These days, even expansive high-budget gaming experiences can be enjoyed for free. However, wading through all that muck to find the gems can be difficult, so here…
Even hardcore gamers might struggle to justify numerous $60 AAA game purchases these days, no matter how many 10/10s, updates, or generally-positive accolades they receive. Countless sales are around, too, but those can be as wallet-draining, when I see five of my most-wanted games on sale for up to 75 percent off, rational thought tends to go out the window. Fortunately, there are alternatives that won’t break the bank. The free-to-play gaming market, especially on PC, has grown substantially. Even expansive, high-budget gaming experiences can be enjoyed for free. On Steam alone, you’ll find dozens upon dozens of no-cost MMOs, competitive shooters, MOBAs and more. However, wading through all that muck to find the gems can be difficult. There is no shortage of shovelware-tier free-to-play games, even on a platform like Steam. To help you out with that process, we’ve used our collective experiences and the recommendations of other PC enthusiasts, to narrow your options down a bit. In the list below, you’ll find a non-comprehensive list of 11 fantastic free (or free-to-play) Steam games across a variety of genres. We haven’t listed them in any particular order, but they’re the kind of titles you won’t regret spending time playing which is the whole idea behind this article, let’s get started! If you’re a fan of platform-based fighters like Super Smash Bros but don’t have the money (or interest) to snag yourself a Nintendo Switch, developer Blue Mammoth Games has you covered. The studio has been avidly supporting its ridiculously fun, cartoony battler Brawlhalla since 2014. Since then, the fighter has been completely free-to-play, with no pay-to-win mechanics — its revenue comes through the purchase of character skins, special «KO effects,» and other cosmetic items. In terms of gameplay, Brawlhalla truly is about as close as any modern, widely-available PC title (well, technically cross-platform now) has come to emulating the style of Super Smash Bros. Like Nintendo’s beloved fighting game, players choose from a massive roster of over 50 unlockable characters (9 of which are always available on a rotating basis) and take their unique skillsets into 1v1,2v2, or 4-player free-for-all multiplayer matches. Players are dropped into a random map and then must duke it out with their enemies in an effort to come out on top. There are options for casual play, ranked play, and even more chaotic custom modes, where you and up to 7 friends can participate in everything from 4v4s to 1v3s (if you really want to challenge each other). Though graphics aren’t on the level of more recent SSB entries from Nintendo, Brawlhalla’s art style and character designs are charming, fun, and easy to understand. Since there’s no entry fee of any kind here, it’s tough to ask for more. Check it out on: Steam, TechSpot Product Finder Warframe is best described as a third-person, pseudo-MMO action game, but even that overview feels insufficient. The amount of content and content variety on offer here is honestly mind-boggling. Warframe is not the most accessible game for new players, but it’s still considered one of the best examples of a consumer-friendly free-to-play game. There are no predatory loot boxes, and while it has its fair share of grinding, everything that you can pay for in the game can be earned through regular gameplay — and it won’t take you 40,000 hours (we’re looking at you, Star Wars: Battlefront II). You have your slightly generic (but entertaining) co-op hack-and-shoot missions that you undergo to gather crafting materials or experience the main story, but there are also massive, open-world zones, rideable mounts, craftable pets, PvP action, and player-controlled space combat sequences. Then, of course, there’s the Warframes themselves: instead of classes, you can collect dozens of these humanoid weapons systems, each with their own unique appearance and powers. With so many options, there will almost certainly be a Warframe that suits your playstyle, whether you prefer sneaking, shooting, or slicing. Check it out on: Steam, TechSpot Product Finder RuneScape is one of the oldest and longest-running MMORPGs in the world, predating even World of Warcraft by roughly three years. What started as a simple 2D fantasy MMO that could run in a web browser, has evolved into two separate games. RuneScape 3 is the current main offering. If you used to have an account way back in the day, RuneScape 3 is where you’ll find all your equipment, stats, and friends — it’s the same game, just way more modern than you likely recall, with enhanced graphics, cutscenes, raids, dungeons, and more skills. Old School RuneScape, on the other hand, launched in 2014, to offer players a separate, WoW Classic-like snapshot of the game’s 2007 state. However, over the years, it’s become a solid competitor to the main game with a dedicated userbase that actually dwarfs RuneScape 3’s. Though its graphics are primitive and the gameplay is old-fashioned, OSRS has an entirely different dev team that creates fresh new content — all using intentionally old-school graphics and design philosophies. But… what even is RuneScape? In short, it’s a sandbox MMO that won’t push you in any particular direction. There is no main story to follow, and there are no grindy fetch quests to pursue. Every single quest in RuneScape is handcrafted. Though their length and focus will vary, you can think of them as self-contained adventures (with a few exceptions to account for the occasional quest series). One moment, you might be helping a boy retrieve a rubber ball from a witch’s backyard, but the next you might be saving an entire race from utter annihilation. Unlike WoW, finishing quests doesn’t merely give you a small chunk of gold, XP, or a piece of crappy, low-level gear. Instead, finishing them can unlock entirely new regions of the map, or give you access to fancy new guilds, training areas, and incredibly powerful equipment. Speaking of skills, RuneScape has an awful lot of them: 23 for OSRS and 28 for RS3. Aside from gear and quests, most of your in-game progression will come from advancing these stats. You’ll level up skills like mining, fishing, hunting, woodcutting, strength, smiting, magic, dungeoneering, and even construction. Some skills are easier to level than others, but almost all of them offer massive boons to players that take the time to master them. Many of the game’s best and most rewarding quests are gated off by high levels in various skills and the rarest gear will require specific skill levels to equip. If you’re the patient type who wants a rich, astonishingly in-depth game to sink your teeth into (even as a solo player), give either RuneScape a shot. Personally, I love the old school experience and recommend it to just about everyone I meet, but both games are excellent. They share a subscription, so you can jump in-between the two at any time if you don’t feel like committing to one or the other.
