Best Free RPGs On Steam

Steam is a platform that empowers millions of gamers and developers. It is designed and developed by Valve, the gaming studio behind hit titles such as Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, Left 4 Dead, and Portal.

Among the multitude of genres that Steam has in store, it features a long list of free-to-play role-playing games (RPG) that continue to delight customers every day. These free RPG games are easy to learn and offer thousands of hours of gameplay to keep players glued to their seats. From anime to strategy games, these titles cover a wide spectrum of subgenres.

Updated on December 3, 2023, by Mark Sammut: Free Steam RPGs are not exactly plentiful, but they are not obscure either. Now, most of these games fall within the MMO sphere, so they can be an acquired taste. Still, anyone looking to play a PC RPG that does not require a monetary investment (at least, not initially) should check out the upcoming projects.

Guild Wars 2

Steam User Rating: 88%

Those looking for a fantastic, engrossing, and downright massive MMORPG experience can load up Guild Wars 2. This epic from Arena Net has been running strong for over a decade and recently entered a free-to-play state. Players are able to snag the base game on Steam and enjoy most of the fun that Guild Wars 2 has to offer. They’ll sadly be locked out of some content due to free-to-play restrictions but these can be lifted for those that obtain the DLC content and expansion packs.

Guild Wars 2 features incredibly fluid and satisfying combat that will keep most players hooked from the moment they try it. With multiple classes, specializations, an array of weapons, and some amazing storylines, Guild Wars 2 is the perfect free-to-play RPG for those who are craving something they can easily sink hundreds of hours into.

Tower Of Fantasy

Steam User Rating: 71%

Genshin Impact took the world by storm thanks to its satisfying open-world gameplay that felt similar to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Unfortunately, the release never made it to Steam but one of its direct “competitors” did. Tower of Fantasy is another free-to-play release with a very similar style but focuses much more on the combat elements and weapon designs than miHoYo’s adventure.

Anyone who likes the look and feel of Genshin Impact (as well as its Gacha-style character and weapon unlocking methods) but wants something that feels more like an action-packed hack-and-slash should give Tower of Fantasy a try.

Warframe

Steam User Rating: 86%

Warframe is a frontrunner for the most improved game of all time. When the title launched in 2013, its enjoyable blend of third-person shooter and melee gameplay was let down by repetitive levels and bland environments. The game’s foundations were strong but the overall package left something to be desired.

Nearly a decade later, Warframe has evolved into an ambitious project that includes open-world sections, deep lore, an impressive roster of Warframes and weapons, and a gameplay loop that makes grinding rewarding. The RPG is absolutely stacked with content, and all of it is available for free. Anyone looking for a new game they can sink hundreds of hours into should give Warframe a shot, and that includes players who only tried the free RPG during its first year or two on the market.

Grimm’s Hollow

Steam User Rating: 98%

Released just in time for Halloween, Grimm’s Hollow is a story-driven RPG about a girl, Lavender, who finds herself in the afterlife. Once there, she sets out to locate her brother. That makes up the crux of the journey, although Grimm’s Hollow does throw in a few neat surprises along the way.

While the gameplay is nothing more than serviceable, Grimm’s Hollow makes up for it with a lovable protagonist, charmingly grim visuals, and an emotional narrative. It is also pretty short and does not overstay its welcome.

Eternal Senia

Steam User Rating: 97%

Eternal Senia drops players in a tower filled with monsters and tells them to climb. In due time, the anime RPG begins to expand on its plot by exploring Senia’s past and the one relationship that matters the most to her. Although it takes its time, the story is well written and builds nicely to a trio of endings.

Utilizing a simplistic but effective combat system, Eternal Senia delivers an enjoyable, if not particularly challenging 5-hour campaign. The boss encounters are especially satisfying.

Old School RuneScape

Steam User Rating: 90%

RuneScape will last forever, at least that seems to be the popular opinion. While the franchise has produced modern iterations, Old School RuneScape presents a way for the original incarnation to be accessed in 2022. Naturally, the game looks incredibly dated, but that is also part of its appeal.

However, Old School RuneScape‘s visuals were never its calling card. The game’s longevity can be largely credited to the freedom it provides players. In this MMORPG, users can decide what type of existence they want to lead. Wish to specialize in monster hunting? Go for it? Desire a quiet life? Old School RuneScape supports that choice.

Path Of Exile

Steam User Rating: 88%

Path of Exile is a free-to-play action RPG that immerses players into the dark continent of Wraeclast. The world provides gruesome combat, enchanted items, and deep character customization. Players and their party members can choose to play different classes such as the Duelist, Witch, Ranger, Templar, Marauder, Shadow, and the Scion.

Players can journey across Wraeclast and discover ancient secrets in an epic adventure. They can learn unique skills and trade gems while playing through quests and missions. Path of Exile offers PvP tournaments and Capture the Flag events on an international scale and encourages players with daily leagues to climb up ladders and win exquisite prizes.

Neverwinter

Steam User Rating: 77%

Neverwinter lets players play and defend beautiful cities inspired by Dungeons and Dragons. Players can choose to play as the Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Warlock, and Wizard. The combat system features an action bar with slots for extensive abilities. These slots can take up abilities that can be used for offense, defense, items, and passive skills.

Over the years, Neverwinter has released a number of campaigns and has expanded its map of dangerous dungeons to delve into. Demonweb Pits Campaign is the latest campaign from Neverwinter and was released on July 18, 2023.

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis

Steam User Rating: 71%

Phantasy Star Online 2 spent nearly a decade stuck in Japan, but it eventually morphed into New Genesis. This iteration tweaks quite a few things, including the introduction of an open-world as a replacement for self-contained regions. That is just the most obvious change, as New Genesis also revamps PSO2‘s combat, progression, and graphics.

New Genesis has plenty of things going for it that make it worth a download at the minimum. The real-time gameplay is fast-paced, responsive, flashy, and simply fun. This goes beyond just the combat, as Sega also took steps to ensure that traversing the map is also enjoyable. The world is beautiful and diverse without being too huge. The main story is decent for an MMORPG, even if it is on the short side. However, New Genesis is very grind-heavy, in the sense that the game expects players to just head out and fight enemies to gain experience. There are not all that many quests, at least compared to other free Steam RPGs.

Shakes And Fidget

Steam User Rating: 93%

Shakes and Fidget has been around in some form or another since 2009, and its mobile and web browser origins are hard to ignore. Still, the game has enjoyed a successful run on Steam, developing a fairly positive reputation over the 6+ years it has been on Valve’s platform. Designed with a casual audience in mind, the RPG allows players to pick a class and race for their main character, who they will then be able to send out on quests to earn things like experience or items. Naturally, the game utilizes a timer to limit the player’s potential actions, although it is reasonably forgiving when compared to many games that use a similar technique.

Shakes and Fidget‘s uniqueness comes from its fortress management system. Eventually, this location will serve as the player’s main hub where they can develop their party, bringing quite a bit of depth to the experience. The actual battles are completed automatically, so the majority of the gameplay revolves away from the battlefield.

The Lord Of The Rings Online

Steam User Rating: 81%

World of Warcraft and Runescape are not the only MMORPGs seemingly destined to last forever. The Lord of the Rings Online has been around for more than 15 years, and while the game launched with a subscription, it eventually went free to play in 2010. Nowadays, all players have access to the base content and all the expansions up to Helm’s Deep, which requires them to reach level 95. After that, they would need to invest in the remaining five LOTRO expansions. The free level has a couple of other restrictions like allowing only two character slots on a server, but players can subscribe to the VIP or Premium tiers if they want to break these walls.

LOTRO‘s combat and visuals expose its age, which is hardly surprising considering there is only so much a developer can change via updates. Combat is probably the game’s weakest point and can be off-putting to newcomers who want something a bit more exciting. However, LOTRO‘s storytelling and world are not only fantastic but rank among the genre’s best. The MMORPG does an admirable job of bringing Middle-earth to life while also writing character-driven quests that contribute to a sense of narrative progression rather than coming across as busywork.

Lost Ark

Steam User Rating: 71%

Lost Ark tells a tale of two halves. On the one hand, the action RPG’s core gameplay is among the best in the free-to-play scene. The isometric game takes obvious inspiration from Diablo 3, a decision that results in stylish and satisfying real-time combat that is visually striking and mechanically deep. Presentation-wise, the MMO knocks most aspects out of the park, including a strong art style. The world is also unique, large, and fun to explore, serving as a fantastic setting for a fairly lengthy and enjoyable main campaign.

For all its positives, Lost Ark‘s monetization holds the game back from earning an unabashed recommendation. Simply put, they are rather invasive and lend themselves to a pay-to-win structure, which is a huge issue in a game that supports PvP. Obviously, this shortcoming is reduced if a player focuses solely on Lost Ark‘s PvE aspect. In some cases, this game might be best treated as a story-driven RPG with a definitive endpoint rather than an MMO built around its endgame.

Summoners War: Chronicles

Steam User Rating: 78%

Summoners War largely falls within the auto-battler subgenre of mobile RPGs, which is an acquired taste. Chronicles is the first entry in the franchise to make the jump to PC, and while not a far departure from its predecessor, the game is a bit more action-oriented. While players still build a team of monsters that auto-fight during battles, the main character also joins in on the fun, pushing the overall experience into action RPG territory. Although the combat system itself is not particularly deep, it is complemented by the team-management aspect that adds an element of strategy.

With over 300 monsters to catch and summon, Summoners War: Chronicles should be able to scratch someone’s gacha itch if that is a mechanic they enjoy. There are also four playable characters that fit neatly into different classes, providing players with the option to pick one that fits their play style.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Steam User Rating: 89%

Celebrating more than a decade of activity in 2022, Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the MMORPG genre’s staples. Any fan of the sci-fi juggernaut franchise should give BioWare’s title a try since the game’s writing is generally of high quality. Along with the base content, the free version also includes two expansions (Rise of the Hutt Cartel and Shadow of Revan), which is more than enough material to keep somebody busy for potentially months.

The Old Republic has robust class and morality systems, allowing players to pick whether they want to align themselves with the light or dark side. Each class even follows a unique storyline, presenting a reason to try out different playstyles beyond just shaking up the core gameplay. As this is a 2011 title, The Old Republic‘s combat is fairly archaic by this point, and it was never among the genre’s best, to begin with. However, the game’s storytelling more than makes up for it.

Honkai Impact 3rd

Steam User Rating: 71%

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail cast shadows over the entire free RPG scene, and while they share things in common, their settings, combat systems, and structures are handled so differently that, combined, they cater to an extremely wide audience. MiHoYo’s juggernaut titles are not available on Steam, and there is little to suggest that might change in the future; however, the developer’s previous project, Honkai Impact 3rd, is on Valve’s platform.

This 2016 release has been utterly eclipsed by its spiritual successors, but that does not mean the sci-fi action RPG has nothing to offer. While probably not the company’s top priority nowadays, Honkai Impact 3rd still receives semi-regular updates, and it is already packed to the brim with content that can keep most people busy for a few months. Set in a futuristic world, players control valkyries as they try to repel the Honkai onslaught. The story is serviceable, and the fast-paced combat should hit the mark with anyone fond of Genshin Impact‘s hack and slash rhythm. Honkai Impact 3rd also has a gacha system that is relatively gentle on players’ wallets, and it is possible to get a lot out of the game without spending money.

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