There are many free to play MMOs out there, but not all of them are actually very f2p-friendly. In fact, there are a wealth of them that are brutal in their predatory, pay-to-win nonsense. We based this list on a few factors. One is personal experience playing each and every one of the games on it.
The next is general community consensus, and also knowledge of what microtransactions it offers and the circumstances surrounding them. If you’re going to invest into a free to play MMO instead of one that requires a sub, you want it to respect your time and your wallet, so we’ve picked the ones that are the most f2p-friendly.
Honorable mentions: Games that almost made the list
A couple of games almost made this free to play MMO list, that I think are worth mentioning. The first is technically, Final Fantasy XIV. Now, I know, this game has a subscription, and you have to buy the expansions, but it does have the market leader free trial, allowing you to play all the way through the Shadowbringers expansion. That is hundreds of hours, at the bare minimum, free to play with a handful of restrictions.
I also want to mention Lord of the Rings Online, because while it does have a cost to enter, there are often promo periods where they give quite a bit away for free. It’s a solid free to play MMO, and just barely didn’t make the cut.
What are the best Free to play MMOs based on f2p-friendliness?
5) Guild Wars 2
I think Guild Wars 2 might be the MMO that I wish I had the time for, more than any other. I’ve got my issues with the game, but overall, I enjoy it, and think it’s got a reasonably sound barrier to entry. It’s technically a free to play MMO, in that you can play through the base campaign for free, without too many restrictions. There are some though, likely to reduce gold selling as much as possible.
You do have to buy the expansions though, if you want access to the full game, so that puts it right at the bottom of the list. It just barely made the cut, though that doesn’t mean it’s not a terrific game, because it certainly is. Perhaps, with Guild Wars 3 on the way, more of this MMO will become free to play.
4) Albion Online
Albion Online is an interesting free to play MMO, in that it’s got a pretty heavy PVP focus, and it remains successful in spite of that, and is mostly, pretty f2p-friendly. PVP MMOs are not often very popular in the West these days, though back in the early 2000s, it was very much a different scene.
I think if it had dropped around 2003, it might have been competition for games like Ultima Online. If you’re playing as a free to play player, it’s very accessible, but you really should know it’s a PVP game at its core, so if that’s not for you, I recommend something else on this list instead.
The main drawback to this game though, is that if you want to progress faster, you definitely need to pay for a subscription. Subscribing gives a bonus to Fame, Silver, loot, and so much more, making the game so much easier to farm and grow in. However, this doesn’t make you good at the game, and you can then be farmed by other players, if you aren’t.
3) Star Wars: The Old Republic
Star Wars: The Old Republic is probably the largest of these f2p-friendly MMOs, in terms of how much great, high-quality story it gives you. 8 fully voiced storylines that you get for free, and a solid list of races to play as. However, it is recommended that you subscribe once (Preferred Status), because it gives you a wealth of permanent perks.
That unlocks all of the current stories/expansions, and subscribing also lets you tackle Operations at level 80 (think of them as raids in other MMOs). You don’t have to keep a subscription to play all the expansions, but subbing every once in a while will unlock them, so I think that’s fairly reasonable.
There are account restrictions that are lessened/removed if you’re subscribed, but I still think the game gives you a lot for free, and subscribing at least once gives you a ton for your money.
2) Old School RuneScape
While there is a full version of Old School RuneScape that requires a subscription, that doesn’t stop it from being an incredible f2p-friendly MMO for the free to play version. While there’s more content from subscribing, the free to play offerings are fair and reasonable. There’s also no level restrictions on available skills, and plenty of content.
You can also subscribe using in-game currency, so depending on how hardcore you play, it can be pretty easy to subscribe and do all the game’s content without spending any money. I can appreciate that. OSRS is probably the game on this list I have the least amount of experience in, but I do appreciate how fair it is to its players.
1) Path of Exile
When it comes to free to play MMOs that are fair and f2p-friendly, only one game comes to mind, when thinking of the best: Path of Exile. It’s been going for around ten years, and has never been a predatory game in any way. Completely free to play, all of its content and all of its seasons are always free to play, with all classes always available.
It does have microtransactions, and the Extra Tabs are incredibly useful, but they aren’t mandatory. Even so, they’re fairly priced, and occasionally put on sale, making it even easier to expand your storage space. Path of Exile gives its players an absolute mountain of content to go through, and frequently put out seasons as optional, more interesting ways to approach the game.
We didn’t put Path of Exile 2 because it is technically a buy-to-play game right now, until 1.0 releases. Then it will be free to play, but for now, it is a buy-to-play only for its testing period.
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Edited by Jason Parker