Gaming is hugely popular, and free gaming even more so. Below is a list of our picks of some of the best free PC games you can download directly to your computer right now. Some of them are even portable, which means you can put them on a flash drive and play them anywhere.
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These titles include older and popular commercial games that have been released as freeware, home-brew remakes of popular games and games released by independent developers. They're identified by their genre, such as first-person shooter, real-time strategy, role-playing, simulation and platform games.
These free PC games are downloadable. In other words, you have to save them to your computer and install them before they're usable. These are not the same as free online games that can be played in your web browser.
Remember that each of these free pc game downloads only work when installed on your PC. This poses a risk when compared to online games because it's possible the game files might contain malware.
Take caution when downloading these files. Know how to scan your computer for viruses should the need arise, and always keep your computer updated with the most recent security patches.
If you download a free game that won't open when you double-click it, chances are you need to extract the game out of the archive since some of them come in a RAR or ZIP file. ZIP files can usually be opened no problem but RARs and other non-ZIP archives require a file unzip program like 7-Zip.
Several of these PC game free download pages have multiple 'Download' buttons but only one of them is actually valid; the others are most likely advertisements or links to other websites. If any links take you elsewhere without downloading the game, return to the download link below and try a different button.
Here are some of the best online resources and websites that are dedicated to freeware and free PC games.
Some of the free PC game websites listed are dedicated to freeware games only which offer downloads to homebrew games, clones, and older commercial games that have been released as freeware.
Other sites offer a mix of games, some with online browser-based games (HTML5 and Flash) in addition to downloadable games. The free computer game websites are listed in alphabetical order with some sites having a more detailed profile and review. It is a great place to start if you're looking to find some great free PC games online.
By the way, we've also compiled a list of the best virtual reality puzzle and escape room games we could find. If VR is your thing, be sure to check that out!
Alphabetized list of titles.
Homebrew 'Super Mario Bros' games.
Misleading links to other websites.
Restrictive search tool.
AllGamesAtoZ.com has recently gone through an update from the early 2000s designed a website to a more modern, mobile-friendly site. The new site has dedicated forums to talk about gaming, user reviews, commenting and much more.
Downloads do require an email registration which grants access to all of the 100 or so games that are hosted there. It is worth a second look if you are familiar with the old site.
Fan remakes of classic games.
Reliable search feature.
Defunct blog.
Poor categorization by genre.
Acid-Play has grown into one of the more reliable free gaming websites around. It offers more than 860 free game downloads. All games listed on AcidPlay.com are reviewed and given a percentage rating. The reviews and ratings are a great guide for determining the quality of the free game.
Succinct game reviews.
Download the DOSBox emulator for free.
Ugly interface.
Discontinued support forum.
BestOldGames.net is a website that specializes in old classic DOS games. Many of the games hosted here are abandonware, meaning they are not currently available for sale but they are also no longer being supported by the original creator. There are hundreds of games currently hosted on BestOldGames.net making it a great site to fans some of your favorite classic PC games from your childhood.
Most games that are available are also in their original format and not compatible with most recent versions of Windows such as Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, so in order to play any of these, you will need to download and install a DOS emulator such as DOSBox.
Helpful links to other gaming websites.
Well categorized catalog.
No recent updates.
Inactive forums.
Caiman.us is a pure freeware game website, you won't find any demos or shareware games here. It boasts more than 4,000 games and is one of the most frequently updated freeware gaming websites.
Explicit content that's inappropriate for kids.
Limited search filters.
Fullgames.sk lists a decent number of free computer games both downloadable freeware and free online game but they are also listed along with other retail game assets such as demos and trailers.
Active community forum.
Technical information about emulators.
Links to political websites.
Some outdated game links.
Home of the Underdogs is a freeware/abandonware site that offers a vast number of titles for download. It is a virtual gold mine for many classic out-of-print games and has grown to a library of over 5,000 games. The list of freeware game titles is fairly impressive and the site is updated quarterly. Home of the Underdogs has gone through a number of fan supported redesigns and relaunches leading to multiple sites that host some (but not all) of the games found on the original.
It also appears that the latest edition of Home of the Underdogs no longer provides game downloads, instead, it provides details on thousands of games and then a search option to find where you can obtain the games.
News about upcoming indie games.
In-depth game guides.
Infrequent updates.
No longer hosts games.
Liberated Games is a website dedicated to cataloging and providing information on full commercial games that have been released as freeware by their original copyright holders.
Extensive, well organized catalog.
Free DLC, mods, and trainers for popular titles.
Legally dubious.
Atrocious interface.
Of all the free PC game websites detailed here, Ocean of Games is probably the most controversial and questionable sites around. The reason for this is due to the fact that many of the games on Ocean of Games are newer releases and have not been made available as freeware. While the site offers download links to many new releases, they most likely do not have the permission of original copyright holders to distribute freely.
Ocean of Games homepage lists the latest games that have been posted for download but then also includes genre-based categories and search functionality.
Games you won't find anywhere else.
Detailed reviews of indie titles.
Covered in ads.
Some broken download links.
Reloaded provides is a free computer game site dedicated to remakes of classic/retro video games and community made freeware games. Layout and navigation of Reloaded are very nice with screenshots and descriptions of all games listed in its directory.
The site also offers information and links for many older retail games that have been seemingly 'abandoned' by the original copyright holder.
All games are compatible with commercial game controllers.
Thriving user community.
Steam client can't capture gameplay footage.
Customer service and technical support get mixed reviews.
While many gamers think of Steam as the primary online gaming platform and store for purchasing PC games, they also offer hundreds free to play games. Some of these games may be free during an early access period where the game may still be in development, while others offer in-game micro-transactions where players can purchase various in-game skins or unlock certain features via small payments.
That being said a vast majority of the free to play PC games offered on Steam do not require any payment for access to the full functionality and gameplay.
With more than 500 games listed, there's bound to be something for everyone, RTS games, Shooters, Multiplayer Shooters to name a few. Popular titles available through Steam free of charge are Dota 2, Team Fortress, Path of Exile and much more.
New games every day.
Multilingual support.
Amateurish web design.
Broad game categories.
Take Game offers a solid list of games. The home page for Taking Game gives a brief introduction to the site and lists the top monthly games and latest addition. Take Game does not contain freeware games exclusively; shareware and some abandonware titles are also included.