10 best first-person shooters that are free to play on Steam

First-person shooters have become one of the most popular genres in the gaming industry. This has made studios take a different approach to how they release their games. Most modern multiplayer FPS games follow the free-to-play, live-service model, which means they release the game for free and then make their money back through microtransactions and in-game shops.

For this list, we are focusing on free-to-play online FPS games rather than offline games, as these will always cost money. So, whether you’re a newbie to the FPS scene or just looking for a new title to try out, you have more than enough options to choose from, especially on Steam. Look no further, as here are the 10 best FPS games that are free on Steam.

10

Quake Champions

A great game, but not for everyone

If you were an FPS player in the late 1990s and early 2000s, then you have definitely heard of the Quake games before. Although this new title has much better graphics, the gameplay is similar to what made the original titles great. The gunplay might feel basic by today’s FPS standards, but it’s still an extremely fun game to jump into and definitely takes its fair share of skill to get good at.

There are a ton of maps, over 16 different characters to choose from, and a slew of different game modes to take part in. There is a smaller community for the game in 2025, but finding games is not difficult, and the game is pretty friendly for newcomers to jump in.

Quake Champions

Quake Champions is a multiplayer fast-paced arena shooter. The original Quake title had its beginning in the late 1990s and pioneered the Arena shooter genre.

9

Team Fortress 2

Still relevant after 17 years

Team Fortress 2 was first released in 2007 on Steam and is still a beloved game to this day by FPS enthusiasts. The animation style is very simple by today’s standards, but the gameplay, classes, and mechanics have withstood the test of time and are still loved by a large player base.

In Team Fortress 2, much like its predecessor, you can choose between nine different types of classes: Soldier, Heavy, Demoman, Scout, Engineer, Spy, Medic, Sniper, and Pyro. Each class has its own unique abilities and roles within the match, meaning that players will have to work together effectively to win the game. Players also have two different types of ranged weapons on them, with a melee weapon to use in close quarters, but the type of weapon you have depends on what class you choose.

Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2 was originally released back in 2007 and continues to be a fan favorite in the FPS genre. The game features 9 distinct classes of heroes that all have different guns, abilities and skills that they can use on the battlefield.

8

Paladins

Amazing champions with great customization

Paladins is a hero-based shooter that takes a lot of inspiration from Overwatch. The game features an extensive range of heroes (Champions), each with its unique set of abilities, gameplay mechanics, and weapons. While Paladins may share a lot of its identity with other hero shooters on the market, where it stands out lies in its unique customization mechanics.

Unlike other games in the genre, Paladins doesn’t force you into one particular playstyle when you find a character you like. Throughout the game, you will be able to collect and upgrade customization cards, which you can use to create loadouts that can change the way each different hero plays. The gameplay is fast and engaging, and you can choose between game modes like capture points, push the payload, team deathmatch, or ranked matches.

Paladins: Champions of the Realm

Paladins is a fantasy-based team hero shooter featuring vibrant maps, and a large catalog of champions to choose from. The game differs from other first-person shooters in the genre by adding a card deck building upgrade system to the heroes you play as.

7

The Finals

Dynamic destruction and tactical teamwork

The Finals is a relatively new game in the genre which gained massive praise when it first launched. Although fan reception has dropped since its initial release, it still holds a high player count and good community engagement overall. This first-person shooter has beautifully vibrant maps with highly destructible cities for players to battle it out in.

The Finals is a team-based first-person shooter that matches four teams against each other, each containing three or five players, depending on the game mode. The game’s premise is that you are thrown into a combat-based reality game show, where the main goal is to secure the most money while taking out the opposing teams.

The Finals

The Finals is an arena, team-based FPS that throws you into a game show where you have to fight your way to the top of the leaderboards while trying to make as much money as possible.

6

Halo Infinite

Classic Halo combat with stunning graphics

Halo Infinite is a first-person shooter based in the Halo universe, and is one of the few games on this list that does have a paid single player campaign attached to it. Halo Infinite brings back many of the gameplay mechanics that fans have come to love about the franchise, along with iconic guns, upgrades, vehicles, and equipment.

There are two types of matches: Arena, which has two teams of four players each, or Big Team Battles, which are played on large maps with 24 players in total (each team has 12 players). Each match type will have its own playlist of game modes, including modes like Strongholds, Capture the Flag, Slayer, Fiesta, King of the Hill, and many more.

Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite is the newest entry in the Halo franchise with a fantastic free-to-play multiplayer mode. Battle your way across 70 different maps and dozens of different game modes to be the true master chief.

5

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fast-paced battle royale with great gunplay

While Call of Duty is a paid game on Steam, its counterpart, Warzone, is free to play for gamers. Call of Duty: Warzone is a battle royal team-based shooter that drops you out of a plane and onto a large map. You and your team will have to gear up, loot as you go, and fight the opposing team while making your way to the center of the map as a cloud of poisonous gas closes in.

Warzone’s gameplay is extremely fast-paced and fun, with quality gunplay that you’d have come to expect from a Call of Duty title. The maps are expansive and highly detailed for a free-to-play game, and there is a big focus on verticality, meaning you have to keep a keen eye on the surrounding environment.

Call of Duty: Warzone.

Call of Duty Warzone is a free-to-play massive multiplayer battle royale game set in the Call of Duty universe. Fight your way through teams of enemies while running away from poisonous gas to be the last man/woman standing

4

Destiny 2

A blend between FPS and RPG

Destiny 2 is one of the most loved first-person shooter titles to date. Having both PVE and PVP mechanics, the game is often considered a hybrid of an FPS and MMORPG game. Destiny 2 is known for its rich lore, amazing quest design, and fantastic gun mechanics. The game has both cooperative activities like Raids and Strikes, as well as competitive activities like the Crucible to keep players busy.

The RPG nature of the game will have you constantly working to level up your character, take part in quests, and explore the expansive world that Bungie has created. It’s free-to-play model should give you more than enough to explore, but you can also purchase a ton of expansions that will expand the world greatly and give you more to do and see as you play.

Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is a hybrid between an FPS and an RPG that offers you dynamic gameplay, excellently crafted quests and storylines in a breathtaking world that’s up to you to explore.

3

PUBG: Battlegrounds

The original battle royale

PUBG: Battlegrounds is the grandfather of battle royale games, having pioneered and popularized the genre in its entirety. PUBG drops players into a large open-world map where players must scavenge for supplies, find weapons and vehicles, and battle the opposing team, but the map shrinks in size over time.

Unlike other entries in this list, PUBG: Battlegrounds takes a much slower, methodical, and strategic approach to the battle royal formula, forcing players to be more tactical with their approach to combat while managing their resources effectively to survive the battle. The game’s strategic approach makes it feel more like a Battlefield game rather than a call of duty in its approach.

PUBG: Battlegrounds

PUBG: Battlegrounds is a free-to-play battle royal FPS game that drops you onto a map and forces you to work with your teammates to survive untill the end of the match.

2

Counter-Strike 2

The bomb has been planted

Source: Valve

Counter-Strike is a franchise that should need no introduction anymore. Starting in 1999 as a Half-Life mod, it dominated the multiplayer FPS scene well into the 2000s. More recently, we had Counter-Strike Global Offensive, which was one of the most popular FPS games on the market for over a decade. Now, Valve has made Counter-Strike 2 using their new Source 2 engine, and dedicated fans have mixed opinions.

Counter-Strike 2 is a team-based first-person shooter that pits two different teams against each other, Terrorists, and Counterterrorists, with one team tasked with planting a bomb and defending the position and the other tasked with attacking the position and defusing the bomb. At the beginning of the match, you will be given a set amount of money that you will need to spend on weapons, equipment, and upgrades.

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is Valves’ newest entry to the Counter-Strike franchise. Acting as a sequel to the beloved Counter-Strike Global Offensive, you play as either a terrorist or counterterrorist in one of the most popular team-base FPS on the market.

1

Apex Legends

High octane FPS action

Apex Legends is, at its core, a high-octane first-person shooter battle royal game developed by Respawn Entertainment and based in the world of Titanfall. The game is highly competitive and focuses on fast-paced movement mechanics, incorporating running, sliding, and parkour into general gameplay.

With over 25 heroes (Legends) from five different classes, players are given multiple ways to play the game and occupy the battlefield. Apart from battle royale, the game also features game modes like Gun Run, Team Deathmatch, Lockdown, and Control, with a slew of other time-limited game modes that rotate out depending on the current season of the game.

Apex Legends is a free-to-play hero shooter where “Legends” fight in arena-based matches, in a high-octane fast-paced battle royal experience.

There are so many titles to choose from

These are some of the best and most popular FPS games on Steam. With so many games trying to grab your attention, it’s easy to see that many will share similar mechanics. While no one has time to play and get good at all of these titles, hopefully, this list has narrowed down all the options available and will help you add some great FPS games to your Steam Library.

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