In a survey, we wanted to know from the Mein-MMO readers which are currently the best Free2Play games on the market. We have divided the 10 best Free-to-play games in 2019 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Android/iOS into categories:
- MMORPG (this page)
- MMO Shooter
- MMO Simulation/Military MMO
- Hack & Slash MMO
- Mobile MMO
Which Free2Play MMOs are particularly recommended? In which free games are many players and fans active? We asked you these questions on 27.11.2017 in a poll about Free2Play MMOs. You can see the results for the best free games in the following sections.
If you want to see the 2019 ranking instead, check here:
The 4 best free MMORPGs
From a list of 12 popular and successful online role-playing games, we have selected the 4 that were rated particularly well by you.
MMORPGs – Place 4 – Neverwinter
Neverwinter (PC, PS4, Xbox One) is an MMORPG from 2013 by developer Cryptic and publisher Perfect World. The setting is the well-known Forgotten Realms universe from Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). You are offered classic fantasy fare. The graphics are colorful, detailed, and impressive with coherent animations.
Dungeons & Dragons with extra action!
What is particularly cool about Neverwinter is its action-packed, dynamic, and intuitive combat system. You attack quickly, have all your skills easily accessible, and can actively dodge attacks. Even less original hack-and-slash tasks are a lot of fun. Fights against big bosses, on the other hand, require full concentration and attention.
Neverwinter offers the familiar D&D archetypes as classes. You have paladins, rogues, clerics, rangers, wizards, and characters like the demonic warlock. The playable races are also D&D classics such as elves, dwarves, humans, halflings, and half-orcs. There are also exotics like the horned tieflings, drow dark elves, or the scaly “Dragonborn”.
Constantly New Content
Also exemplary: The developers at Cryptic release a new update every few months that delivers plenty of new content. Sometimes they battle the ice giants of the north, other times a group of conspiratorial wizards seeks power. And then your heroes find themselves in deadly jungles.
And those who prefer to create their own adventures in true pen-and-paper role-playing tradition can let loose in the included editor “Foundry.” There, you can develop your own scenarios and try out the works of other creative players.
A Feast for Fantasy Fans!
So if you enjoy action-packed battles, regular content boosts, and a colorful D&D fantasy setting, you should definitely check out Neverwinter. Neverwinter is available on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. However, the content for consoles always comes a little later than on PC.
Neverwinter has always been designed for Free2Play. Therefore, there is and has never been a subscription system. You can buy cosmetic items and boosters in the shop. Overall, a fair system.
Here you can download Neverwinter for free
Next up is an action blockbuster from Asia!
MMORPGs – Place 3 – TERA
TERA (PC, planned: PS4, Xbox One) by the Korean company Bluehole is a colorful online role-playing game in Asia style. The game was released in 2012 and has now become a Free2Play title.
One of the coolest combat systems in the MMORPG genre!
The coolest thing about TERA is undoubtedly the action-packed combat system! Hardly any MMORPG allows you to spectacularly slice and smash your enemies like TERA! All skills are quickly at hand, the gameplay is fast-paced, action-packed, and intuitive for most classes.
Other hero types require tactical thinking and good timing. Therefore, the battles against the sometimes huge bosses and fights against hordes of monsters in raids and dungeons are particularly exciting.
If you don’t pay attention and master your class optimally, you’ll quickly go under.
Many classes, but often with restrictions
The classes in TERA are quite crazy. Of course, there are the classic knights, archers, priests, wizards, and sword swingers. But then you find options like the sexy Moon Dancer with her glaive, the wildly brawling Storm Fury, or the Arcane Engineer who carries a heavy cannon!
Unfortunately, some of these classes are strictly tied to a race or even a gender. The newer classes Storm Fury, Arcane Engineer, and Moon Dancer are reserved exclusively for female characters.
Colorful graphics with sexy heroes
The playable races in TERA, besides the more conservative humans and elves, are wacky exotics. There are dragon beings, stone giants, demonic Castanic, as well as cute fairy-like creatures and even cuter animal beings in the form of hamsters or puppies! So if you’re tired of the usual cookie-cutter fantasy, you can look forward to some crazy new concepts here.
Thanks to the Unreal Engine 3, it still looks good today and is definitely worth seeing! TERA is currently only available on PC, both on Steam and via the Gameforge publisher’s launcher. However, it is set to be released on the PS4 and Xbox One consoles in 2018.
The Business Model
You can play TERA for free or subscribe. Subscribers have more character slots, boosters, mounts, and daily quests. Pure Free2Play accounts only have 2 slots for heroes and fewer daily tasks. However, you can still experience the entire game. Those who have previously had a subscription that is currently not active receive at least more slots. A good compromise.
Here you can download TERA for free
Now we continue with a classic MMORPG that impresses especially single-player fans.
MMORPGs – Place 2 – SWTOR
Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) is an online role-playing game with a classic tab-targeting combat system, timeless comic graphics, and the excellent Star Wars storytelling from Bioware. SWTOR takes place in the same setting as the famous solo RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. SWTOR was released in 2011 under the auspices of Electronic Arts and Bioware and later became a Free2Play title. There is still a subscription, and those who subscribe gain access to the add-ons Knights of the Fallen Empire and Knights of the Eternal Throne. Subscribers also have more slots for skills and cosmetic options such as hiding helmets. Former subscribers receive some of these goodies. Pure Free2Play accounts must either subscribe or unlock additional slots and character spots through microtransactions. So it is worth it, at least once, to have subscribed for the two add-ons.
Old-fashioned Combat System, but Loads of Content
For the combat system and gameplay, Star Wars: The Old Republic certainly won’t win a prize for originality. It features a classic tab-targeting system like World of Warcraft. Active dodging or unguided attacks only occur with area attacks. This makes SWTOR appeal more to nostalgics for whom modern action systems are too hectic.
The class selection is manageable but well balanced. Each faction, the Republic or the Empire, offers 4 base classes with two further specializations each. There are Jedi Knights, Sith Warriors, Mystics, Inquisitors, Bounty Hunters, Soldiers, Special Agents, and Smugglers. The races all originate from the known Star Wars species such as Twi’lek, Zabrak, Cathar, or Miraluka.
The best storytelling in the genre!
Because of the combat system, hardly anyone plays SWTOR anyway. The main appeal of the game clearly lies in the story! Back then, SWTOR caused a stir because it truly underscored every mundane collect and hunt quest with fully voiced dialogues.
Each of the 8 base classes has its own story with unique NPC companions. This allows for many hours of gameplay. The story gets even cooler with the last two expansions, “Knights of the Fallen Empire” and “Knights of the Eternal Throne.”
In this epic story, you fight against a new threat and can become a galactic ruler yourself. You will frequently have to make decisions in the story that can even affect further gameplay. Since the story takes place many hundreds of years before Episode I, the developers can fully unleash their creativity.
An MMO with a heart for solo players
The story missions and the entire story of the expansions can be played completely solo. In the expansions, playing alone is even mandatory during the first playthrough! This allows you to fully immerse yourself in the story without being disturbed by annoying fellow players.
Otherwise, there is still plenty of content for groups. You will find masses of dungeons, raids, and even an arcade-style starfighter mode. There is even a PvP version in the style of World of Warplanes!
If you’re into classic MMORPG gameplay and cool Star Wars stories, you can’t go wrong with SWTOR.
Here you can download SWTOR for free
Next up is a free-to-play MMORPG that offers tons of content.
MMORPGs – Place 1 – Guild Wars 2
The colorful online role-playing game Guild Wars 2 from NCSoft and Arenanet was released in 2012. Since the end of August 2015, it has been free-to-play in its base version. So you can play the extensive MMORPG completely for free, paying only for the story and the content released in the two expansions. The restrictions of the free-to-play version are minimal; you have fewer character slots and cannot chat in the map chat (as a protection against spammers).
Action Combat System with Target Selection
The combat system of Guild Wars 2 is a hybrid of a completely free action system without fixed target selection and with active dodging as well as a classic tab-target system. This makes Guild Wars 2 feel a bit sluggish and outdated today. However, it is still more dynamic and action-packed than games like SWTOR.
You create your heroes from a colorful selection of races and classes. While the first Guild Wars only had boring humans, in the sequel you can also play tiny Asura, gigantic Norn, feline Charr, and plant-like Sylvari.
The classes are partly well-known archetypes: warriors, mages, and rogues. Other hero types are more original, such as the dark necromancer who decimates enemies with curses and death magic.
A Colorful and Original World to Explore
The free base version of Guild Wars 2 already contains a lot of content. You can explore a truly vast world at your leisure. Here you will find dark swamps, the ruins of old Ascalon from the first Guild Wars, the lovely lands of Kryta, the icy wastelands of the north, and the jungles in the southwest.
Unlike many MMORPGs, in Guild Wars 2 you do not have classic quests. Instead, you complete dynamic world events that take place repeatedly on the map. Some of these events build on each other. If you do not fend off an attack from centaurs, the horse people will occupy a outpost and block it until someone drives them away.
This makes the world of Guild Wars 2 feel extremely alive and dynamic.
Cool Story and a Taste of the Addons
The base version of Guild Wars 2 already includes the story of the base game, which promises a long fight against the undead dragon Zhaitan. However, the famous Living Story is still available for real money currency.
Here you can download Guild Wars 2 for free
On the next page, we continue with the best MMO shooters.
