7 best free games on PC you should play right now (July 2025)

Warframe opening mission
There are many great free games on PC to choose from (Image via Digital Extremes)

Searching for the best free games on PC can be time-consuming for many, considering there are over a hundred titles to choose from. While most of these are available on Steam, others must be downloaded from their official websites, like in the case of Riot and Hoyoverse games. As such, many players often miss out on great free games on PC because they are not on Steam or Epic Games Store.

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That said, here are seven amazing free PC games that we recommend trying out right now, as they should be well worth your time.

Note: This list is subjective and reflects the author's personal opinions. The entries are arranged in no particular order.


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Best free games on PC that you need to try out in July 2025

1) Warframe

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  • Release Date: March 2013
  • Genre: Action RPG, Looter Shooter

Warframe is one of the best free games on PC, with over 500 hours of playable content for you to jump into right away. Being over a decade old, this game still manages to have over 50,000 concurrent players on Steam daily, not counting players on consoles and Epic Game Store.

Warframe is a looter shooter action RPG where you do different types of missions (spread across all planets in our solar system) to collect resources. You then use these resources to craft new Warframes, weapons, and more.

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This game might seem daunting at first, since it has over 10 years' worth of content. However, the gameplay loop of you equipping your Warframe, favorite guns, a melee weapon, and a faithful companion and teaming up with your in-game friends to slice and shoot everyone you come across makes you truly feel like a space ninja, which is exactly what this game advertises. Since it recently dropped the Isleweaver update, now is the best time to get into this game.

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2) Valorant

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  • Release Date: June 2020
  • Genre: Tactical FPS, Hero Shooter

Since its release half a decade ago, Valorant has become one of the biggest and most-watched esports of all time, widely hailed as one of the best free games on PC. This 5v5 tactical FPS mixes Counter-Strike’s “precise gunplay” and round-based gameplay with Overwatch's “magical mayhem” to create the perfect combination of the two that no one thought was possible before.

With over 20 different Agents with different classes and abilities to choose from, you are bound to find a hero that suits your playstyle the best. As it's a Riot game, you must download it directly from Riot’s official website through its launcher. It’s one of the best free games on PC that you should play right now, especially since the Valorant 11.0 patch dropped recently with a new map called Corrode and a new ranked season for you to grind.

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3) League of Legends

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  • Release Date: October 2009
  • Genre: MOBA

League of Legends is one of the most-played free games on PC that everyone should try out. It’s a 5v5 MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game where you select a hero from a roster of 170+ champions and destroy the enemy’s base or Nexus.

However, it’s not as simple as it looks. The map is divided into three lanes, with many turrets on both sides serving as defenses. Throughout the match, you must defeat respawning creeps to level up and unlock more abilities, while using the money you earn to buy items that let you become more powerful and counter opposing players. Your team's objective is to destroy all enemy defenses and their Nexus.

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While this game has a steep learning curve, it still remains a fun title you can play by teaming up with your friends, even 16 years after its release. Now is a great time to play this game, as its 171st champion, Yunara, is expected to arrive soon.


4) Wuthering Waves

Wuthering Waves is another one of the best free games on PC (Image via Kuro Games)
Wuthering Waves is another one of the best free games on PC (Image via Kuro Games)
  • Release Date: May 2024
  • Genre: Open World Action RPG, Gacha
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If you love playing open-world action RPGs where you can get lost and spend hundreds of hours, Wuthering Waves is one of the best free games on PC you should try right now. While initially launched as a Genshin Impact clone, it soon became a lot more than that with further updates.

As it's a gacha game, you initially get a few playable characters to use at the start. As you complete various missions in WuWa's huge open world, you earn more in-game currencies that let you “wish” or try your luck at getting a new hero or a new weapon — a prominent feature in similar gacha games.

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This game’s combat is fast-paced, with each character or Resonator having different skills and usable weapon types. Now is a great time to play this game, since Wuthering Waves 2.4 second-half banners and events are now active, with more content and a new character called Lupa to wish for. Moreover, you can play one of the best free games on PC on your Android or iOS smartphones as well.


5) Path of Exile

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Path of Exile has hundreds of hours of content, making it one of the best free games on PC (Image via Grinding Gear Games)
Path of Exile has hundreds of hours of content, making it one of the best free games on PC (Image via Grinding Gear Games)
  • Release Date: October 2013
  • Genre: Action-Adventure, Online RPG
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While the Diablo games might have made top-down action RPGs popular, we believe that Path of Exile is the best one in the genre, since it perfected its gameplay formula. Featuring a dark, gritty open world, the game has you start your journey by picking one of many traditional RPG classes, like the Warrior, Assassin, Mage, and more.

As you decapitate hordes of enemies in your wake, you unlock new skills, weapons, armor, and more to strengthen yourself and diversify your playstyle. Now is a great time to play this title, since its sequel, Path of Exile 2, will fully release soon after being out in early access for many months. Moreover, the original game will also continue getting updates, with a new expansion set to release later this year.

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Also read - Will the original Path of Exile receive updates once Path of Exile 2 goes live?


6) Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals lets you play as Marvel heroes and villains (Image via NetEase Games)
Marvel Rivals lets you play as Marvel heroes and villains (Image via NetEase Games)
  • Release Date: December 2024
  • Genre: Hero Shooter
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Do you wish to play Spider-Man and swing across an arena to fling enemies in the air before knocking them down? Or do you wish to play as the mighty Thor and smash everyone in your way with his trusty hammer, Mjolnir? Marvel Rivals lets you do all of them, making it one of the best free games on PC you can play right now.

Since Overwatch 2 received “overwhelmingly negative” reviews on Steam for many dubious reasons, NetEase Games had the perfect opportunity to release a similar hero shooter to steal its player base by simply having playable Marvel heroes. Upon launch, it was widely lauded by critics and players, quickly becoming a massive success.

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Being one of the most-played games on Steam since its launch, now is a great time to download and play it, as Marvel Rivals Season 2.5 started recently, with Season 3 slated for a July 2025 release.

Also read - Marvel Rivals review: Avengers, X-Men, and villains, all assemble!


7) Rocket League

Rocket League is yet another one of the best free games on PC (Image via Epic Games)
Rocket League is yet another one of the best free games on PC (Image via Epic Games)
  • Release Date: July 2015
  • Genre: Vehicular Soccer
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Rocket League might sound like a dumb game on paper, where you play soccer with cars. However, it turns out that it’s one of the best free games on PC because of its complex controls, where you steer and turn your car mid-air to pass and push the ball inside the goalpost.

While it was released a decade ago as a paid online title, it was acquired by Epic Games Store in 2020 and turned into a free game. Its popularity has skyrocketed since then, making it a serious contender to actual soccer games like FC 25 and Konami's eFootball. With the game offering over 100 different vehicles to choose from, now is a great time to start playing it via Epic Games Store, since Rocket League Season 19 is just around the corner.

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Edited by Niladri Roy
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