was never designed to receive any — it is a preserved student project shipped as a complete, unchanging package.
Evidence
Store description explicitly identifies this as the original 2010 student project, describes it as a fixed 35-45 minute experience with 6 levels, and frames it as a historical release under the 'Free Range' initiative for side projects. No future content is referenced.
Game is free-to-play with no DLC listings, no season pass, and no monetized content structure of any kind.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Young Horses
Achievements
—
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player
About this game
(This is the original free student project. The fully complete Octodad: Dadliest Catch can also be purchased on Steam.)
Octodad is a third person adventure game about destruction, deception, and fatherhood. The player controls Octodad, a dapper octopus masquerading as a human, as he goes about a day of his life. His existence is a constant struggle, as he must master mundane tasks with his unwieldy boneless tentacles while simultaneously keeping his cephalopodan nature a secret from his human family.
The player controls Octodad like a marionette, dragging his arms and legs around while his body flops along. The player’s goals are often simple household chores made difficult and interesting by the flailing, tenuous control they have over Octodad’s body.
Being an octopus also has its strengths. Octodad can slip through tight spaces, grab objects with his suckers, and knock things around with tremendous strength. But if the player does things too out-of-the-ordinary, Octodad’s family will grow suspicious and realize what he really is. If they do, it’s game over for Octodad!
Octodad: Student Edition is part of Young Horses: Free Range, where we collect our smaller side projects and release them for free!
This is the game that started it all! Octodad was made before the founding of Young Horses by a group of students at DePaul University. Our goal was to enter the Independent Games Festival in 2010 (we did enter, but we didn't win). Octodad made a big enough splash that we decided to take our chances and start a company to develop a commercial sequel!
So give it a try! It's free, so there's only so disappointed you can be!
Octodad is a third person adventure game about destruction, deception, and fatherhood. The player controls Octodad, a dapper octopus masquerading as a human, as he goes about a day of his life. His existence is a constant struggle, as he must master mundane tasks with his unwieldy boneless tentacles while simultaneously keeping his cephalopodan nature a secret from his human family.
The player controls Octodad like a marionette, dragging his arms and legs around while his body flops along. The player’s goals are often simple household chores made difficult and interesting by the flailing, tenuous control they have over Octodad’s body.
Being an octopus also has its strengths. Octodad can slip through tight spaces, grab objects with his suckers, and knock things around with tremendous strength. But if the player does things too out-of-the-ordinary, Octodad’s family will grow suspicious and realize what he really is. If they do, it’s game over for Octodad!
FEATURES:
- 6 levels full of comedic failure!
- 3 family members to deceive!
- Roughly 35-45 minutes of gameplay!
- One very non-canonical ending!
WHY DID WE MAKE THIS?
Octodad: Student Edition is part of Young Horses: Free Range, where we collect our smaller side projects and release them for free!
This is the game that started it all! Octodad was made before the founding of Young Horses by a group of students at DePaul University. Our goal was to enter the Independent Games Festival in 2010 (we did enter, but we didn't win). Octodad made a big enough splash that we decided to take our chances and start a company to develop a commercial sequel!
So give it a try! It's free, so there's only so disappointed you can be!
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 21, 2026
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