Made absurdly popular by mobile app games, the freemium model and its mechanics have spread to just about every corner of the gaming industry. Now, you’ll often find that to compete in some of the best-selling triple-A-priced games, you need to pay little microtransactions or open loot boxes.
While many gamers detest these kinds of mechanics breaking into their space, it’s impossible to deny how accessible the baseline model of offering a game for free is, opening up the medium to a massive new player base. Still, free gaming isn’t always free, fun, or straightforward, with there often being caveats.
So here, we’re trying to help you navigate the world of free gaming to know when to bounce on free gaming options and when it’s worth giving it a go.
Finding the free free mobile games
Mobile gaming is the most difficult place to find free games that are truly free-to-play. There are many interesting and initially very entertaining apps on the market, but more often than not, timewalls, paywalls, and premium upgrades come into play. These either halt single-play progress or make a distinction between paying and non-paying players in multiplayer modes.
Luckily, there are some completely free mobile games that are devoid of these business models and even free of advertisements. One of the most intriguing among these is Underhand. You play as the leader of a cult, needing to manage your resources while responding to event cards to see how far you can take your cult. Also worth downloading are OHM, GameStart Pixel Battle, Pixel Dungeon, Makenines, and Battle for Wesnoth.
Playing for free, as the offer suggests
If there’s one arm of gaming that can be pointed to as making the most of the term “free” to attract players, it’s online casino gaming. Most offer some form of bonus, and many have turned to giving new players free spins on slots. In the past, players needed to make a deposit to get these, and then the winnings got tied to hefty wagering requirements, so they weren’t really free, but things have changed.
Now, several online casinos offer no-deposit free spins and free play funds, which means that you don’t need to commit any real money to the platform before getting to try out slots and other games for free. The top-ranked of these offers right now delivers 250 free spins on any slot game as soon as you register, while the second-best offers $10 for free on any game after registering.
Games for free, not with a subscription
Let’s just get something straight: getting monthly, weekly, or even daily free games with a subscription like Game Pass or PlayStation Plus doesn’t make them free – especially if they’re tied to you needing an active account. These are paid games; you just do it monthly rather than all at once. Easily the shining example of truly free games in the premium video gaming space is Epic Games. Offering a free game every week that you can download and keep – all that you need is a free account, making it a truly free gaming offer.
It can be tricky to find truly free gaming opportunities, but hopefully, these picks will help you enjoy a cost-free experience in the near future.
