Top 10 Free to Play Online Shooters 2013

Once again we decided to pick our favorite free to play online shooters and give you our opinion on what is hot and what’s not. You know how this goes – it’s a countdown of the best 10 shooters, third person and first person, based solely on our personal taste. So let’s begin with our Top 10 Free PC Online Shooters.

With so many good free MMOFPS and MMOTPS out there we decided to create our Top 10 Free to Play Online Shooters to play in 2013.

* This list will be updated regularly. Last update October 18th, 2013.

10 – WAR THUNDER

War Thunder or World of Warplanes – now that is a battle that is still only beginning. While we keep hesitating between the two, right now we’re finding that War Thunder just hits the spot. It offers a perfect balance between simulation and arcade, while still providing enough shooting thrills for all fans of exciting aerial combat. This is a great game as it is, but the developer plans on adding tanks and ships to the same, unique game world – unlike Wargaming’s three different games. War Thunder is going to be huge, we have no doubts about that.
– > Play Now War Thunder Free

9 – HAWKEN

Hawken is a jaw-dropping, dirty mech shooter which offers the amazingly convincing sensation of controlling a hulking war machine. Gameplay is simple to grasp while providing enough strategy to make sure combat isn’t a shallow affair. Verticality plays an important role in this game and you’ll quickly learn that you can’t just run and gun like in other first person shooter games. With its stunning visuals and satisfying arcade combat, Hawken is a winner.
– > Play Now  Hawken Free

8 – TRIBES ASCEND

Tribes: Ascend was an amazing surprise – a great shooter that was faithful to the legacy and incredibly fun to play. There was nothing like shooting your enemies at breakneck speeds. However, the game seems to be losing its support as well as its players, since Hi-Rez is admittedly focusing on MOBA game Smite and Global Agenda 2. This leaves Tribes Ascend without any major updates for quite a few months, something that may end up killing the game – or what’s left of it. It’s sad to see a game of this quality wither away, but that’s free-to-play for you.
– > Play Now Tribes: Ascend Free

7 – WARFACE

Crytek seems to believe Warface will be one of the best free to play shooters ever and we’re bound to agree, there’s certainly potential for that. Warface is still in closed beta after all this time and the studio is using the lessons learned from the Chinese and Russian versions to make the Western version the definitive one. For now, Warface is fast-paced, kind of arcadey, more Counter-Strike than Call of Duty, a fun game with triple-A visuals. But we’re yet to see how it fares in terms of content and how the microtransactions will turn out.
– > Play Now Warface Free

6 – WARFRAME

Warframe is a very fun games and one of the most stylish shooters out there. The space ninjas thing actually became quite popular and turned out to be the major selling point of this shooter. Digital Extremes created a cool looking, fast-paced game that currently features over a dozen Warframes with different powers and impressive acrobatic moves. It’s fun, particularly with three friends, and while it gets a bit repetitive, it’s mostly enjoyable as long as your sessions don’t last longer than an hour or two.
– > Play Now Warframe Free

5 – GHOST RECON ONLINE

Ghost Recon Online is that different kind of shooter, the kind that doesn’t seem to have many direct competitors and is definitely worth a shot if you like some depth with your headshots. This is a tactical shooter, a game relying on teamwork that will provide you with a lot of fun as long as you’re willing to take on the steep learning curve.
– > Play Now Ghost Recon Online Free

4 – FIREFALL

Firefall seems like it’s been in development for ages – it was announced in 2010 – and is a make or break title for Red 5 Studios. This is a free-to-play cel-shaded shooter where you can choose from third or first-person view. It has all the elements to wow players, from the exciting and fast-paced team-based gameplay to the MMO elements. The vast open world is a beautiful playground and the use of jetpacks adds an important layer to gameplay. However, the decision to remove and redesign all PvP during an uncertain period is a sign that the game still needs a lot of work to become truly special.
– > Play Now Firefall Free

3 – BLACKLIGHT: RETRIBUTION

Blacklight Retribution is the kind of hit that no one was expecting. It stands up proudly among most FPS games, even retail ones, offering great graphics, a couple of really clever touches and in-depth weapon customization to keep you fiddling for quite some time. There’s also the Hyper Reality Visor that allows you to look through walls, but it’s implemented in a way that doesn’t break the balance of the matches. Blacklight Retribution is clearly standing the test of time.
– > Play Now Blacklight: Retribution Free

2 – TEAM FORTRESS 2

It’s impressive how Team Fortress 2 is still going strong after 6 years, but that is a testament to Valve’s quality and ability to maintain player interest. No, it’s not just the hats; it’s the amazing cartoon visuals and distinctive characters, but most of all the fun and perfectly balanced gameplay. If Valve keeps the fantastic rate of updates then this game will be one of the best shooters for many years to come. With or without more hats.
– > Play Now Team Fortress 2 Free

1 – PLANETSIDE 2

PlanetSide 2 is a colossus, a shooter that is growing so big that the cracks are becoming more and more apparent. It’s an incredibly difficult task to balance every class, vehicle and weapon in a game where pretty much you do your own thing and just create complete chaos in huge battlefields, or continents as they’re called. This game represents the true meaning of MMOFPS, with impressive large scale battles and a highly addictive gameplay. It’s not exactly easy to learn and is far from flawless as far as optimization goes, but if you’re the patient type and have a powerful computer, once you begin to master the mechanics you have a solid, fun, massive shooter that could easily suck you in for months.
– > Play Now PlanetSide 2 Free

So there you go. 10 great games for you to try if you haven’t done so already. You know what to do now: leave your opinion in the comments and mention other games we left out. But tell us why they should be included, what makes them special, don’t just “Hey, Soldier Front 2 should be there, you assholes”. With more games on the way this list is very likely to change soon, so keep checking regularly and share your top 10 in the comments!