With massive new releases like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction and Shadow Warrior 3, the first-person shooter genre remains one of the most prominent in video games. Though it has been traditionally dominated by new blockbuster releases, there has been a shift in recent years towards free-to-play experiences.
Whether classic team match game modes or a battle-royale style, there have been some excellent free FPS games that prove you don't need to spend money to enjoy the thrills of a top-quality shooter game. Players on Ranker voted to determine which title is the best free FPS game ever released.
Battlefield Play4Free (2011)
Although the free-to-play shooter from DICE and Easy Studios is no longer online, Battlefield Play4Free managed to leave a lasting impact on some players who enjoyed it during its 4-year run. The game involved intense online battles on maps taken from Battlefield 2 and made use of the class system from Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
Roles included Assault, Medic, Engineer, and Recon, all of which came with specific perks to suit their class. Battlefield Play4Free was met with mixed reviews on its release, with some players praising the amount of content there for a free game and others criticizing its formulaic nature.
Blacklight: Retribution (2012)
Not to be confused with the film Blacklight, which came out earlier this year, Blacklight: Retribution was part of a series of cyberpunk-themed shooters from the now-defunct indie developer Zombie Studios. The studio was closed partway through development and picked up by a new developer so it is almost surprising how well the game turned out especially given how many poor cyberpunk-themed games there have been.
A fast-paced arena shooter, Blacklight: Retribution makes up for its non-triple-A graphics with a high degree of polish and a nice variety of online game modes to enjoy. Blacklight retribution is still available to play on the PS4 but sadly no longer has dedicated servers which may put off new players.
CrossFire (2007)
A game that has slipped largely under the radar outside of Asia, CrossFire is a hugely popular free shooter game for the PC created by South Korean company Smilegate Entertainment. Boasting a consistently high active user base and spawning many spinoffs including a television show and film, it is apparent just how successful CrossFire has been.
Initially released in 2007, the game pits two teams of 8 against each other in a variety of online game modes and the gameplay is highly tactical in nature. There are also some more lighthearted game modes for players looking for a less competitive experience. The franchise attempted to conquer the west with the Xbox-exclusive CrossFireX earlier this year but the original remains one of the best free shooters.
America's Army (2002)
America's Army was the first in a series of games created by the US Army in order to educate and recruit potential soldiers. Although there is a debate to be had surrounding the ethics and effectiveness of the concept, there is no doubt that America's Army was in a lot of ways one of the most realistic FPS experiences when it was released.
In America's Army, bullet wounds weren't something that the player could shake off as if nothing happened. With sound design and combat designed to reflect real-life military situations as much as possible, there was a refreshing level of realism to America's Army that stuck with many of the game's players.
PlanetSide 2 (2012)
A genuinely ambitious FPS from the early 2010s, PlanetSide 2 successfully brings together some of the features that make shooters and Massively Multiplayer Online games great. Featuring maps that can host thousands of players at once, PlanetSide 2 is a shooter on a scale that few games have even attempted.
On top of that, the game's FPS mechanics are polished and the gameplay that pits three factions against each other for control of the planet Auraxis is interesting enough. Although some players didn't appreciate the difficulty and abundance of microtransactions, it is still amazing that a game of PlanetSide 2's ambition is free-to-play.
Black Squad (2017)
One of the best free FPS games of recent years, Black Squad focuses on bringing players refined and strategic combat in a military setting. Often compared to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, one of the best Xbox One titles of the 2010s, Black Squad punches above its weight for a free game with 10 game modes and nearly 50 maps in total.
Although it can't compare to the quality of graphics that triple-A shooters boast, a highly competitive online scene made Black Squad appealing to FPS fans in its own right. Black Squad is a satisfyingly comprehensive game and even includes the ability to customize game modes.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Phantoms (2014)
Sadly shut down just a couple of years after its launch, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Phantoms brought the quality that players had come to expect from the franchise to the world of free-to-play games. Mixing classic cover-based shooting with tactical, almost MOBA-like elements, Ghost Recon Phantoms managed to feel distinct at the time of its release.
The game had a steep learning curve and the UI did feel dated even at the time but it was a rewarding game for players with the patience for it. Ghost Recon Phantoms was presented in a third-person style but its unique contribution to the genre meant it couldn't be left out of a discussion of the best free shooter games.
Warface (2013)
Initially released on Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360, Warface received a high-profile re-release for PS4 and Xbox One in 2018 and for the Switch in 2020, proving that there is life in the old FPS title yet. The game is centered around competitive online PVP game modes but there is also the option to play cooperatively against AI.
Whilst Warface does show its age at times, it doesn't look bad at all on newer platforms for a game that is nearly a decade old. Some issues with the online modes as well as a lack of anything truly innovative prevent Warface from being considered among the very best FPS titles but it certainly has its fair share of fans.
Paladins (2018)
Paladins: Champions of the Realm is Hi-Rez Studios' attempt to break into the highly successful hero-based online multiplayer shooter genre popularized by titles like Overwatch in the mid-2010s. Although Paladins may not be able to compete with Overwatch's variety in maps and game modes, it is more than a match for it in other ways.
Paladins actually features more playable heroes than Overwatch as well as boasting a polished online experience that continues to win over many FPS fans. Paladins manages to achieve a compelling gameplay formula that can easily become addictive and it is good value for the hundreds of hours of gameplay it can provide completely for free.
Team Fortress 2 (2007)
Released to critical acclaim in 2007 and boasting an active player base that continues even today, Team Fortress 2 has a special place in FPS history and its influence goes far beyond the countless hours of consistently entertaining gameplay it has provided. With iconic characters and delightfully stylized graphics, Team Fortress 2 still stands out among free FPS games.
The class-based mechanics in TF2 developed on those in the first game and there is a surprising amount of depth to be found for those players that invest the time. Ultimately though, Team Fortress 2 is a game that anyone can try out and have fun with, and it remains the best free FPS game to ever have been released.