Where to Play Free Games on PC [F2P Games Guide 2026]

Gaming is more expensive than ever.

With average AAA games now releasing at anywhere from $70 to $90, it’s easy to see why PC gamers are ditching premium titles for free-to-play alternatives — choosing instead to Play Free Games without the upfront cost.

The F2P community on PC is huge off the back of this, and developers are still dropping plenty of great games for the genre. 

PC’s best F2P games are spread across different sites and stores, so we’re going to take a closer look at the available options right here for 2026.

Where to Play Free Games on PC

Steam

Steam is by far the largest distribution platform in the world for PC games, with over 132 million active monthly users (MAU). If you aren’t a Steam user yourself, you should be, as 51% of total time spent on Steam is dedicated to F2P games and eight of the Top 10 games on there are free-to-play. Our top picks? Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, and Rocket League. And if you’ll be playing a lot, you might also want to pick up a Steam Deck so you can play F2P games on the go.

The Epic Games Store

The Epic Games Store is another great dispenser if you’re looking for F2P PC games. Just like Steam, it’s free to join, and you get to pick from hundreds of different options. What’s great about the people over at Epic Games is that they even give you one free, permanent PC game every single week (usually on Thursdays). In 2024 alone, a total of 89 games exceeding a value of $2,000 were handed out to users. Plus, nobody will ever forget back during 2020 when the Epic Games Store pulled a massive shock by offering the Premium Edition of GTA V for free for a limited period of time. It’s a must-use site for any fans of F2P games.

Social Gaming Sites

Social gaming sites have completely exploded over the past half-decade. Gen Z in particular is hooked on them, with most of these sites offering free-to-play games combined with the chance to win prizes. Social casinos are the best of the bunch, as they let you play slots, roulette, live dealer games, and everything else in between, all with the allure of potentially winning prizes. Get started with the latest slots on SweepsPlays.

The App Store (iOS)

If you’re lucky enough to be a Mac user, the App Store quite literally has thousands of F2P games. All you have to do is: tap the blue App Store icon → Categories → Games → Free Games. You’ll find Among Us!, Solitaire, Resident Evil 4, UNO™, and plenty more. So long as you have enough storage space on your MacBook, you can download tons of these games and even add them to the Dock to make them easily accessible.

Microsoft Store (Windows)

Similarly, Windows users can open the Microsoft Store and find a huge selection of F2P games. eFootball, Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, Angry Birds 2, Minecraft, and Candy Crush Saga are all there, as well as plenty of others. Some of these games are big in size, though, so make sure you have the storage space and don’t run too many background apps so that the games can run smoothly.

The Best F2P Games on PC for 2026: Ranked

With thousands of F2P games available across PC, many of which use the extremely fun ‘Battle Pass’ model, users are now spoilt for choice. It’s impossible to play all of these games, which is why we’ve put together a ranked list of the best F2P games on PC for 2026. Check them out.

1. Counter-Strike 2

When CS2 finally dropped after a decade of anticipation, players were instantly hooked thanks to the upgraded gameplay and mountain of new features. The first-person shooter now has dynamic smoke grenades, reworked rankings and competitive modes, upgraded classic maps, and plenty more. It’s an absolute essential F2P title for fans of shooting games on PC and is relatively easy to pick up, even if you’re a total beginner. Multiplayer is competitive, though, so plenty of practice is recommended.

2. Call of Duty: Warzone

Call of Duty: Warzone is an all-time classic F2P PC game. It garnered millions of die-hard players when it was first released during the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping people entertained while they were stuck at home. And all these years later, Call of Duty’s answer to the battle royale craze is still going strong, now boasting a rotating map system where players can experience the iconic Verdansk along with newer, fast-paced options like Rebirth Island and Haven’s Hollow. If you don’t want to splash out on the uber expensive Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and want some free-play COD action instead, download Warzone now.

3. Fortnite

Some regard Fortnite as the greatest F2P game of all time, and it’s hard to deny. In many ways, Fortnite is bigger than gaming, transforming the industry with its legendary live events and seasonal updates. And even though the battle royale game won’t ever reach its peak run of 2018 to 2023 again, it’s still a superb option for F2P fans. It was only last year when we got to experience the unbelievableFortnite × Star Wars season, where players got to play as Emperor Palpatine and many of the other iconic characters, with plenty more of these collabs expected to come in 2026. And with Chapter 7 Season 2 set to start soon, now is still a great time for newbie players to download Fortnite for the first time.

4. Warframe

2013’s Warframe is still just as good in 2026 as it was over a decade ago. It combines fast-paced space action with intricate lore, offering players the chance to explore endless planets while completing quests and co-op battles at the same time. It also looks better than most of today’s AAA games, despite being released so long ago. Is it worth the $0.00 price tag? Absolutely.

5. PUBG: Battlegrounds 

PUBG: Battlegrounds is our fifth and final F2P game recommendation for PC. It’s a much grittier and more realistic battle royale, making for a great alternative to more cartoonish options like Fortnite. The game itself has a total of 10 maps, where you’ll be dropped into the action to compete against up to 100 other online players. You’ll need to collect weapons and armour while the red zone shrinks, and whoever is the last player standing wins. It’s ultra-realistic, so we recommend using plenty of smoke grenades, avoiding staying still too long, and putting plenty of hours into the Training Grounds so that you can get better.

Summary

As the global economy struggles and more people cut back on their gaming spending, F2P titles are only going to keep getting bigger.

Luckily, PC users are just as spoiled as mobile players when it comes to F2P games to choose from, as there are quite literally thousands of them spread across Steam, the Epic Games Store, and social gaming sites.

Dive into the action, Play Free Games, and enjoy gaming without having to spend big bags of cash, just the way it was originally intended!