You blinked, and Where Winds Meet just reached over two million players after only 24 hours from its global release, and many of these people got pretty impressed by the amount of content the game offers while being free-to-play.
However, this is not the first time a game has managed to deliver a deep experience and overwhelming amounts of content for zero dollars (unless you are easily tempted by shiny skins, no judgment). Far from that!
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Because we all need a safe space once in a while.
But before we jump into our list, let’s take a quick dive into the free-to-play model that has become more and more common across the industry. These games are fully accessible for free, making money through microtransactions, battle passes, cosmetic purchases, and other optional extras.
The idea is simple: let players sink their teeth in, and only spend if they want to, making F2P games perfect for anyone craving something fresh without the upfront cost.
And there are plenty of other titles that offer a huge amount of content, just like Where Winds Meet, and many of them have been doing so for years. Let’s check out eight of the best.
8 Wuthering Waves
Anime Combat and Endgame Pain
Many players like to say Wuthering Waves is just “another Genshin-like,” but hear me out: if you are into super-fluid anime-style combat (like Devil May Cry, for instance) and endgame content with Souls-level cruelty, this one is absolutely worth your time.
Sure, its launch was rough, but the game has drastically improved. The visuals are now top-tier, the performance is pretty solid, the story has found its footing, and the playable roster is impressively diverse for a recent release.
It is free to jump into at any moment, solo or with friends, and there is already a mountain of content waiting for you. Plus, its developers are known for being generous, so expect occasional item drops, resources, and even free characters from time to time.
7 Crusader Kings II
Medieval Chaos for Zero Dollars
This one is for players who love a bit of time-travelling into political chaos and losing dozens of hours before they even notice, since Crusader Kings II has lost none of its charm, even more than a decade later.
This is an old-time classic that offers a base game that is fully free (expansions are paid), while blending strategy with RPG elements in a way that almost no other game does. Its Middle Ages setting leads to incredible emergent stories, especially if you are willing to lean hard into the role-playing element.
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What I love the most about it is that failing and overcoming is part of the experience with this one, since you constantly gain knowledge of tactical mechanics to slowly master the game’s wild systems – actually, I would even say that this is the best part of CK2 because it is the failure followed by a successful run that makes that awesome dopamine hit in the end.
6 DC Universe Online
Become Your Own Superhero (or Supervillain)
DC Universe Online feels like it crawled right out of a DC comic, grabbed you by the collar, and dropped you in the middle of Gotham, Metropolis, or even Atlantis in a complete superhero experience.
In this MMORPG, you can create your own hero (or villain, if you prefer), customizing everything from visuals, name, costume, and even your superpowers. And its combat system is way more complex than you would expect, the world is a massive superhero sandbox, and you will constantly run into DC Comics icons like Batman, Superman, Lex Luthor, and the Joker.
So, if you are a DC fan (or even a Marvel fan, trust me) and are looking for a massive experience that will make hours of your life disappear without mercy, you’ve found it.
5 Magic: The Gathering Arena
Deep Strategy, Zero Paywall
Yes, players that are addicted to card games may eventually spend money (since it is just how the genre works), but Magic: The Gathering Arena’s free-to-play ecosystem is surprisingly fair and absolutely viable.
That’s because every single card can be obtained for free – nothing is truly locked behind a paywall, only behind time, so patience and commitment are key.
For instance, by doing your daily and weekly activities, participating in free, timed events, and saving your gold and gems, you can slowly build strong decks and collect impressive cards without paying anything.
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Deal me in!
And all of that while fully diving into a surprisingly massive and deep world that offers an endlessly strategic experience with pretty amazing cards.
4 Final Fantasy XIV
A Legendary Free Trial
When Final Fantasy XIV first launched in 2010, it was a complete disaster, to say the least. Square Enix then made the wild decision to rebuild the game from scratch under the “A Realm Reborn” title and Naoki Yoshida’s touch – and somehow, it worked spectacularly well.
Now, a big chunk of FFXIV is free thanks to its pretty powered-up “Free Trial” model, which allows you to play up to level 70 with no time restrictions, including access to the entire base game plus two major expansions (Heavensward and Stormblood). That is hundreds of hours of quality content for zero dollars.
And yes, the game still receives constant patches, seasonal events, and new expansions every two years, so its community remains huge, passionate, and welcoming even a decade after its redemption arc.
3 Genshin Impact
A Universe of Waifus and Gachas
How could we skip our beloved Breath of the Waifus? Jokes aside, Genshin Impact is probably one of the most heavyweight free-to-play titles out there. I mean, it has more than 100 playable characters – something very few games can brag about.
Originally released in 2020, it quickly became a global phenomenon (especially on mobile) and a F2P behemoth thanks to its non-stop content updates to keep players hooked. And it worked pretty well, of course.
Sure, its gacha systems can be demanding, and unlocking characters often requires some heavy commitment, but its world is so vibrant, vast, and addictive that you can literally play for hours and swear only minutes have passed. And with HoyoVerse showing zero signs of slowing down, Genshin is not just here to stay; it is gearing up to get even bigger.
2 Star Wars: The Old Republic
This MMORPG, You Must Play
The Force is indeed strong (and fun) with this one! Star Wars: The Old Republic brings the Star Wars universe into a lovely MMORPG format, offering tons of freedom and a surprisingly robust free tier.
Set more than 3,000 years before the movie saga, SWTOR lets you create a fully original character (Jedi, Sith, Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Trooper, the list goes on) and carve out your own story. And every class storyline is awesome and makes you truly feel part of this universe, with Sith Warrior being a personal fave.
It is developed by BioWare (the same studio behind the highly acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic) and is still alive and well, with plenty of content available for free – more than enough to get a full taste of the experience.
1 Warframe
A Universe That Never Stops Growing
-
- Released
- March 25, 2013
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Engine
- Evolution Engine
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- How Long To Beat
- 100+ Hours
- Metascore
- 85
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Warframe is easily the free-to-play game I’ve played the most in the last decade (the 200+ hours registered in my PS account won’t let me lie), and it is all Digital Extremes’ fault for making the game grow deeper and deeper every year.
In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, this is a third-person sci-fi shooter that offers 14 entire planets to explore, each with unique missions, enemy types, resources, gear, and plenty of weapons.
It truly is massive in terms of content, and you can play solo like a space lone wolf or run every mission with one or two pals. Oh, and expansions and updates are still rolling out frequently, so this universe only keeps expanding each year – making it one of the best long-term free games to invest your time in.
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Exploring massive worlds on a tiny budget.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
