No matter what type of console or gadget you have, video games are a fun way to relax and unwind. Fortunately, platforms like Steam give you a multitude of free games to choose from, whether you like playing alone or with family and friends. Since it’s still safer to stay home these days, now is a good time to try out and get hooked on new games!
With the different options available, it can be confusing to choose the best games to play. To help you out, we’ve prepared a player’s guide that will help you decide which games to get. If you’re new to using Steam or playing online, we’ve got you covered. We’re also going to be showing you our top 10 picks of the best free Steam games that you can download.
In this section, we've rounded up some tips to help you pick the games that you may want to try out. We hope that they can help you make your choice.
Just like music and movies, video games fall under many different genres. Choosing one will help you narrow down your choices and will help you figure out what type of games you’ll enjoy the most.
Action games are great if you like the adrenaline of taking down enemies, whether they be rebels, zombies, or villains. They’re usually fast-paced and will require you to use strategy and combat skills to successfully defeat your opponents.
They have straightforward objectives but can still get pretty intense. To win, you’ll need to hone your reflexes and learn to execute different skill combos or patterns. You’ll have to calculate every move and attack, so you’ll need to stay alert and focused.
If you like games that have storylines or that are set in beautiful fictional worlds, role-playing games or RPGs are perfect for you. They contain a lot of dialogues and usually have a variety of quests or missions for you to go on, making them continuously fun and exciting.
These games will likely give you the option to customize your character or pick from a wide range of pre-selected ones that you can use. They also have many different mini-games that you can play to level up the attributes and abilities that will help you in your virtual journey across the world.
Simulation games are designed to mimic reality or real-life situations. They’re relaxing since they don’t have strict objectives, meaning you can essentially do whatever you want. A popular example of this is The Sims, a game that lets you create and control different characters from start to finish.
Aside from that, there are many different types or sub-genres of simulation games, such as cooking, construction and management, and even vehicle simulation games. This makes them ideal for playing after a long day of work or school since they’re not timed and are usually very therapeutic.
To get the most out of your gaming experience, decide between getting a single-player or multiplayer game. If you’re the type to unwind after a long day by having some “me time,” then a single-player game would be perfect for you. However, if you want to play with your family or friends, multiplayer games would be ideal.
There are also games that offer both single-player and multiplayer options, which means that you can still enjoy playing it no matter what you’re in the mood for on that day. Some genres that usually have single-player games are RPG and simulation games, while action games are usually multiplayer or offer both single and co-op options.
This is a very important factor to consider, especially if you decide to play a multiplayer game with your family. Some games may not be suitable for children or feature gory or disturbing scenes that may not be appropriate for them to see.
To ensure that everyone can have fun, don't forget to take note of the age rating of a game before downloading it. It will most likely be stated in the description or in online forums, so you can check which games are safe for children to play and which ones are recommended only for adults.
For your game to run smoothly, make sure that your laptop or PC meets the hardware and software specs that the game requires for operation on your device. Since they contain a lot of graphics, they will take up a lot of power and space on your gadget, so make sure that you have enough to accommodate the game.
This will ensure that your laptop or PC doesn’t lag or crash in the middle of your gameplay, which is very annoying, especially while playing intense action games. The specs that the game requires from your device are typically found in its description, so take the time to read it fully before downloading the game.
To know what to expect of your gaming experience, you can watch reviews and video gameplays online. In order to avoid spoilers and keep the thrill of the game, we recommend you to watch short walkthroughs or snippets instead of the whole gameplay, so you’ll still have an element of surprise once you download the game.
On the other hand, if you don’t want to watch videos about it, you can also opt to read feedback from other players online. You can do this by going on forums like Reddit or Quora and on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter to determine if the game will truly be worth your time.
Even though all the games shown on our list are free, they may offer some in-game purchases that can improve your gaming experience. Some of them offer additional in-game currency, character accessories, and other perks for an additional fee.
If you're feeling hesitant about spending money on online games, you don’t have to worry because Steam provides world-class support for in-game purchases. This ensures that your payment is secure and that you’ll be able to enjoy your purchases in an instant. If you encounter any problems, you can get help at Steam Support.
Here are our top 10 picks of the best steam games that you can safely download online for free. No matter what type of game you're looking for, we're bound to have it here.
Genre | Action |
---|---|
System Requirements | Dual Core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz and 4 GB RAM for Windows; Dual Core from Intel and 4 GB RAM for MAC OS X |
Number of Players | Single-Player and Multiplayer |
In-Game Purchases | Yes |
Age Rating | 13 and Above |
Genre | Action |
---|---|
System Requirements | Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom™ X3 8750 Processor or Better and 2 GB RAM for Windows/Vista/XP; Intel Core Duo Processor (2GHz or Better) and 2 GB RAM for MAC OS X |
Number of Players | Single-Player and Multiplayer |
In-Game Purchases | Yes |
Age Rating | 16 and Above |
Genre | Simulation |
---|---|
System Requirements | 1 ghz and 1024 MB RAM for Windows/Vista/XP |
Number of Players | Single-Player and Multiplayer |
In-Game Purchases | No |
Age Rating | 17 and Above |
Genre | RPG |
---|---|
System Requirements | Intel Core 2 Duo e6400 or AMD Athlon x64 4000+ and 4 GB RAM for Windows |
Number of Players | Single-Player and Multiplayer |
In-Game Purchases | Yes |
Age Rating | 18 and Above |
Genre | RPG |
---|---|
System Requirements | Intel Dual Core @ 2.0 GHz, AMD Dual Core @ 2.0 GHz) and 4 GB or Higher for Windows; CPU that supports SSE2 (Intel Dual Core @ 2.0 GHz) and 4 GB for Mac |
Number of Players | Single-Player |
In-Game Purchases | Yes |
Age | 13 and Above |
Genre | RPG |
---|---|
System Requirements | P4 3.0GHz or AMD Equivalent and 1GB RAM for Windows |
Number of Players | Single-Player |
In-Game Purchases | Yes |
Age Rating | 13 and Above |
Genre | Simulation |
---|---|
System Requirements | Intel i3 / AMD FX Series or Equivalent and 4 GB RAM for Windows |
Number of Players | Single-Player and Multiplayer |
In-Game Purchases | No |
Age Rating | 13 and Above |
Genre | Action |
---|---|
System Requirements | AMD FX 4350 or Equivalent, Intel Core i3 6300 or Equivalent and 6 GB RAM for Windows |
Number of Players | Single-Player and Multiplayer |
In-Game Purchases | Yes |
Age Rating | 13 and Above |
Genre | RPG |
---|---|
System Requirements | Intel® Pentium® IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+ and 4 GB RAM for Windows; Intel Core Duo Processor (2GHz or Better) and 4 GB RAM for MAC OS X |
Number of Players | Single-Player and Multiplayer |
In-Game Purchases | Yes |
Age Rating | 12 and Above |
Genre | RPG |
---|---|
System Requirements | Intel i3+/AMD @ 2.4+ GHz and 4 GB RAM for Windows |
Number of Players | Single-Player and Multiplayer |
In-Game Purchases | Yes |
Age Rating | 13 and Older |
Image | 1 ![]() Valve | 2 ![]() Valve | 3 ![]() Team Psykskallar | 4 ![]() Digital Extremes | 5 ![]() CCP | 6 ![]() Dimensional Ink Games | 7 ![]() Bitbeast Games | 8 ![]() Respawn Entertainment | 9 ![]() Paradox Development Studio | 10 ![]() Jagex Ltd |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Dota 2 | Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | Cry of Fear | Warframe | EVE Online | DC Universe™ Online | Escape Room - Der kranke Kollege | Apex Legends™ | Crusader Kings II | RuneScape® |
Features | Join Millions of Players Worldwide in Battle | The Most Played Classic Shooting Game | A Psychological Horror Game Not For the Faint-Hearted | Explore the Solar Futuristic World of Warframe | Contribute to a World Shared With Thousands of Players | A Chance to Be Part of the DC Comics Universe | Exercise Your Mind and Strategy Skills | The Ultimate Battle Royale Game | Have Different Adventures in Medieval Europe | Embark on Exciting Quests With Your Friends |
Genre | Action | Action | Simulation | RPG | RPG | RPG | Simulation | Action | RPG | RPG |
System Requirements | Dual Core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz and 4 GB RAM for Windows; Dual Core from Intel and 4 GB RAM for MAC OS X | Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom™ X3 8750 Processor or Better and 2 GB RAM for Windows/Vista/XP; Intel Core Duo Processor (2GHz or Better) and 2 GB RAM for MAC OS X | 1 ghz and 1024 MB RAM for Windows/Vista/XP | Intel Core 2 Duo e6400 or AMD Athlon x64 4000+ and 4 GB RAM for Windows | Intel Dual Core @ 2.0 GHz, AMD Dual Core @ 2.0 GHz) and 4 GB or Higher for Windows; CPU that supports SSE2 (Intel Dual Core @ 2.0 GHz) and 4 GB for Mac | P4 3.0GHz or AMD Equivalent and 1GB RAM for Windows | Intel i3 / AMD FX Series or Equivalent and 4 GB RAM for Windows | AMD FX 4350 or Equivalent, Intel Core i3 6300 or Equivalent and 6 GB RAM for Windows | Intel® Pentium® IV 2.4 GHz or AMD 3500+ and 4 GB RAM for Windows; Intel Core Duo Processor (2GHz or Better) and 4 GB RAM for MAC OS X | Intel i3+/AMD @ 2.4+ GHz and 4 GB RAM for Windows |
Number of Players | Single-Player and Multiplayer | Single-Player and Multiplayer | Single-Player and Multiplayer | Single-Player and Multiplayer | Single-Player | Single-Player | Single-Player and Multiplayer | Single-Player and Multiplayer | Single-Player and Multiplayer | Single-Player and Multiplayer |
In-Game Purchases | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Age Rating | 13 and Above | 16 and Above | 17 and Above | 18 and Above | 13 and Above | 13 and Above | 13 and Above | 13 and Above | 12 and Above | 13 and Older |
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If you're starting out with playing games with your PC or making the switch to PC gaming, this video by PC Centric is a great way to prepare yourself!
What to Know Before Getting Into PC Gaming:
Computer gaming is a very fun way to bond and relax with family and friends amidst the pandemic. To help improve your experience, check out our other articles below for the best products we found that will surely allow you to have a blast.
Steam Games is a widely-used platform by gamers around the world to play their favorite games and discover hidden gems by indie developers. Whatever genre you prefer, there are loads of free games that you can play to help you unwind after a long day. With our buying guide and top 10 picks, we hope you found the perfect one for you.
Author: Bianca Angela Dela Cruz
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