If you’re looking for good and free, you’re in the right spot
Just got a PS5 and looking for the best free games for PlayStation out now? Or maybe you’ve just finished up the last game in your backlog for PS4 and are looking to get a bit more value out of it. Well, don’t worry as Attack of the Fanboy has got your back. Below is a selection of the best free games on Playstation as of June 2021! We won’t include any games that require PS Now or PS Plus memberships as those technically aren’t free.
Apex Legends (PS4)
Release Date: February 4, 2019
Genre: First-person, team-based, battle royale, shooter
Summary: Apex Legends is a battle royale game following in the footsteps of PUBG and Fortnite. Apex sets itself apart with a larger focus on team play as each match begins with your squad of three landing in close proximity to each other, ready to take on the world. Apex Legends’ characters all have their own special abilities a la Overwatch so building a good team composition is usually the key to victory. That or having that one friend that is way too good at everything…
When it was first announced, it seemed like just a blip on the radar for its developer Respawn Entertainment, but quickly built up a steady fanbase that, at the time of this writing, sits at around twelve million daily players as of the end of May 2021. Needless to say, if you’ve been looking for a Battle Royale that has a large player base, focuses on teamwork over solo participation, and has kick-ass powers to boot, Apex Legends is the game for you.
Astro’s Playroom (Ps5)
Release Date: November 12th, 2020
Genre: 3D Action Platformer
Summary: Astro’s Playroom is a pack-in game for Playstation 5 included in its initial launch. If you happened to nab a PS5, odds are you more than likely own this little gem already.
Astro’s Playroom is a self-aware action platformer where you steer the titular Astro through levels that are basically retooled tech demos for the PS5. For example, as you walk through some rainy areas, you’ll feel the pitter-patter of every drop yourself through the PS5’s dual sense’s haptic feedback. Other levels make some not-so-subtle references to former Playstation consoles, competitor consoles, and even pokes fun at some urban myths that never could be proven. All in all, it is definitely a title focused on promoting sony’s latest console but is executed in such a way that it remains one of the best free games on Playstation 5 to date.
Destiny 2 (Ps4 & PS5)
Release Date: September 6th, 2017
Genre: First-Person “Looter Shooter”
Summary: Destiny 2 is the sequel to 2014’s Destiny that was never supposed to be made but Activision remembered they love money. D2 puts you in the role of a guardian of the earth who wields the powers of light. Similar to other looter shooters, Destiny 2 gets you grinding through levels as you shoot, slash and use awesome powers to clear the malicious alien menace from the galaxy. It can be played solo but the real fun begins as you team up with friends for multiplayer PVP or co-op raids, strikes, and other content.
If you don’t know, the launch and reception of Destiny 2 was disastrous, to say the least. While Destiny had been built to the point where it was a decent game, Destiny 2 stripped a lot of that out at the start and released with a lot less content and more in-game spending to say the least. This poor launch, however, gave Bungie the ability to reclaim the title as their own from publisher Activision and make it free to play. Since then, the looter shooter has seen numerous expansions made by Bungie and has gained some of their fanbase back through these improvements.
Fallout Shelter (PS4)
Release Date: June 10th, 2018
Genre: Strategy, Simulation
Summary: Gamer beware, Fallout Shelter is addicting. Fallout Shelter is pretty much a mobile game that has been ported to everything willing and able to run it. You’re tasked with running a vault which includes ensuring everyone has enough power, food, clean water, and guns to survive the nuclear wasteland.
While this game is certainly free to play, it has quite a few cash spending options. If you’re patient you can definitely enjoy the game for 0 bucks but the progression is halted by time. To complete builds or see the results of a survey of an area, you’ll need to wait real in time minutes. The only surefire way to speed up certain builds/actions eventually becomes shelling out some cash. However, if you’re into simulation games like The Sims but very very stripped down, give Fallout Shelter a shot.
Fortnite (PS4 & PS5)
Release Date: July 21, 2017
Genre: Third-Person, Battle Royale, Shooter
Summary: While Fortnite didn’t start the battle royale genre, it sure as hell took it over. For those that somehow don’t know what this game is all about yet:
- You ride a magic school bus into a soon to be battlezone
- You jump out of the bus and then glide to a spot that you think is perfect for a picnic
- You run around for a while trying to find any weapon to defend yourself
- You then use your tools to build ridiculous contraptions while fighting to survive against up to 99 other players and an ever-shrinking circle of death
Fortnite is not for everyone but it certainly has a lot in it and keeps getting bigger as time goes on. If you like battle royales, this is probably going to more than scratch that itch.
Genshin Impact (Ps4 & PS5)
Release Date: September 28th, 2020
Genre: Action RPG
Summary: Ah, you like Anime and Waifus eh? Well, Genshin (Gacha) Impact is the game for you.
Genshin Impact is an odd free-to-play game as instead of a focus on a multiplayer experience, Impact is a mostly single-player title with the ability to play Co-Op after reaching a certain rank. Genshin Impact’s game flow rotates around the ability to get amazing characters to play as similar to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 “blades”.
Essentially, if you want that really cool character you saw someone else use in co-op or the cute one you saw in a trailer, you’re going to have to pray to the gods of RNG and more than likely spend some money to see them drop.
Outside of this primary Gacha mechanic, the game actually features some pretty great graphics and combat which involves you using your party in a quick swap manner to deal with threats in fields and dungeons alike. Out of all the games featured here, this is probably the best free game on Playstation you can enjoy completly solo.
Path of Exile (PS4)
Release Date: Mar 26th, 2019
Summary: Path of Exile actually released in 2013 but just made its way to PS4 in 2019.
Okay, do you like Diablo?
Great.
Have you ever wished that you didn’t have to restart the game to continue playing forever? Well, Path of Exile masterfully captures all that Diablo goodness and wraps it up into a fairly massive online game. The gameplay is definitely a dungeon crawler loot fest a la Diablo, but it sets itself apart by having some of the most non-aggressive money grabs around. Similar to Warframe, you can complete the game completely without spending a dime. There are advantages to purchasing some items off the cash shop, such as additional storage tabs, but you can still make it through without much worry if you are looking to truly play for free.
Even if you’re not super into Diablo-style games, Path of Exile has evolved to the point where its beginner tutorials may entice you to continue playing well beyond your bedtime.
Rocket League (PS4)
Release Date: July 7th, 2015
Genre: Er…. soccer with cars?
Summary: Did you know? Rocket League has a prequel named Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. That’s it, just wanted to share that.
Rocket League initially released as a paid game and much to Psyonix Team’s (continued) surprise, took off and has yet to slow down. In the summer of 2020, it went completely free to play and easily earned its spot as one of the best free games on Playstation, Xbox, PC, and everything else it’s made its way to. It’s a hard game to describe but it’s a competitive sports game where instead of players you drive cars around a field and aim to slam whatever ball you can into your opponent’s goal.
As with any multiplayer game, Rocket League really shines once you put in the effort to dive below the surface and deep into the meat of what is really there. Beginners will have fun just boosting into other players and blowing them up, doing a hop to knock the ball into the goal, and of course, some sick trick flips. As your skill increases though, you’ll find yourself pivoting to hit the ball on a certain side to ricochet into the net, setting up shots for your teammates to knock it in on a goalie’s blindside, and driving straight up the walls to perform some real acrobatic BS. It’s in that deceptive simplicity that games like Rocket League can be played thousands of times in a row and every match still be a completely brand new experience.
Warframe (PS4 & PS5)
Release Date: November 12th, 2013
Genre: Third-Person Action Shooter with Online Lobbies
Summary: Warframe is an online third-person action shooter where you’ll be using specialized biomechanical androids to shoot, stab, and bullet jump your way through waves upon waves of enemies. The game boasts a lot of very different Warframes who all have their own unique abilities, passives, ultimates, and movement styles that make it hard to pick between your favorites. Once your reach max level, you can choose to relevel each frame, weapon, mod, and lots more over and over to really specialize your style and push yourself to limits you would never think of on day one.
As far as a free-to-play title goes, Warframe is the gold standard. Its economy does have a lot of cash shop grabs within it but everything except for some exclusive skins can be earned in-game as long as you know where to look. Heck, its cash shop currency can even be paid to other players in-game so you can earn that if you try hard enough. Of note, unlike some other games that boast similar promises, it won’t take forever to earn some of the items offered in the shop.
Gameplay-wise, it is a bit janky at times as the game is very action-oriented and fast as heck which their net code can’t always keep up with. The community around the game though are some the best you’ll meet and tend to be fairly supportive as well as active once you make it deep enough in. Needless to say, if you’re looking for the best free games on Playstation or any other list, Warframe will probably be on there. Suit up, Tenno.
More on Attack of the Fanboy :
Attack of the Fanboy / ORIGINAL ARTICLES / Best Free Games on PlayStation Store for PS4 & PS5
