Free games are staple of PC gaming. Yet with the continued popularity of micro-transaction, most gamers view them with suspicion.
Out of all the new free-to-play titles released this year, here are the ten that received the highest ratings from critics and/or gamers.
10. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodhunt
Battle Royale meets vampires. Enjoy a relentless hunt for blood and become the last man standing. It’s a free to play game but you might be tempted to buy their cosmetics. Not like they give you any competitive advantages though, so we warned ya!
9. Chimeraland
A new open-world survival game, Chimeraland can be compared to No Man’s Sky or Minecraft, except with Dinosaurs. Also, it has WEIRD written all over it. You can play it for free but microtransactions might push you to buy skins or resources.
8. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
The latest Yu-Gi-Oh! card game is free to play. But, its Gacha mechanics can be a rabbit hole for anyone looking for good drops. It’s still a card game and although it could get intimidating with numbers all over your screen, it’s fairly simple to understand. Mastering it, however, takes time.
7. BrainBread 2
It’s not Left 4 Dead, but it’s definitely something you should check out. It’s an unassuming free to play game that just wants to give you a casual undead shootout.
There’s a joy in turning your brain off as you check those objective markers, but it can get challenging as you go on
There’s no pay to win feature so you don’t have to worry about spending to get ahead.
6. With You
If It Takes Two is too expensive for you, With You is the cheaper alternative. All you need to do is get a decent setup, a partner to play with and voila, you’re in for a good time. If you’re playing alone, playing with your left and right hand might work too?
5. Just Act Natural
The kind of game you’d enjoy with a group of friends. Just Act Natural’s hilarious gameplay is pretty much like Prop Hunts. Instead of everyday objects, everyone in the lobby acts like an NPC hiding in a sea of other NPCs. It’s like Assassin’s Creed’s blending mode, but it’s ten times more quirky.
Since it’s a free to play title, the developers make ends meet with a 5 dollar Premium mode. It grants you access to various new modes that you can play with your friends.
4. Cave Crawler
This indie game by one man team Evan Youssef borrows tropes and mechanics from classics like Mario, Castlevania, Metroid and more.
All you gotta do is make it through their tricky 2D levels and fight a few bosses. If you have 15 to 20 mins to spare, just download this on Steam.
3. Crystal Clash
For a free to play title, this one has a lot of content. A combination of genres, this game is part tower-defense, part deck-building, and most of all, it strategy. You’re gonna have to make your way out of some way, and you’re gonna have to use your brain for it. Choose from any one of their five major factions and let loose.
2. FurryFury
If you needed strategy for the last game, for this one you’ll need skill. Which is what makes this a great addition to your Discord game nights. Compete with your friends and hope they don’t beat you to a pulp, instead of the other way around. There are In-game purchases for extra resources and powers, but it’s not pay to win.
1. Aperture Desk Job
A free to play Valve game built for Steam Deck owners. If you happen to have one, you can enjoy this trip down memory lane, playing as a boring corporate worker stuck on a desk job. It’s no Portal 3, but with all this game’s callbacks, it might be enough to for fans to feed on. And because it’s a showcase for the new console, it’s absolutely free. No in-app purchases to worry about!