Free-to-play has a bit of bad smell around it. Most free-to-play games have some sort of monetization element in them that force you to buy items to progress further in some shitty basic click fest bullshit. Thats sole purpose is to show how much better you are at being a sheeple by spending more money than your friends to get shinier farms or something.
However, there are some good free-to-play games out there. Ones that don’t fleece you to progress further, that put gameplay first and foremost. So without further delay here is TeamRock Games top 5 free-to-play games that won’t nickel and dime you - unless you’re a character customisation whore or just lazy.
5. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
This has featured on our list of mobile games already but it’s such a good game it’s well worth mentioning twice. Hearthstone is addictive, fun, fast and can be enjoyed completely for free on PC, Mac, mobile and tablet. It’s a fantastic multiplayer card battling game based in the same universe as World of Warcraft and unlike the movie, it’s pretty damn good. You can compete against other players as well as earn new cards for your deck either casually or as part of a ranked match system. If you want to spend money, then you can buy booster card packs to expand your decks a bit quicker or you can pick up the single player campaigns that wind their way around Azeroth.
4. Warframe
Warframe has done pretty well for itself, with a community of over 4 million players, considering that no publishers would originally touch it. What is a mystery is why nobody thought it work! It’s a co-operative action game about ninjas in fucking space! What’s not to love about that? Set in a far-flung future, players don ancient hi-tech suits of armour called, oddly enough, Warframes and battle a range of enemies around the solar system in order to save humanity from certain doom. It’s a pretty decent action game and players can earn currency and better loot without needing to splash the cash. It’s also available to play across a PC, PS4 and Xbox One with regular updates adding new free content from missions, levels and gear to new game modes.
3. DC Universe Online
DC Universe Online is probably now the longest-running superhero MMO around. Create your own superhero or villain and dive into DC Comics’ iconic world. You can fight with or against your favourite DC heroes and villains and make a name for yourself as a heroic do-gooder, or villainous pain-in-the-ass. The game still has a thriving community across the PC, PS3 and PS4. Amazingly, cross platform play is fully enabled - allowing console peasants to go smash the virtual faces of PC elitists or (more likely) vice versa. Gameplay is much more action-oriented than most other MMO titles around so it’s less clicky clicky more pow-y and explode-y. The core of DCUO is totally free to play where you can buy more content and cosmetic options if you feel your hero or villain needs a different shade of sassy pink cape or kitten-eyed face mask.
2. Hawken
Hawken arrived a couple of years ago with one aim in mind: make fighting massive robot tanks as fast and fun as Call of Duty. Hawken succeeded in bucket loads because who doesn’t like some hot, fast-paced mech-on-mech action? Weirdos, that’s who. 18 different mechs give players the chance to battle the way they feel best and they’re customizable too, opening up an array of explosive tactical possibilities. There are six different game modes for players to battle each other in and an ever-growing array of maps across dilapidated cities, deserts, jungles and post-apocalyptic wastelands. It can be pretty addictive and it’s available across PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
1. Team Fortress 2
Valve has made some INCREDIBLE games in their time but one of their most popular is Team Fortress 2. It’s a completely wacky class-based, first-person shooter that’s 100% free-to-play, barring the odd hat purchase (seriously, it’s a huge thing). It’s fast, it’s furious and it’s a phenomenal amount of fun with a wide range of guns, hats and badges to unlock. It’s regularly the most played game on Steam and powered by a thriving community of content creators making new items for the game’s store. It’s one of the best class-based shooters around, that’s completely free and balls to the wall crazy. Go download it now from Steam for your shiny PC.
