With Summer Game Fest come and gone, it’s hard not to get excited about video games. Yet with literally thousands of games available on Steam, it’s easier than ever to get overwhelmed. After all, even the most hardcore gamer can only spend so much.
Fortunately, there are plenty of incredible experiences to be found on Steam for literally nothing. These are titles that have worked out reasonable monetization methods, allowing players to get into them for free. For those looking for something to play that won’t immediately ask them to open their wallet, it’s possible to lose hundreds of hours on these free games.
Counter-Strike 2 Is The Premiere Competitive FPS
It shouldn’t be surprising that one of the best games on Steam comes from Valve themselves. Counter-Strike has been one of the main FPS franchises for the last twenty years, and nothing’s changed with its latest iteration. It’s still one of the most played games on Steam, with over a million players at any time of day.
The appeal of Counter-Strike 2 is different from most of its FPS competitors. The game rewards map knowledge and tactical play, while still maintaining a grounded world. As great as Global Offensive was, Counter-Strike 2 has given fans the upgrade they needed to keep the game on top for another decade.
Arena: Breakout Infinite Is A More Relaxed Tarkov Title
Contrary to what many publishers might think, extraction shooters are a hard sell. Balancing the difficulty the hardcore fans want with finding a casual audience large enough to make a profit is a hard task. However, Morefun Studios has pulled off exactly that with Arena: Breakout Infinite, a tactical extraction shooter that feels like a less frustrating version of Escape from Tarkov.
Everything hardcore extraction fans might want is already here, with its well-designed maps that reward patient gamers and near unlimited weapon customization. It’s status as a free-to-play game means it’s a bit more willing to experiment though, adding things like limited-time Cyberpunk crossovers. It’s the kind of extraction experience that’s perfect for people that are tired of EFT, but need something that’s a bit more grounded than Arc Raiders or Marathon.
Rainbow Six: Siege Offers The Ultimate Tactical Shooter
A decade after its release, Rainbow Six: Siege continues to be one of the most popular competitive online shooters on PC right now. Siege was one of the earliest games to embrace the “games as a service” model, and it immediately worked to the game’s benefit. Given the game’s harsh initial difficulty curve, opening it to the widest potential audience was definitely a brilliant idea.
Rainbow Six: Siege is everything players could want out of a tactical FPS title. The ability to rely on both destroying the map and high-tech gadgets means it’s about more than who’s quickest on the trigger, and makes every round a unique experience. It’s many years on the market also means there’s no shortage of modes, maps, and characters, allowing players to lose themselves for hundreds of hours getting to know everything.
Marvel Rivals Lets Players Suit Up As Their Favorite Superheroes
When NetEase Games announced they were doing Marvel Rivals a few years ago, it felt like there had to be some kind of catch. A Hero Shooter that featured everyone’s favorite Marvel characters, that was free to play and would add new heroes regularly sounded like a dream. Yet two years in, there’s no catch, it’s just an incredible game that actually dominated the hero shooter genre for an entire year.
Marvel Rivals is a game with a solid core that’s fun to play with friends, but NetEase has been smart about not resting on their laurels. They’ve added plenty of new characters to keep the roster fresh, along with an array of cool maps and costumes, many of which were pulled right from the source material. They’ve even embraced PvE a bit for fans that aren’t PvP focused, meaning everyone gets to jump in and have fun.
Wuthering Waves Takes Gacha RPGs Into The Future
There have been a number of free-to-play action RPGs since Genshin Impact turned into a massive success in late 2020, but few have found success quite like Wuthering Waves. The game takes place on the alien world Solaris-3, in the aftermath of a deadly catastrophe known as the Lament. As the protagonist Rover, players awaken to the remnants of Solaris-3, trying to recover their memory while battling against everything threatening humanity in the aftermath of the Lament.
Much like Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves provides players with regular updates, adding new main quests and plenty of new characters to keep players from getting bored. For players that are tired of fantasy settings but still enjoy tight, action-focused combat, Wuthering Waves is the best free-to-play option on the market.
Warframe Is The Coolest Space Opera Game Available
In the realm of free games, there’s no better action RPG than Digital Extremes’ Warframe. One of the longest-running F2P titles, Warframe invites players into a massive world where they’ll explore the solar system, battling against powerful enemy armies. Regularly updated, it’ll take countless hours just to get through the content that’s already available, even as they continue to add more to the game.
While most F2P games have miserable monetization, Warframe remains reasonable, offering plenty of customization even if players don’t feel like dropping hundreds of dollars. It’s also the rare free game that has plenty to offer whether players want to go co-op with friends or play solo. Space opera fans shouldn’t overlook this incredible online action experience.
Path of Exile Is A Perfect Action RPG Experience
What’s being accomplished with Path of Exile needs more attention. Grinding Gear Games is somehow managing to work on a new paid title, all while supporting the original, which has gone free-to-play. It’s a classic Diablo-styled action RPG, bringing players to a dark fantasy world where survival is a constant struggle against powerful creatures of the dark.
Over a decade old now, players that get into Path of Exile now have the benefit of starting a fully-developed ARPG. Across seven classes and a skill tree that’s so massive it can almost be daunting, players are free to customize their characters as much as they want. They’re also free to make the game as challenging as they want, with the game’s Atlas of Worlds offering dozens of challenging maps for players to prove themselves against.
Guild Wars 2 Remains Engaging Well Over A Decade Later
It took a while for ArenaNet to bring their successful MMO to Steam, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late. Much like the original game, Guild Wars 2 was a revelation for MMO fans tired of the classic MMO experience, setting itself apart by refusing to charge a subscription fee. Even over a decade later, it remains just as engaging, particularly thanks to its dynamic event system that alters the world based on how its players handle quests.
While many free MMOs can be too restrictive to have fun with, that’s not a problem with Guild Wars 2. Instead, players are free to explore to their heart’s content, engaging only in what they enjoy the most. Whether they prefer tackling only the story, or engaging in the PvP, it’s all available to keep players invested for hours.
Where Winds Meet Is The Ultimate Classic Martial Arts Game
Where Winds Meet is a free-to-play action RPG that feels too good to be true. An open-world, story-based game set in a fantastical version of ancient China, offering both a fun narrative and endless side content.
While most games of its type are gacha-focused, Where Winds Meet‘s monetization relies almost entirely on optional customization, meaning players are free to dive as deep into the game’s world as they want without paying a dime.
It’s a game that rewards players based on what they value most, whether that’s observing other characters and picking up new martial arts skills, or living out a life as a thief in the busy city streets. It’s even got a separate multiplayer mode for players that want to go online with their friends. With the game still receiving regular updates, Where Winds Meet is the perfect title for people who want a Genshin-like, but are tired of having to pull for characters.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Is Still One Of The Best MMOs Available
Few people expected Star Wars: The Old Republic to be as engaging as it was when it launched in 2011. It was obviously aiming to be a follow-up to BioWare’s classic Knights of the Old Republic, but it succeeded beyond what anyone would’ve thought possible. Even now, as it’s being handled by Broadsword instead of BioWare, it’s still an engaging game that’s getting frequent quality of life updates.
Star Wars: The Old Republic lets players explore one of the most popular universes ever by building their own character their way. Whether players want to be a Jedi, a scoundrel, or a bounty hunter, the choice is theirs. Players can explore one of Star Wars‘ most interesting time periods and, fifteen years after its release, it still stands as one of the best Star Wars games out.