GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.
Free-to-play games are a massive part of the video game market. While F2P was once relegated primarily to mobile games–and let’s be honest, often looked down upon–the model has become a mainstay and now represents some of the biggest and most popular games in their respective genres, across PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. That includes blockbuster hero shooters like Fortnite and Marvel Rivals, RPGs like Dauntless and Zenless Zone Zero, and card games like Hearthstone and Marvel Snap, among many others.
Many have been going strong for years now, which means there’s plenty to do for newcomers. Others have broken out with explosive success right from the start. Usually, the on-boarding process for both new and old games has become refined, making it easy to jump into a new game. If you want to play a game without spending a lot of money, these are the best you can find. For even more selections, check out our picks for the best free games on Steam.