Best Free PS4 Games
Smite
Since DOTA kicked things off back in the mid 2000s, the multiplayer online battle arena genre has exploded, and there’s been a host of copycat titles cashing in on the craze.
It has, however, remained a largely PC-centric genre, and only recently have full-scale MOBAs started to appear on console. Smite is one such game: a full-scale MOBA port from PC that works surprisingly well with a gamepad.
Smite is, for all intents and purposes, identical in gameplay design to its other DOTA-likes, albeit played from a third-person perspective. Two teams of five select heroes from a large roster and face off in a three-lane arena.
Minions called creeps run down these lanes, pushing towards the enemy base with you. The ultimate objective is to destroy the enemy base at the other side.
What makes Smite unique is that it features gods and mythological beings from human history, rather than fantasy. There are over 75 playable characters, spanning Greek, Roman, Hindu, Norse, Egyptian, and other ancient cultures.
Plenty of flair has been added to their interpretation and each gets a sweet victory animation to give them personality.
Refreshingly, Smite features no “pay-to-win” microtransactions. All skills are available for each character from the start, and paywalls are limited to aesthetic options only.
You can’t select all the characters, though, but Smite does constantly rotate who is and who is not available, so you should be able to cycle through everyone for free.
Best Free PS4 Games
Paragon
Epic Games is the developer behind classic titles such as Unreal Tournament and Gears of War. Paragon is the latest effort from this talented team and marks their first entry into the MOBA market. Originally a paid Steam Early Access game on PC, the full version was released as a free-to-play title.
In terms of gameplay, Paragon is a third-person action MOBA that feels similar to Smite. The key difference is that Paragon uses a card system to equip items and abilities.
There’s quite a bit of strategy in building decks outside of battles, using in-game currency won through battle to purchase randomized packs. You then take your card deck into battle and purchase the cards throughout each match.
Paragon’s other point of difference is its sci-fi aesthetic. It looks absolutely gorgeous running on the Unreal Engine, and it boasts a level of polish you don’t normally see in free-to-play games. Oh, and it also features cross-play functionality with PC, so once you have an account, you can play across both systems.
In terms of microtransactions, everything is available free of charge in Paragon, including all characters. However, those who spend money on randomized card decks are going to get better cards at a much faster rate than those who do not. In order to keep up, you’ll have to sink a fair few hours into Paragon.
The same can be said for unlocking the “Master Challenge” for each character: a cosmetic skin and emote pack, which can be bought rather than having to grind around 100 hours per character.
Best Free PS4 Games
Warframe
Warframe is a unique third-person shooter that has clans of space ninja’s traveling throughout the galaxy, blasting and slicing things up in scintillating PvE and PvP action. The gameplay itself is really accomplished: a fast paced blend of traditional shooting and melee, parkour platforming, and a hacking minigame.
Best of all, it’s free-to-play design isn’t overly invasive and you can quite easily play the entire game without being blocked by paywalls.
Warframe’s gameplay has some nice nuances that set it apart from other games in its genre. For a start, though players choose a character class – the “frame” in Warframe – you aren’t locked into that class. Instead, in Warframe you can swap out at will depending on whether you’d like to play a more supportive or offensive role.
Players are given their own spaceship, which acts as a base of operations. From the ship, you can peruse different planets to engage in procedurally generated cooperative PvE missions, which are narrative driven quests that flesh out the lore of the game universe.
There’s also a “conclave” area for PvP matches to mix things up if you’re in the mood for competitive play.
Characters can be leveled and equipment can be modified. There are also several companions that be acquired, providing some additional firepower by way of special abilities.
These items and additional loot are where the microtransactions come in, but you can still access and level everything free by putting honest hours into the game.
Best Free PS4 Games
Neverwinter
The ever popular Neverwinter series made its console debut last year, and this polished revamp of a four-year-old PC game actually still feels surprisingly fresh on PS4.
Neverwinter Online is absolutely brimming with content, benefiting from the inclusion of the nine expansion packs that players have access to straight away. Expect to get totally lost in the enormity of the game’s main campaigns, which one can choose to play from eight different character classes.
Neverwinter’s lore and main story arc are accomplished and brought to life by voice acting across almost all of the game’s many quests. Beyond the story-driven quest lines, there are side quests and dragon battles that provide an entertaining challenge.
Along the way, you’re joined by supporting NPCs that can be summoned, but they don’t necessarily auto level, so players do need to micromanage their progression, sending them away to level if necessary.
All of Neverwinter’s content can be enjoyed for free, though expect to invest a significant amount of time in the game if you want to unlock enough currency for all the gear.
That shouldn’t be a problem if you’re enjoying the game, but if you do want to hurry along, you can buy in-game currency in packs, starting at $10. There’s also DLC available for purchase in the form of aesthetic customization options.
Best Free PS4 Games
DC Universe Online
The now seven-year old DC Universe Online is still going and remains one of the best free-to-play MMORPGs on console. If you’re a fan of super heroes, or if you’re just looking for something a bit different from the fantasy genre, then DC Online could be just the ticket.
Players create their own unique character and can fight alongside DC’s roster of iconic heroes and villains. Unlike most other games in the genre, DC Online doesn’t use auto fighting — there’s no holding down a single button here.
Instead, it employs a more tactile manual fighting system that is more akin to single player games, and it makes combat a whole heap of fun, punching and kicking, adding in special attacks between combos.
As you level your character, their skills and abilities become more interesting and it adds more complexity to combat encounters, which is a good thing since you’ll spend a lot of time in the game beating up bad guys.
The main storyline of the game is well written and puts your character in the middle of a branching narrative involving all of DC’s most iconic antagonists.
The main plot will see your character level out at 30, so you’re a little limited on progression, but this can all be accessed free of charge. Beyond the main story-driven campaign, there’s PvP action to be enjoyed, and DLC that adds plenty of cooperative quests that can be enjoyed with buddies.
In fact, there are nearly 30 additional DLC episodes that can be bought either individually or via a premium payment.
Best Free PS4 Games
World of Tanks
World of Tanks has been around for the better part of a decade, starting life as a hugely popular PC game in Russia. Now ported to PS4, it’s a more refined beast with a following that continues to grow.
World of Tanks is a war simulation game that requires an understanding of military tactics and strategy. This is not a run and gun shooter; players will need to spend time getting to grips with the nuances of armor thickness, shot trajectory, and the weaknesses of enemy vehicles.
Not to mention controlling the tank, too, which will take some getting used to. But once you’ve got your head around the basics, World of Tanks is a huge amount of fun, putting you in the driver’s seat of thrilling combat encounters that encourage team coordination.
There are two main game modes in World of Tanks; capturing the enemy’s base, or starting on opposing sides of the maps and driving toward capturing a central objective. In both cases, destroying all your opponent’s tanks wins the map.
This is a game that demands skill and strategy, and microtransactions won’t help you out unless you’re decent at the game. As you progress, you’ll unlock different tiers of vehicles, working toward the game’s more powerful tanks.
Paying allows one to skip some of the less impressive vehicles, but World of Tanks is well balanced, so they don’t allow you to purchase anything that gives you a massive advantage. Nothing in the game is completely locked away, either, meaning the entire game is truly free if you’re willing to put in the hours.
Best Free PS4 Games
War Thunder
Another immensely popular tactical wartime game, War Thunder has become something of a phenomenon. War Thunder puts players in the pilot seat of World War 2 combat aircraft, either coordinating in thrilling PvE modes or battling against each other in lightning fast PvP combat.
War Thunder’s gameplay is fairly intuitive, especially for those that have a passion for aircraft and understand the basics of flying. As one becomes more advanced, you’ll need to factor in aircraft attributes such as roll rate, dive speed, and rate of climb.
As a result of those unique properties, the replay value of War Thunder is near endless, giving players the chance to experiment flying different aircraft.
There’s also plenty of variety via the different types of gameplay modes, too. You won’t always be taking control of a fighter, sometimes undertaking bomber duties in ground attack missions. During these sorties, players will need to coordinate effectively between each other to survive.
There’s even tank combat, too, during air to ground missions, and a mode where both land air ground vehicles can be played simultaneously.
All of the content in War Thunder can be enjoyed free of charge, and there aren’t any pesky reminders to encourage you to pay for content. As long as you’re willing to grind a bit, War Thunder doesn’t require you to shell out any money.
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