Upcoming Free Games

Gaming is expensive. Whether someone prefers consoles or PC, they will need to invest a fair amount of cash just to set up their stations. Once the hardware is ready to go, owners will need to turn to their platform’s libraries to pick up some software. Nowadays, Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus grant access to massive selections of games for monthly fees; however, most AAA titles do not debut on these subscription services. Consequently, players could find themselves regularly dropping $69.99 to experience the latest exciting projects.

Free-to-play games sound fantastic on paper and can serve as a way to keep someone entertained in between premium products. Plenty of titles showcase this model’s potential, and this selection is set to expand significantly over the coming months and years. What are the most highly-anticipated new free games announced for 2024 or beyond? At the moment, there are not all that many no-cost projects with confirmed release dates; however, several games are in the pipeline, and they could very well debut over the next few months.

Updated May 8, 2024 by Mark Sammut: A couple of major upcoming free games have announced release dates for 2024. Furthermore, one of them is launching before the end of May.

XDefiant

Ubisoft’s Crossover Shooter

With the PvP shooter market oversaturated, Ubisoft’s XDefiant did not have too much hype when it was revealed. It just seemed like another entry in a genre that already had too many projects vying for people’s attention. However, a successful beta helped turn the public’s perception of the title, transforming XDefiant into one of the more highly-anticipated upcoming free games. Ubisoft San Francisco’s first-person shooter stood out due to its fast-paced gameplay, factions, and weapons.

Going by the beta, XDefiant is closer to a traditional arena shooter rather than modern releases like Overwatch 2 or Call of Duty. The gunplay is frantic and destructive, allowing for quick deaths and intense firefights. While the modes are fairly typical for the genre, they are enhanced through the flexible faction system, which consists of five groups inspired by popular Ubisoft franchises. Each team can mix and match characters from these factions, allowing for a rather wide range of setups. XDefiant was fun during its beta, but its longevity remains to be seen.

MultiVersus

Warner Bros’ Take On Super Smash Bros

Spending quite a long time in early access, MultiVersus found an audience quite quickly, which is not that surprising since the world has been craving a major alternative to Super Smash Bros. While indie and AA options exist, MultiVersus is a rare AAA platform fighter, one that has an impressive roster of playable characters thanks to Warner Bros’ IP library. DC, Scooby-Doo, Adventure Time, Looney Tunes, and Steven Universe are just a couple of the licenses featured in the game.

Player First Games used MultiVersus‘ time in the spotlight to accumulate player feedback, allowing the developer to (hopefully) fine-tune the final product to near perfection. While the gameplay will probably not change too much beyond character tweaks, the May 2024 version of MultiVersus will come with a few major upgrades, including a graphical boost due to the game shifting to Unreal Engine 5. A PvE mode will also be introduced, something that was not available in the early access iteration.

Star Wars: Hunters

Arena Shooter

Star Wars: Hunters was announced quite a long time ago and suffered several delays, which put in doubt whether the free game would ultimately see the light of day in most of the world. Ultimately, Zynga confirmed that the title would launch on the Switch, Android, and iOS in June 2024. Considering the IP’s wide appeal, the limited selection of platforms suggests that Hunters might be a relatively small-scale experience compared to other multiplayer options on the market. Just to be clear, that is not a comment on its potential quality.

Launching with four modes and at least 5 maps, Star Wars: Hunters will be a squad-based arena shooter that focuses on third-person action. Hunters‘ character roster mainly consists of established archetypes – an Imperial Soldier, a Wookie juggernaut, Jawa scavengers, a Jedi droid, etc. – and they slot into three classes (Damage, Tank, and Support). The individual characters are game originals who have been introduced in supplementary material, so players should not go in expecting to control Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker. Hunters seems like it could be an enjoyable and accessible multiplayer option, and the Switch does not have too many of these types of games.

Smite 2

A Popular MOBA Gets An Unreal Engine 5 Upgrade

With early access set to launch in July 2024, Smite 2 should be a very big deal, especially since its predecessor is still a popular MOBA. However, the reaction to the game’s announcement was somewhat muted, with the tone being almost defined by confusion rather than excitement. That’s not to say Titan Forge and Hi-Rez’s sequel looks bad, as it seems to be an evolution of the original Smite that comes with a notable graphical upgrade thanks to the use of Unreal Engine 5. When it debuts, Smite 2 should be among the genre’s most accessible representatives, and a fresh start might help attract newcomers who feel too intimidated to jump into the 10-year-old original game.

Still, Smite 2 does not seem to be all that different from its predecessor. Going by the currently available information, the upgrade appears to be more in line with Counter-Strike 2‘s improvements instead of a traditional sequel. Hi-Rez has confirmed that the first game will not be shutting down to coincide with its successor’s debut, a decision that might discourage fans from swapping products. At the same time, one has to assume the clock is ticking on Smite‘s life.

Once Human

Open-World Survival Game

Starry Studio’s Once Human has been building steam for a while, culminating in a third closed beta launching on April 3, 2024. Aiming to give players the freedom to craft unique experiences rather than just follow checkpoints, this open-world survival game is incredibly ambitious, offering a huge map littered with events and fascinating monsters. The latter largely revolve around mutated everyday objects; for instance, a bus with legs.

In terms of combat, Once Human is primarily a third-person shooter, although melee combat is also supported. Players will be able to pick up seven types of weapons, with each one containing a wide plethora of options. The game will also feature base building, a monster-collecting system, and PvP. While solo play is an option, Once Human is largely marketed as a multiplayer option. On the surface this might sound too good to be true, but a few successful betas have confirmed that Once Human is the real deal.

Blue Protocol

Bandai’s Anime Action JRPG

Set to be published by Amazon Games, Blue Protocol is an anime-style JRPG with real-time combat and a weapon-based class system. Announced at the 2022 Game Awards, Bandai Namco’s project promises to offer customization, a large world to explore, multiplayer gameplay, and a detailed storyline.

So far, Blue Protocol has showcased beautiful visuals, fun hack and slash combat, and a good amount of variety via its five classes. As an MMORPG, the game includes dungeons that players will be able to take on either solo or with a team. With titles like Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus under its belt, Bandai Namco definitely knows how to piece together a fun action RPG.

The First Descendant

Seemingly Gorgeous Third-Person Shooter

The First Descendant is a co-op shooter set within Ingris, a fantasy world that finds humanity struggling to resist an invasion by an alien threat known as the Vulgus. As implied by the title, players take on the roles of Descendants, which grant them unique abilities. Ingris is divided into separate maps rather than one large sandbox, and the game will feature world co-op missions along with story missions that act as a standard campaign.

The upcoming free-to-play game plans to offer a range of customization options courtesy of skins, weapons, and equipment. Players will be able to plan their loadouts as they prepare to face off against larger-than-life bosses.

Off The Grid

Ambitious Battle Royale

Although not too much is known about Off the Grid‘s moment-to-moment rhythm, the upcoming free game certainly has lofty goals. Despite being done to death, battle royales are still fairly popular, although new properties have struggled to find their place alongside heavyweights like Fortnite, PUBG, and Warzone 2.0. Off the Grid plans to set itself apart from the crowd by pushing its story to the forefront; yes, this will be a battle royale that emphasizes its narrative through an evolving battlefield.

Neill Blomkamp, the director of District 9 and Elysium, is working on the cyberpunk battle royale game as its chief visionary officer. Except for directing the upcoming Gran Turismo, Blomkamp is not particularly associated with gaming, but he has shown a talent for bringing to life sci-fi worlds.

Tom Clancy’s The Division Heartland

Free-To-Play Spin On The Division

Ubisoft is expanding The Division franchise with a free-to-play title, albeit one that has gone through a few delays. Consequently, Heartland is at the risk of potentially losing momentum, especially since Ubisoft’s recent freebies like Roller Champions did not set the world alight.

That said, The Division is a well-known property that has generally produced decent online-focused games, and 2019’s sequel is still going strong after all these years. Ubisoft has not revealed too much about Heartland, just that the game will include a PvPvE mode that pits 45 players against each other.

Throne And Liberty

Epic MMORPG

Anyone into MMORPGs has likely heard of NCSoft. The company and its subsidiaries are responsible for Guild Wars 2, Blade & Soul, Lineage, and WildStar; sure, not all those projects can be classified as roaring successes, but they nevertheless showcase the developer’s expertise. Throne and Liberty is shaping up to be among NCSoft’s most ambitious projects to date, especially since the MMORPG has been in development for more than a decade by this point.

Following countless delays, the game has seemingly finally reached a state that suggests a proper release could be on the horizon. In May 2023, NCSoft even opened registration for a Korea-based closed open beta. While not too much is known at the moment, Throne and Liberty should include traditional quests, a weather system, and a mechanic that permits players to transform into animals. PvP also appears to be on the cards.

Throne and Liberty
debuted on December 7, 2023, in Korea. A Western release date has yet to be announced.

ARC Raiders

From The Developer Behind The Finals

Embark is really knocking things out of the park when it comes to upcoming free games. Naturally, it remains to be seen whether these projects live up to the hype, but The Finals has already proven it has more to offer than just empty promises. Arc Raiders appears to be a bit further away from completion than the developer’s other project, although the game has had a fairly successful closed beta.

Extraction shooters are an acquired taste, and the subgenre is very niche compared to other types of multiplayer games on the market. Still, titles like Hunt: Showdown and Deep Rock: Galactic demonstrate its potential, and ARC Raiders‘ free-to-play nature might attract a new audience that has largely ignored these projects.

Path Of Exile 2

Sequel To One Of The Best Free Games

Grinding Gear’s Path of Exile enjoyed its 10-year anniversary in 2023, and the game is still among the best free-to-play options on the market. Presented as an alternative to Diablo, the isometric action RPG delivers stellar customization, gameplay, and a lot of content that can be enjoyed without requiring any cash investment. Path of Exile prides itself on not being pay-to-win, and the developer has generally stuck to that commitment. Now, the sequel is on the horizon, and it is shaping up to be an exciting expansion of an already beloved hack and slash dungeon crawler.

Generally, when an upcoming free project vows to deliver the stars and moon, skepticism should be the natural reaction; however, Grinding Gear’s words are backed by years of generally good work. Therefore, when Path of Exile 2‘s Steam description promotes a six-act campaign and extensive endgame content in the form of 100+ maps with unique boss fights, there is a chance that the final product might actually deliver on these promises. The sequel will also feature 12 base classes, 36 Ascendancy classes, a skill gem system, and hundreds of unique equipment.

Arknights: Endfield

Landing On PC

Debuting in 2019 on mobile devices, Arknights is nowadays well established as one of the industry’s most famous projects. It was even successful enough to warrant an anime adaptation, and the franchise looks set to continue its expansion with a spin-off game set on a new planet. Endfield Industries has taken measures to bring civilization to Talos-II, but the world and its locals have been less than welcoming. Set following a disaster that greatly hurt this movement, players step into the shoes of PFRD operatives tasked with taming the alien planet.

Arknights: Endfield looks set to be fairly different from the mainline entry. For one, the spin-off will utilize real-time strategy combat, although exact details on the system’s mechanics have yet to be provided. It is also unclear whether the game will employ gacha mechanics, although that seems likely. More importantly, Endfield will be available on PC, an ecosystem that Arknights has yet to target specifically.

Perfect New World

Boundless MMO

An Eastern MMORPG that completed an Exploratory Closed Beta Test in June 2023, Perfect New World has a ways to go before reaching completion, but Ironcore is working on implementing a wide range of changes inspired by user feedback. Cast as Soul Tamers, players will strive to find Prime, a journey that involves exploring a seemingly fairly attractive fantasy world filled with dungeons, enemies, and NPCs. Obviously, the MMORPG will support co-op/multiplayer, and PvP is also part of the overall experience and is being tweaked following the closed beta.

Perfect New World‘s combat system seems to lean into real-time hack and slash territory, with fast-paced action being the name of the game. As with most MMORPGs, players will be able to pick from a range of classes that come with their own skill trees. Although there is nothing too unique about these ideas, they could combine to create a fun addition to the free-to-play market.

Stormgate

Gateway To The Real-Time Strategy Genre

Frost Giant Studios’ Stormgate attempts to revitalize the RTS multiplayer scene by presenting players with a fresh alternative to Starcraft. The project takes clear inspiration from that particular game, and the developers are fairly experienced as well. At the moment, a full release date has yet to be confirmed, but an open beta launched at the beginning of 2024, and it presents players with an opportunity to sample the project in its current form.

Generally, this beta garnered a mixed response, with criticism being leveled at the balancing and pathfinding, among other things. Still, matches can be fun, and there are enough positives here to justify feeling some excitement about the final project. Still, interested parties should consider trying to beat to see if this is something that might ultimately fit their needs.

Karlson

Made For Speed-Runners

Dani has two successful free games under their belt: Muck and Crab Game. Both titles focus on physics-based gameplay, and they are fairly impressive considering they largely stemmed from the mind of a single person. Dani’s next project is Karlson, a first-person shooter that heavily incorporates parkour and speed-running. The eponymous character is a prisoner who must wall-jump and blast their way through a series of levels en route to a glass of milk.

The creator’s resume and social media presence ensure Karlson would get some attention, but the game also presents a convincing case for meriting this hype. A version of the project can be downloaded for free on Itch.io, and it is quite good.