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- 21 Jan 2023
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- 5 minutes
The Free-to-Play (F2P or FtP) model in video games is now more popular than ever before. F2P games have overtaken the traditional activity of forking out a huge sum of money to buy the game outright and own a physical copy. Free-to-Play games are all fully digital and played in the cloud, and they come with in-app purchases (IAPs) that have really shaken up the gaming industry and have given players access to certain games that they may not have been able to afford to play beforehand. If you want to learn more about F2P games, then you’ve come to the right place.
About F2P Games
There are now hundreds of F2P games to choose from in 2022, which means that there’s something for all ages. However, some of these games have an 18+ age rating, which means they aren’t suitable for minors. Even to play certain slots and classic table & card games at most online casinos today, you still need to be at least 18 years old. The good news, though, is that the majority of today’s best F2P games don’t come with an 18+ PEGI certificate.
In recent years, the most popular video games have become Free-to-Play games, and the vast majority of revenue that’s generated by these types of games is made when players make in-app purchases, which are otherwise known as microtransactions. The companies also make money via advertising. Players can now purchase things like upgrades, skins, weapons, in-game currency, loot boxes, vehicles, and even access to higher levels in the game.
Fortnite was the first notable example of this model hitting it big time. The player base kept growing and growing as the innovative battle royale game – Fortnite also had a significant impact on the increased interest in battle royale format – became more notable, with its free-to-play model reducing barriers for entry. Anyone could play.
F2P games have given players access to significant portions of some of today’s hit titles, but what makes these games more enjoyable and enables them to progress much further are the in-app purchases (aka purchasable). It’s a clever marketing strategy from the major game development studios and publishers, and it has seen gamingrevenue go through the roof. It also seems to be a huge hit with all types of players around the world who love the F2P model. Players are far more likely to be able to afford the relatively cheap in-app purchasable items rather than the outright cost of a game.
Warzone soon followed as the first major studio production to opt for a game that followed directly in the tracks of Fortnite – a battle royale, F2P game. Like any trend, others followed the F2P lead. It too took on global proportions. Its sequel Warzone 2 has lacked quite the same impetus, but this isn’t a failure of the model, simply the game itself lacking in many areas fans wished it didn’t.
Top 20 Free-to-Play games in 2022
If you’re looking to play a Free-to-Play video game in 2022, then you may want to check out some of these hit titles before trying any other games. Some of them are only available on specific devices, and others are available across multiple platforms and can be accessed from a variety of iOS and Android smartphone & tablet devices, Windows and macOS laptops, and desktop computers and video game consoles, such as the SteamDeck, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.
Some of the most popular F2P games in 2022 include the following hit titles:
- Genshin Impact
- League of Legends
- Pokémon Unite
- Path of Exile
- Fallout Shelter
- Raid: Shadow Legends
- Mech Arena
- Rocket League
- Halo Infinite Multiplayer
- Destiny 2
Other honourable mentions
If you enjoy playing any of these fantastic F2P games and want more similar content, then you also need to keep an eye out for some of these other hit titles too, such as Fortnite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Brawlhalla, Hearthstone, Doki Doki Literature Club, Guild Wars 2, Sparta: War of Empires, Stormfall: Age of Wars, and Vikings: War of Clans. If that’s not enough to keep you going, there’s also Throne: Kingdom at War, Total Domination, Nords: Heroes of the North, Stormfall: Rise of Balur, Lost Island: Blast Adventure, and Heart of Vegas, to name just a few.
Top gaming PCs and laptops in the spotlight
For those of you who would prefer to check out some of these F2P games from a dedicated gaming laptop or desktop computer, then you may want to consider purchasing one of these state-of-the-art devices before settling for anything else. Some of the best gaming PC desktop towers are the Alienware Aurora R13, the Corsair One i300, the HP OMEN 30L, the iBuypower Revolt 3 i7BG, and the MSI Aegis R2 11th. If you would rather have a dedicated gaming laptop, popular devices to consider in 2022 are the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, the Razer Blade 14, the Razer Blade 15 4K, and the Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (GEN 7).
You also have the Acer Predator Helios 300, the MSI G5dd Stealth, the Alienware m17 R5, and the Asus ROG Strix SCAR 17, all of which are highly recommended for gaming and have some fantastic reviews. The good news is that they can all handle the high-end, more graphically demanding games, too, some of which include Halo Infinite, Spider-Man: Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2: Stay Human, Red Dead Redemption 2, Forza Horizon 5, Elden Ring, God of War, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Far Cry 6.
What’s the future of the F2P model
It looks as though the Free-to-Play model is definitely here to stay, but it’s still unclear as to exactly what players can expect going forward. The game publishers will continue to make money from advertising in these games, but the in-app purchases that players spend money on is where the money’s really being made. We will no doubt see more game development studios shift to the free-to-play model, which means that players will have lots more exciting new F2P games to look forward to over the coming months and years.
