Online gaming has only gotten more and more popular over the years, and the vast array of free multiplayer games on PC, including Fall Guys and RuneScape, stands in testament to this. The best free multiplayer games give players an avenue to experience the game at its best without financial investment, making all major gameplay features available to everyone. Some of these titles offer cosmetics for fans who do want to make some purchases, while others have no angle for monetization whatsoever.
In the past, it was more common for friend groups to meet up to play video games together in real life through modes like couch co-op. However, if friends are separated by many miles, this is not feasible, which means that normally each friend has to buy a video game in order to play together. The best free multiplayer games allow everyone to get a piece of the action online without pulling out the wallet.
10 Codenames
Originally a 2015 card game, Codenames is a game for four to eight players. They are split into two teams (usually orange and blue), and each team has to correspond to their specific color that is also on the back of some cards. Since the regular players do not know which cards have the proper color, the goal is to find all the team’s cards before the other team. This is done by collaborating with the team’s Spymaster, who can see what each card is, but they can only give one-word hints, based on the words on each of the cards. If a team accidentally picks an Assassin card, then the team automatically loses.
This game can be played in-browser for free, and it is simple enough that anyone can join in – regardless of their computer’s power or experience. Because the game allows plenty of creative freedom, players will have fun trying to make up hints and working together to solve them.
9 Fall Guys
Initially launched in 2020 as a paid title, 2022 saw Fall Guys go free-to-play across all platforms, including PC. As a party game take on the battle royale genre, Fall Guys has players bounce and wrestle across a variety of challenges more reminiscent of Wipeout than of a war zone. Lobbies feature up to 60 players, but only one will ultimately triumph.
Players can queue with one to three of their friends or set up private lobbies if there’s enough demand to get a good match going. With a great combination of skill and mayhem, Fall Guys is an easy choice for anyone looking for fast-paced, silly action.
8 Board Game Online
Another free in-browser game is Board Game Online, and while it also does not require a strong computer, the gameplay is anything but simple. Even the FAQ section on the website says that the game “defies all logic.” However, this does not mean that the game is hard to play. The goal is the same as most board games, which is to get to the end first by rolling the dice and either going backward or forward based on the spaces the players land on and things they do.
Unlike most games, however, Board Game Online has weird rules and events. For example, one item is the Interdimensional Fart, which can turn objects into gold. With all the absurd aspects, players will find themselves getting into long battles, meeting strange characters, and flying across the board sometimes without even knowing why.
7 Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart
Those looking for a kart racer that doesn’t require a financial investment should look no further than Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart. The game is a mod of the free fan-made Sonic Robo Blast 2, which was created using a modified Doom Engine and is a 3D Sonic game that is based on the original 2D Sonic games. Although few kart racers compete with Mario Kart, Sonic Robo Blast 2 does a better job than many paid options.
By itself, the game has a few of Sonic characters to choose from, and the player can change the character’s color scheme. There are over 100 different tracks that players can race through. There is also a Battle Mode, where players fight each other while in their karts instead of racing. But, if the player wants even more, there are many extra maps and characters that were created by other users that players can add to the game.
6 Super Animal Royale
Out of all the battle royale games that have come out in recent years, Super Animal Royale is a free example on Steam that manages to stand out among the rest. Players take control of various adorable animals as they compete to be the last one standing on a large map with a bird’s-eye view perspective.
If the player wants to use cosmetics or get even more animals to choose from, then a purchase of the game will offer a more complete package. The basic gameplay, however, is completely free and puts everyone on an even playing field. With the unique art style, this game will have players entertained for hours and can be fun for people who typically do not play battle royales.
5 RuneScape
RuneScape is a fantasy game that has existed since 2001. Players can easily create a free account and explore the medieval world of Gielinor. After creating their character and finishing the short tutorial, the player is allowed to freely explore the large world filled with various quests, characters, and monsters.
Since the game is non-linear, players are free to do whatever they want in the game. Because of this, RuneScape has various activities for different types of players, which makes the game appealing to both MMO fans and those usually uninterested in the genre. Players can opt for either regular RuneScape or Old School RuneScape, based on the title’s earlier years, both of which are available for free.
4 Team Fortress 2
In 1996, critically acclaimed first-person shooter Quake had a mod that would spin off into its own thing: Team Fortress. Years later, Team Fortress 2 was created in 2007, and besides microtransactions and cosmetics, the game became free in 2011. This first-person shooter has the player pick between nine character classes and then end up on either the RED team or the BLU team, which will then compete against each other in one of multiple game modes.
The simultaneous variety and simplicity of gameplay makes this game interesting enough to keep playing for hours while also being simple enough to try for all types of players. Even after all these years, the game continues to have a strong following (breaking a concurrent player record in 2021) and still holds up against other modern first-person shooters.
3 Skribbl.io
Skribbl.io is a free in-browser multiplayer game where a player has to draw a prompt and the other players have to guess what the prompt is. If a player guesses correctly, they gain some points, and they get more points the faster they guess it. By the end of the game, whoever gets the most points wins. The player can also customize their doodle avatar.
With built-in prompts and the ability to create custom prompts, the game has strong replay value and can be played by anyone. Even if the player cannot draw, the game is still enjoyable because some of the fun comes from laughing about the drawings.
2 UNO!
Similar to Cards Against Humanity, the popular card game UNO! has many free versions online. The best version may be the one on BuddyBoardGames, which has a simple layout with responsive controls. In UNO!, players try to match either the color or the number of the card on the top of the center pile, and each player is trying to get rid of all the cards in their hand before everyone else.
Like other popular multiplayer games, UNO! is a simple game where each round is engaging but also lasts a decent amount of time. With the ability to create rooms with particular rules, this online version of UNO! is definitely one of the best.
1 Gartic Phone
Gartic Phone is a popular free multiplayer game with various different game modes. The main mode has the players write prompts and then those prompts get sent to other players and everyone must draw each other’s prompts. Then, those drawings are shown to the other players and those players have to write what the picture is about, which becomes the next prompt.
Since the game is about seeing how absurd the drawings the prompts become, there are no winners per se, which makes the game simply fun and hilarious. If the players get bored with classic mode, they can try other options like a collaborative Animation game that leads to wacky results. Gartic Phone may not have the production value or technical skill requirement of games like RuneScape and Fall Guys, but its player-generated variety makes it one of the best free online multiplayer games.
Source: Codenames, Board Game Online, RuneScape, Skribbl.io, BuddyBoardGames, Gartic Phone
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
