Best Free to Play games on Steam
Unlike generic lists, our strategy game recommendations use a rigorous analysis of Steam user reviews to identify and feature only the best, community-validated free to play games. For those who prefer not to search, lists of the most played and best free free to play games are available at the bottom of the page.
Filters & Lists
Oh...Sir! Prototype
A Ridiculous local 1v1muliplayer Insult Simulator for two!
Space Pilgrim Episode I: Alpha Centauri
Captain Gail Pilgrim has been flying starships since she was a kid, ferrying passengers between planets and space stations across the galaxy. She has no reason to expect that this latest trip to Alpha Centauri will be anything special, even if her passengers are a little more diverse than usual....
Cards and Castles
Collectible cards come to life in this tactics and CCG hybrid! Collect cards, build decks, and challenge players head to head on a Tactical Game Board. Play as Vikings, Pirates, Ninjas and more!
Gnomes Garden
Dry summer withered the king’s beloved garden and the surrounding gardens of the kingdom alike. The ruler has fallen ill and the kingdom is in danger. Help the princess save the gardens and make the king better again.
MechWarrior Online™ Legends
MechWarrior Online™ Legends is a tactical, 'Mech-based online shooter set in the vast BattleTech Universe. Assume the role of an elite MechWarrior, piloting powerful BattleMechs, fighting for supremacy over the Inner Sphere.
Apotheon Arena
Apotheon Arena is the free online-multiplayer complement to the mythic Greek action RPG, Apotheon. Pit your skills with spear and shield against other players in brutal bronze-age combat. Battle across the statuesque arenas of Olympus, depicted with beautiful black-figure pottery artwork.
Pool Nation FX Lite
Pool Nation FX, is a seriously fun Pool & Snooker Sim! A visually stunning billiards simulation with the critically acclaimed POOL NATION physics engine. Play 8 Ball, 9 Ball, Snooker, Killer & more, unlimited Career modes with customised difficulty levels, Trickshots, Local and Online Multiplayer, spectate live matches and feel...
Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist
A 15 minute heist game by Crows Crows Crows & Directed by William Pugh (The Stanley Parable). Slip into the soft-soled shoes of the mastermind responsible for the greatest heist- oh god I can’t do this any more, i’m joining the strike. good luck writing the steam description. -tina
AX:EL - Air XenoDawn
Combining the very best of sci-fi and aerial dogfighting gameplay, AX:EL delivers a totally new gaming experience. Create your very own shape-shifting vehicle and dominate both the sky and the ocean.
Immortal Empire
Immortal Empire is a multiplayer tactics role playing game. Control a party of up to 5 immortals as you travel through a unique fantasy world, using spells and strategy to defeat your enemies. Play co-op, versus, or solo through a compelling campaign storyline with fully voiced characters.
Carpe Diem
Seize the day
Emily is Away
Emily is Away is an interactive story. Create a screenname and choose your path through the branching narrative.
ePic Character Generator
Create realistic or hand-drawn character images you can use as assets for your games, illustrations for your stories, or avatars for your role-playing sessions. Export your images as PNG files with or without a background, or as a layered PSD image for further customization.
Pink Heaven
A certain office lady is back!!
Endless Sky
Endless Sky is a 2D space trading and combat game inspired by the classic Escape Velocity series. Work your way up from a relatively wimpy shuttle, cargo ship, or fighter, to a highly upgraded and customized flagship or to a massive fleet of warships or freighters.
Alpha Polaris : A Horror Adventure Game
Alpha Polaris is an oldschool adventure game focusing on slow-burning character driven horror and environmental themes. It draws inspiration from such sources as Inuit legends and Cthulhu mythos.
Kingdom: Classic
Kingdom is a 2D sidescrolling strategy/resource management hybrid with a minimalist feel wrapped in a beautiful, modern pixel art aesthetic.
Crusaders of the Lost Idols
Crusaders of the Lost Idols is an idle game of heroic awesomeness! Create a band of fighters to fight monsters, earn gold and create strategies for the perfect formations over multiple campaigns! Upgrade your heroes, collect unique gear, and unlock new Crusaders in regular new events.
The Secret of Tremendous Corporation
Explore the deepest SECRETs™ of the Tremendous Corporation®. Find out what happened to indie devs and save the gaming industry!
ShareX
ShareX is a free and open source program that can capture or record selected area from the screen with a single keypress, automatically save them to your hard disk/clipboard, and instantly upload them to an image/file hosting service and then can copy the URL to your clipboard.
Who Is Mike - A Visual Novel
You wake up with an aching head and the world out of focus. In front of you is a man accusing you of being “fake”. He looks exactly like you, down to the last scar and pimple, has the same memories, the same voice and the same personality. But who is lying and who is telling the truth? Who is fake and who is real?
Journey To The Center Of The Earth
You love riddles and to combine logically? You love Jump 'n' Runs? You don't want to fight but you still want a challenge? Then you will love this Journey to the Center of the Earth! Control three adventurers with unique powers at the same time, or guide them individually in this narrative 2D puzzle platformer...Most played free to play games on Steam
Take a look at the top free to play games that are currently attracting the largest player bases on the Steam platform, as of April 19th 2025.
1. Dota 2
Every day, millions of players worldwide enter battle as one of over a hundred Dota heroes. And no matter if it's their 10th hour of play or 1,000th, there's always something new to discover. With regular updates that ensure a constant evolution of gameplay, features, and heroes, Dota 2 has taken on a life of its own. Dota 2 is a free to play, moba and multiplayer game developed and published by Valve. Released on July 09th 2013 has received 2,466,311 reviews of which 2,010,666 were positive and 455,645 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.1 out of 10. The game has hit the top spot as the #1 most played free to play game, thanks to its 379,977 peak concurrent players over the last day.
8.1
2,010,666
455,645
379,977
players
2. Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals is a Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter! Assemble an all-star Marvel squad, devise countless strategies by combining powers to form unique Team-Up skills and fight in destructible, ever-changing battlefields across the continually evolving Marvel universe! Marvel Rivals is a free to play, multiplayer and hero shooter game developed and published by NetEase Games. Released on December 05th 2024 has received 264,904 reviews of which 213,442 were positive and 51,462 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.0 out of 10. While seeing 184,867 players online at once in the last 24 hours, this game is currently ranked #2 among free to play games based on player count.
8.0
213,442
51,462
184,867
players
3. Bongo Cat
Bongo cat needs your help. Bongo cat needz more hatz!!! Every time you press a key, Bongo cat will punch your taskbar. Type, click, play, work to collect more points. Which hats will you find? Bongo Cat is a casual, cats and clicker game developed by Marcel Zurawka and published by Irox Games. Released on March 05th 2025 has received 6,924 reviews of which 6,686 were positive and 238 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.3 out of 10. While seeing 108,231 players online at once in the last 24 hours, this game is currently ranked #3 among free to play games based on player count.
9.3
6,686
238
108,231
players
4. Banana
Banana is a clicker Game, in which you click a Banana! In Banana you click the Banana to gain even more Bananas! Every 3 hours, you get dropped a banana. Each banana is also made by the community in discord. Come hang out with us and let's grow into something awesome ! Banana is a free to play, clicker and singleplayer game developed by Sky, AestheticSpartan and O'Brian and published by Sky. Released on April 23rd 2024 has received 88,204 reviews of which 72,799 were positive and 15,405 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.2 out of 10. With 107,276 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #4 spot among the most played free to play games.
8.2
72,799
15,405
107,276
players
5. Apex Legends™
Apex Legends is the award-winning, free-to-play Hero Shooter from Respawn Entertainment. Master an ever-growing roster of legendary characters with powerful abilities, and experience strategic squad play and innovative gameplay in the next evolution of Hero Shooter and Battle Royale. Apex Legends™ is a free to play, battle royale and multiplayer game developed by Respawn and published by Electronic Arts. Released on November 04th 2020 has received 987,640 reviews of which 663,258 were positive and 324,382 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.7 out of 10. With 91,790 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #5 spot among the most played free to play games.
6.7
663,258
324,382
91,790
players
6. War Thunder
War Thunder is the most comprehensive free-to-play, cross-platform, MMO military game dedicated to aviation, armoured vehicles, and naval craft, from the early 20th century to the most advanced modern combat units. Join now and take part in major battles on land, in the air, and at sea. War Thunder is a free to play, simulation and vehicular combat game developed by Gaijin Entertainment and published by Gaijin Network Ltd. Released on August 15th 2013 has received 743,117 reviews of which 473,366 were positive and 269,751 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.4 out of 10. With 46,620 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #6 spot among the most played free to play games.
6.4
473,366
269,751
46,620
players
7. Team Fortress 2
Nine distinct classes provide a broad range of tactical abilities and personalities. Constantly updated with new game modes, maps, equipment and, most importantly, hats! Team Fortress 2 is a free to play, hero shooter and multiplayer game developed and published by Valve. Released on October 10th 2007 has received 1,151,067 reviews of which 1,031,715 were positive and 119,352 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.9 out of 10. With 45,884 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #7 spot among the most played free to play games.
8.9
1,031,715
119,352
45,884
players
8. Warframe
Awaken as an unstoppable warrior and battle alongside your friends in this story-driven free-to-play online action game Warframe is a free to play, action rpg and looter shooter game developed and published by Digital Extremes. Released on March 25th 2013 has received 621,274 reviews of which 541,215 were positive and 80,059 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.6 out of 10. With 45,100 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #8 spot among the most played free to play games.
8.6
541,215
80,059
45,100
players
9. VRChat
Join our growing community as you explore, play, and help craft the future of social VR. Create worlds and custom avatars. Welcome to VRChat. VRChat is a vr, free to play and multiplayer game developed and published by VRChat Inc.. Released on February 01st 2017 has received 237,151 reviews of which 179,218 were positive and 57,933 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.5 out of 10. With 39,870 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #9 spot among the most played free to play games.
7.5
179,218
57,933
39,870
players
10. The Sims™ 4
Play with life and discover the possibilities. Unleash your imagination and create a world of Sims that’s wholly unique. Explore and customize every detail from Sims to homes–and much more. The Sims™ 4 is a life sim, character customization and free to play game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Released on June 18th 2020 has received 167,109 reviews of which 145,918 were positive and 21,191 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.6 out of 10. With 32,520 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #10 spot among the most played free to play games.
8.6
145,918
21,191
32,520
players
Free free to play games on Steam
Check out this fantastic list of free-to-play free to play games you can enjoy on Steam right now, updated on April 19th 2025. Looking for even more free titles? Use the search filters to explore a wider range of free to play free to play games.
1. Dota 2
Every day, millions of players worldwide enter battle as one of over a hundred Dota heroes. And no matter if it's their 10th hour of play or 1,000th, there's always something new to discover. With regular updates that ensure a constant evolution of gameplay, features, and heroes, Dota 2 has taken on a life of its own. Dota 2 is a free to play, moba and multiplayer game developed and published by Valve. Released on July 09th 2013 has received 2,466,311 reviews of which 2,010,666 were positive and 455,645 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.1 out of 10. With 379,977 active players enjoying it for free, this strategy game has reached the #1 spot among the top free free to play games on Steam.
8.1
2,010,666
455,645
379,977
players
2. Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals is a Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter! Assemble an all-star Marvel squad, devise countless strategies by combining powers to form unique Team-Up skills and fight in destructible, ever-changing battlefields across the continually evolving Marvel universe! Marvel Rivals is a free to play, multiplayer and hero shooter game developed and published by NetEase Games. Released on December 05th 2024 has received 264,904 reviews of which 213,442 were positive and 51,462 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.0 out of 10. Thanks to its free to play tag and a daily player base of 184,867, this free to play game has secured the #2 spot in the ranking of free free to play games on Steam.
8.0
213,442
51,462
184,867
players
3. Bongo Cat
Bongo cat needs your help. Bongo cat needz more hatz!!! Every time you press a key, Bongo cat will punch your taskbar. Type, click, play, work to collect more points. Which hats will you find? Bongo Cat is a casual, cats and clicker game developed by Marcel Zurawka and published by Irox Games. Released on March 05th 2025 has received 6,924 reviews of which 6,686 were positive and 238 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.3 out of 10. Thanks to its free to play tag and a daily player base of 108,231, this free to play game has secured the #3 spot in the ranking of free free to play games on Steam.
9.3
6,686
238
108,231
players
4. Banana
Banana is a clicker Game, in which you click a Banana! In Banana you click the Banana to gain even more Bananas! Every 3 hours, you get dropped a banana. Each banana is also made by the community in discord. Come hang out with us and let's grow into something awesome ! Banana is a free to play, clicker and singleplayer game developed by Sky, AestheticSpartan and O'Brian and published by Sky. Released on April 23rd 2024 has received 88,204 reviews of which 72,799 were positive and 15,405 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.2 out of 10. Attracting a solid base of 107,276 players due to its free access, this strategy game has achieved the #4 position in the best free free to play games on Steam.
8.2
72,799
15,405
107,276
players
5. Apex Legends™
Apex Legends is the award-winning, free-to-play Hero Shooter from Respawn Entertainment. Master an ever-growing roster of legendary characters with powerful abilities, and experience strategic squad play and innovative gameplay in the next evolution of Hero Shooter and Battle Royale. Apex Legends™ is a free to play, battle royale and multiplayer game developed by Respawn and published by Electronic Arts. Released on November 04th 2020 has received 987,640 reviews of which 663,258 were positive and 324,382 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.7 out of 10. Attracting a solid base of 91,790 players due to its free access, this strategy game has achieved the #5 position in the best free free to play games on Steam.
6.7
663,258
324,382
91,790
players
6. War Thunder
War Thunder is the most comprehensive free-to-play, cross-platform, MMO military game dedicated to aviation, armoured vehicles, and naval craft, from the early 20th century to the most advanced modern combat units. Join now and take part in major battles on land, in the air, and at sea. War Thunder is a free to play, simulation and vehicular combat game developed by Gaijin Entertainment and published by Gaijin Network Ltd. Released on August 15th 2013 has received 743,117 reviews of which 473,366 were positive and 269,751 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.4 out of 10. Attracting a solid base of 46,620 players due to its free access, this strategy game has achieved the #6 position in the best free free to play games on Steam.
6.4
473,366
269,751
46,620
players
7. Team Fortress 2
Nine distinct classes provide a broad range of tactical abilities and personalities. Constantly updated with new game modes, maps, equipment and, most importantly, hats! Team Fortress 2 is a free to play, hero shooter and multiplayer game developed and published by Valve. Released on October 10th 2007 has received 1,151,067 reviews of which 1,031,715 were positive and 119,352 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.9 out of 10. Attracting a solid base of 45,884 players due to its free access, this strategy game has achieved the #7 position in the best free free to play games on Steam.
8.9
1,031,715
119,352
45,884
players
8. Warframe
Awaken as an unstoppable warrior and battle alongside your friends in this story-driven free-to-play online action game Warframe is a free to play, action rpg and looter shooter game developed and published by Digital Extremes. Released on March 25th 2013 has received 621,274 reviews of which 541,215 were positive and 80,059 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.6 out of 10. Attracting a solid base of 45,100 players due to its free access, this strategy game has achieved the #8 position in the best free free to play games on Steam.
8.6
541,215
80,059
45,100
players
9. VRChat
Join our growing community as you explore, play, and help craft the future of social VR. Create worlds and custom avatars. Welcome to VRChat. VRChat is a vr, free to play and multiplayer game developed and published by VRChat Inc.. Released on February 01st 2017 has received 237,151 reviews of which 179,218 were positive and 57,933 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.5 out of 10. Attracting a solid base of 39,870 players due to its free access, this strategy game has achieved the #9 position in the best free free to play games on Steam.
7.5
179,218
57,933
39,870
players
10. The Sims™ 4
Play with life and discover the possibilities. Unleash your imagination and create a world of Sims that’s wholly unique. Explore and customize every detail from Sims to homes–and much more. The Sims™ 4 is a life sim, character customization and free to play game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Released on June 18th 2020 has received 167,109 reviews of which 145,918 were positive and 21,191 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.6 out of 10. Attracting a solid base of 32,520 players due to its free access, this strategy game has achieved the #10 position in the best free free to play games on Steam.
8.6
145,918
21,191
32,520
players