Summary
Free to play games will on occasion get a bad reputation, but they’re not all low quality. In fact, some of the best first-person shooters of the past couple generations are free to play, and you should take advantage of that.
There’s a huge benefit that comes with getting into the world of a free-to-play FPS, namely the massive fan base. These games can be 20 years old and still have a vibrant yet competitive user base that is always ready for some matchmaking. You may already have a library of purchased FPS titles, but that doesn’t mean you can’t add to your collection without having to open your wallet.
Even people who have never played Team Fortress 2 have heard all about it. This legendary title redefined a style of team-based shooting that to this day remains highly relevant and iconic. With nine charismatic and unique playable characters, Team Fortress 2 has been carried hard by an unforgettable cast with superb voice work and dialogue.
Team Fortress 2 wasn’t always free to play, as it cost a fee back when it first came out in 2007. The game was still always popular, but since Valve made the game free-to-play in 2011, it only became even bigger.
Paladins has been one of the biggest 5v5 fantasy shooters since 2018, and it’s easy to see why. Thanks to 50 different highly customizable characters, Paladins has given players an incredible amount of choice and freedom when it comes to creating their perfect shooter quintet.
Often considered the best free-to-play game of 2018 and one of the best free-to-play MOBAs ever made, Paladin was an important title in getting the gaming world to realize that free-to-play games could be full of interesting content and high levels of replayability.
Many games were inspired by Valve’s original releases of Counter-Strike, but arguably none have captured the feel as well as Valorant. Defined as a tactical shooter, Valorant is all about making all of your movements and actions count from a strategic standpoint, including shooting while moving.
The multiple game modes have also helped make Valorant as addictive as it is in-depth. With so many strategies to explore and perfect, you’re able to spend dozens of hours in this game playing only one character in one game mode.
No one had a Halo free-to-play game released on their 2021 bingo card, and yet the unthinkable happened. This legendary FPS franchise, known for its iconic single-player campaigns and revolutionary multiplayer modes, released an open-world iteration that brought Halo into the new decade.
Though the amount of content can feel sparse, Halo Infinite continued to refine the movement and shooting mechanics even further. This is the smoothest playing a Spartan warrior ever felt, and it can be felt for free. Taking advantage of the seasonal events and rewards simply makes the experience feel even sweeter.
Out of all the free-to-play games ever released, Destiny 2 might very well be the largest one. This is not just an FPS, but an open-world MMO FPS. The amount of content is so vast that it ends up putting most pay-to-play games to shame.
There are so many elements in this game that it can be hard to keep track. There’s not onlyin-depth melee combatbut a robust story at play here too, but there are also RPG elements that have you leveling up your character, weaponry and armor. Whether you want to play PvP or PvE, there’s more than enough to justify Destiny 2’s position as one of the best recent FPS games.
It’s hard to think of survival battle royale games more influential than PUBG. Like it or not, this game has had a huge impact on the gaming landscape over the past decade. Placing 100 different players against each other in a massive outdoor sandbox, PUBG proved that you could digitize the essence of a battle royale and market it properly.
This is the type of game anyone can pick up and play. Even if you’ve never played a first-person shooter or a battle royale before, PUBG’s rules are simple and easy to learn. And like any great battle royale, you can still have loads of fun even if you come nowhere near first place.
Though some now call it Counter-Strike 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was for millions of people the single definitive FPS game. This is true for both matchmaking and major tournaments. The Counter-Strike series already had a legendary reputation since the year 2000, but CS:GO shattered the already high expectations with its impeccable controls and level design.
CS:GO was full of great strategies,secret items, and an incredibly dedicated fanbase. Though it has been officially absorbed into the Counter-Strike 2 IP, CS:GO will forever be remembered as an FPS masterpiece.
There’s no denying that Apex Legends is the single biggest free-to-play FPS game around these days. Being a Titanfall spinoff, this gives Apex a big leg-up when it comes to its interesting sci-fi worlds and unique case of fighters.
Apex Legends is still running the world of FPS tournaments and major news. Withfast-paced actionand 20 seasons of content, the bar has undeniably been raised for all future free-to-play games that will certainly be measured up against this one.
