Best Free to Play Games for Download in 2020
There are so many free to play games (F2P) available today that it may be hard deciding which ones are worth downloading. Thankfully, we tested hundreds of free games to save you time. Check out our top choices!
Disclaimer: Softonic receives a commission for purchases made through the links on this comparison.
World of Warships
Developed by Wargaming Group Limited, which produced other war games like World of Warplanes and World of Warships, this game features multiplayer vehicular shooting action. You’ll control your choice of World War II ships across massive oceanic arenas.
Genre: Strategy, Action, Simulation, Combat, Crossplay, Cross Platform, Wargaming, Slow-paced Shooter
Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Manage Your Fleet
World of Warships does its best to bring the Battleship experience to your desktop. There are several WWII ships to unlock, which you can obtain by fighting others online and gaining experience. If you’d prefer to buy your way to the top, you can purchase fleet and upgrades via the microtransaction system.
The ultimate goal is to wipe out your opponents in exhilarating battle scenarios. You’ll lead your fleets onto the waters while watching for danger from above and below. It takes the best strategy to win, as you’ll need to ensure you don’t lose your ship too quickly.
Take The Helm
One of the most impressive features is that you can take control of any of your vehicles, whether ship or plane. You can choose between third and first-person mode, while the other units continue with your outlined attack plan. It breaks the monotony of merely watching the chaos unfold by letting you take the enemy on personally.
Realistic Design
Each vehicle has outstanding design details. More impressive are the water elements and draw distance. The seas spray over the decks, and you won’t have any problem seeing enemy fleets approaching from afar.
Our thoughts
This battle simulation game for PC and Mac takes tactical multiplayer action to a whole new level. Not only will you issue instructions for your ship to attack, but you can also enter the fray by piloting any of the vessels. With the realistic graphics and impressive draw distance, you’ll be torn between taking in the view and causing devastation.
Raid: Shadow Legends
Originally launched on Android and iOS in 2018, Raid: Shadow Legends became one of the best free PC games when Plarium Games created a desktop port in 2020. It features RPG elements within a dark fantasy, turn-based setting.
Genre: Role Playing, Strategy, Turn-based, Gacha Game, Fantasy
Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Hail The Champions
From the start of the game, it’s clear that the main focus is the story and the almighty champions. You’ll start by selecting your first hero, but your band of bloodthirsty units grows over time as you progress through the campaign chapters. You choose your leader and accompanying fighters before each mission.
With over 300 to choose from, you’re definitely spoilt for choice. The downside to having so many characters is that there’s not enough content to deliver the background and lore for each of them.
Tactical Gameplay
While it’s one of the best free online games with RPG elements, the primary gameplay mechanic revolves around turn-based strategy. Progression is linear, as you’ll cross bridges and beautiful fantasy settings battling one set of enemies at a time. Testing your skills against NPCs and other online players becomes enjoyable and competitive, marred only by the constant appearance of event and shop listings.
PvP Arena
Besides the campaign, the other four modes include dungeons, faction wars, clan boss fights, and the PvP arena. You have the option of playing solo in the main story or joining a faction and taking the sword to your online opponents. You’ll engage in multiplayer mayhem and intense battles that you’ll be too afraid to tell your grandkids about around the campfire.
Our thoughts
With exciting tactical elements and stunning fantasy visuals, you’ll have endless fun driving a wedge between the Dark Lord Siroth and his evil minions. If that’s not enough action for you, head to the dungeons or take on other factions in the PvP arena.
World of Tanks
Another one of Wargaming Group Limited’s free to play games, this MMO battle shooter features an array of tanks that you can collect and upgrade. You’ll need to show your worth on the battlefield if you’re to survive against other online players in World of Tanks.
Genre: Role Playing, Combat, Vehicular Combat
Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
War-torn Landscapes
This online multiplayer game casts you as a tank commander on European terrain. Six different tank classes are available, featuring fleets from Germany, USSR, and the United States. You gain experience from each battle, which lets you buy new vehicles or research improvements.
While you’re blasting highly explosive rounds into the hull and heart of your enemy, you may want to take in some of the gorgeous views. The amazing scenery has a sharp contrast to the ruins you’ll cross in the small towns. The only blight to these majestic settings is when your tank’s turret vanishes through a building’s wall.
The game’s sound is incredible, with sirens singing in the background while intense battle scenes emerge with eruptions all around. You’ll need your wits about you as your team strives to annihilate the other. Fortunately, there are different zoom levels for you to spot your foe from miles away.
Fresh Content
Whether you’re playing on Mac or PC, the developer will treat you to new content now and again. Not only will you see new vehicles, research, and technology, but there are extra events and game modes. For example, you can also enjoy participating in historical battles with tanks relevant to the respective era.
Our thoughts
World of Tanks provides an exhilarating experience, with quick 15-minute rounds for both teams to eliminate each other. There’s no respawning when you die, but you can return to the action by joining another lobby. You can expect new items and events to keep you busy for days.
Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming
Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming is an adventure strategy game based on the popular fantasy TV series. You have the option of playing the fantasy title on the desktop browser or by downloading the PC or Mac app.
Genre: Adventure, Strategy, Role Playing, Arcade
Platform: Windows, Mac, Web Browser
Detailed Storyline
From the moment you start the tutorial, you’ll realize that the game links to the television series’s first season. After Lord Ned Stark’s death, you become ruler of Westeros. Familiar faces will greet you with grace and guidance while they regale you with quests that you need to undertake.
There are three quest arcs for you to follow. The story quests aid you in unlocking plot elements and increasing your rulership. The main quests consist of gameplay mechanics, such as upgrading buildings and training units. Finally, the alliance tab reveals timed missions to complete for your online clan.
Strategy and Building Management
The story may feel like a side element at times when construction and fighting take center stage. While you’ll rarely see your alliance members in action, working together is essential to rising quickly in the ranks. It helps that clan tabs link to Discord community servers in most cases.
There are many various gameplay elements at work in this free-to-play strategy game. Besides building and crafting, there are real-time battles in which you can participate. You’ll also need to allocate points to your character to unlock battle and production skills.
Our thoughts
Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming is one of the best free PC games that provides top quality graphics with a detailed story. While building management takes the lead, you’ll also take on other armies to prove your leadership skills. You can enjoy the game alone or join forces with other online players.
Forge of Empires
InnoGames first launched this online strategy game for mobile apps and desktop browsers in 2012. Forge of Empires is similar to other fantasy titles such as Elvenar and Tribal Wars 2. It combines RTS and turn-based elements, setting you against the environment and online players.
Genre: Strategy, Citybuilding Game, Browser Game, Turn-based
Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Web Browser
Building A Nation
Forge of Empires has a short tutorial, taking you through a few quests before letting you have complete control. You’ll start with building structures and training units. The larger your town grows, the more research points and resources become available.
You spend a considerable amount of time clicking on production buildings and homes, collecting gold and wares. Of course, you can use unique gems to manage it for you, if you can afford to buy them. If you’d like to expand the construction area, you can purchase any of the adjacent plots.
Conquering Time And Space
You have the opportunity to head to the map and conquer neighboring lands. Each province provides you with a steady flow of resources. It’s in these battles where turn-based strategy rules, as you’ll take turns fighting it out with the resident NPC soldiers.
Terrible Neighbors
One of the most significant factors is joining a guild as quickly as possible. Other online players enjoy attacking unprotected towns. You may log off one evening, just to return the next day to a pillaged village.
Our thoughts
While there are many single-player elements, you’ll feel the sting of the multiplayer aspect as opponents bombard you with attacks. You’ll need determination and a strong alliance to enjoy Forge of Empires.
Magic: The Gathering Arena
When it comes to the best deck-building free to play games, it’s hard to beat Magic: The Gathering Arena. Developed by Wizards of the Coast LLC as a faithful digital representation of the titular card game, it launched for PC and Mac in 2018.
Genre: Card Game, Strategy
Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
The Card Collector’s Dream
Once you get past the tutorial, with missions that are hard to fail at, you can start playing against other players or game challenges. These pursuits assist you in unlocking more decks and collectible cards. If you’re an MTGA fanatic, you’ll aim to obtain every possible deck in the game.
There are two primary modes before entering a battle. In the Constructed Deck Mode, you can use custom decks with your preferred cards. Draft Mode lets you try booster packs with an assortment of objectives.
Color Challenges
Before you enter the multiplayer universe for some PvP action, you’ll want to head to the color challenges. Each series of NPC competitions places you against the respective color’s planeswalkers. This feature unlocks single- and dual-colored decks to help you beat your future opponents.
Enter The Arena
The Arena is where the PvP battles take place. If you felt any of the NPC planeswalkers were tough, wait until you fight it out with a real player. The problem is that, if they’re not shy to spend money on unique cards and extra decks, you may find it challenging to beat them.
Of course, it may take you months to build a decent deck collection, which is half the fun. It’s hard not to praise the game for its brilliant gameplay, beautiful design, and excellent sound effects.
Our thoughts
It’s undeniable that Magic: The Gathering Arena delivers an excellent deck-building experience among free to play PC games. If you’re looking for similar collectible card games, try Hearthstone or Gwent.
League of Angels III
League of Angels III is an MMORPG with turn-based combat mechanics. GTarcade designed it for gamers who enjoy free multiplayer games on PC and Mac browsers, with the ability to accept quests alone or with other online gamers. You can also download the desktop client.
Genre: Action, Role Playing, MMORPG
Platform: Web Browser
Earn Your Wings
This fantasy role-playing game lets players bear wings as they adopt an angel persona. The world is rife with demons and other evil entities, and it’s your mission to clear them with your divine blade. The universe is calling for the chosen one to save it; could that be you?
There’s a small heavenly lobby where you meet NPCs and other players. You’ll spend your time choosing missions, upgrading your character, and making adjustments to your weapons. When you’re ready for the fight, you’ll face the diabolic ire of demondom in epic turn-based battles.
Friend or Foe?
As the game progresses, you’ll unlock NPC companions to assist you on your way. Other gamers can join you on quests, where you’ll take turns defeating the enemies. This party-based system makes it enjoyable to play with friends.
If you’re more on the aggressive side, you can challenge other players in the PvP arena. It’s an excellent chance to test your skills and tactics against another gamer. The only real downside is the absence of trading, although the tutorial could be more detailed.
Our thoughts
You don’t need to have played League of Legends II to enjoy the third installment in the series. There’s enough content to enjoy, with stunning visuals, character designs, and customizations.
Warframe
Warframe is a co-operative third-person shooter that’s not to be confused with Warface. Digital Extremes has been working on the futuristic game since 2013, with several updates throughout its development.
Genre: Action, Role Playing
Platform: Windows, iOS, Android
Tons Of Missions
The one aspect that stands out in Warframe is the number of areas and missions you can unlock as a Tenno ancient warrior. Variation in quest types includes destroying reactors, rescuing characters, and plowing your ammunition through alien hordes. Your reward consists of points that you’ll use to upgrade weapons and abilities.
You’ll also need to look after your warframe. Each one has specific abilities; save these powers for when you need them, as you’ll run low on the energy that keeps it going.
Alone Or Together
Three other players can join your party in these beautiful futuristic settings. If the game struggles to find online gamers, you can also invite your friends. Introvert players will be happy to know that they can play the stages alone.
Predictable Aliens
While there’s plenty of action to be had, the AI does become predictable after a while. When you become a master at the game, you might find the quests less interesting.
Our thoughts
Warframe is one of the top free PC games that presents hours of bullet-jumping, sliding, and slashing ninja action that you and your friends can enjoy together. With the right group of gamers, you may not feel the time slip away as you grind through the missions. With so much content available, it’ll be exciting to see what the final version looks like when it officially launches.
War Thunder
If you’re looking for an online multiplayer game that’s free-to-play and combines vehicles from World of Tanks, Warplanes, and Warships, then War Thunder is perfect for you. Take to the skies, sea, or land in this war simulation shooter game.
Genre: Action, Simulation, Combat, Third-person Shooter
Platform: Windows, Mac
Choose Your Weapon
If you’re a war game fan, you’re going to love this title. War Thunder starts by asking you with which vehicle type you’d like to begin. You can choose between the air force, navy, or land divisions.
You’ll also need to select which country’s army you want to join before heading to the hangar. There’s a detailed tutorial for each division, split into chapters. It’s recommended that you work through all of them before taking the battle online.
Mixture Of Realism And Fun
You’ll find this online shooting game entertaining, while there could be some frustration awaiting you. The difficulty is progressive, but that’s if you can get used to the flight or tank controls. There’s also a complex research tree with so many tech branches that you may get lost deciding which one to upgrade next.
Virtual Reality
While the game is available on PC and Mac, you can immerse yourself further into the scenery with virtual reality. It’s compatible with HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. If you feel the standard graphics and sound are impressive, wait until you see it with a headset over your eyes.
Our thoughts
All of the war combat elements combine for a realistic action shooter that will either leave you frustrated or celebrating. If you don’t suffer from motion sickness, throw on a VR headset to feel like you’re right there in the middle of the battlefield.
Brawlhalla
Blue Mammoth Games surprised the gaming world with one of the top fighting free to play games. Brawlhalla features many offline and online multiplayer modes and is available for Android, iOS, PC, and Mac.
Genre: Action, Fighting, Battle
Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Fight To The Deaths
Similar to other fighting games like Super Smash Flash 2, Brawlhalla provides hours of entertainment with a new take on platform mechanics. When another player hits you off the ground, you can jump right back into the action if you’re close enough. This feature saves you from death while granting you another chance to bash your opponent.
You’ll find your character suffering several deaths, as the round is time-based. There’s a counter at the top of the screen that indicates points, which changes based on how many times you die or kill. In the end, the winner is the fighter with the highest score.
Different Modes
The most exciting aspect is the various game modes available. Top of the list is a free-for-all, where you and three other fighters will compete for the ultimate win.
It’s you against another gamer in Strikeout, as each of you selects three Legends for the stage. When one Legend dies, the next enters. The action continues until you have no heroes left with which to fight.
You can also join with a friend in ‘Friendly 2v2’ or test new features in ‘Experimental 1v1.’
Our thoughts
Although battles may become confusing at times, Brawlhalla is a fun platform fighting game that you can enjoy with family and friends. There’s no character lore or exciting chapters, but you can purchase the Battle Pass for a more significant edge against your opponents.
DOTA 2
DOTA 2 has become one of the best free PC games within the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre. Introduced by Valve in 2013, it consists of fantasy characters and themes full of magic and mystery.
Genre: Strategy, Combat, MOBA
Platform: Windows, Mac
Real-time Tactical Warfare
This intense MOBA game stemmed from a Warcraft III custom map feature. It’s akin to another popular fantasy multiplayer game that shares the spotlight in many online tournaments, namely League of Legends. It consists of real-time battles set within arena maps where opponents face each other for ultimate domination.
The first objective is fighting through the enemy’s land and minions and destroying the defensive towers. After that, you can take the main fortress, which will end the round. While it sounds easy, the gameplay mechanics are challenging to learn and often deter new players from spending more than a few hours on the game.
Massive Hero Collection
You won’t fall short of heroes with a massive library available. The beauty and wonder of the fantasy landscapes match the remarkable character design. Even more enchanting are the effects on the battlefield, both in sound and animations, where character abilities will leave you wide-eyed in excitement.
Item Store
One element that all players can access is the item shop. You can buy objects to buff your hero’s stats, such as movement speed and damage per hit. Finding the best combination can mean the difference between winning and losing.
Our thoughts
DOTA 2 is predominantly multiplayer, which means you won’t find any single-player elements to enjoy. There’s an online co-op PvE campaign, however, if you don’t like facing other players. You’ll spend countless hours between choosing the best champion skills and unleashing your wrath in the battle arena.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Valve’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s competition when it comes to free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooters. Initially launched in 2012, the PC and Mac versions have enjoyed several content updates over the years.
Genre: Action, Multiplayer, First-person Shooter
Platform: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Highly Competitive Gaming
CS:GO has a massive player fanbase, with the top competitions taking place in esports tournaments. You won’t wait long in a lobby to enter the battlefield. There are always online gamers ready to plant a bullet in you.
The FPS game consists of two sides, namely the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists. In all but one mode, you’ll die permanently with no respawns. You also won’t receive any experience points, which means the gameplay shows off your actual skill.
If you’re not prepared to face online gamers yet, offline play against bots is available. It gives you the opportunity to hone your shooting proficiency.
Regular Content
Valve has polished the graphics and sound in recent updates. Despite new content, other modern online shooter titles beat it with superior imagery and overall design. It doesn’t affect the CS:GO gamers, though, who still find the fast-paced action highly addictive.
When you start a match, you have the option to buy weapons with the available cash for that round. There are no pre-match load-outs or unique attachments. Therefore, there’s also a certain amount of strategy involved.
Small Battlegrounds
While Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is exceptionally competitive, the arenas are small. When you consider that deaths are permanent, it does seem reasonable that the developer wouldn’t waste space on a map in which you won’t spend much time. However, it limits the playing field to a few short steps.
Our thoughts
When it comes to free multiplayer games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, beginners may feel intimidated by the number of times they die within the first few matches. Opponents and bots are unforgiving, even with no experience points available. Nevertheless, it satiates the gamer’s desire for high-adrenaline shooting matches.
