The best free games on each platform

Gaming can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be thanks to the sheer number of great free games on the market.

Whether on hardware or software, it’s easy to empty out a bank account through gaming. The good news for gamers who splurge on a new console or upgrade their graphics card is that they can put new hardware through its paces without paying a dime. Developers have made tons of amazing games across all platforms that are free to download and play.

Here are all the best games available for each major gaming platform.

Best free game on PC – League of Legends

While League of Legends isn’t the first MOBA, it’s long been the most popular. After helming the Warcraft 3 mod Defense of the Ancients, Steve “Guinsoo” Feak dropped it to create a game of his own, founding Riot Games to create League of Legends. With its standalone executable and novel free-to-play system, it quickly proved to be a hit.

The game’s popularity grew over time and eventually branched out beyond just one game on one platform. From mobile spin-off League of Legends: Wild Rift to television series Arcane, the game is a cross-media IP at this point.

Best free game on mobile – Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO was a cultural phenomenon in 2016, letting people connect with the iconic video game series in a whole new way. Presidential candidates aren’t making puns based on the game these days, but that doesn’t mean it stopped. In fact, it hasn’t even slowed down.

Pokemon GO’s player count has steadily grown since its explosive launch. This has been driven by the slow, steady introduction of new Pokemon and game mechanics. From mega evolution to Dynamax, there’s always something new to enjoy.

Best free game on Xbox Series X/S – Apex Legends

The Xbox Series X/S has access to a variety of strong free-to-play games, particularly shooters. There might not be a one-size-fits-all option, but Apex Legends most certainly stands among the best free games on the console.

Respawn Entertainment’s spin-off of Titanfall has arguably become bigger than the actual series at this point. It set itself apart from other major battle royale competitors with the ability to resurrect teammates and frenetic movement. Though it had a famously explosive launch, it cooled off considerably in the following months. It’s still going strong though, with a growing player base and roster of playable characters.

Best free game on PlayStation 4 – Call of Duty: Warzone

The PlayStation 4 is firmly a past-gen console at this point, but it still has access to a variety of popular free-to-play games. The trouble is that not all games are equally optimized. As new features are added to games, it can cause performance issues that make the experience worse over time. This is most apparent on older hardware.

Call of Duty: Warzone has held itself together better than some of the other options on the market. All the major battle royales are available on PS4, but Call of Duty: Warzone is one of the strongest pick-up-and-play options.

Best free game on PlayStation 5 – Genshin Impact

Shooters aren’t the only free-to-play games available on consoles. HoYoverse’s three major releases on PlayStation 5 all look great and run well, which isn’t the case on PlayStation 4. The developer has shipped three titles on the platform thus far in Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero. All three are rock solid, but Genshin Impact is the most established and offers the most content.

The open-world action RPG was favorably compared with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at launch. Players have a vast, open world to explore, but the game utilizes party-based combat and more traditional RPG-like progression. Though it’s officially a gacha game, heavily emphasizing microtransactions, players can still enjoy hundreds of hours of content without spending a dime.

Best free game on Nintendo Switch – Pokemon Unite

There are a long list of MOBAs available on mobile devices but, for whatever reason, few of them have made their way to consoles. Because of that, the closest thing to a true MOBA experience on consoles has been Smite.

Pokemon Unite stands as one of the only MOBAs on a console that has the traditional top-down perspective. It sets itself apart from most other MOBAs by having a fixed length for matches. Games last exactly 10 minutes, with teams defeating wild Pokemon to earn points and then securing those points by attacking the other team’s goals.

Pokemon Unite isn’t necessarily perfect. Its menus are confusing even for veteran players and it has multiple pay-to-win mechanics that put new players at an extreme disadvantage. It’s still one of the best MOBA experiences on consoles though, and comfortably the best free-to-play game on Switch.

Best free cross-platform game – Fortnite

When it comes to cross-platform gaming, Fortnite was the original standard bearer and maintains that position to this day.

The game is available on everything in one form or another. It can be played natively on all major consoles and PC. It’s not available on all mobile devices, but those who can’t download the app have the ability to stream the ame through various services.

Cross-platform support is comprehensive in Fortnite, allowing players to get a game in with friends and family regardless of their platform. There’s also cross-progress, meaning players can go from their PC to their phone and keep all their skins and keep grinding battle pass levels. All this makes Fortnite the best cross-platform game on the market, and by a comfortable margin.