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 August 30, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Unfortunately, Blue Protocol’s western release appears to have been canceled, which is a shame as the action RPG seemed to have potential. Along with removing that project from this list, a new upcoming free game has been added, one that is expected to drop in 2025.
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 finally reached a state when a release date can be announced, with the MMORPG dropping on September 17, 2024. Throne and Liberty should include traditional quests, a weather system, and a mechanic that permits players to transform into animals. Beyond that, the title focuses on guild-based conflicts, with players trying to spread their chosen group’s influence across the nation. Marketed as PvPvE, Throne and Liberty looks set to target quite a wide range of gameplay styles; hopefully, it proves to be successful.
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.
Marvel Rivals
(Super)Hero Shooter
Coming to PC and consoles, Marvel Rivals brings together some of the most famous comic characters and throws them into an Overwatch-style game, with matches pitting two teams of six against each other. Heroes like Spider-Man, Black Panther, Iron Man, and Hulk have been confirmed, and there will even be a couple of villains (or anti-heroes) like Venom, Loki, and Magneto.
All-in-all, the confirmed roster is impressive and covers a reasonable range of properties, even if most of the inclusions are mainstream (except for Magik and Peni Parker, both of which are surprising picks). From the footage shown so far and the beta impressions, Marvel Rivals‘ gameplay should be hectic, fast-paced, and fun, with the characters’ unique abilities seemingly shining through.
At Gamescom 2024, Marvel Rivals revealed its December 2024 release date, which should help bring the year to a close on a high note. Along with that information drop, two more playable characters were added to the roster: Captain America and Winter Soldier.
Mini Royale
A Small-Scale Battle Royale
While still popular, battle royales do kind of feel like a thing of the past. At this point, the genre is dominated by a couple of evergreen releases, and any new names seem to struggle to make a dent when they must compete against established names like Warzone or Fortnite. Many developers have tried to leave their mark by going big, but maybe they should have opted to move in the opposite direction. Mini Royale drops 50 toy soldiers into a child’s messy room and challenges them to survive. While the gameplay does not seem too far removed from the status quo, Indigoblue’s game stands out due to its whimsical premise and charming map, at least going by the one that has been shown off so far.
If done right, Mini Royale could come as a breath of fresh air in a somewhat stagnant genre. The premise should pave the way for a unique range of weapons and items that go beyond the traditional armories found in most battle royales. Beyond that, the developer has confirmed that the map will have small touches that take advantage of the core concept, including a toy train as a means of travel.
Arena Breakout: Infinite
Launching a beta period in May 2024, Arena Breakout: Infinite has been gathering momentum in recent months, hopefully paving the way for a successful early access project. An extraction shooter that shares similarities with projects like Escape from Tarkov, the game aims for realism in its presentation, weapon customization, and gun feedback, which tends to be the case with these sorts of titles.
The beta version shows promise, particularly in its visuals, quality-of-life ideas, and weapon options; however, the game is fairly rough around the edges in places and does not seem to contain too many new ideas. However, betas are specifically designed to promote player feedback, so Arena Breakout could and should improve in the coming months.
Tom Clancy’s The Division: Resurgence
Mobile Third-Person Shooter
While Ubisoft canceled Heartland, a free-to-play The Division game that was fairly hyped up for a while, the publisher seems set to release a mobile game set in the same universe. Resurgence looks to adapt the franchise’s MMO structure for Android and iOS devices, delivering similar third-person shooter gunplay, missions, exploration, and loot. Returning to New York, the setting for the first game in the series, the upcoming free game will also feature an open-world that supports both PvE and PvP content, with the latter coming courtesy of the Dark Zone. The former will include a brand-new campaign and storyline that focuses on the early days of the virus’ spread, casting players as early members of the Strategic Homeland Division.
Going on the beta footage released so far, Tom Clancy’s The Division: Resurgence looks pretty promising, especially for a mobile device. While the pre-release gameplay shows some stutter, that could be ironed out by the time the final product launches; even then, the game still looks good in its current state. The Division has kind of a weird reputation. Despite not being as talked about as some other live-service projects like Destiny 2, the franchise has been largely successful, and The Division 2 is still quite active.
Splitgate 2
An Unexpected Sequel To A Good Free-To-Play Shooter
1047 Games’ Splitgate was and still is a fun multiplayer shooter that sets itself apart from the crowd by utilizing portals (or wormholes) as a means to get around maps quickly, along with helping combat. While not one of the biggest free options on the market, the original game has a small but dedicated fanbase that has kept it alive since its 2022 official release. Still, the announcement of a sequel came somewhat out of nowhere, especially since an Alpha went live fairly quickly (on August 21, 2024, to be exact).
Even if not a lot of people had Splitgate 2 on their bingo card for 2025, the sequel is still a fairly exciting prospect since this concept has plenty of room to grow. Assuming it hits the ground running, this project could be a worthwhile addition to many players’ game cycle, particularly if they enjoy high-octane PvP shooters with a cool sci-fi twist. While the core gameplay loop should remain fairly similar to the original game, Splitgate 2 looks set to incorporate several exciting evolutions, along with a switch to Unreal Engine 5.
Delta Force
Reviving A Franchise That Has Been Dormant Since 2009
While perhaps not as well-known as Call of Duty or Battlefield, Delta Force was a relatively big name in the FPS scene during the late-1990s and 2000s. The franchise seemed destined to come to an end with 2009’s poorly received Delta Force: Xtreme 2; however, a revival is happening courtesy of a free-to-play game that should launch fully in 2005. Even though multiplayer will take center stage and determine Delta Force‘s longevity, the game will also incorporate single-player content, including bringing to life two distinct eras set in 1993 and 2035.
Originally subtitled as “Hawk Ops,” Delta Force has garnered quite a bit of steam through 2024, including an Alpha Test period in August 2024. Obviously, the game is still in development and a lot could change before its official launch, but the version that was showcased demonstrated quite a bit of potential. Certain elements, like the inclusion of operators, are divisive, although they will hopefully be tweaked and improved in the coming months.
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.
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.
