All articles tagged with #free to play
Xbox Series X|S players can try Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves for free this weekend through Free Play Days, though only on Xbox; the Standard Edition is discounted to $10 across all platforms, with Season 1 and 2 passes also on sale.
Ubisoft’s free-to-play mobile shooter The Division Resurgence has arrived on Steam, but players largely view it as a wonky mobile port on PC with loot and progression gated behind daily tasks. The game has a mixed Steam rating, a relatively low concurrent player count, and criticism of its free-to-play mechanics, while Ubisoft continues to back The Division 2, Survivors, and has remained largely silent on The Division 3 after a leadership change.
Microsoft is running a voluntary test of an ad-supported cloud gaming experience for Xbox Insiders. Players can stream owned titles or free-to-play games (e.g., Forza Horizon 6, 007 First Light, Call of Duty: Warzone, Genshin Impact, War Thunder) after a two-minute ad block, then play for up to an hour before another ad block is offered to resume. Xbox says this test will help gauge interest and impact, but it does not confirm a broader ad-supported tier yet; ads are designed to add value without interrupting gameplay and will follow a set of quality guidelines.
The PlayStation Store has two free-to-play PS5 RPGs currently in beta: Mistfall Hunter, a PvPvE extraction RPG releasing on July 29, 2026, and Once Human, a shooter/RPG already on PC and mobile with a full PS5 release planned in 2026; both can be played now without PS Plus.
Pokemon Champions is launching for iOS and Android on June 17, adding cross‑platform play with Nintendo Switch and a limited‑time Raichu rewards promo; it previously released on Switch on April 8 and offers Ranked, Casual, and Private Battles, with Pokemon HOME integration to team up with familiar Pokémon.
From June 2–9, Marathon is free to play on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with progress saving if you buy the game for $40; PS5 online doesn’t require PS Plus. The free window coincides with Season 2, which adds Night Marsh, a new Sentinel Runner shell, and other features, while inventories are wiped to level the field. Season 2 also introduces Cradle to level the Runner shell stats independently of faction progression, faster faction progression, a larger Vault, and several QoL improvements.
Marathon will be free to play for a week (June 2–9) across Steam, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S as Season 2 begins, with progress carried over. PC players have always had free online play, while console players need a paid subscription. The Open Play Week is aimed at reviving a shrinking player base and Bungie plans ongoing Season 2 updates and storytelling beyond the first year.
Marathon on PS5 becomes free-to-play for a full week (June 2–9) during its Open Play Week to coincide with Season 2, featuring a new map and shell, a gear progression reset, QoL improvements, and no PS Plus required; progress can carry into the full game.
World of Tanks: Heat launches today as a free-to-play spin-off on Xbox Series X|S and PC, featuring 32 achievements worth 1,000 Gamerscore across 5v5 and 10v10 modes. Players control Agents with two tanks each, unlockable upgrades, and a mix of challenge types including critical hits, assists, and base captures. It won’t be in Xbox Game Pass at launch, but Game Pass perks may come later.
Sega has canceled its enigmatic 'Super Game' project five years after its announcement, citing weak performance of its free-to-play and live-service titles (like Sonic Rumble Party) and financial strains linked to Rovio. The planned roughly $880 million investment and a March 2026 release are scrapped, with more than 100 staff redirected to other projects. The company will focus on rebooting classic IPs such as Virtua Fighter, Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, and Crazy Taxi, while expanding into film adaptations and related titles ( Sonic the Hedgehog 4, The Angry Birds Movie 3, and adaptations of OutRun, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Streets of Rage).
Five years after first unveiling it, Sega has canceled its ambitious Super Game project and is pivoting away from live-service and free-to-play titles, transferring more than 100 developers to full‑game teams and prioritizing mainline IPs. Revivals of Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Golden Axe, and Streets of Rage remain in production, while the company previously eyed up to ¥100 billion in investment for Super Game. The shift comes as a volatile GaaS market and recent underperformance (Sonic Rumble Party) and the Rovio acquisition weigh on strategy, signaling a move toward traditional, standalone experiences over expansive live ecosystems.
Sega has officially canceled its long‑promised 'Super Game' after weak performance of its live‑service/free-to-play titles, shifting more than 100 staff to traditional game development and lowering the priority of F2P work, while reaffirming plans to revive classic franchises like Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio.
A PS5-exclusive, open-world supernatural RPG called NTE: Neverness to Everness from Hotta Studio and Perfect Entertainment launched for free and has quickly become a hit on PlayStation, posting a 4.29/5 rating from over 9,100 PS Store reviews and ranking as the store’s second-most-downloaded title after Roblox. Set in the neon-lit city of Hethereau, players take on the role of an unlicensed Anomaly Hunter within a crew at the Eibon shop; the game is free-to-play with no paywall for core story or exploration, though it uses gacha-like mechanics and invites microtransactions. The title is a PS5 console exclusive, with PC and mobile ports also available, and reactions are largely positive with a minority of critics citing typical mobile-gacha concerns.
The PS Store has released NTE: Neverness to Everness, a PS5 console-exclusive open-world action RPG from Hotta Studio and Perfect World Games; it's free-to-play with cross-platform support across PC and mobile, and Premium members can cloud stream the title, with early reception around 4.34/5 from nearly 3,000 votes.
Marathon, Bungie’s six-week-old shooter, has its first sale on Xbox Series X/S at $32 (20% off) while PS5 and Steam stay at $40. With Xbox sales lagging and player counts slipping on some platforms, fans and analysts are debating whether Bungie should pivot toward free-to-play, a free weekend, or other tactics to boost adoption, all while microtransactions remain limited and the long-term progression and seasonal plans loom as potential friction points.