Gaming is an expensive hobby. Knowing that, your loveable gamers here at Buff Nerf Repeat have compiled a list of all of the Free to Play games that are currently available to download on the Xbox One.
Not only have we listed all of the games that are currently available, but we’ve given you our opinions on a featured dozen. These 12 games might not be the most popular or even the highest rated, but it’s a good mix of genres, including certain titles that don’t feature on our free-to-play lists for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch. Most of the free-to-play games available on consoles are multi-format, so for the opinions of Chris and his featured PS4 list, Click Here!
So, on to this list! Charrrrrrge!
Fortnite
It will come as no surprise to anyone that Fortnite has topped our list of Free to Play games, it’s quite simply a phenomenon. Epics beast continues to go from strength to strength, showing no signs of slowing down or losing popularity. Fortnite is a single player and co-op Battle royale third-person shooter with a big emphasis on building. The controls are tight, graphics pleasing and gameplay is the best of its type. As a free to play model, it nails it. No advantage is given gameplay wise to players that spend money, yet spend money almost everyone does – collecting the games cosmetic items has become quite an addiction for the younger generation of gamers. The battle pass also offers decent value and achievable targets over each season, always giving players something to aim for and unlock. Fortnite is a perfect example of how a free to play game should be made, it’s very easy to recommended for just about everyone.
Warframe
Another shooter that’s gone from strength to strength is Warframe. Unrecognisable from it’s 2013 release on PC, the game has received so much love and attention in the form of updates and expansions that it’s easily the best game of its genre, and with Destiny as its direct competitor that’s not an easy title to possess. Warframe is a cooperative third-person shooter with an emphasis on collecting and upgrading loot to improve your character. Once strong enough, players can tackle more difficult and more rewarding content; think Diablo or the previously mentioned Destiny. One of the more impressive aspects of Warframe is that the game doesn’t require you to spend money on expensive in-game purchases. In fact, you can play and enjoy Warframe without spending a penny! For this reason and for everything the game offers content and gameplay wise, Warframe is highly recommended.
Path of Exile
Not only one of the best free to play games currently available, but also one of the best ARPG’s ever made. PoE has everything that a player could want in a genre filled with Diablo clones. Originally released in October 2013 on PC, the game launched on Xbox One in August 2017. The latest expansion, ‘The Betrayal Expansion’, released in December 2018 and is the games eighth so far. PoE is a massive game that’s ever evolving, it has a strong development team and a large, loyal, fanbase. The game is described by its developers as a genuinely free-to-play game financed only by ethical microtransactions. Essentially, you can enjoy PoE without spending a penny. If you enjoy dungeon crawlers and loot collecting, look no further than PoE.
Smite
Smite is a free-to-play, third-person MOBA, developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios. Players are put in control of mythological figures—such as gods and goddesses—and take part in team-based combat, using abilities and tactics against other player-controlled gods and AI minions littered across the battlefield. Smite features a range of game modes, with conquest being the most competitive. Talking of competitive play, Smite has a massive esports scene, with many well-funded tournaments taking place throughout the year. It’s free-to-play structure is also very good – everything in Smite that effects gameplay can be earned for free.
Paladins
Paladins: Champions of the Realm is a first-person team-based arena shooter that runs on the Unreal Engine. Fans of Overwatch will instantly see a resemblance between the two games and criticism for the similarities has been widespread, although not always justified; Paladins is more of a MOBA-like, whereas Overwatch has more of a focus on objective-based shooting. Regardless, both games are great fun in their own right with the player bases to support such a claim. Paladins main game mode is titled Siege, which sees two teams face off against one another in a race to capture the map’s central point. Once a team is successful, a payload spawns which then has to be guided to the enemy base. Like many team-based games on this list, spending cash will unlock additional heros from the ever-expanding roster as well as cosmetic items and such. That said, fun can definitely be had from playing as a free-to-play player, so we would recommend giving Paladins a try, especially if you’re a fan of team-based shooters.
ROBLOX
If you have children you will no doubt be familiar with this game already. If not, then you might not have even heard of it. Roblox is more of a social platform than a game; it boasts of having more than 70 million players per month who come to imagine, build and play together. The game allows players to create their own games using the tools available in-game, these tools encourage players to be creative and to work together. As well as creating your own games, players can play a wide variety of games created by other users. Most of the game is accessible for free, however, the games in-game currency (called Robux) needs to be purchased with real money, and this currency can then be spent on in-game items and upgrades. Roblox is a great game for creative young minds, however, parents should monitor who their child is playing with and enforce certain account restrictions when they play.
Fallout Shelter
A game that I played on tablet way back in 2015 got its Xbox release in February 2017. Fallout Shelter is a strategy simulation where players will need to build, develop and expand their own vault. If you’re unfamiliar with the Fallout universe, these vaults act as nuclear bunkers, keeping entire communities safe until a return to the surface is possible. Tasks inside your vault will see you—the Overseer—guide and direct the inhabitants to maintain a happy and safe environment. Gameplay is mostly about balancing resources and keeping the inhabitants of the vault alive and able to defend it from attacks. Additional purchases aren’t necessary here, unless, of course, you’re an impatient gamer, as the speed in which you develop your vault can increase with a little real world cash.
Gwent: The Witcher Card Game
Billed as a challenger to the Hearthstone crown for much of its development, Gwent is a collectible card game derived from the card game of the same name that featured in both The Witcher novels and The Witcher 3. Its release on PC (in its beta phase) nearly had us convinced, with some huge personalities from the Hearthstone scene jumping ship. It all started off really well for Gwent, with the games free-to-play model receiving particular praise. Sadly, popularity has declined in recent months, with many pro’s disappointed with the most recent Homecoming Update. Options for card games on Xbox are more limited than on PC, however, so Gwent should still provide enough entertainment for fans of CCG’s or The Witcher series.
Dungeon Defenders II
The sequel to the 2010 hit of the same name (minus the II), Dungeon Defenders II is a mix of tower defence and action, with various RPG elements thrown in for good measure. Dungeon Defenders II was released on Steam Early Access in December 2014, with the Xbox version following a few years later in 2017. Microtransactions are needed to unlock certain heroes that are otherwise earnable through play, however, the game can still be enjoyed as a free player; like most games on this list, progress will just take a little longer. DD II is most enjoyable to play in small parties, if you can find some like-minded friends who enjoy tower defence games (or genre mash-ups like Orcs Must Die) then give this a go.
Fable Fortune
A controversial inclusion to the list, mainly because of the drama during its development. Fable Fortune is a decent enough card game that is exclusive to Xbox and PC.The game features some really enjoyable modes that are missing from some of the major CCG’s on the market, such as co-op play for example. What Fable Fortune lacks in polish it makes up for by being a fairly easy card game to pick-up and play. While I appreciate that this won’t appeal to more experienced card slingers, it gives the rest of us casuals a more basic experience to enjoy in the familiar world that is Fable.
Telltale Games – Various first episodes
Not a single game but a collection of first episodes from various episodic Telltale games. Yes, these first episodes act as teaser to entice you into purchasing the rest of the season, but these games are purchase worthy. The current list of free first episodes can be found below:
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1: The Order of the Stone
Tales from the Borderlands – Episode 1: Zero Sum
Game of Thrones – Episode 1: Iron from Ice
Batman: The Enemy Within – Episode 1
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series – Episode 1
The Walking Dead: A New Frontier – Episode 1
My favourite is Tales from the Borderlands, mostly because I enjoyed the Borderlands franchise. If something here tickles your fancy, then give the first episode a go.
Pinball FX 3
No free-to-play list is complete without a pinball game, and Pinball FX 3 is the best one available. Pinball FX is a pinball simulator developed by Zen Studio. The game was released on Xbox One in September 2017 and features some realistic and enjoyable pinball action. Sadly, most tables have to be purchased as DLC, so our advice would be to play a free table and see if you enjoy it enough to make any additional purchases.
Here’s a full list of the remaining free-to-play games currently available for Xbox One on the Microsoft Store, in order of popularity:
Apex Legends
The Culling
Warface
Brawlhalla
War Thunder
Crossout
3on3 FreeStyle
World of Tanks:Mercenaires
Darwin Project
Trove
Powerstar Golf
DC Universe Online
Prominence Poker
Frozen Free Fall:Snowball Fight
Defiance 2050
Neverwinter
Pinball Arcade
Insect
Armored Warfare
Killer Instinct
Tera
Hawken
Life is Strange (Ep1)
APB Reloaded
Battle Islands
Star Trek Online
Spacelords
Korgan
Realm Royal
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round:Core
AirMech Arena
Onigiri
Clicker Heroes
Hyper Universe
Battle Ages
Battle Islands:Commanders
Stern Pinball Arcade
Gem of War
Eternal Card Game
Hand of the Gods
Magic Duels
King’s Quest
A King’s Tale: FFXV
Phantom Dust
Lies Of Astaroth
Another day, another free-to-play games list from Buff Nerf Repeat. If I’ve missed anything or you would like something added to the featured list then let me know in the comment section below. Until next time, happy free gaming.
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