Gaming can be an expensive hobby, but it certainly doesn’t have to be these days. While new games can cost upwards of $70, there are always ways to check out games you haven’t played for little or nothing. Completely free games appear every week thanks to the Epic Games Store, and with the help of deal-friendly subscription services, there are literally hundreds of games that come as perks with services on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC. We’ve rounded up all the free games (or free with subscriptions) that you can play right now. We will continue to keep this list updated weekly.
Our list of free games focuses on full experiences that you can play without the pressure of microtransactions, so you won’t find popular free games like Fortnite, Warzone, or Apex Legends here. We also don’t include free games like Destiny 2 or the Hitman 2 Starter Pack. But if you’re looking for free games, we’ve got lists of the best options on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
free computer games
When it comes to free games, those who play on PC tend to have a lot more options than console gamers. There are always new goodies up for grabs on PC. It’s quite common for really great games to be offered for free for a limited time. In addition to games that are temporarily free, PC stores are full of totally free experiences that you can play from start to finish without the pressure of microtransactions.
Free games from the Epic Games Store
The Epic Games Store leads the way in terms of popular and big-budget free games. Over the past few years, Epic has given away hundreds of free games, including AAA blockbusters like Grand Theft Auto V, Control, and Civilization VI. At least one free game is available on Epic each week, but it’s often two free games. Here is the current free game available on Epic.
This week
- Terraforming Mars (May 5-12)
Next week (May 12-19)
- Dam
- Jotun: Valhalla Edition
amazon prime free games
One of the perks of being an Amazon Prime member is free PC games. Subscribers can claim a handful of free games through Prime Gaming, and they’re yours to keep even if your subscription expires. Prime members also get free in-game content for popular multiplayer games each month. Here’s a list of May’s free games for Amazon Prime members.
- dead space 2
- The Curse of Monkey Island
- Out of line
- Mail Mole + ‘Xpress Deliveries
- cat search
- Shattered – Story of the Forgotten King
Free Steam Games
Well-known games don’t have regular zero-dollar discounts on Steam, but there are still hundreds of freebies to check out without spending a dime. It would be virtually impossible to list every free Steam game here, so we’ve chosen to mainly highlight recent releases, as well as games from popular and classic franchises. If you’re looking for even more free games on Steam, check out this page and focus on titles marked “Free” instead of “Free to Play.”
Free games on GOG
GOG, CD Projekt Red’s PC store, has a collection of free games, many of which are classic PC shooters and RPGs. Here are some of the highlights:
- Under a steel sky
- Shadow Warrior Classic complete
- star gunner
- Ultima 4: The Avatar Quest
- wind of war
Free games on Itch.io
Itch.io is a great store for independent developers. There are thousands of free games on Itch.io, as well as games with a pay-what-you-can payment model. Also, you will find some really interesting and experimental indies. It’s always fun to dig around the store for hidden gems.
game pass for pc
If you’re looking for a way to play tons of different PC games on the cheap, PC Game Pass is the way to go. There are hundreds of PC games on Game Pass, including Age of Empires IV, Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, and Microsoft Flight Simulator. We have a full list of PC Game Pass games that we update every time we add and remove games. PC Game Pass costs $10 per month, but new subscribers can get their first month for just a dollar. It’s worth noting that PC Game Pass is included as part of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate ($15 per month).
free playstation games
Free games on PS5 and PS4 that aren’t tied to PlayStation Plus are rare, but sometimes a publisher will give away a full game for free. For now, check out all the free PS Plus games available right now. It’s worth noting that PS Plus will be expanding in June. Sony is ditching its PlayStation Now service in favor of a three-tier PlayStation Plus plan that will include up to 700 games.
PS Plus Free Games – May 2022
The lineup of free PS Plus games for May launched this week, so subscribers have a trio of new goodies to try out this weekend.
- fifa22
- Midgard Tribes
- curse of the dead gods
PS Plus Collection
PlayStation 5 owners can also claim loads of free PS4 hits with a PS Plus subscription. Please note that you can play PS Plus Collection titles on PS4, but only later claiming them on PS5.
- batman: arkham knight
- battlefield 1
- blood borne
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombie’s Chronicles Edition
- Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
- past days
- Detroit: Become Human
- fallout 4
- Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition
- God of War
- infamous second son
- monster hunter world
- mortal kombat x
- Ratchet and Clank
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- the last guardian
- the last of us remastered
- Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
- Until sunrise
More free PlayStation games
In addition to PS Plus gifts, there are other PS4 and PS5 games that you can get for free. For example, when you get a PlayStation 5, you get one of the best PS5 games for free as a bundle title: Astro’s Playroom.
free xbox games
In terms of console games, Xbox owners have the most options when it comes to free games with subscriptions, and you can also play a ton of new games, including all first-party titles, without buying games outright. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is arguably the best deal on gaming today, and it includes hundreds of games. Microsoft rotates in a fresh selection of new games and drops a batch of titles each month. We’re not going to list every Xbox game that’s free to play with Game Pass, but if you want to see the full library, check out our list of all Xbox Game Pass games. Since there’s so much to choose from, you should also take a look at our roundup of the best Xbox Game Pass games.
Game Pass Ultimate subscribers also get access to Games with Gold programming each month. Users who only have an Xbox Live Gold subscription can also get four games each month.
Xbox Live Gold Free Games – May 2022
- Yoku’s Island Express (May 1-31)
- The Inner World: The Last Wind Monk (May 16-June 15)
- Hurricane Hydro Thunder (May 1-15)
- Viva Pinata: Party Animals (May 16-31)
- Hue (available until May 15)
More free Xbox games
Xbox Series X and Xbox One owners can also get a host of other free games on the Xbox Store. Many of these games are older titles that are backward compatible.
Free Nintendo Switch Games
The most notable free Nintendo Switch games require a Nintendo Switch Online membership, which costs $20 per year for an individual membership or $35 per year for a family membership. You can share the family membership with up to seven other Switch owners, so that’s a pretty stellar deal. A Switch Online membership grants access to a library of classic SNES and NES games.
If you upgrade to Switch Online + Expansion Pack, you also get a growing library of Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games. Switch Online + Expansion Pack costs $50/year for individuals and $80/year for families. Expansion pack subscribers also get great DLC for three Switch exclusives: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pack, Animal Crossing Happy Home Paradise, and Splatoon 2’s Octo campaign.
Switch Online subscribers also get access to Tetris 99 and Pac-Man 99, frantic battle royale twists on two all-time classics.
editor’s note: Article updated on May 5, 2022