In its current state, PC gaming is arguably more popular than ever. Nowadays, most non-Nintendo console games tend to make their way to Microsoft Windows sooner rather than later, allowing PC owners to try out projects that were once exclusive to PlayStation or Xbox. New indie titles are also released on platforms like Steam andEpic Games Storeevery day, ensuring there is always something new to play. While most projects require cash investment,free PC gamesare not in short supply either, and some of them are even fantastic.
Despite earning a fairly negative stigma over the decades, the free-to-play market has not only endured but grown. PC players can pick up MMORPGs, multiplayer shooters, battle royales, and indie titles without spending a dime; however, just because a game is free does not mean it is worth playing. Therefore, let’s take a look at thebest free games on PC.
The games are not ranked solely by quality. For example, new additions are temporarily ranked in the top spots to increase their visibility.
Updated on Aug 05, 2025, by Mark Sammut:2025 has gotten off to a decent start, although majorfree PC gameshave not really debuted yet. Still, that should change over the coming month. In March 2025, FragPunk and Mini Royale will be making their debuts, although the latter will be entering early access. The former is a first-person hero shooter that has been attracting quite a bit of positive attention due to its tight gameplay and vibrant design. Hero shooters are very much sink-or-swim releases, so hopefully, FragPunk will be another Marvel Rivals and not Concord. Mini Royale is, well, a battle royale featuring toy soldiers. While the genre’s heyday arguably happened a few years ago, it has been a while since a new successful project debuted.
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Now, this is how to hit the ground running. TheNikki Up2Useries has been around for quite a while, with the franchise producing a few mobile games that have generally performed well. However,Infinity Nikkirepresents a significant leap forward, in terms of both mainstream exposure and just sheer ambition. Papaergames and Infold Games put together a gorgeous open-world game that offers the ultimate relaxing escape from reality, with the focus being on exploration, life-sim elements, and (naturally) dress-up.
Rather than focus on action or an intense sprint to save the world (although there are aspects of that in the main story),Infinity Nikkitakes a refreshingly laid-back approach, one that encourages players to just embrace the moment, enjoy the sights, talk to NPC,take photos, change outfits, and try some fishing. Just to be clear, the game is stuffed with content, and there is even combat that complements the rest of the project’s tone.
Hero shooters have arguably already had their day, and their time in the sun seemed to come to an end a few years back. However, there is still some craving for another great entry in the genre, one that can potentially challengeOverwatch 2as a free-to-play option worth investing in. IfMarvel Rivalsfails to become that game, it might be a while before another candidate takes up the mantle.
Honestly, it is still too early to say if NetEase’s project will be a long-standing success or not. That said,Marvel Rivalshas gotten off to an encouraging start. In a licensed game like this, an impressive roster is of the utmost importance, and NetEase largely knocked this out of the park with more than30 options covering heroes and villains. The gameplay is also rock-solid, taking most of its lessons from the definitive hero shooter (Overwatch). While still in its infancy,Marvel Rivals' future seems bright.
MMOs are (obviously) staples of the free scene, and most years tend to produce one or two projects that seem marked for global success. However, more often than not, these releases enjoy a strong start before gradually fading into the backdrop, becoming b- and c-tier players in a genre that is not kind to anything but the best and most popular. While way too early to predict its staying power,Throne and Libertyappears to have that “IT” factor required to survive as a long-term option rather than a flash in the pan destined to be forgotten in favor of the next hot release.
Now, that’s not to say NCSoft’s game is perfect, but the positives generally outweigh the negatives, provided players enjoy the grind and guild system. Built on the foundations laid byLineagemore than two decades ago,Throne and Libertyhas an old-school charm, despite featuring fairly high-end visuals and modern quality-of-life adjustments. As with most MMOs, this game offers both PvE and PvP content, with the latter taking up most of the endgame. Players will need to play through a relatively decent storyline that should ensure they reach max level, setting them up to engage in large-scale warfare as part of their chosen guild. While co-op play is recommended, most of the PvE content can be done solo.
Let’s go through a few ofThrone and Liberty’sstrongest features and ideas. The MMO opts against conventional classes, instead encouragingplayers to specialize in multiple weapon types, each coming with skill trees that can be combined. Consequently, build variety is a huge positive, and it is fairly easy to try out different combos. Traversal is also fantastic, with players being able to transform into different animals. Finally, PvP battles are impressive in size and unpredictability.
July 2024’s first two weeks were defined by three free-to-play projects, all of which should be around for a long time.The First Descendantis pretty comfortably the worst of the trio, although the third-person shooter has fun gameplay and great visuals, so it is hardly without merit.Zenless Zone Zerois another miHoYo success story and a decent recommendation for gacha fans seeking fast-paced combat. Finally, there isOnce Human, which presents a strong case for being July 2024’sbest free PC game, as long as its unique blend of genres appeals to a player.
Set in an impressively large open-world,Once Humanis a survival game that focuses quite a bit on crafting, albeit featuring mechanics that are fairly accessible compared to some other entries in the genre. Due to aliens, the world has become infested with malformed people and intimate objects, including rather creative monsters that are both intimidating and hilariously silly. Regardless of what someone’s opinion on the overall project might be, it is difficult to argue against the quality ofOnce Human’s creature designs. It is arguably the best part of the game.
Focusing on the gameplay, players will spend most of their time picking up resources, finding weapons in the wild that eventually result in blueprints, crafting, building, and engaging in decent third-person action. Exploration is also central, and the map expands fairly consistently asplayers level up.Once Humanis far from perfect and has plenty of room for improvement, but the current version is pretty impressive.
In September 2020,Rocket Leaguewent free-to-play, opening the already popular game to an even wider audience than it had already attracted. On the surface, “soccer meets cars” sounds like too bizarre of a concept to be anything but a novelty; yet, Psyonix’s project exploded out of the gate and has only gotten better since then, both commercially and critically.
Rocket Leagueseems to have become the quintessential game that someone throws on when they have 30 minutes to kill and nothing else to play. Accessible but still skill-based, this is not only one of thebest free gamesbut simply one of the greatest releases of the last decade.
A free update toCS:GO, Valve’s eternal free-to-play shooter,Counter-Strike 2earns its sequel title by providing the base experience with its biggest overhaul to date. At its core, this is largely still the same game that Steam users have been playing for roughly a decade, which automatically placesCS2among the best FPS games on the market. That said, the September 2023 release brought a few notable additions or changes, such as the introduction of a CS Rating and a revamped loadout.
More importantly,Counter-Strike 2uses the Source 2 engine, which naturally delivers a significant jump in visual quality over its predecessor’s Source engine. While it is frustrating thatGlobal Offensiveis no longer available to play,CS2represents the license’s present and future.
In 2020, MiHoYo’s action RPG took the world by storm. Initially viewed as a clone ofThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,Genshin Impactquickly established its own voice through its anime aesthetic, progression system, and team-based combat. Set in the gorgeous Teyvat, players step into the role of the Traveler, a being who jumps across worlds.
As they explore the game’s massive open-world, players unlock more ofGenshin Impact’s effective lore while building a party of playable characters.Genshin Impactis frequently updated with new heroes, locations, story beats, and unlockable items, and the game has maintained its popularity throughout its entire lifespan. At this point, any newcomers can look forward to hundreds of hours worth of high-quality content.
Metacritic scores reflect a game’s launch state, which makes sense since studios should be analyzed on whether they provide a solid experience out of the gate. However, for a service title likeWarframe, its critic score of “69” doesn’t reflect its current level of quality. Digital Extremes' action RPG has come far since its debut, adding more open worlds to explore along with expanding its lore beautifully.
Warframe’s fast-paced gameplay has always been great, and it only got better as the game incorporated new suits, weapons, and ways for players to interact with the world and each other. At this point,Warframecontains so much content that new players could dedicate six months to the game and still not come close to witnessing everything it has to offer.
Debuting in 2012,Guild Wars 2has been free-to-play since August 2015.Except for a handful of restrictions, free players have access to the core experience, although they will have to pay if they wish to try the three expansions. While the latter are great in their own right,Guild Wars 2’s vanilla campaign is the reason the game is considered one of the best MMORPGs of all time. Unlike some other entries in the genre, ArenaNet’s project is quite story-driven, and the primary campaign should keep someone engaged for close to 100 hours.
With nine professions, two character slots, and two Living World seasons, players have a ton of content to work through.Guild Wars 2also adapts the narrative to fit the user’s actions, ensuring that no two playthroughs are exactly alike. Even a decade after its release, this game still has very few peers in the MMORPG scene, making it comfortably one of thebest free PC games.
WhenPath of Exilewas released it was immediately compared toDiablo 3. While the graphics aren’t quite as polished as that premium title,Path of Exilemight be a better option in some ways. This game truly delivers a near-AAA game experience at no cost to the player.
One of the best aspects ofPath of Exileis the game is completely free of pay-to-win influences – all content in the game is accessible.Path of Exilehas more contentand replay value than most other free games.
