The Best Free-to-Play Games Available on Steam

For fans of the Super Smash Bros. series that want to give another platform fighter a shot, Brawlhalla is a similar game with a whimsical art style and a rotating cast of lovable characters. The goal of each match is clear: Knock your opponent off the map, either off the platform or into the atmosphere, to claim victory. Any strategies and habits learned over on Super Smash Bros. will come in handy here — the same combination of tactful dodges, light attacks, and power hits will land you on top.

The latest entry in Valve’s popular Counter-Strike series, CS: GO is a free-to-play first-person shooter that pits teams of terrorists and counter-terrorists against each other in a series of objective-based matches. Terrorists are typically tasked with either planting a bomb or defending hostages, while the counter-terrorists have to defend bombsites (and defuse bombs if they fail) or rescue the captives. CS: GO has nine main game modes for both competitive and casual gamers, including Danger Zone, the series’ take on a battle royale mode.

Despite first being released back in 2012, CS: GO has a very active and loyal fanbase. The Counter-Strike series has always been a big player in the competitive gaming scene, so expect some fierce battles with players who have been around for a while — they weren’t exactly happy when the game went free-to-play in 2018.

Crusader Kings II is a grand strategy game with role-playing game (RPG) elements set in Europe at the close of the Dark Ages. Players pick a ruler and make sure his dynasty survives as you play a succession of his descendants through the ages, fighting other lords for territory, investigating treasonous plots, and managing resources. When playing as a specific ruler instead of a God-like controller of a civilization, each turn is a bit more personal than a typical historical strategy game. You can customize your character’s skills and appearance and control their individual actions — you can get married and have kids, become a warlord, go hunting, and more. There’s so much you can do, and every decision affects the game.

You can take this game on solo or build a wild multiplayer game with up to 32 other players, forming alliances or doing a little backstabbing with friends. A third installment in the Crusader Kings series is also available, although you’ll have to drop $50 to check out the action.

Dota 2 is one of the biggest titles in all of esports. Combining elements of real-time strategy games and tower defense games, this popular MOBA pits two teams of five players against each other to destroy the core of the other team’s base. With regular updates, including gameplay changes and new characters that change the meta, Dota 2 is one of those games you have to log on to regularly to remain competitive.

With over a hundred heroes to choose from and nearly unlimited combinations and strategies, it can take some serious gaming hours to figure out how you like to play the game.

Fallout Shelter puts players in control of a state-of-the-art underground vault from Vault-Tec and tasks them with keeping the underground safe haven functioning properly. A standard resource management game with a post-apocalypse spin, gameplay revolves around keeping the vault’s dwellers happy; making sure the shelter has enough food, water, and electricity; and defending the base from murderous raiders. You can also send adventurers out into the wasteland to collect supplies, send radio broadcasts to recruit more settlers, and pair off your settlers to produce new residents in-house.

Blizzard’s Overwatch remains the king of the “hero shooter” multiplayer genre, but Paladins is a worthwhile alternative and is completely free. Before battling it out with another team, players choose from a roster of champions divided into four tactical categories: Front Line, Damage, Support, and Flank. Like Overwatch, each character has a set of unique abilities and a charged “Ultimate.” All players have free access to six default champions and a rotating roster of four others — other characters can be unlocked by purchasing them or grinding for in-game currency.

Heavily inspired by the Diablo series, Path of Exile is an online action RPG set in a dark fantasy realm. Banished for your misdeeds to the dark, you are an exile struggling to survive on the continent of Wraeclast and seeking revenge on those who have wronged you. Players pick between one of six classes — Witch, Shadow, Ranger, Marauder, Duelist, Templar — each of which has their own movesets, strengths, and weaknesses. Combining skills, armor, and weapons, you can carefully customize your character to suit your preferred playstyle.

While exploring the world through the main storyline is plenty engaging, you can always take part in some competitive online player versus player (PvP) gaming. Developer Grinding Gear Games has a strict mission in terms of its free-to-play world, too — no pay-to-win options here, so don’t fear jumping in.

While Fornite and Apex Legends generally dominate the battle royale shooter category, Ring of Elysium is a hidden gem. In a world wrecked by a sudden volcanic eruption, the air is filling with deadly volcanic ash, and the only means of escape is a single rescue helicopter. Unlike most battle royales that feature a safe zone that slowly shrinks inward, players must stay within a constantly moving Ashen Eye and collect oxygen to assure survival.

War Thunder is a military MMO that puts players in control of the armies of World War II nations (United States, Germany, Britain, U.S.S.R., and Japan). Players can take part in major battles on land, in the air, and at sea, fighting with millions of players from all over the world in an ever-evolving environment. With over 1,500 vehicles in play and a dedication to historical accuracy, strategizing and picking the correct combination of war machines is the key to victory. War Thunder is a versatile game with challenging multiplayer deathmatches and single-player campaigns. The game will keep you busy with its different modes and provide different experiences.

Warframe has always gone above and beyond. This game has garnered gameplay from more than 26 million people, with newcomers joining the masses every day to try it out at no cost. Offering a game for free is an excellent marketing strategy to familiarize gamers with their brand, expanding their fan base. There’s not a more exhilarating free game to play with a group of friends, combining the Halo series’s sci-fi aesthetic with the gameplay and fighting mechanics of Destiny 2.

 “Warframes” are essentially exoskeletal armors that give players unique abilities when worn. Warframes get a lot of acclaim from players because you can customize them, and they are entertaining to use. Find strategies that best utilize your armor’s unique abilities to help you to fight the entire armies that appear in the game’s open-world terrains.

Warframe is especially well suited for gamers who want to customize every aspect of their gaming experience. The plotline isn’t anything to write home about because you’ll see the same tasks over and over. What brings players back for more gameplay is improving their armor and gaining different advantage options.

It may have launched way back in 2017, but there’s no denying the staying power of Team Fortress 2. A class-based shooter with nine radically different characters to choose from, Team Fortress 2 has stayed relevant with constant updates, new hats to unlock, and a variety of in-game events.

Updates have slowed a bit over the past few years, but it still manages to pull in some of the best player counts across all of Steam. If you’re looking for a change of pace from your battle royale of choice, consider giving Team Fortress 2 a free download.

Speaking of battle royales, Respawn’s popular Apex Legends has officially landed on Steam. Featuring the tightest shooting mechanics of the genre — and a flexible and fluid movement system — Apex Legends had no problem establishing itself as one of the best free games on Steam.

Even if you’re not a battle royale fan, Respawn recently brought a more traditional PvP experience to Apex Legends with the introduction of Arenas. This pits two teams of three against each other, with the only goal being the elimination of your opponents. Not only is it a great way to practice your combat skills, but Arenas has enough depth to stand alone as something completely separate from the core Apex gameplay loop.

Avid Star Wars fans will find plenty to love with The Old Republic, but so too will anyone seeking a deep, engaging RPG. Since launching in 2011, the decade-old MMO has seen radical improvements, turning it into one of the most popular MMORPGs on Steam.

A sprawling storyline driven by player choice is only the start of things, with a deep combat system, eight playable classes, and numerous planets to explore — including the iconic Hoth and Tatooine — giving you hundreds of hours of content to work through.

Although it wasn’t as dramatic as the turnaround seen by Final Fantasy XIV, Phantasy Star Online 2 has come a long way since its launch. New Genesis is halfway between an expansion and a revamp, offering a radically different game than was around in 2020.

Enhanced character models, a new graphics engine, new locations, new enemies — the list of improvements could go on forever. In short, PSO2: New Genesis has cemented itself as one of the standout MMOs of its time.

Whether you’re interested in taking a trip down memory lane with Old School RuneScape or checking out all the improvements made in RuneScape 3, both MMOs are available for free on Steam. Monthly subscribers will gain access to a larger world and more skills, but free users can still get up to plenty of mischief in the massive world of Gielinor.

Whether you want to become a billionaire on the Grand Exchange or team up for some high-stakes PvP, the options at your disposal are almost limitless. Old School RuneScape is a perennial favorite, while the upgrades made to RuneScape 3 are quickly winning over legions of new fans.

As far as large-scale shooters go, it’s hard to beat PlanetSide 2. Rogue Planet Games has done an excellent job of making it feel that your individual contributions matter without turning PlanetSide 2 into a game filled with hundreds of lone wolves doing their own thing.

From piloting deadly vehicles to sneaking behind enemy lines with your squad, gameplay in PlanetSide 2 varies wildly from one moment to the next. The keys to victory? Working with your team, being flexible, and understanding when it’s time to retreat and regroup for a second assault.

Hearthstone might gather all the fanfare, but don’t sleep on CD Projekt Red’s stand-alone CCG GWENT. Constantly updated and reworked, GWENT has become one of the best card games available on Steam. Not only does it draw from the deep Witcher lore, but it features some impressive special effects and playing fields that will keep you engaged beyond the strategic gameplay.

Despite CD Projekt Red’s busy update schedule for Cyberpunk 2077, GWENT has managed to receive multiple patches throughout the year. New cards, new rules, and new unlockables keep the CCG exciting month after month, and we don’t expect the fun to end any time soon.

As far as battle royale games go, Spellbreak is the outlier. Ditching guns and vehicles for gauntlets and spells, think of Spellbreak as “Harry Potter: The Battle Royale.” Combat quickly evolves into an explosion of colors, with tornados, firewalls, and flying boulders becoming staples of a typical encounter.

The longer you manage to last in each round, the more your skills will grow — meaning the final ring is filled with high-end players with the strongest spells in the game. If you thought the last few minutes of Fortnite were difficult, you haven’t seen anything until you’ve stepped into Spellbreak. It takes a while to get used to, but Spellbreak offers one of the most thrilling takes on the battle royale genre in recent memory.