Awesome Free-To-Play Games That Actually Cost Nothing

Against all odds, Team Fortress 2 maintains a miraculous near-perfect score on Steam, where it's been chugging along since 2007. Completely free to play and welcoming to all levels of players, TF2 is much like your classic GoldenEye, but with a diversity of character classes and fewer grossly polygonal heads. It's a straightforward, relatively uncomplicated, welcoming first-person shooter with a good sense of humor and a whole lot of replay value — which is why it's showing no signs of stopping almost a decade later. That's a lot of juice for a Quake mod.

Want to feel like a superhero without undergoing some kind of traumatic backstory or finding some kind of alien artifact that imbues you with superpowers? DC Universe Online just might be the thing for you. In this free-to-play MMORPG, you're given the chance to become a hero or villain in the DC Universe, with an arsenal of powers at your disposal. You'll pick a hero or villain mentor and get decked out with superpowers like Superman's super strength, the Green Lantern's ability to make Light constructs, or even just some good ol' fashioned martial arts paired with gadgets a la Batman. You're free to take on quests and learn what it means to be a real hero, all while flying (or running at super speeds) around the DC Universe's most iconic locations, like the Watchtower and Gotham City.

Life is busy, and sometimes you don't have as much free time as you'd like for your gaming fix. That's where InnoGames comes in, with its series of free-to-play city-building, strategy, and RPG games for browser and mobile. There's something here for everyone, and it's tough to pick just one. If strategy is your thing, try Warlords of Aternum, Tribal Wars, or Tribal Wars 2. Miss the days of sinking hours into Civilization? Try Forge of Empires for a brilliant game that lets you guide your civilization through the eras.

And speaking of city-building, they definitely have you covered there. Grepolis is a Greek-skinned version of the concept, and Elvenar is a fantasy one. There's way more to do than just set your people to a task and come back an hour later to harvest, too. Join fellowships, trade with other players, work together in tournaments, or participate in events that last weeks at a time. These games are hugely flexible when it comes to a time commitment, and that makes them perfect for sneaking a bit of gaming into a busy schedule. Win!

Aesthetically, there's no game quite like Warframe. In this free third-person shooter from Digital Extremes, players take control of the Tenno, which are ancient warriors that find themselves in an all-out brawl after waking from a cyrogenic slumber. While the gameplay is fun, one of the biggest draws of Warframe is its character designs: the Tenno are the coolest cyber ninjas ever. You'll be obsessed with optimizing your Tenno with gear and then taking them out to complete missions with other players. Whether or not you've ever had dreams of rolling (semi) deep with biomechanical ninjas, there's a certain appeal in wreaking havoc with both guns and kunai. If you have a PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One, just start playing already.

Minecraft was massive, and if you ever wondered what it would be like to wander through your cubist world, slay dragons, and hunt for treasure, wonder no more — just check out Trove on Steam or PS4.

Trove is pretty epic when it comes to gameplay, and it's got all the world-building that made Minecraft so popular. Log in, and you can opt to spend your afternoon building your own house (and unlocking a mechanism to carry it with you), riding dragons through floating islands, heading into the big city, looking for hidden treasure, or battling it out with any number of foes. There's co-op and solo play, and so many characters to choose from you're guaranteed to be hooked. And yes, there are even dinosaurs.

Just in case you wanted to get some more deities in your MOBA adventures, here's Smite, the god-filled game that puts you in control of mythological figures like Amaterasu, Loki, Terra, and more. It's a veritable who's who of pantheons, so fans of mythology will feel right at home as they do battle against gods and demigods alike. There are plenty of game modes available, so you can take your gods for a spin in 5v5 Conquest, a 3v3 Joust with just one lane, an ARAM (All Random, All Mid) game, and more. No matter what champions you pick, the action will look pretty epic as the gods come down the lanes unleashing their wrath upon each other. With so much content packed in this free game, you'll have plenty of things to do without offering anything tithes to the developers.

If you're a fan of the post-apocalyptic mayhem in the Fallout universe and always wondered what it was like to keep a Vault going after the bombs fell, then Fallout Shelter might be the game for you. In this snack-sized management game, you're a Vault Overseer making sure your Vault runs smoothly and keeping all your dwellers happy and productive. You'll be in charge of setting up rooms that generate power, produce food, and purify water to keep your dwellers alive. This means you'll also have to put those dwellers to work, matching up their skills with the proper rooms to make sure there's maximum yield for all the resources you need. It's important to train everyone up and get them working in rooms they're suited for because you'll get attacked by raiders every now and then. But hey, keep everyone happy and well-armed, and you won't have any problems at all ... unless Deathclaws come a-knockin'.

Rube Goldberg machines involve many individual pieces and elements that come together to complete a single task. In Perchang, a mobile title by Perchang Games, that task is to get the ball bearings in the hole. You'll control different elements of a machine, including fans and platforms that help guide a stream of balls into a hole. It sounds simple, but that's where the beauty of Perchang lies. It forces you to think logically while also infusing a bit of skill, since timing is a key factor in getting those balls to the end point. Because this game and its stages are free, you'll probably find yourself with your brow furrowed at your phone's screen, looking for a way to get a fan blowing a certain way or making a platform bounce balls at just the right angle. We hope you're good at physics or at least have reasonable spatial awareness. This game will need both, or just a lot of persistence.

Getting into a new strategy card game can be tough, and we're not just talking about the learning curve and the sheer number of cards. We're also talking about buying a ton of packs to get the good cards, and who can afford to do that? Fortunately, Elder Scrolls: Legends gets rid of all those concerns.

It's super-easy to learn (although it'll take you longer to get good at it), and if you're familiar with the Elder Scrolls lore, it'll be much easier to learn the cards. Finally, it's free-to-play, and there are tons of ways to get free packs. In 2017, Bethesda partnered with Twitch to offer free goodies to anyone who links their accounts, and you can get some seriously powerful cards that way. Plus, there's a bonus to nostalgia when you go back to places like Clockwork City and Skyrim, so how can you beat that?

If first-person shooters are more your speed, then maybe Planetside 2 is just the experience you want to have at the free-to-play cost you crave. In this shooter, you'll fight in large-scale battles to take control of huge territories on the planet of Auraxis. All the action is complemented with tons of unique weapons, vehicles, and tools to help you conquer your enemies. You can choose from a variety of classes, including Medic, Engineer, and Infiltrator. No matter what role you like to have in combat, Planetside 2 will make sure you get to feel like you're contributing to your faction, all with the low price of "free." You just have to decide whether you want to champion the spray-and-pray Terrans, the shotgun-happy New Conglomerate, or the spandex-wearing Vanu Sovereignty.

You know what the gaming world needs more of? Pirates. There just aren't enough of them, and Trion World's ArcheAge is one of the biggest and best free options for anyone looking to get in on some swashbuckling action. It's a huge, open-world MMO where you can take to the seas, claim land, trade, loot, and even build your own nation. There's a catch, too. While a lot of MMOs use things like player housing to keep everyone happy, that's not the case in ArcheAge. There's a limited amount of land, so you'll have to fight for it.

There are some free-to-play restrictions, most of which boil down to land ownership. You can only own land if you cough up some real-world doubloons, but since there are public lands accessible to everyone, it won't break the game for you. Besides, what kind of pirate settles down and farms all day, anyway? Get out there!

In case you missed getting on board with Lord of the Rings Online when it came out way back in 2007, you should absolutely give it a try now. Not only have they finally opened Mordor with an expansion that adds hundreds of new quests and the chance to play as high elves, but the game is free-to-play ... with some restrictions.

You won't be getting all the stuff a VIP player might, but there's so much to this beast of a game it doesn't really matter. High-end stuff can be purchased with in-game currency called Turbine Points, which you can earn by playing. Some aspects of the game — like chat, auction listings, and storage — are minimal but not completely off-limits, so it's more like you could pay for perks rather than be penalized for playing for free. Systems that usually get restricted for free players in other games (like crafting tiers, housing, and mail) are unlocked, so if you've ever wanted to know what it's like to have furry Hobbit feet, give this one a shot.

Deceit is one of those titles you've probably seen pop up on Steam but maybe never looked at. You absolutely should look at it because it's brilliant.

You and five others wake up in an asylum. Some of you have been infected with a virus, some of you haven't. Infected players can transform into a zombie-like nightmare in the darkness, and their entire goal is to hunt the healthy players. At the same time you're not sure who's infected and who's not, you have to find your like-minded group and survive. The entire layout has been created with the goal of creating tension and not a little bit of chaos as players try to hide what they really are and sabotage everyone else. It's an awesome twist on a FPS that'll keep you guessing ... and playing again.

There are few free-to-play games as important as League of Legends. It seems as if everyone nowadays has played the popular MOBA, with fans ranging from fledgling preteen gamers to older adults who have discovered the magic of working with a team to shut down one's opponents, conquer lanes, and feed on the weak. In the years since its arrival, League of Legends has spawned an amazing competitive scene that gets people religiously watching Twitch streams, discussing their favorite teams, and trying to practice so they can reach the upper echelon. There are always great new champs coming down the chute, so the game often gets a refresher, especially as team compositions change with the new additions. And don't get us started on all of the great skins. League might put a carrot on a stick, but at least you'll be chasing it without having to spend a dime.

Are you a role-playing fanatic who can't always coordinate schedules with your Dungeons & Dragons group? Well, why not stay at home and download Neverwinter on your PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One? This free-to-play game puts you into the boots of an adventurer who gets wrapped up in all the intrigue of Neverwinter, a magnificent city in the Forgotten Realms of D&D. Whatever class/race combo you pick, you can expect some action-oriented gameplay that will have you dungeon-crawling all day long. The graphics are great, the gameplay is addictive, and the combat really makes you feel like an adventurer who's unleashing powerful spells and attacks that rock enemies to their core. If you've got the RPG itch, then this is the best thing to scratch it, short of rolling dice with pen and paper.

Paragon might seem like just another MOBA except for one little thing: it's a third-person, over-the-shoulder MOBA. Instead of the top-down perspective with a bunch of pointing and clicking, you play Paragon like any other action game and follow your character behind, able to control where they go freely. Their actions are performed in real-time, so you're in complete control of when they pop their ultimate skills in the middle of a team fight. It's certainly a unique experience to traipse around a battleground with multiple lanes and multi-tiered areas in the middle, but it's fun and will feel familiar to any MOBA player. The characters are all quirky and unique in their designs, so half the fun is unlocking them and seeing how well they do in battle. Because you'll likely sink a lot of time into this game, you'd better grab a comfy chair.