We’re halfway through 2017 and this is turning out to be a pretty good year for free online games. Sure, the MMORPG genre is going through some issues and needs some alone time, but there’s plenty more to play. For this Top 10 Free Online Games to Play in 2017 we only have one strict rule: new games only, and we’re talking North America and Europe. Games that are already playable or will be during 2017, so we’re not including names such as Guild Wars 2, Blade & Soul or ArcheAge – great games, but old news. Remember this before leaving your comment saying “why no Runescape” or whatever. So, let’s begin.
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10 – HYPER UNIVERSE
Hyper Universe is one of the few new MOBAs that manages to stand proudly in such a saturated genre. The gamble was high, as going for a side-scrolling MOBA is just as crazy as creating a hero shooter where you play from the crotch perspective, but hey, it looks like they nailed it. Hyper Universe is almost like playing a platformer, with WASD controls and seven-level maps to explore and battle. You can pick your Hyper from a roster of over 25 characters, some of them inspired by pop culture, others just crazy designs that give them distinct personalities and abilities. There’s quite a bit of fan service if you like that sort of thing, and in the end, Hyper Universe delivers the fun, both for casual and competitive players.
9 – KRITIKA ONLINE
Just for how long should we wait for a game until we have to accept defeat? I’m asking you, Sega, with your damn Phantasy Star Online 2! Anyway, there’s no unanimity on this matter, but we surely waited for too long for Kritika Online before En Masse stepped in and decided to bring this anime brawler to western territories. And we’re glad they did, as this is a game that remains extremely playable and addictive. This instance-based action game works best as your side-MMO game, but we won’t blame you if it becomes your number one game for some time. It’s fun, slightly repetitive but addictive and it’s extremely hard to put it aside until you have reached the level cap with one of the four classes. With four more classes in the pipeline (Eclair, Monk, Nobleria and Archer), you can expect plenty of content to keep you busy for months.
Revelation Online was so hyped during its western localization that no matter how the game turned out to be, it would never reach the expectations of some players. What Revelation Online is, is a competent, occasionally beautiful MMORPG that plays like several MMOs that came before. It’s probably not as good as Blade & Soul, but if you’re already done with that one, Revelation could be a good alternative. It ticks all the right boxes: classes aren’t gender-locked, there’s PvE and PvP so you can count on raids, dungeons, arenas and battlegrounds, as well as castle sieges and territory control. You can get some wings and fly around, and you can participate in crazy activities set inside a magical living board game. Try it out to see if it’s your cup of tea.
7 – CROSSOUT
Since its early days, we were fairly confident that Crossout was going to make good on its promise of delivering a post-apocalyptic armored vehicle combat game. Now, we can say that there are very few free games like this one. Not only it offers a satisfying battleground for many different types of vehicles and a clever damage system, it comes with a brilliant vehicle customization system. It’s almost like Robocraft but gritty, filthy, and so in-depth that it gives you the opportunity to create some vehicles that you deemed impossible at first. From the wildest cars to the most remarkable tanks, there’s a lot to do. When you go just that little bit further, you can come up with a flying machine that will be pretty much useless in combat, but is sure to turn many heads around… until you crash into the nearest mountain, that is. Crossout can only get better from here with future content updates.
6 – MU LEGEND
MU Legend is the follow-up to the classic MU Online games and for many years it was taking a stroll through development hell. When it finally emerged, it was clear that it was shaping up to be a fun action RPG heavily inspired by the Diablo series. One look will probably make you shout ‘generic!’ from the top of your lungs, but as you play it you’ll discover a nice, polished and fun action game with all the mechanics that you know and love. If you have even the slightest interest in the genre and you’re considering trying it, definitely do so – it can work as a perfect time killer while you wait for Lost Ark. There, we’ve said it, we’re not sorry, and apart from Lineage Eternal, we have serious doubts that you’ll find another great free Diablo-like fantasy action MMORPG during the next couple of years.
The Secret World managed to stay relevant for several years and this was mostly due to its original theme. Funcom’s MMORPG was one of the very few that dipped its feet in horror and supernatural matters, and was great at it. Not only that, it is widely considered one of the MMOs with the best storytelling, it has plenty of lore and you’ll spend thousands of hours exploring the world, doing quests and solving puzzles, with more chapters coming in 2017 and 2018. The cherry on top is the fact that Funcom didn’t just slap a free to play label in the game – instead, the studio took some time to revamp a few of the mechanics such as the weapon system, and even changed the story here and there to make it more consistent. Now called Secret World Legends, you’re either going to love its Lovecraftian style or give up during the first hours because you’re an impatient fellow. Your loss.
We’ll be as surprised as you if this actually turns out to be true, but developer Blueside has announced that Kingdom Under Fire 2 is coming to North America and Europe late 2017, both on PC and PlayStation 4. They extend this period to early 2018, but that’s better than nothing for a game that was in development for so many years and is already playable in some regions. In case you’re wondering why you should bother with what seems like an outdated game, don’t fret: Blueside has significantly improved the engine and you’ll not only see thousands of enemies simultaneously, you’ll be able to appreciate the fine detail in your character, some huge bosses and the intricate cities. Kingdom Under Fire 2 still remains as one of the best things that online games have seen lately, with a clever and compelling mix of devastating Dinasty Warriors gameplay and real-time strategy, with you, the player, commanding your troops. We said Dinasty Warriors, but we could also have said Senran Kagura: Estival Versus, in case that is more of your thing. We’re not judging.
3 – DAUNTLESS
We’re halfway through 2017 and there’s still no sign of Monster Hunter Online coming to North America and Europe anytime soon. Luckily, a new game in the same mould was announced a few months ago and is already entering its testing stages. Dauntless is the work of a studio comprised of industry veterans from Blizzard, BioWare, Riot Games and Capcom, and puts four players battling these very different behemoths. It’s a co-op action RPG where skill matters, but you won’t have a shortage of weapons and armor to craft. First impressions are positive, and we’re hoping that the studio is capable of delivering new creatures at a decent pace, to keep us slayers entertained for many months.
2 – FORTNITE
Now, before you go all crazy with thousands of comments saying the exact same thing (“this game isn’t free, durrr”), hear me out. Fortnite is free. It was announced as a free game many years ago, and at launch it will be free, something that is planned for 2018. However, early access isn’t free, you have to pay to enter the game when it releases on July 25. Just as it happens with Battlerite and other free games, there’s this early access phase for early adopters who already know they’ll be playing the game anyway, and by paying they are supporting the game and helping the development team. So, you can choose to play now or wait for 2018, when a lot of players have already reached the level cap. That is why we included it in our Top 10 Free Online Games to Play in 2017. Anyway, Fortnite is a lot of fun and a talented mix of survival mechanics with class-based shooting and fighting. It’s not an easy game to label, and that is a very good thing. Also, considering Epic Games’ track record with another one of its free games, the pretty good MOBA Paragon, we’re pretty sure that Fortnite will have a bright future ahead, filled with new content.
1 – MASTER X MASTER
We love Master X Master because it’s not your typical MOBA game. Well, it kinda is, but there are a few distinctive features that make it stand apart in a very crowded genre. We’ll begin by mentioning the co-op PvE mode where up to four players will be able to participate. This is a fully-fledged story mode that will keep you busy for a while and could stand as its own game, if NCSoft had so decided. With different settings from the studio’s franchises, cool bosses and compelling gameplay, this is a triumph and makes some players completely ignore the other half of Master X Master, the MOBA part. Then we have the strength of NCSoft’s characters, based on games such as Blade & Soul, Guild Wars 2, Aion, Lineage or City of Heroes. Finally, a tag system allows you to choose two heroes and you can switch on-the-fly between them, adding an extra layer of strategy to the game. When we thought MOBAs couldn’t surprise us anymore, Master X Master proved that there’s some life left on this saturated genre, as long as the developers care about it, and it's a fitting number one for our Top 10 Free Online Games to Play in 2017.
Some great games in this Top 10 Free Online Games to Play in 2017, don’t you agree? You could also add Quake Champions if you love this great shooter, but forget about Bless Online as the English version was canceled, at least for now. Then there’s Soulworker Online, but all things considered we doubt that Gameforge has the English version ready for beta during 2017 – we hope we’re wrong. That’s it for now, but don’t forget to tell us about your favorite new game in the comments. We’ll see you soon.
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