With the cost of video games only getting higher, as next-gen games are expected to retail at $70, the market for free-to-play games is more crowded than ever. While this means a lot of great titles, it also means a whole lot of garbage games filling out a player’s junk drawer.
The best FTP games have oodles of content, interesting systems of progression, and, most importantly, fun gameplay. Some of these games have been around for years and still hold a place as one of the greats of 2020, while others are new to the field but quickly carved out their little niche. Either way, it’s important that players don’t waste their time with the bad, and only invest in the best free-to-play games out right now.
10 Fortnite Battle Royale
Fortnite became the most popular video game in the world seemingly overnight, much to the developers' delight at Epic Games. This FTP Battle Royale surpassed PUBG as the game that defined the genre. Adding a clever crafting and building system with a fun cartoon animation style, it’s impossible to list any list of good free-to-play games without at least mentioning Fortnite. With an addicting progression hook, and quick and easy to join game lobbies, Fortnite is always adding new content, making it a solid option for anyone who hasn’t played in a while or has been living under a rock for the past few years. Fortnite can be played on PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and IOS and Android devices.
9 Soviet Jump Game
Soviet Jump Game was developed by Fantastic Passion in partnership with the Game Grumps. The result was a Battle Royale that brought the genre to a new dimension… or… an old dimension. The 2D side-scrolling Battle Royale has 50 players with funny Russian spoof character models jumping, shooting, and rolling over their competition until only one remains.
With the premise of the game as a “rediscovered,” Russian ROM with glitches is the dozens, Soviet Jump Game carves out a humorous niche in a genre overcrowded by big titles. Soviet Jump Game is available on PC and Mac through Steam.
8 Path Of Exile
Free-to-play games don’t often fall into the category of dungeon-crawling RPGs. Path of Exile is a free dungeon crawler that will make fans of Diablo III shout for joy. With a slower pace than most FTP games and a wide depth of mechanics and content, players will love the dungeons this game has to offer. With a skill tree to rival Skyrim and weapon improvements galore, Path of Exile will keep players crawling through dungeons for hours at a time. If fans are looking for a new RPG and don’t want to shell out the $60 for a new game, they can’t go wrong with Path of Exile. This game is available on PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
7 League Of Legends
League of Legends is Riot Games’ premiere MOBA for PC Gamers. Since its launch in 2009, LOL has remained incredibly relevant to gamers across the world. With prominent esports championship teams and a huge presence on Twitch, It’s impossible to talk about free-to-play games without bringing up League of Legends. With 150 champions to choose from, who are all available for free (eventually) there’s no reason players shouldn’t give this MOBA a chance. League of Legends is available for fans to play on PC and Mac.
6 Hearthstone
Blizzard Entertainment’s free-to-play World of Warcraft spinoff, Hearthstone, is a fantastic deck-building strategy game for anyone interested in feeling like a Yu-Gi-Oh master. Featuring characters and places from the famous MMORPG World of Warcraft, Hearthstone is sure to resonate with any Blizzard fan. With multiple online game modes and a separate solo adventure, Hearthstone offers a wide variety of content to every player. Additionally, with over 3,400 playable cards, there are countless different strategies and deck builds players can adopt. Hearthstone is free-to-play on PC, Mac, IOS, and Android.
5 Dauntless
A free and less draining game for fans of Monster Hunter World would be Phoenix Labs and Iron Galaxy’s Dauntless. In this game, players control slayers who venture out into the wilderness to protect human towns from great behemoth monsters. With smooth combat and a solid progression system, Dauntless is a must-play for any fan of the Monster Hunter franchise. Playable as a solo slayer or with a group of up to four, Dauntless is a great game for any players looking to host a hunting party. Dauntless is playable on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
4 Asphalt 9: Legends
A truly out of this world racing game, Gameloft Studios’ Asphalt 9: Legends is the best free-to-play racing game out right now. Players will have to win races in order to earn enough gas to keep playing, but early on it’s fairly easy to win, and by the time races start to get more difficult players will have multiple cars and won’t have to wait when they want to keep playing.
With a fun system of buying and upgrading cars and the unending fun of classic arcade racing, Asphalt 9: Legends is a go-to fun time. This game is available on PC, Mac, Switch, IOS, and Android.
3 Smite
Another MOBA with a slightly different perspective, Hi-Rez Studios’ Smite is a third-person, in the thick of it, battle arena game. Unlike League of Legends which offers players a top-down perspective, Smite puts players in the shoes of their Godly characters, not knowing what lies around every corner. The 111 different playable Gods make Smite an incredibly customizable gameplay experience. Available on PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, Smite is a great option for any MOBA fans who bounced off of League of Legends.
2 Paladins
Another of Hi-Rez’s online multiplayer games is Paladins, the free-to-play answer for any fans of Overwatch who don’t want to shell out $40 for a 2015 game. Paladins has four different game modes and 45 different champions to choose from, so players can take their pick to get their best experience out of the game. With dynamic fast-paced combat and interesting characters with unique abilities, this game is sure to hook many players. Paladins is available to play on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.
1 Warframe
Possibly the best free-to-play game on any system is Digital Extremes’ Warframe. There is no other FTP game with such a wide depth of story, systems, and overall customization. The content in Warframe is as good as, if not better than any $60 game. Players will feel epic as they boost around maps like unstoppable space ninjas, slay hordes of enemies, and grind for the best loot for hours on end.
All of this is accentuated by an incredibly kind community of players who have dedicated groups for helping newbies find their footing, or for helping returning players get back in the swing of the hours of new content released almost every month. Playable on PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, Warframe is the best online game that money can’t buy.