The best free PC games date back decades, with browser games being all the rage for young kids in the 2000s and well-known titles such as Solitaire, Minesweeper, and SkiFree coming installed automatically with a copy of Windows.
Thanks to the proliferation of free-to-play games–many which are viable to play long-term without spending a dime–and generous developers who offer up games for free in their entirety, 2026 is home to countless great free games, particularly on PC. There’s also a vast library of free titles that harken back to the browser game days and are relatively unknown in the general community.
If you’re looking to spend hours experiencing some new games on PC but don’t want to fork over any money, we have the list for you. Many great free PC games are on Steam, and we have a separate list of the best free games on Steam for you to peruse. We tried to avoid too much overlap here, instead highlighting some lesser-known games, as well as more well-known ones that are mostly available outside of Steam. For more, check out our picks for the best PC games.
Roblox
- Developer: Roblox Corporation
- Release Date: September 1, 2006
- Genre: Sandbox
Roblox is more of an experience or platform than a game, as it gives players the chance to play user-created games. From the moment you sign up for a free account, you can access a library of millions of games that offer just about any experience you can imagine.
One minute you might be surviving disasters like tornadoes in Natural Disaster Survival, while another you might be running for your life from a killer in Murder Mystery 2. Think of a genre–horror, RPG, MMO, life sim, visual novel, etc–and it exists in Roblox, and typically in a decent quality state.
The best aspect of Roblox is the overall freedom you immediately get to spend your time however you want. Whether that’s playing a Call of Duty clone or going on an RPG adventure modeled after an anime like Sword Art Online, just about anything is possible in the world of Roblox and the best experiences it has to offer.
Fortnite
- Developer: Epic Games
- Release Date: July 21, 2017
- Genre: Battle Royale (and more)
Love it or hate it, Fortnite set a new kind of standard for free-to-play games when its battle royale mode was released in 2017. The developers at Epic Games have written a blueprint for how free games should operate, and hundreds of other games have now tried to emulate its success.
In 2026, Fortnite is an entire gaming experience rather than just a battle royale game with flashy skins. While battle royale modes are still the focal point of the game, Fortnite offers much more for players who might have grown bored of the genre. A flurry of additional modes, such as Lego Fortnite, Ballistic, Festival, and Rocket Racing are all playable right from the main menu.
These are all essentially their own full-fledged games with a ton of replayability and content. Then you also have Creative mode, which is turning into a Roblox-style experience more and more by the day. Developers can create their own maps, games, and other content for fans to play.
Fortnite is one of the best all-around gaming experiences in 2026 regardless of what kind of game you’re looking to play.
Valorant
- Developer: Riot Games
- Release Date: June 2, 2020
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
Since its dramatic reveal in the middle of 2020, Valorant has become one of the most-played PC games on the market. Valorant is an extremely polished and enjoyable first-person shooter that mimics the gameplay from Counter-Strike while adding its own unique spins.
Valorant’s core gameplay loop sees you choose an Agent, all of which have special abilities, and join a team of six. You’re then pitted against another team of six in a one-life mode that forces the offensive team to plant a bomb while the defensive team tries to stop them. The Agent’s abilities really separate Valorant from other tactical shooters.
Agents can completely swing the tides of a match and the strategy involved in using, and countering certain abilities is something that always keeps players coming back.
If you’re not partial to the main one-life mode, Valorant also offers a more casual Team Deathmatch mode. Seasonal updates also deliver new content, such as maps, Agents, and, of course, cosmetics.
League of Legends
- Developer: Riot Games
- Release Date: October 27, 2009
- Genre: MOBA
There are few free-to-play PC games that have been going strong for as long as League of Legends. The logistics and rules of a MOBA can get fairly complex, but the basics of League of Legends is two teams of five try to destroy one another’s base.
Each player is able to use a unique champion who comes equipped with different abilities and a role to play on the team. Mastering the roles, where to go on the map at specific times, and when to attack and defend are all keys to winning in League of Legends.
League is a game that can suck you in and never let you go if you manage to understand its basic mechanics, but it’s also not for everyone.
Zenless Zone Zero
- Developer: miHoYo
- Release Date: July 4, 2024
- Genre: RPG
Our first of a few games in the “HoYoverse.” Zenless Zone Zero is an action-RPG developed by miHoYo, a studio that has become synonymous with delivering high-quality free-to-play titles that all feature a similar anime art style.
In the case of Zenless Zone Zero, you play as one of several characters and travel through gorgeous cyberpunk urban districts fighting monsters, completing quests, and meeting new characters. The combat and story are the two major highlights of Zenless Zone Zero. The combat is extremely fluid, and you have the option to equip several different weapon types.
Monsters can certainly get difficult to defeat as the game goes on, so it’s not a simple hack-and-slash you can breeze through. As for the story, there’s plenty of dialogue and cutscenes throughout the game but the overall plot is quite gripping.
Zenless Zone Zero is packed with content, features an enthralling gameplay loop, and mixes combat, worldbuilding, and a story into one melting pot.
Old School Runescape
- Developer: Jagex
- Release Date: February 16, 2013
- Genre: MMORPG
Our first MMORPG on the list is the classic Old School RuneScape. Right from the start of OSRS, you have access to hundreds of hours of free content. The free version of the game allows you to level up 15 unique skills, go on over 20 quests, and travel to several sprawling locations across a dense and interesting map.
The beauty of Old School RuneScape is you never have to focus on just one aspect of it. One day you can train your Smithing skill while the next you can go around defeating various monsters in the hopes of receiving a unique drop that will help you make more money or train a different skill. OSRS features a full-fledged trading system through either player-to-player trades or by visiting the Grand Exchange, which allows you to buy and sell any free-to-play item.
A solid chunk of Old School RuneScape’s content is locked behind a paid membership, but the free-to-play portion has more than enough content to keep you busy for hours on end.
Rocket League
- Developer: Psyonix
- Release Date: July 7, 2015
- Genre: Car Soccer
Rocket League sees you take control of a car in an attempt to score a massive soccer ball into the opposing team’s net.
Beyond that, there are really no rules. There are no offsides or penalties, so you can do whatever you need to do with your car to get the ball in the net. Every car can acquire boost packs that allow you to go faster and even fly in the air to reach the ball. If all this sounds simple, it’s anything but: maneuvering your car and the ball in Rocket League is extremely difficult, but it’s also quite enjoyable even when you’re constantly messing up.
Rocket League offers its basic mode in 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 modes, but you’re able to access a variety of other fun and off-beat modes completely free as well, such as Hoops and Hockey. You can also pick from dozens of different cars to use, but car customization requires some cash if you want the most flashy and extravagant options.
Final Fantasy XIV
- Developer: Square Enix
- Release Date: August 27, 2013 (A Realm Reborn)
- Genre: MMORPG
Final Fantasy XIV is another MMORPG that features both a free and paid version. You can download a free trial that is so generous it’s become a meme–it allows you to access dozens of hours of content, including the entirety of the base story questline, two expansions, dozens of story dungeons, and mostly everything you need to build out your character.
The free trial of FFXIV can offer anywhere from well over 100 hours of gameplay, depending on how much you explore the different maps and what you do with your time. The story allows you to visit several large and distinct maps that are chock-full of side quests, interesting characters, and varied monsters to kill.
However, a main chunk of the free trial content comes in the form of jobs, which are skills you can level up for both combat and exploration purposes. If you want to get further into FFXIV, you can pay for massive expansions that provide you with hours and hours of additional content. That said, the free version includes the first two expansions — Heavensward and Stormblood — free right out of the box.
Unfortunately, the free trial doesn’t allow for PvP gameplay and is quite limited when it comes to partying up with friends, as you can’t send any party invites yourself on the trial. If you’re just looking at FFXIV from a content perspective, though, it’s difficult to pass up.
Honkai: Star Rail
- Developer: miHoYo
- Release Date: April 26, 2023
- Genre: RPG
Another game in the HoYoverse, Honkai Star Rail is one of the most celebrated games in miHoYo’s impressive library. Set in a fantasy space open world, you can play as one of dozens of characters and hop aboard the Astral Express as a Trailblazer. It’s your job to visit different locations across the galaxy and follow a compelling story while also laying out the path your character will follow.
Every character in Honkai Star Rail has several distinct paths they can follow that determine their combat roles and abilities. Combat in Honkai Star Rail is turn-based, so there’s plenty of strategic depth involved in every fight no matter how trivial it might seem at first. Combat features various abilities your character can use, including basic skills and ultimate abilities.
As you explore the different open world maps in the game, you can fight enemies but also come across side quests and plenty of loot you can equip. Some of this loot is locked behind puzzles you have to solve, adding more depth to the game’s exploration.
Teamfight Tactics
- Developer: Riot Games
- Release Date: June 26, 2019
- Genre: Strategy
Teamfight Tactics lets players assemble a team using characters pulled directly from League of Legends. From there, you need to outwit and outplay other teams in a multiplayer arena to be the last team standing.
While TFT is based on League of Legends, it features entirely different combat and mechanics. TFT is defined as an “auto battler” that’s played in rounds. The rounds see teams start at the edges of a square arena and your job is to position your roster of champions to effectively take over and defeat the other team’s champions.
After positioning, you go to work using your champion’s abilities to take down the opponent. As you gain more XP every round, you’re able to place more and more champions in the arena, increasing the complexity of each battle.
TFT takes an immense amount of strategy as you start to understand the basics and engage in more advanced battles. However, there’s also a bit of luck involved, so your chances are never truly hopeless.
Hearthstone
- Developer: Blizzard
- Release Date: March 11, 2014
- Genre: Card/Strategy
Hearthstone is a classic free game that uses characters and lore from the World of Warcraft series to create unique cards for you to collect. Each player chooses a unique WoW hero class like Paladin, Mage, or Demon Hunter and builds a deck of themed cards. Those include weapons, spells, and minions that are used to battle against opponents in a turn-based 1v1 duel.
At the start of every turn, you draw one card from the deck and then decide how to play with the cards you have drawn, or use your unique hero power. Unlike some CCGs, Mana ramps up automatically to streamline the gameplay. Your goal is to whittle the enemy’s health down to zero, while neutralizing their own threats to your health.
However, this is much simpler said than done, as the strategy in Hearthstone can get extremely complex with the number of cards, abilities, and synergies at play. As Blizzard boasts, it’s easy to learn and difficult to master. Fortunately, there’s a variety of modes to test your skills, including an auto-battler called Battlegrounds, Tavern Brawl where special rules are at play, and a single-player mode that features CPUs as opponents.
As Hearthstone has been going strong for well over a decade now, Blizzard has made strides in how it on-boards new players and catches them up to speed. Every year the Core Set of cards rotates, giving a collection of cards to new players that the expansions build on. There are also giveaways of readymade decks and “catch-up packs” available for new or lapsed players, so it’s easy enough to jump in.
Wuthering Waves
- Developer: Kuro Games
- Release Date: May 22, 2024
- Genre: RPG
Wuthering Waves is a game that’s heavily inspired by the RPGs developed by miHoYo. It has a similar art style and gameplay loop, but it’s an equally terrific open-world RPG that allows a tremendous amount of freedom when it comes to combat and exploration.
Starting out, you control a character named Rover, but you’re able to recruit and control a party of other allies, called Resonators. You can engage in a plethora of story content, which is where Wuthering Waves really shines. The plot hooks you immediately, and the cutscenes and story events keep you fully entertained. In between the story content, you can explore a huge world and engage with a smooth and rewarding combat system that features plenty of abilities to use.
When you finish the main game of Wuthering Waves, you can enter the endgame, where there are combat duels against high-level enemies and a roguelike mode where you gain access to all sorts of experimental builds.
Crab Game
- Developer: Dani
- Release Date: October 29, 2021
- Genre: Battle Royale
You might not have ever heard of Crab Game, but as soon as you hear the premise, you might rush to go and download it. Inspired by the popular Netflix series set in South Korea, Squid Game, Crab Game is a first-person multiplayer game where you aim to be the last person standing. To accomplish that goal, you and a lobby of other players battle it out playing childhood games.
Most of these games were made famous by the aforementioned Netflix series, but there are other games to play as well. The games are played in rounds, with players eliminated after each one. Eventually, the final consists of only a few players and the last one standing wins. There are massive team games, 1v1 duels, and everything in between.
Some of the games include the classic glass bridge game where you have to guess which glass panel is solid, Red Light Green Light, The Floor is Lava, and even Hide and Seek.
Anything goes in Crab Game to survive, and it’s one of the more enjoyable, yet stressful gaming experiences on this list.
Our Life: Beginnings & Always
- Developer: GB Patch Games
- Release Date: November 16, 2020
- Genre: Visual Novel
Our Life: Beginning & Always is more of an experience than a traditional game. It’s a visual novel that allows you to create your own character and go through all of the experiences of childhood and adulthood with them. Throughout your journey, which is represented by pictures and plenty of customized dialogue that changes depending on your decisions, you can take a love interest and develop your character’s entire personality.
The game allows you to go through four stages of life: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and full adulthood. You can make impactful choices, many of which involve your love interest and how you treat them, which in turn changes how they interact with you.
The entirety of Our Life: Beginning & Always is customizable, allowing for plenty of replayability. It features close to 400,000 total words and roughly 20 hours of content, so it’s certainly not a game you’ll finish in a day or two.
Deceit
- Developer: World Makers
- Release Date: October 7, 2016
- Genre: Social Deduction/Horror
Deceit has long been one of the more popular free-to-play games on Steam. With nearly 100,000 reviews, the light horror game is a blast to play with friends but just as fun to play solo with complete strangers. Deceit only offers a multiplayer mode, and it involves trying to make it out alive of an area that’s controlled by a mysterious character called the Game Master.
At the start of a Deceit match, you awaken with five other players, and find out that a third of the group is infected with some kind of virus. The infected players are tasked with killing the non-infected players, called “Innocents.” However, you have no idea who is infected and who’s not.
As an Innocent, your job is to survive by traversing the area, finding weapons, and trying to find an exit. Infected players can act like they’re Innocents, but at the end of each round a blackout occurs, allowing the infected to transform into a monster and kill the Innocents.
Deceit offers horror elements, survival, social deduction, and more that’s all wrapped up in a thrilling first-person package.
