10 Best Free-To-Play Games That Aren't Battle Royale | Game Rant
The Battle Royale genre has recently dominated the free-to-play market. This is due to developers releasing battle royales for free to support a large community. It's what keeps 100-man matches possible; a format necessary for battle royales to be playable. However, the free-to-play industry is also saturated with many other genres such as FPS, co-op, looter-shooter, open-world, and so much more.
The popularity of battle royale games may have overshadowed some hidden gems in other genres. There are a handful of games that offer a lot of playability without spending anything. Here are 10 of the best free-to-play games that aren't battle royales.
10 Smite
Smite is a free MOBA game that features gods and goddesses as the playable characters. With over 100 gods to choose from, this game is the ultimate ancient mythology crossover.
Players can play as Zeus, Achilles, Aphrodite, Athena, Hades, Hercules, and so much more. Instead of the conventional top-down camera across MOBA games, Smite's POV is oriented much closer to the action to immerse the players into the battlefield. Despite being free-to-play, all the gods can be bought via in-game currency. Also, skins can be unlocked by leveling up.
9 Brawlhalla
Similar to Smash Bros, Brawlhalla is a free fighting platformer game where players score by knocking their opponents out of bounds. Players can damage enemies with hits, combos, and various weapons to increase their opponent's knockback. The higher the knockback of a player, the further he gets sent flying when hit.
This allows for juggling fun, and very satisfying hits that feel impactful. The game would also feature characters from Adventure Time, WWE, Ben 10, and much more.
8 Paladins
Paladins is often humored to be Overwatch's free alternative. This is because like the latter, Paladins integrated a first-person perspective with some fantasy elements.
This 5v5 competitive game features a payload mode, a team deathmatch mode, and a control point mode. The game has a lot of champions to choose from as well, each with their own special abilities. With its 5v5 format, Paladins allows for smaller team compositions than Overwatch, but also has more champions to select from. With over 40 champions, the team composition possibilities are endless.
7 Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 wasn't initially a free-to-play game but in 2011, it went free forever. This spiked up its community with players and strengthened it too. The game is a class-based casual/competitive shooter that explores the variability of nine different classes, and gives them vastly different abilities and personalities.
There are plenty of game modes too such as the PvE Mann Vs Machine mode, along with the neverending selection of PvP modes. Despite the classic shooter not receiving a major update since 2017, the TF2 community keeps the game alive with impressive mods and game modes.
6 Warframe
Warframe is a looter-shooter co-op game with some RPG elements. Players choose from 12 warframes to play as. Each with their own unique set of attributes and special abilities. They can team up with up to three friends to fight off hordes of enemies.
There are plenty of weapons in the game as well, and each can be customized to tailor the players' playstyle. The four-man format provides a lot of composition possibilities for the 12 choice classes. On top of that Warframe is not too graphically demanding, and can be played with even low specs; adding to the nonexclusive element of the game.
5 Dauntless
Similar to Monster Hunter: World, Dauntless is a co-op game that groups together four players against a giant beast. The game's RPG elements make it all the more exciting to take down giant elemental beasts with other players. Players can customize their character to their liking, and equip him with their weapon of choice.
The selection of choice-weapons includes repeaters that work similar to dual shotguns, axes, hammers, swords, and much more. Armor in the game is varied as well. On top of that, beasts can also be fought solo mode like how Kratos deals with his humungous foes in God Of War.
4 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
CS:GO is the latest installment of the Counter-Strike franchise, and also the most developed. It is one of the most competitive FPS games in the e-sports scene, and one of the most widely played games ever. This tactical shooter pits terrorists against counter-terrorists in various game modes.
The most popular being bomb mode in de_dust. The game is simple. Either eliminate the entire opposing team, or successfully complete the objective. These simple and basic mechanics make CS:GO the go-to game for introducing players to the FPS genre, and getting people into gaming in general.
3 Destiny 2
Destiny 2 is a role-playing FPS game that allows wide options for customization, and a varied selection of classes: Hunter, the mobile marksman, Warlock, the mage support role, and Titan, the aggressive tank. Each of these classes has its own subclasses too, allowing for a lot of variability in the four-player co-op.
Aside from the widely played PvE campaign missions and events, Destiny 2 also has literal worlds to explore. There's also a PvP mode in the game. On top of that, purchasing any of the premium DLCs isn't going to give an unfair advantage either. The game is fun regardless if players paid for content or not.
2 War Thunder
War Thunder is a WW2/Cold War inspired MMO. Players choose from an overwhelmingly vast selection of 1700+ weaponized vehicles and engage in full-scale battles across large maps. 32 players compete in 16v16 formats to capture points across the battlefield. Battles of this magnitude require strategic planning and coordination.
Engagements happen on land, air, and sea, making the most out of the war area. While an aerial dogfight is taking place, naval units are sieging each other, and tanks are exchanging explosive shells. There are also PvE modes for players to complete. Though its popularity is overshadowed by faster-paced games, the game is insanely immersive. This makes War Thunder the perfect free alternative to Battlefield games.
1 Valorant
Valorant is the result of Overwatch, CS:GO, and Rainbow Six all wrapped up in a burrito. The game takes some of the most beloved gameplay elements of popular paid games, mixes them up, adds its own unique touch, and then releases it for free. Valorant can't decide if it wants to be a tactical military shooter or a fantasy-based FPS. But somehow, it was able to throw them in a blender and make it taste good.
There are various heroes to choose from, each with their own unique abilities and ultimates. Players engage in a 5v5 dynamic bomb mode similar to that of the Counter-Strike games. This weird yet unbelievably fun mix of elements is one great example of experimentation gone right; making it one of the best free games in recent years.
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