Top 10 best free-to-play games for 2020

You don't have to part with your hard-earned cash in order to have some great gaming experiences. In fact, many of the top esports titles are free-to-play, and there are other fantastic free games out there.

We take a look at the best free-to-play games that you can play right now, starting with the latest Battle Royale from Activision.

Please note: Our list of the top 10 best free-to-play games for 2020 is sorted in no particular order.

Call of Duty: Warzone

After numerous leaks, Activision revealed Call of Duty: Warzone to the world on 9th March, and this brand-new Battle Royale title released on 10th March with crossplay support.

Unlike Blackout (from Black Ops 4), Warzone is a standalone experience that is completely free-to-play like competitors Fortnite and Apex Legends.

At launch, Warzone offers two modes, your traditional Battle Royale and a Plunder mode. With a massive map and a player limit of 150, things can get extremely hectic. Warzone supports squads of three players and solos too after a recent update.

It has an exciting new feature called Gulag. This feature allows you to come back into the match after dying if you manage to win a 1v1 showdown fight in the Gulag prison.

Call of Duty: Warzone is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Read more: 

• Call of Duty: Warzone everything you need to know: How to download, map, Gulag, release time and more
• Call of Duty: Warzone Vehicle Guide

Path of Exile

Path of Exile from New Zealand developer, Grinding Gear Games, is arguably the best ARPG you can possibly play.

For many, this remains true even when compared to paid titles. The game features "ethical micro-transactions", which means there are no pay-to-win mechanisms in place to offer players advantages over each other.

Grinding Gear Games have continued to update Path of Exile with new expansions, leagues, and a vast array of content that'll keep you busy for hundreds, if not thousands, of hours.

It has excellent gameplay, an interesting story and a unique, complex skill tree. Best of all, Path of Exile 2 was announced at ExileCon 2019 and it will use the same client, so you can just continue with one of the best free-to-play games ever created for years to come.

Path of Exile is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Dota 2

Dota 2, for those who've been living under a rock void of any esports news, is one of the biggest esports titles out there. It has also been free-to-play since its release in 2013.

Valve continues to update and balance the game. Valve also continue to support The International, the esports tournament with the biggest prize pool each year thus far.

If you want to get into esports, then Dota 2 is arguably one of the best titles to start off with.

Dota 2 is available on PC.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Another game from Valve that’s considered one of the best esports titles out there is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).

CS:GO abruptly went free-to-play in December 2018 and added a Battle Royale mode into the mix as well.

While there was some negative backlash over the game (that people previously paid for) going free-to-play, it also means more players. In fact, CS:GO hit a new all-time concurrent player record in February 2020.

The recent IEM Katowice also set a new record for IEM events and became the most popular non-Major event in the history of CS:GO in terms of viewer numbers, showing how the game just keeps on growing.

CS:GO is available on PC.

Read more:Top five best plays from IEM Katowice 2020

Fortnite

Epic Games' Fortnite took the world by storm when it released in September 2017. Since the initial release, the game has just continued to grow and is now one of the best free-to-play titles.

There are a plethora of esports tournaments for Fortnite, including the Fortnite World Cup and the Fortnite Championship Series.

Fortnite is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices.

Teamfight Tactics

From all the Autobattlers out there, Teamfight Tactics from Riot Games remains our favourite. Riot continues to improve the game, balancing champions and items along the way.

The third set TFT: Galaxies released 18th March, with new champions, items, mechanics, and game variables.

Teamfight Tactics is available on PC, iOS, and Android.

Read more:

• Teamfight Tactics - the best team compositions
• Teamfight Tactics - best items and combinations guide

League of Legends

The second MOBA on this list comes from Riot Games, and everyone has probably heard about this amazing free-to-play esports title.

League of Legends was released all the way back in October 2009 and still remains one of the best free-to-play games out there.

Riot never slowed down on improving the game. The developer kept it clean of pay-to-win mechanics and created excellent tournaments for both fans and players to enjoy.

League of Legends is available on PC.

Brawlhalla

Brawlhalla is a free-to-play 2D platform fighting game developed by Blue Mammoth Games and published by Ubisoft.

It plays much like Super Smash Bros. and has a great, streamlined approach to competitive play, with cartoonish characters called Legends. Brawlhalla has a generous business model, with a rotating selection of six characters.

You can also unlock characters permanently by opening your wallet or with currency earned in-game. If you are in the mood for a fun, exciting fighting game but don't have any cash right now, then Brawlhalla is the game for you.

Brawlhalla is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Dauntless

If you want to experience a monster-hunting extravaganza without opening your wallet, there is none better than Dauntless.

Created by Pheonix Labs, Dauntless provides a newbie-friendly, Monster Hunter-like gameplay experience with effortless online multiplayer, including cross-play support. You fight increasingly tougher and bigger enemies (called Behemoths) in beautiful biomes brought to life by fantastic cartoon-ish graphics.

The game leaves little to be desired and is a perfect starting point for prospective monster hunters out there.

Dauntless is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Apex Legends

A list of the best free-to-play games wouldn't be complete without Apex Legends from EA and Respawn Entertainment.

Apex Legends blasted its way onto the Battle Royale scene back in February 2019 and quickly became an extremely popular title.

While content updates are a bit slower than its main competitor, Fortnite, the gunplay is excellent, to say the least.

Apex Legends is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Honourable Mentions

There are dozens of other great free-to-play games to try out in 2020.

Honourable mentions go out to The Darwin Project, Warframe, Destiny 2: New Light, World of Tanks, PUBG Mobile, H1Z1, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, Gwent, Killer Instinct, Smite, Tetris 99, Eve Online, Guildwars 2 and Call of Duty: Mobile, as well as classics such as Team Fortress 2.

It is clear that even if you don't have a penny to spend on video games, there's a whole lot to play.