5 best free-to-play FPS games in 2021

There is no shortage of free-to-play, aka f2p FPS games, in the market, given just how popular the genre is. In such a saturated market, the main task is to separate the wolf from the sheep, as investing time and energy behind poor judgment is never sensible.

The rise of free-to-play games has greatly coincided with the growth and development of mobile gaming. But it has not stayed restricted to handheld devices as developers worldwide have discovered business direction and profitability in this less practiced but unique model.

The last few years have seen appearances of free-to-play games in the realm of FPS games. While free-to-play games did exist before in different genres like MOBAs, the FPS free-to-play market has been a lot newer proposition. Titles were there in existence, but it wasn't until recently that the practice became mainstream to a large extent.

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Top five free-to-play FPS games that every gamer must try in 2021

5) Call of Duty: Warzone

Very few games in the FPS genre can boast a stature like the Call of Duty series. There are perhaps no FPS game fans who haven't tried an iteration of Call of Duty at least once in their lives. It excited FPS fans worldwide when Call of Duty: Warzone, a free-to-play battle royale, was announced and subsequently released.

As good as Warzone is, the game is not devoid of problems. Meanwhile, loot boxes have often been heavily criticized as they have been accused of inciting gambling on younger gamers. There are also problems with hackers that, despite repeated complaints, seem to plague the game a lot.

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4) Apex Legends

In some ways, Apex Legends took the battle royale genre to a new height that was not thought of back then. Released by Electronic Arts, Apex Legends ticked many boxes, making it a great game for more hardcore FPS game lovers.

But Apex Legends also suffers from some strong criticisms like Call of Duty: Warzone. Battle royales, in general, are criticized for their implementation of cosmetics and the way these cosmetic items are made to feel valuable. There have also been persistent issues with rampant hacking, even in the higher-ranked lobbies that deny Apex the perfect free-to-play FPS game.

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3) Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite is the newest member on this list as the sixth main entrant of the series was recently released. Halo Infinite is more of a hybrid free-to-play FPS game as the campaign needs to be bought to be played.

The Multiplayer is entirely free-to-play and is a lot of fun. The main issue seems to be with the battle pass progression, which is a testament to how good the game is despite it not being long since its release. Players can expect Halo Infinite to improve from here onwards.

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2) Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

There can't be an FPS game list where CS: GO will not feature. The staple of competitive FPS games went free-to-play to welcome an even bigger community than it already had. Despite being the oldest game on the list, CS: GO's easy to learn but hard to master gameplay and very few hardware requirements make it a great choice for veterans and new gamers alike.

However, CS: GO feels a bit dated due to its age, and it suffers time and again from hackers, even though there are repeated ban waves where several cheater's accounts are permanently banned.

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1) Valorant

When Riot Games enter into the foray, they do take it seriously, and Valorant is the best example of that fact. Valorant is a team-based FPS hero-shooter where players take the role of agents in a futuristic setting. Valorant is an incredible free-to-play FPS game that takes the best of older games and mashes them up together perfectly.

There are different modes, strategies, and agent customizations available to each player. Valorant has been nominated for awards and has an ever-growing fan base. However, the game has faced criticism for off-field issues, especially because of Vanguard, the anti-cheat software it employs.