We all like free stuff, right? Well, in the video games industry, “free” often comes with a massive asterisk, and there are plenty of lazily thrown-together titles in Steam’s “free-to-play” section that will beg you for money at every opportunity. We’ve gone through and picked out the truly great games that you can play on Steam right now without ever having to spend a penny.
Dota 2
Let’s be honest, it may as well be part of Steam’s rules that you must have this game on your account. Starting life as a custom game for WarCraft 3, Dota is largely credited with establishing MOBAs as a genre. It has a pretty steep learning curve, but if you take your time with it then you’ll get a lot out of it.
Conqueror’s Blade
Conqueror’s Blade is like nothing else we’ve ever played. It has a bit of Dynasty Warriors, a bit of Mount & Blade, and even some Total War mixed in. This multiplayer game sees you build up huge armies and send them into team-based battles, but there are also hero characters that feature as big parts of these armies. It’s a bit grindy if you want the very best units, but it’s worth trying out just for the unique concept.
Doki Doki Literature Club
If you’ve ever looked at Doki Doki Literature Club and wrote it off as just another anime dating sim, I implore you to look closer. It’s one of those “best to go in blind” sorts of games so we won’t dive much deeper, but the original game is now free to play on Steam since an expanded version was released in 2021. Try it. Seriously.
Lost Ark
If you’re a Diablo fan and can’t wait for Diablo IV, then Lost Ark is worth a look in the meantime. It turns the game into more of an MMO with an Asian fantasy setting, holding onto the snappy action RPG combat while upping the scale and story to match a typical MMO. It broke all sorts of records following its western release in 2022, with a server load so big even Amazon had trouble keeping up. It’s still being regularly updated to this day, so you’re going to run out of content any time soon.
Crusader Kings 2
If you’ve looked at Crusader Kings 3 before now and been unsure if you’d be able to get into it, then try out the previous game, as the full game is now totally free on Steam. It’s a great way to see if the series clicks with you, not to mention it’s a deep and fleshed-out game in its own right, especially if you pick up the expansions.
Warframe
Back on the MMO train, Warframe puts you in a role of a space ninja.
Oh, you’re still here? We thought that would’ve been enough to sell you on it, but if you must know more, Warframe has all of the MMO-flavoured goodies you’d expect alongside a brilliant action combat system that mixes intense gunplay, melee action, and powerful abilities. It’s been around for a long time, but after getting a new lease on life and a new coat of paint in the mid-2010s, it’s gone from strength to strength.
Counter-Stike: Global Offensive
Like Dota, CS:GO is basically mandatory for any Steam account. If you want something a little bit different from the mainstream console multiplayer shooters, then CS:GO might be exactly what you’re looking for. It’s still action-packed and fast-paced, but with a much tighter focus on quick rounds and clever tactics.
Marvel Snap
From one of the brains behind Hearthstone, Ben Brode, Marvel Snap is a very fast-paced and endlessly replayable card game that took the world by storm in 2022. It’s a diverse deck-builder featuring characters from all corners of the Marvel comics, all of whom have a range of different abilities that are easy to understand but take time to master. It’s perhaps the most beginner-friendly deck builder out there, and we’ve got a guide of the best Marvel Snap decks, so there’s no reason not to jump in.
Team Fortress 2
Yet another Valve classic, Team Fortress 2 is the archetypal hero shooter. Without the colorful characters of TF2 and their fantastic “Meet the…” videos, games like Overwatch may never have come to pass. It’s had its fair share of controversy in recent years, but there’s still loads of fun to be had by throwing yourself into a match and embracing the chaos.
Halo Infinite
There are plenty of fair criticisms to level against Halo Infinite, but at its core, it’s still a great-feeling shooter with a wide selection of weapons and vehicles that any Halo fan will recognize and feel comfortable with. The free multiplayer mode is a joy to play, and now there is a bunch of fan-made content available via Forge.
You should also check out our lists of the best PC games and best laptop games if you do have a bit of a budget for new purchases right now.
Written by Marco Wutz and Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
