Gaming is an expensive hobby,
and demos aren’t as common as they once were. Do you really want to
drop $60 on a new game without trying it? What if you hate it? Retailers
probably won’t accept your opened copy, and many PC gamers exclusively
use digital distribution anyway. Thankfully, there is an entire class of
games that offer up countless hours of entertainment with absolutely no
upfront cost: Free games!
Free and free-to-play games are
plentiful, popular, and many of them are actually superb titles in their
own right. It’s true that most of them are designed to get you hooked,
and then extract your hard-earned cash through microtransactions, but is
that so bad? If you actually enjoy the game you’re playing, there isn’t
anything inherently wrong with paying the developer for more content.
After all, you at least know what you’re paying for with a free game.
The traditional sales model demands that you pay $60 upfront before you
even play the game, so I’d argue that this is a step in the right
direction even if it isn’t always handled tactfully.
That said,
there are a lot of bad games trying to get in on the free-to-play land
grab, so it’s a bit of a minefield out there. So, today I am going to
list off twenty of the very best free games on the PC to help you find
something you’ll really love. There’s a lot to cover, so follow along,
and something is bound to strike your fancy.
Of course, if we miss a game that you think should be on the list, leave a comment!
Dota 2
Based on the popular Warcraft III mod called Defense of the Ancients (DotA for short), Valve’s Dota 2
(pictured top) is a model free-to-play game. Without spending one red
cent, you get access to the entire gameplay experience. Of course, Valve
makes a tidy profit from selling cosmetic and ancillary items. The
Bellevue company is well-versed in the realm of free-to-play games, so
don’t be surprised if you find yourself buying new loot for this “free”
game once you’re hooked.
League of Legends
Just like Dota 2, League of Legends is a MOBA (multiplayer online batter arena) derived from the same Warcraft III
mod. However, the folks at Riot Games have a very different pricing
model than Valve’s. You can play a select number of characters for free,
but access to additional characters is going to cost you. Regardless of
the value proposition compared to other MOBAs, this game remains
insanely popular across the globe.
Diablo III
Blizzard is well known for creating some of the world’s best PC games, and now you can try them for free. Diablo III: Starter Edition
lets you get a taste of the full game without paying a dime. Just sign
up for a Battle.net account, and you’ll be able to level your character
up to 13 while enjoying some limited multiplayer matchmaking. It’s not
the entire Diablo experience, but you’ll get to see a hefty
portion of one of the most polished gameplay experiences on the market.
If you like it, you can upgrade to the full game for $40.
StarCraft II
StarCraft
is by far the most popular real-time strategy franchise in existence,
and now you can have a taste of the game at no cost. You’ll get to play
four single-player missions, have access to two challenges, and try out
custom battles against the AI. All of your progress is saved, and if you
spend the $20 to upgrade to the full game, you can pick up right where
you left off.
World of Warcraft
Ever since World of Warcraft
came out a decade ago, it has been the premiere massively multiplayer
online role-playing game (MMORPG). Now, you can play up to level 20
without paying Blizzard a dime. If you like what you play, you can buy
the full game for $20. However, you’ll need to pony up for a monthly
subscription as well, so keep that in mind before you buy in.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Maybe you prefer your MMORPG set in a sci-fi universe. If so, check out BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic.
All of the core content is free-to-play, but you pay for a higher tier
of service that will net you more currency and more perks. This game
isn’t as popular as World of Warcraft, but you can do a whole lot more with it before you need to pull out your wallet.
Team Fortress 2
Dota 2 isn’t Valve’s first free-to-play game — the house that Gordon built cut its F2P teeth on Team Fortress 2. Originally released as part of a bundle called The Orange Box, Valve made Team Fortress 2
free-to-play nearly four years after its original release. This
class-based shooter is now infamous for its item-based economy, and
maintains a surprisingly large user base. It is probably the best free
first-person shooter (FPS) available.
Path of Exile
If you liked the Diablo series, Path of Exile
is right up your alley. At its core, this is an action RPG mashed
together with a free-to-play business model. You walk around destroying
everything in your wake with blades, bows, and magic — paying for
aesthetic changes and convenience upgrades as you go. If you loved
Diablo 2, and weren’t so keen on the direction taken by Diablo 3, you
should check out POE.
Warframe
This
sci-fi third-person shooter from Digital Extremes has a lot to offer
for thrifty players. You can spend dozens of hours shooting and slashing
away with other players online, and you don’t have to invest anything
other than your time. Of course, you can spend real money on in-game
currency and items, but it’s definitely not necessary to have a good
time. Even better, it works surprisingly well on older systems, so
almost anyone with a dedicated graphics card can join in.
Firefall
This
open world shooter has been talked about extensively for years, but it
only released to the public in the last couple of months. Firefall
is something of a mash-up of a traditional MMORPG and a cooperative
shooter, so you can join up with your friends to take down everything
the game throws at you. As expected, in-game currency can be purchased
with cold hard cash, and exchanged for a variety of customizations.
Marvel Heroes
Marvel
characters and loot gathering: a match made in Valhalla. Pick from a
handful of free characters, and start clicking away on the hundreds of
baddies that stand between you and that sweet, sweet loot. If none of
the free characters strike your fancy, you can lay down some cash for
the character of your choosing, and pick out the costume that best fits
your style.
TrackMania Nations Forever
TrackMania
is designed around besting your friends on the leaderboards, and making
the craziest race tracks imaginable. You can play the entirety of the
stadium environment for free by downloading TrackMania Nations Forever. If you enjoy yourself, you can spend $30 to upgrade to TrackMania United Forever
with an additional six racing environments included. This game is
surprisingly fun in a simple, you-only-use-two-buttons-on-your-keyboard
way, especially if you play with friends (or make friends while
playing!)
Need for Speed World
If TrackMania is a little too crazy for your taste, check out EA’s free-to-play racing game. Need for Speed World
gives you the same kind of racing you’ve come to expect from the
franchise, but sells you everything piecemeal. You can race for free,
but you can buy new cars, refill your power-ups, and double your payouts
with real money.
Might & Magic: Duel of Champions
Do you like card games? If so, you should really check out Ubisoft’s Might & Magic: Duel of Champions.
You can jump right in and start playing with your friends, or you can
go through a step-by-step tutorial to learn the rules. Playing for free
will work out just fine, but it has all of the same up-sell mechanisms
that a real-life card game would have. If you want a really competitive
high-end deck, you’ll probably end up buying a few booster packs here
and there.
FIFA World
Sports games aren’t very well represented in the free-to-play market, so it’s good to see EA offering up FIFA World
for PC gamers. Whether you want to play with a gamepad or keyboard,
you’ll get a taste of the well-loved soccer franchise for free. EA isn’t
offering up this game out of the goodness of its heart, though. There
are plenty of microtransactions to be had for items and enhancements
throughout the entirety of the game.
Blacklight: Retribution
If you just want a good old fashioned multiplayer shooter, Blacklight
is the game for you. Team up with friends or match up with random
players for some team death match, capture the flag, or king of the
hill. It’s simple, fun, and you don’t really need the items behind the
paywall to have a good time. The fast pace, small learning curve, and
lack of an up-front cost makes this title compelling competition for
even the Call of Duties of the world.
Neverwinter
Want to get nerdy? Check out this free-to-play MMORPG based on the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
Without spending a single dollar, you can play through this fantasy
world with your friends, and soak in the decades of lore built-up around
the Forgotten Realms. However, you need to be careful of what you buy
because you can easily drop $200 on a single pack of in-game content.
Still, the more reasonable $20 packs are nothing to turn your nose up
at.
Pinball Arcade
Classic arcade tables never looked so good. If you download the client for the Pinball Arcade on Steam, you get full access to the Tales of the Arabian Nights
table for free. You can also try out any of the other tables for free,
but you won’t be able to play past the first high score. Each additional
table can be purchased à la carte, or you can invest $30 at once into
an entire pack of classic tables. Whether you’re a casual fan or a
pinball fanatic, this freemium product is great value for money.
War Thunder
War Thunder
is a massively multiplayer online game set during World War II and the
Korean War. Both air and ground combat are built into the game, and
naval combat is being developed. You can play for free, but of course
the cash shop lets you buy vehicles and in-game currency. If you’re a
history buff, this game is the perfect way to get a little taste of
classic combat machines from the safety of your own desk.
Alien Swarm
This
top-down shooter developed by Valve is completely free — just download
the entire game and the SDK through Steam, and play to your heart’s
content. Join up with three of your friends to destroy alien monsters,
or crack open the game editor to make your very own environments. With
four classes, eight characters, and persistent unlocks, this game will
keep you busy for months. Even better, it’s really free. No micropayments in sight.
