I ask this before (somewhere?) but most suggest paid games for some reason, im not sure why.
are there some free games from itch or steam to play when one has freetime to do things? and someday i might start recording gamplay videos, maybe it really depends on how life goes.
OpenTTD. May need some learning but it’s really fun and addictive if you’re into tycoons
In the same realm, OpenRCT2 and a lot of other games that were remade https://osgameclones.com/
Also https://play0ad.com/
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly a sand-box survival FPS RPG set in a sci-fi version chernobyl, the game is actually a mod of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy games, which are loosely based on the novel Roadside Picnic (1972) and film “stalker” (1979). go check them out if you’re interested or, just go blind in, it’s tons of fun if you like this kind of stuff
Mindustry is definitely must try if you like factory and tower defense elements. It’s free on itchi io and its available on f droid as well. The steam version is paid but it’s just a way to support the dev so you’re not missing out on any game feature. Has cross platform multiplayer as well with a lot of public servers you can jump in once you understand how to play the game.
Trackmania 2020, you can do the seasonal campaign, ranked and royal for free, and it’s a fun as hell game with a great community. There’s more if you pay, but theres many hours of game play for free and it isn’t time limited at all.
Does require ubisoft connect, but that’s also free.
Warframe is free to play and nothing is locked behind money. it’s got a really steep learning curve but pushing past it is well worth it.
Warframe is a great recommendation, and my strongest recommendation for anyone trying it is to not give up on it until you’ve completed the star chart and the quest called “The New War.”
The early game was the earliest developed, and the very addictive late gameplay loop takes a while to settle into.
The above is probably 40+ hours of gameplay, which is a lot to ask before throwing in the towel, but as someone with probably 2,000+ hours in it off and on over the years, and who has probably only put in about $60 across that time mostly just to support the devs, it’s great value if you have the time.
Protip: Don’t spend platinum on anything other than slots for Warframes and weapons until you get at least that far in the game. You really don’t need to spend the premium currency on almost anything other than those things as a convenience.
Old School Runescape is still a pretty chill free MMO to play. Granted, you have like maybe 5% of the content available to you, but you could still get a majority of your skills up to 99 and do a a decent amount of questing.
GOG has a bunch of free games that you can get. My personal favorite is Tyrian though.
Since you mention having free time, Dwarf Fortress, it’s going to take a while to learn the game, but it’s really rewarding when you have a whole fort running like clockwork with all your lil’ dwarves running around, doing their tasks… Until something snowballs into chaos. You could also try roguelikes, there’s an array of great, free ones like DCSS, Shattered Pixel Dungeon, DoomRL, Brogue, Tales of Maj’Eyal, Infra Arcana… The list goes on.
Teamfight Tactics is pretty fun and addicting
Path of Exile. Some say it’s the “true” spiritual successor to Diablo 2. Micro transactions are there but only cosmetic. I sunk many hours into that game…
Cosmetic and “ease of play”, the most common recommended purchases are vault space and organization tabs that help give you more space and control over loot management.
I’ve jumped in this month for the first time and it’s wonderful! And absolutely overwhelming. Everything is a system and has a learning curve. Everything.
It’s wonderful value at this point! Coming up on a decade of quarterly updates worth of systems, mechanics, and updates. It’s fantastic!
Shattered Pixel Dungeon is a great roguelike.
Tried this because of your comment. It’s really fun!
I mean, just get the free game every week on the epic game store. That should cover all your free games gaming needs
If you like music, there are a bunch of good free rhythm games:
- Osu
- Stepmania/DDR - Main modern versions are Project Outfox and ITGmania
- IIDX/BMS - Beatoraja, heres a good English guide to it
- Neat thing about BMS is that all of the music is made or licensed/allowed for it. The community is strictly against charting copyrighted songs, partially due to them requiring keysounding.
- Sound Voltex - Untitled SDVX Clone
- Guitar Hero - Clone Hero
Note that some of these require or are improved by an additional controller, so they’re not entirely free but once you have what you need you’re set.
You could give a try to chess, specifically on lichess.org
It’s such a deep and beautiful game, so hard to master yet fun and challenging at any level of skill. Climbing the ranking ladder is a true challenge with yourself.
It’s also an esport and a game that you can play at any age.
