Free to Play Games of 2024

Hey there, best friend! You’ve been looking for something new to play? Perhaps you got a new computer and can fit more games on the hard drive now! Well, we’ve found a bunch of games to fill that hard drive just for you!

So let’s get started! Here are the major free to play games as of June 12th 2024.

First up! MOBAs. Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas. 5 years after writing the last Free to Play games article, MOBA games have dwindled a bit in popularity. But… did you hear?

SMITE 2 has been announced and will soon be available to play at the end of July as a closed beta! However, accessing the closed beta sounds like it won’t be too difficult.

SMITE

If you want to dive right into the action and get behind your character, SMITE offers an easy way to jump into the game with various game modes to suit your level of strategic preference. If you want a brawler experience, then Arena is for you. If you wish for some strategies and tactical level of play, then Conquest. Since the 24th of January 2019, SMITE has also been available on the switch!

Battlerite

You’ll find no better balanced game than Battlerite. Battlerite is an action packed arena brawler where skill is the main determining factor. Top down WASD controls with plenty of abilities and counterplay. Whilst everyone agrees Battlerite is a fantastic game, players often feel exhausted after 2-4 weeks of playing. There are hardly any players anymore, but it’s a great game with a group of at least 4 friends. If you like Battlerite then you might enjoy their new game V-Rising, but that is not free to play.

Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm focuses on the parts we value most in a MOBA: Team Fights, Tactics, and Strategies. The game has some complex issues which make it seen as a casual experience and, as a result, picks up a casual audience. Deep down though the game strips away the tedious elements of other MOBA titles that over reward players for such things as last hitting minions. It instead emphasizes on rewarding good team fights, supporting, tanking, positioning, and/or tactical decisions.

Now that Microsoft owns Heroes of the Storm, they just need to put it on Steam!

League of Legends

This is the largest MOBA game out there, which is certainly a driving factor. It’s a difficult game to get into now as it is constantly shifting with item changes, and characters falling in and out of meta. You will have a lot to learn. However, there is a lot of active content surrounding the game which just gets you in the mood to play.

DoTA 2

DoTA 2 commonly labelled as the most hardcore and complicated MOBA title. If you’re very into MOBA games, then DoTA 2 brings some interesting ideas to the character pool. It isn’t a good starting place but, if you’re finding yourself invested into MOBA games, then this is another game to check out that’s free to play!

Predecessor

Predecessor is Unreal’s MOBA game, technically. It was originally called Paragon and was intended to compete in the MOBA market, but it failed to persuade people to abandon their loyalties to other games in the genre. In response, Unreal released the games source code for free, allowing others to use their assets and rebuild the game in their vision.

Predecessor is one of those games, which is now free to play on Steam!

Massive Multiplayer Online

Now let’s move away onto something more chill. Massive Multiplayer Online and Role Playing Games. They can often be a great place to make friends for life. What are some that may be worth trying? Let’s take a look below! These are in no particular order, by the way.

Sadly the MMO scene has been dying out as developers can’t figure out how to make an immersive world anymore. Nevertheless, here’s what is currently surviving!

Final Fantasy XIV Free Trial

Yeah, it’s a free trial. But the Final Fantasy XIV free trial is absolutely nuts! It’s not like World of Warcraft where you only get a few hours of content up to level 20. This Free Trial allows you to enjoy several expansions worth of content. It’s giga-massive. If you have friends that already play the game, then grouping up with them will be no problem.

Path of Exile 2

Hack and Slashing top down game similar to Diablo or the lesser known, but definitely better, Titan Quest. Path of Exile can be very grindy, but has a plethora of leveling options and paths for your character to choose. This investment can be rewarding to some or a point and click chore to others.

Maple Story 2

Maplestory offers a cute chibi graphic style with community elements. It isn’t just about slaying monsters. You can build your own house, play minigames, even create and perform music. It might not be the hardcore experience you are looking for, but it is an alternative.

Neverwinter

Neverwinter doesn’t play like Dungeons and Dragons. It has little in the way of resemblances to Neverwinter Nights, which is something of an RPG cult classic, nor its sequel Neverwinter Nights 2. However it does offer a lot of content and so far hasn’t shown signs of slowing down in terms of more being added. Whilst you don’t get to have many abilities on your hotbar at once, there is a lot of choice in the pool of abilities you can choose from.

Albion Online

Albion Online is a game that works on PC and mobile. I probably wouldn’t recommend it, but I am aren’t I?

If you are able to connect with other people and wheedle your way into a large group of players, then you’ll find fun here! If you are the type of person that wants to roam in a small group or alone then we should move on to another suggestion.

Hungry for Action? Well that’s probably where Shooter games should come in.

Paladins

Paladins is like a FPS with some MOBA rules. You pick a character, as do 4 other players on your team, and your objective is to contest a point. You are locked to the character you play, so building a team is an important element. Champions consist of dedicated tanks, healers, and damage dealers. All of which can provide a high impact on the outcome of a match.

Overwatch 2

Ignoring all the dodgy stuff Blizzard did with Overwatch and Overwatch 2… It’s… still Free to Play! And it looks nice! I guess?

Hey, look! This list is just to inform you of Free to Play games that you can research further! It’s free to install, so give it a whirl. Is Overwatch 2 worth a whirl? Only you can know that!

Apex Legends

Apex Legends is still going strong with new character releases and content updates. Team up with 2 others in a Battle Royale to the…well… death?

Movement feels great. Shooting feels great. Getting killed because you didn’t find any armor and your opponent found a mega gun. Not so great. That’s what it’s Battle Roy-all about.

In Apex Legends, you pick premade characters with skills. If you want to make your own character though… then try the next one!

The Finals

A squad based FPS that’s like a small-scale battle royale. Up to 4 teams battle it out to get the most cash.

This game has some issues regarding sensory overload. Both visually and sonically it can be overstimulating. It might seem like an odd thing to mention but, you know, take care of yourself.

That warning might serve as a useful deterrence or something you’re looking for!

Caliber

Here’s a relatively new one! A 4 player co-op third person shooter with roles. You play as either a sniper, medic, assault, or heavy support. Unlock characters with new abilities and take on harder missions.

There are also a few 4v4 PvP modes too. You may have to find joy in the player versus player part of the game if you want longevity. Doing the same PvE missions over and over again can get stale.

Planetside 2

Planetside 2 tries to create large scale combat. It’s pretty rough around the edges, but you can create a soldier and level them up in a map. Specialize in various skills, become a pilot or tank crew expert. Be a grunt that throws themselves towards the frontlines. Perhaps lead a covert operation.  There’s a lot of freedom but things never do go quite the way you imagine they should in Planetside 2.

Counter Strike 2

A recent addition and controversial one. Counter Strike Global Offensive became free to play at the end of 2018. Adding a Battle Royale mode with it. It’s a bog standard FPS that just gets down to the main point. Point Gun At Enemy! Mechanics are from the 1990’s and pretty raw which is why it’s popular. However, going free to play has been a cheaters and smurfers dream. So be prepared!

Warface

Warface is a small team based shooter and also features operations for up to 5 players to experience co-operatively. Be an Assault, Sniper, Medic or Engineer and work together. Warface is kind of overlooked for its generic setup. It’s a mixture of Counter Strike, Battlefield, Call of Duty, and Rainbow 6 Siege. So… basically a typical action shooter!

Warframe

Select your Warframe, choose your weapons, group up with friends, and go out on missions. Warframe is a Third Person Shooter where you grind and gear up. Missions are made up of generated tile sections put together and random goals like rescuing prisoners or collecting data. The game is prominently co-operative but also has Player versus Player modes.

Fortnite

Originally a tower defence game that’s split into two sections. A co-operative “Save The World” mode, and “Battle Royale”. Choose to build bases and traps to ward off the hordes of enemies or jump into the battle royale mode against real players and watch them build skyscrapers in mere seconds. It’s quick and easy to get into.

Other Games

What about the games that don’t fit into those genres? Well. We’ve got them down on the list too! It gets a little hardcore.

Dauntless

If you’re looking for a Monster Hunter experience, then Dauntless can offer some of it. Combat is more responsive and the monsters have a better feeling of weight behind them. In some ways, Dauntless is better. The game is simple. Go out there and kill monsters, take components from them, and bring them back to make better armor and weapons. Rinse and Repeat!

War Thunder

From World War 2 to Modern Combat. With 7 different factions you can pilot aircraft, tanks, and ships. War Thunder is the most realistic tank simulation game out there and excels at a detailed experience. The more you play, the better vehicles you will unlock, but most of the time you are matched with vehicles within a rank or two of you.

World of Warships

It’s the same as World of Tanks but instead it’s ships!*

You can play as an aircraft carrier, submarine cruiser, battleship, or destroyer. There are strengths and weaknesses to each.

If this game looks like it may interest you, then you’ll find satisfaction torpedo’ing an enemy ship! It’s an easy game to get into although you might find yourself playing against a lot of AI instead of human players depending on what rank ships you play.

*It’s a bit more complicated mechanically than that but… yeah.

World of Tanks

World of Tanks is like the Micro Machines version of War Thunder. Combat is more gamified and easily understood. The rules of the game also differ. It’s a 15v15 match with one life per round. It’s an arcade style of fun.

Hearthstone

Hearthstone is a Warcraft based Card Game. 10 classes with various Heroes you can choose to play with. You’ll eventually be able to create your own deck containing 30 cards so there is some experimental fun factor to be had. It can be quite a grind to unlock what you want which has lead to the game being labelled pay to win. This is a common problem amongst online card games, but at least Hearthstone is free to enter and see.

Genshin Impact

Gacha! This is a very pretty anime looking game. There is a 4 player co-op mode and you’ll basically explore the world, fight monsters, and eventually get to more exciting boss battles.

The game does want to try and persuade you to spend money. If you’re able to ignore that, then it’s a beautiful game that fills your anime hack n slash needs.

Wuthering Waves

Wuthering Waves is similar to Genshin impact. It too has a co-operative mode to enjoy with friends, which makes everything better. It also has an active parry and dodge system, making combat feel a bit more engaging.

Starcraft 2

An iconic RTS. Build your base, raise a swarm, recruit some marines, warp in some pylons. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then this may be a tricky title to pick up. RTS games are in decline but, if you like the idea of being a leader of an army, give Starcraft a try. If you like it, there are a few gems out there which really go beyond what Starcraft can offer you. A great game that leads to great games.

What Else Is There?

Did I miss something? You know, the best place to talk about these things is in our community Discord. It’s also a great place to find people to group up and play games with. So let me know if there’s a pretty solid game that should be on this list and I will update it!

The Toki Tails Tavern Community Discord – Click Here to Join