Best Free to Play Games on PC (2026): 9 Picks

The best free-to-play PC games right now, going by Steam reviews, are Counter-Strike 2, Path of Exile, Warframe, Guild Wars 2, Wuthering Waves and Dota 2, with The Finals and Marvel Rivals close behind and Genshin Impact as the pick that lives outside Steam. All nine are free to install. All nine also sell something, and the section on each one says what. Last checked: October 3, 2026.

Pick by what you want to do, not by the score alone. Want a quick competitive match? Start with Counter-Strike 2. Want hundreds of hours of solo or co-op progression? Look at Warframe or Path of Exile. Want a story-driven anime RPG? That's Genshin Impact or Wuthering Waves, and both are gacha games, so read their spending notes first.

The Best Free PC Games at a Glance

How We Picked the Best Free Games on Steam

We started from Steam, because it's the one place where scores and review counts are public and comparable. For each game, we read the Steam store data and review summary on October 3, 2026, and kept games that were free to start, had at least about 25,000 reviews, and sat at "Mostly Positive" or better. Then we cross-checked the genre picks against recent roundups such as TheGamer's June 2026 list of free Steam games, which also includes Counter-Strike 2, Marvel Rivals, Warframe, Wuthering Waves and Dota 2.

Two cuts are worth naming. Apex Legends sat at "Mixed" on Steam (about 68% positive of 1.07 million reviews), so it didn't make the list. RAID: Shadow Legends is at "Mixed" too, and we say more in the last section. Genshin Impact has no Steam page, so it's the one exception, judged on its Metacritic score and its awards instead.

The order below is our editorial judgment, not a ranking by payout. Some links on this page are offer links, and only Genshin Impact, RAID: Shadow Legends and Star Trek Fleet Command have one. If you use one, LevelRig may earn a commission. It doesn't change what we recommend.

1. Counter-Strike 2

Genre: tactical shooter. Platforms: Windows and Linux. Get it: Steam (Valve's game, so there's no other launcher).

It's the highest-volume game here by a wide margin: 85.8% positive out of about 9.9 million Steam reviews. Valve describes it as an elite competitive experience shaped by millions of players. The money: Steam lists an optional Prime Status upgrade at $14.99 as of October 3, 2026, and Steam shows a USK (German) age-rating note on in-game purchases with random items. For you if you like short, skill-based rounds and can handle a tense lobby.

2. Path of Exile

Genre: action RPG (the original game, not Path of Exile 2, which we didn't check). Platforms: Windows and macOS. Get it: Steam or the official site.

Steam shows 89.1% positive out of about 250,000 reviews, the best share on this list. Grinding Gear Games says on the store page that all microtransactions are purely cosmetic and that the game "will never be pay-to-win." That's the developer's claim, and we didn't audit it. For you if you like loot, build-crafting and complicated skill trees.

3. Warframe

Genre: co-op action RPG. Platforms: Windows. Get it: Steam or the official site.

87.8% positive out of about 679,000 reviews. TheGamer calls it a shooter that's also "an RPG, a stealth game, and so much more." Steam's age-rating data lists in-game purchases, but the store page doesn't spell out what they cover. For you if you want a huge solo or co-op game with a steady stream of updates.

4. Guild Wars 2

Genre: MMORPG. Platforms: Windows. Get it: Steam or the official site.

88.2% positive, but from a smaller pool of about 29,800 reviews, because the Steam page dates only from August 2022. ArenaNet says there's no subscription fee. Per Steam, Living World seasons are bought separately, and the Gem Store takes real money. For you if you want an MMO you can play at your own pace.

5. Wuthering Waves

Genre: open-world action RPG. Platforms: Windows only on Steam. Get it: Steam.

87.5% positive out of about 56,800 reviews. TheGamer calls it the best free Steam game in the gacha genre and mentions generous in-game rewards. Check your drive first: Steam's minimum spec asks for 16 GB of RAM and 150 GB of storage, with an SSD recommended. It's a gacha game, so spend nothing until you've set a limit. For you if you like exploring and combat more than competition.

6. Dota 2

Genre: MOBA. Platforms: Windows, Mac and Linux. Get it: Steam.

80.5% positive out of about 2.8 million reviews. Valve's page says all heroes are free and that everything you need to play is included before your first match. What you can buy is cosmetics for heroes and the game world. For you if you want a deep team strategy game and don't mind a long learning period.

7. The Finals

Genre: team shooter with destructible arenas. Platforms: Windows. Get it: Steam.

78.2% positive out of about 277,000 reviews, which Steam labels "Mostly Positive." The page lists in-app purchases and customization options, and also sells a paid Year 1 Deluxe Edition at $39.99. Free players can skip that edition. For you if you want a fast shooter where the environment breaks apart.

8. Marvel Rivals

Genre: hero shooter. Platforms: Windows. Get it: Steam.

75.4% positive out of about 420,000 reviews, also "Mostly Positive." TheGamer calls it "an extraordinarily influential hero shooter." The store page lists in-app purchases but doesn't detail them, so check the in-game shop before you assume anything. Minimum specs on Steam include 16 GB of RAM. For you if you like six-on-six team fights with Marvel characters.

9. Genshin Impact

Genre: open-world action RPG. Platforms: Windows, plus phones and consoles. Get it: the Epic Games Store or the publisher's site, and the launcher page for Genshin Impact is the other option.

There's no Steam page, so there's no Steam score. According to Wikipedia's summary of reviews, Metacritic lists the PC version at 84 and the game won Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards in 2021. The same source notes critics disliked the gacha system. In January 2025, the FTC announced a $20 million settlement with Genshin Impact's developer over loot box odds. Set a spending limit first. Our Genshin Impact PC guide covers the account setup. For you if you want a story-first RPG and can say no to a store.

Not Ranked: Mobile-First Games With a PC Client

Some of the games we cover are made for phones and run natively on PC. They didn't make the top nine on scores. RAID: Shadow Legends sits at "Mixed" on Steam (59% positive of about 1,400 reviews as of October 2, 2026), and its Steam page labels its summons "chance based in-game purchases." If you still want to try it, use Plarium's PC launcher for RAID. Star Trek Fleet Command is a Scopely space strategy game with Windows and Mac clients, and not on Steam. It's free to start, and Wikipedia lists in-app purchases from $4.99 to $99.99 (we couldn't confirm that on the stores). Do this first: link the mobile account to the game's own login before you touch the PC client. This is the step people skip, and our guide on how to move a phone game to your PC without losing the account shows how.

Free Isn't the Same as Free

Each game above sells something. My rule: set a spending limit before you install, write it down, and don't save a card. (Pixel, our cat, sleeps on my keyboard. That's one reason I keep a card off file.) For the gacha pair, the limit matters most, since odds-based pulls are built to be repeated.

What We Couldn't Verify

• We didn't play these games for this list. Everything here comes from Steam's public data, the developers' own store pages, TheGamer, Wikipedia and Metacritic.
• Steam scores move. They're from October 3, 2026, and new patches can swing them in weeks.
• Monetization is only as detailed as the store pages. Warframe, Wuthering Waves, The Finals and Marvel Rivals just list "in-app purchases," so we couldn't say what's sold.
• Platform lists come from Steam, so some games may also run elsewhere.
• We have no current player counts. Review counts show popularity over time, not who's online today.
• We couldn't open Metacritic's Genshin Impact page. We rely on Wikipedia's summary of its scores.

FAQ

What is the best free to play game on PC?

By Steam reviews, Path of Exile has the best share of positive reviews on this list (89.1% of about 250,000), and Counter-Strike 2 has by far the most reviews. The best pick for you depends on genre: shooter, RPG or MMO.

Are free to play PC games really free?

They're free to install and start, and every game here also sells things. Most are cosmetics, expansions or gacha pulls. Read the store page's purchase notes and set a limit before you play.

What are the best free games on Steam?

Eight of the nine games here are on Steam: Counter-Strike 2, Path of Exile, Warframe, Guild Wars 2, Wuthering Waves, Dota 2, The Finals and Marvel Rivals. All sat at "Mostly Positive" or better on October 3, 2026, and Counter-Strike 2 has the most reviews, about 9.9 million.

Which free PC games are not pay to win?

Path of Exile's developer says its microtransactions are cosmetic and it will never be pay-to-win. Valve's Dota 2 page says all heroes are free and that what you can buy is cosmetics. Both are the developers' claims, not independent tests.

Where can I get free PC games?

Mostly on Steam, where eight of the nine games here are listed. Genshin Impact is the exception: it has no Steam page, so get it through the Epic Games Store or the publisher's own launcher.

Can my PC run these games?

Check each Steam page for the minimum spec before you install. Wuthering Waves, for example, lists 16 GB of RAM and 150 GB of storage, while Marvel Rivals lists 16 GB of RAM too. Specs differ by game, so one passing doesn't mean the others will.