What’s up readers? There is a massive free-to-play scene online through microtransactions, open-source projects, Flash, Java and freeware. Some of these are amazing, most are horrid. Here are 100 of the best, free games available anywhere.
100. Combat Arms - A multiplayer online FPS game with a massive community consisting of over a million free accounts. Hundreds of weapons and a multitude of customization options, a whopping 25 maps and 14 gametypes makes this one of the most popular microtransaction based shooters available despite its occasionally imbalanced weapons and hack prevention.
99. Battlefield Heroes – Fans of the Battlefield and Team Fortress series will be pleased to see a free-to-play version with simplified and more accessible gameplay. Art style is fantastic despite the lack of a first-person mode.
98. Runes of Magic – This blatant World of Warcraft clone makes up for what it lacks in originality for highly refined MMORPG gameplay, excellent graphics and detail.
97. Lord of the Rings Online – An incredibly deep, expansive MMORPG set in one of the richest and most imaginative universes to be conceived in the past century. A lack of PVP options doesn’t tarnish the fun.
96. F.E.A.R. COMBAT – For those who have played F.E.A.R., an excellent horror-themed FPS, the excellent multiplayer-mode is now free-to-play, bringing with it F.E.A.R.’s many innovations.
95. Quake Live – 1998’s Quake III Arena is considered to be many to be the greatest online-multiplayer FPS game ever made, spawning (no pun intended) countless open-source projects. The lightning-fast gameplay of Quake III, speed, fluidity and balance has been translated perfectly into a web-game. As a result, Quake Live is now the go-to FPS for competitive gaming circuits.
94. America’s Army - A recruitment tool created by the U.S. government, the intentions and background of this game is questionable. Nonetheless, it is a highly-refined and realistic FPS based off the highly regarded Unreal 3 Engine.
93. WarSow – Much like Quake Live, this competitive FPS holds its own through its innovative movement options, sporting first-person parkour years before Mirror’s Edge made it mainstream. An attractive cel-shaded style is both beautiful and fun.
92. Sauerbraten – More a game-development project than an actual game, this open-source project sports simple gameplay, but exceptional map-making and design tools. The engine is customizable, accessible and versatile.
91. Nexuiz – Whereas previous FPS have emulated Quake III, Nexuiz emulates Unreal Tournament’s style of gameplay. A grounded art-style and variety of weapons makes this an excellent multiplayer game.
90. DOTA Allstars – An RPG-themed Warcraft III mod, this exceptionally popular multiplayer game features refined gameplay and fine balance.
89. 8-Bit Killer – Fans of retro-styled games will appreciate this game’s NES sensibilities applied to a modern FPS model. This is a memorable and bold indie game.
88. N – This is a Flash-classic, a physics based platformer that everyone has played.
87. Far Cry – Crytek’s 2004 classic is available as an ad-supported free download. Its incredible graphics, intelligent AI and open level design laid out the work for Crysis.
86. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time – This 2003 classic is an exemplary piece of poignant storytelling and linear platforming
85. Command and Conquer Gold Edition – EA’s pre-Starcraft RTS provides refined gameplay with excellent sprite-based 1990’s graphics.
84. Ghost Recon – The 1990 stealth shooter is freeware now.
83. Trackmania – A 3D arcade racer, its freeware and happens to be the single most played racer on the PC.
82. The Battle for Wesnoth – An open-source classic, a turn-based strategy RPG with extensive community support.
81. 5 Days a Stranger – While Zero Punctuation is more well known for his hilarious reviews, his freeware PC Horror Adventure game is a wonderful and terrifying horror game.
80. Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat – This Half-Life 2 mod is one of the most complex multiplayer shooters I have ever played. Its high learning curve and realism puts to shame all other “realistic” shooters, objective based online modes are impressive.
79. Dystopia – This is another Half-Life 2 multiplayer mod with wonderful art and amazing complexity. Like Insurgency, maps are objective based. The main gimmick here is the ability to “Jack-In” into the virtual world, entering a Tron like trance where virtual objectives must be completed.
78. Company of Heroes: Online – This RTS was the 2006 PC Game of the Year. The multiplayer portion of the game is now free-to-play and supports microtransactions.
77. LinCity – A highly sophisticated City-Sim in the vein of Sim City 2000
76. Cave Story – This is an indie classic heavily inspired by 8-bit NES classics. Highly regarded, this 2D action/adventure platformer is not only one of the greatest freeware games ever made, but one of the best.
75. Minecraft – The flood of Facebook statuses can’t be wrong. The web-version of Minecraft takes the Java language to its limits to create an addictive, pixilated 3D indie experience.
