Free multiplayer games on Steam are not exactly hard to come by, but with so many to choose from, the line between good and bad ones starts to get blurry. Now, some people base their decision on the reviews, but when a game is loved by its community, it doesn’t exactly mean that it’ll suit you.
Which is why I’ve decided to create this list. It’ll cover shooters, fighting games, strategy, RPGs, and a couple more surprises. So buckle up and let’s take a look at some of the best free multiplayer games available on Steam right now.
Brawlhalla
Brawlhalla is a multiplayer free-to-play fighting game with 2D environments and characters with slight inspiration from Super-Smash Bros. As its name implies, it’s a brawling game in which your sole objective is to knock your opponents off the stage.
It can host up to eight players per match, and there’s a lot of fun to be had in this game. The characters available to play rotate each week, allowing you to shake things up without paying a penny.
Each character comes unarmed as a default, with a few power-ups scattered throughout the match. If you manage to get one before your opponent, you’ll be able to use one of the two available weapons of each character.
The only downside to Brawlhalla is the lack of customization on the characters. However, being a free-to-play game, it’s understandable that they’d lock most customization options behind a paywall, which is fine since most of them are cosmetic, avoiding the dreadful pay-to-win model that a lot of free games tend to fall into.
One of my favorite things about the game is the style and designs of both the characters and the environments.
Eve Online
Eve Online delivers on its promise of a vast universe to explore. It is set 21,000 years in the future, where you’ll play as one of three playable races, each with their own cultures, history, and style.
You navigate the universe in one of the ships of your chosen race, exploring and interacting with different players. The gameplay is heavily focused on the ships, providing a wide variety of them to play and engage in battle with.
Player-driven economy is an understatement in this free-to-play futuristic MMORPG. Everything you can imagine is based on the economy, and you can tell the developers put extra thought into this aspect of gameplay. It even hit the news with the largest battle between players in gaming history.
While the gameplay might have a bit of a learning curve compared to other, more casual-friendly free games, it is a lot of fun once you get the hang of things, and you don’t need to be an expert or dedicate dozens of hours to the game to enjoy it. That said, if you get hooked, you will probably spend dozens of hours into the fictional cluster of stars New Eden.
SMITE
Imagine a free multiplayer online battle arena where you can choose between over a hundred gods, yes, gods, to play as. You don’t have to imagine too hard since that’s the premise of Smite.
The most popular mode is a 5 vs. 5 team-based brawl where each team is tasked with defeating the enemy team and kill their Titan in a map inspired by Greek mythology .
It may sound similar to games like League of Legends, but one of the main features that separate this MOBA from so many others is the perspective. Instead of having the camera hover from a top-down view of the arena, it is placed right behind the character the player is controlling, giving you a more close-knit exposure to the action.
Each deity has different abilities, legendary weapons, and amazing powers inspired directly from their respective pantheons. It really adds its own unique flavor to the MOBA genre.
Team Fortress 2
Easily one of the most popular free multiplayer games on Steam, Team Fortress 2 is a classic that seems to never get old. It’s no wonder considering that is made by the ones who made the holy platform of Steam. But enough of licking Valve’s shoes and let’s talk a little bit about the game.
For those new to PC gaming or have been living under a rock, Team Fortress 2 is a first-person shooter with up to nine different classes to choose from. You may wonder why there’s no large rooster of alternating characters; well, the simple reason is that there’s no need for them. Each class is distinct and badass in their own way, providing even new players an easy entry to a game that’s over a decade old.
Speaking of characters, each has a unique personality that blends perfectly with the chaotic world around them. The cartoonish graphics also indicate that this is not a game to take too seriously, but rather an experience to have with friends while having a good time.
That’s not to say there isn’t competitive play because there is, and it is as large in the community as the game itself. If you’ve got a gaming PC and haven’t tried Team Fortress 2, you might be missing out on some great moments to be had.
War Thunder
War Thunder is a massive online cross-play military game that has been revered time and time again for its realism. It features aircraft, naval craft, and armored vehicles from World War 2 and the Cold War.
Over a thousand vehicles spread around five nations at your disposal, all of them crafted with careful attention to detail, making sure the vehicles resembled their real-life counterparts as much as possible.
If you need a breather from the chaotic online battles, you can relive historical battles on your own with the Dynamic Campaign. Another thing War Thunder excels at is customization, but not as most games have it. Instead, War Thunder allows the player to customize their missions in such a way that it’ll be tailored to your enjoyment.
Now don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot of vehicle customization as we know it. In fact, you’re able to pick and choose not only the skin, but the size, color, and position.
You’re also allowed to upload your own user-created skin and your aircraft will be unlike any other in the game. With such a wide number of options to play and the amazing flying simulation gameplay, it’s hard not to recommend War Thunder.
Warframe
If you like third-person shooters, then you might be familiar with the free, massive multiplayer sci-fi endeavor that it’s Warframe. What a lot of gamers consider to be the top loot-based shooter, War Frame offers a wide range of customization without having to bump into a paywall. Most customization options, weapons, armor, and vehicles can be earned through the in-game currency.
While most developers stuff their games with meaningless and tedious tasks to complete in order to discourage you from grinding and instead of going to your wallet, Warframe developers are instead focused on making an engaging experience first and a business second. The result of that is a game that, while with a fair share of grind, doesn’t feel like a shore to complete.
A lot of what makes Warframe so much fun is the freedom of movement. Most shooters relish on the limited movement that they have, often incentivizing players to play slow, such as ducking for cover to regenerate health, for example. Meanwhile, Warfame adds a whole new layer of movement, giving you full control of the experience and, in turn, making the game a whole lot more frantic and a lot of fun.
You’ll find yourself having hours of fun and often opting to earn those valuable items by playing the game rather than paying with real-life money.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
What can I say about CS:GO that hasn’t been said in the past? This multiplayer first-person shooter has shaped the childhood and teenagehood of hundreds of thousands of gamers around the world and for a good reason.
The most popular mode, which has your team either planting or defusing a bomb while the enemy team does the opposite, is a thrill considering that it is entirely multiplayer. Of course, that’s a given in most games nowadays, but it is arguably what shaped the multiplayer dynamic of modern FPS games.
It has gone to the point where games developed to this day are still ripping off this fossil of a game. A must for every PC gamer.
DOTA 2
Defense of the Ancients 2 is a top-down battle arena that is as punishing to beginners as it is rewarding. This team-based free multiplayer game comes with a rooster of over 100 characters.
And if you’re new to PC gaming and are wondering why people hold Valve in such high regard, it’s because they’ve created some of the greatest free games on this platform… along with the Steam platform itself.
Being a competitive game, DOTA 2 allows players to progress on their own based on their skills and knowledge of the game. None of the microtransactions inside the game hinder or improve your characters. One thing that I love and admire DOTA 2 for is for the fact that each players’ rank is private, which makes it fair for everyone involved.
Not only that, but the games’ matchmaking relies on the rank, so there aren’t unfair advantages or loopholes to exploit.
At first glance, the gameplay might seem… chaotic. But once you play for a few hours, your now trained eye is able to discern the audio cues and visual aids that provide you with the helpful information necessary to strategize during the match.
Even choosing the Hero that best suits you might take a while, but once you do and understand the basics of the game, you’ll find yourself immersed in a rewarding experience with addicting gameplay.
Destiny 2
While the franchise has seen its fair share of criticism over the years, The developers at Bungie had made it clear that they want Destiny 2 to steer into a new direction. After their split with Activision, this new vision for Destiny seems more plausible than ever.
Not only did Destiny 2 improved upon certain elements from the first installment, such as the story, but also added their own while also remaining true to what made Destiny so addicting in the first place. Nowadays, there’s an entire community of people dedicated to this game, and it’s not surprising. Destiny 2 is fun, addicting, and engaging.
This spot on the list does come with a caveat, though. The free-to-play version of Destiny 2 is not the complete package, as you’d have to buy later expansions in order to experience the latest that Bungie has to offer. However, this is redeemable considering the sheer amount of content that is now available for anyone to play for free. There’s a lot of stuff to do, and you wouldn’t even feel like you’re missing on something at first glance.
In this case, I’d recommend anyone to give Destiny 2 a try. If it’s not your cup of tea, you didn’t have to spend a dime on it; if it stroke your fancy, you can buy the expansions, or you could just enjoy the free content it has to offer, which is a lot.
Path of Exile
Path of Exile is a top-down action RPG with a somewhat familiar premise but one of a kind execution. It’s the kind of game you try just to see what the fuss is all about, and next thing you know, you haven’t slept in two days straight.
The skill tree alone is enough to make you dizzy. There’s an unbelievable amount of skills and paths to choose from for your character. It does have a learning curve in the beginning, but like most games with learning curves, it turns into a rewarding and satisfying ordeal.
Deceit
As an avid fan of horror games, it’s hard for me not to recommend this free asymmetrical multiplayer horror. In Deceit, you wake up with five other players, a third of whom are infected by a deadly virus, and sole mission is to take out the rest.
Innocents will have to traverse through three main zones to escape with the use of items that you’ll encounter along the way.
It is not without its dangers; however, for in-between the zones, a blackout period will begin and allow the infected players to transform into monsters with enhanced abilities to slaughter the other players.
While it’d be unfair to compare Deceit to other games of similar premises and mechanics, such as Dead by Deadlight, I do wholeheartedly believe that if you enjoy those kinds of games, then you’re going to have a blast with this one.
VRChat
Despite what the name implies, you don’t need a VR headset in order to play VRChat. Not only this chaotic community is steadily growing, but VRChat could be considered a social platform in and of itself.
There are countless activities to be part of, worlds to spawn in, and people dressed in wacky characters to meet.
If you’d like to take part in a social free multiplayer that’s the mix of Second Life and a Comic-con convention, then you should definitively give VRChat a chance.
If you do happen to have a VR headset and haven’t tried this game, I promise you that you won’t regret it. You’ll get a laugh out of it, and who knows, maybe you’ll find a waifu waiting for you.
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It’s difficult to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks