Games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Rocket League, Fortnite, and PUBG mobile have over a hundred million players online. The reason is not just that these games have addicting gameplay or that these are multiplayer titles. It is also because these games are free to play. This is somewhat the reason for the mass appeal and global reach of these titles.
However, just because a game is free to play doesn't really make it a must-play title. In fact, ratio-wise, only a small portion of free-to-play games are genuinely praised while others are not. Let's see the best of both worlds based on their Metascore.
Firefall (60)
Back in the day when Modern Warfare 2 was one of the biggest multiplayer titles around, Firefall was announced as a free-to-play shooter. After its announcement in 2010, the game took close to three more years to finally come into consumers' hands.
However, the game was quickly buried under the hype of modern consoles, especially since 2014 was the year PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were on everybody's minds. Being a Windows exclusive, the game couldn't measure up to its player base's expectations and was shut in 2017.
Fortnite (85)
While many gamers dislike Fortnite due to one section of its player base, there is no denying that it is a great-looking, fluid, and enjoyable game if played with the right people. Fortnite was released in mid-2017 and soon became a fan favorite due to its enjoyable gameplay.
By the time it was 2020, the game had reached 350 million players, mobile ports, and many more gameplay modes. It is easy to understand why the game is still one of the best-rated titles on Metacritic.
APB: All Points Bulletin (58)
A decade ago, during 2008-2010, many gamers were high on Grand Theft Auto IV and Saints Row 2. So it is safe to assume when APB: All Points Bulletin was announced, everybody was hyped. After all, this was meant to be the next step in the evolution of GTA-style open-world games.
Sadly, the game was too ambitious for its own good, and almost everybody who was excited about the game ended up disliking it mostly because it wasn't up to the mark with the expectations.
Warframe (86)
Warframe was released at a time when upcoming consoles could've overshadowed it. Luckily, fate was on the side of developer Digital Extremes, and so was their player base. As the developer team was known for developing the Dark Sector, which was a pretty average game for its time, the expectations were not much.
This was something that turned in favor of the game, making it survive and thrive on Steam with exciting features like vaults. Warframe has evolved a lot since its inception, which is why it was released not just for the current-gen, but the new PlayStation 5 as well.
Defiance 2050 (48)
Trion Worlds' original Defiance was released in 2013 as a paid title. The persistent world MMO third-person shooter was set in the future, but the players were left with outdated gameplay.
This and several other things caused the game to go free to play the next year until re-released under Defiance 2050. The new title was updated to be played on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Sadly, even with the updated visuals, the game turned out pretty disappointing.
Destiny 2 (87)
Destiny 2 has a pretty similar story to Defiance, except it was far higher budgeted and actually satisfied its fanbase. The sequel to the original Destiny came out a bit too early, making the first game obsolete.
However, all of this was timed perfectly, so when the game did become a free-to-play title, it saw a huge bump in player count. Eventually, the shooter became one of the most popular free-to-play games, especially since it is in line with modern-day gamer expectations.
Dungeon Keeper (42)
While Dungeon Keeper is one of the best games of its time, the game was originally launched in 1997, making it over 20 years old. And yet the game still has its fanbase, which is why EA decided to cash on it. The game was launched for iOS but was quickly tanked in terms of review scores.
The reason was quite obvious and simple. This game wasn't released for the fans but to make a quick cash grab by the company. The game has a 0.3 user score on Metacritic, which is for EA and not the game.
Rocket League (87)
This game could easily be the top entry for being so much fun to play. But the fact that it is a vehicular sports game makes some gamers tune out of it. Rocket League, in every sense, is the perfect multiplayer free-to-play title of this generation.
It is fast-paced, full of action, thrilling, quick, fun, and relaxing, which is everything that makes a good multiplayer game work. The game is pretty balanced and has a variety of modes for new players to expert ones.
Infestation: Survivor Stories (20)
The worst free-to-play multiplayer title of recent times is a zombie shooter that was released in 2012 for Windows exclusively. Created by Hammerpoint Interactive, Infestation: Survivor Stories can be described as an open-world shooter.
The game was formerly titled "The War Z" and was set to be the most authentic zombie multiplayer world ever. As expected, the game was aiming to be too many things simultaneously, which didn't deliver. The servers for this game were shut down in 2016, after merely four years.
Apex Legends (89)
Unsurprisingly, perhaps, Apex Legends is one of the best free-to-play titles. The game is a solid, fast-paced multiplayer battle royale game and checks everything on the list of fun.
This game was a shocker because of its rise to popularity in 2019 and because it is an Electronic Arts game. After releasing in 2019, Apex quickly became a fan favorite, as it takes the best parts of Titanfall 2 and places it in a battle royale setup.