Gamers’ Guide to Cost-Free, Engaging Game Worlds

Live service games often come with caveats that could put you off playing. The worst offender is when games encourage you to spend more money, even after you’ve paid retail prices. This form of monetization is labeled as being pay-to-win if the game pushes you to buy unfair advantages over other players.

However, while lots of live service games are pay-to-win, some manage to avoid predatory monetization and end up being great all-around experiences. So, if you want to experience one of the most common gaming trends, here are the best examples that won’t force you to pay extra.

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1. Fortnite

The undisputed king of live service games, especially when it comes to popularity, is Fortnite. And surprisingly, if you want to avoid pay-to-win practices in live service games, Fortnite is also an apt example.

Many aspects definehow live service games work , and often games that switch to live service will also become free-to-play, just like Halo Infinite Multiplayer. However, with this switch to free-to-play gaming, you will often find a trade-off in which the game will feature more monetization.

But Fortnite provides a free-to-play live service experience that never forces you to purchase microtransactions. All the microtransactions in Fortnite are entirely cosmetic, and even if you buy level skips, all unlockables remain cosmetic.

The result is an experience where you can spend money on some of Fortnite’s endless themed events, like Transformers-themed skins, but are never forced to do so. Bundle this with how Fortnite constantly evolves to provide a fresh experience, and live service gaming’s most popular title turns out to be one of its best.

Download : Fortnite on thePS Store ,Microsoft Store ,Nintendo Store , orEpic Games Store .

2. Sea of Thieves

Aside from battle royale live service games like Fortnite, the Xbox-exclusive title Sea of Thieves provides a unique game focused on swash-buckling piracy, exploration, and ship-to-ship combat. More importantly, the in-game activities for Sea of Thieves allow for enough rewards to keep you from spending extra money.

The gameplay loop in Sea of Thieves and its reward system is much like many other live service titles or MMOs. Throughout the game, you can complete specific bounties for Guilds, progressing toward your next Guild level and earning Gold. The higher your Guild level, the more rewards you can unlock or purchase.

Generally, because ofhow pay-to-win games work , aspects of your game are restricted to encourage you to spend money to compensate. For instance, the Guild system can become highly tedious if progression moves at a snail’s pace or rewards are locked behind a paywall.

But in Sea of Thieves, you may never feel the need to spend money as the quest rewards in terms of XP and currency, whether through finding a Treasure Chest or fighting a Skeleton Ship, are enough to purchase the unlocks you receive throughout the game.

And yes, while you can spend money on cosmetic store items to deck out your ship in whatever ridiculous theme may be available at the time, the unlocks from Guilds and free events all feel worthwhile.

Download : Sea of Thieves 2023 Edition on theMicrosoft Store andSteam .

3. League of Legends

Many online battle arena games focus on providing a free-to-play live service experience for you to sink countless hours into. But when it comes to PC gaming, League of Legends represents one of the best anti-pay-to-win titles you can play.

Like other games of its genre, League of Legends focuses on a roster of fantastical Champions and pits you against numerous online opponents in arena-based combat. This involves fine-tuning your Champion’s build, items, and abilities throughout every match.

Image Credit:League of Legends

And in a game that relies so heavily on optimizing builds, any pay-to-win aspects would potentially break the entire gameplay loop of League of Legends. And luckily, the developers are on the same page, with Riot promising to only ever feature cosmetic microtransactions.

However, unlocking Champions, while available through free-to-earn currency, can be slow, and you are given the option to purchase a Champion through paid currency. But even in this case, League of Legends provides you with 15 free Champions to play on rotation every week.

So while you may feel the urge to buy a Champion with paid money, you can always experience other free League of Legends Champions, and earn currency towards a Champion you are tempted to buy along the way.

Download : League of Legends via the officialLeague of Legends site.

4. Rocket League

Sometimes, pay-to-win mechanics can appear in more mysterious ways, presenting you with unfair advantages and disadvantages where you least expect them. These mechanics can extend to the damage you deal, your ability cooldowns, or even in-game hitboxes.

For Rocket League, the free-to-play live service soccer game with cars, having a more advantageous hitbox to connect with the ball would be a massive bias. Luckily, not only is the game free-to-play, but it also features no way you can pay for advantages over other players.

And while there are different hitboxes for different cars, the default cars available at the start of the game represent some of the best hitboxes anyway. If you use the Octane body, you already have the best hitbox, and it’s completely free.

Combined with the unique merging of soccer and Hot Wheels-like racing, Rocket League becomes an addictive game that you and your friends can dive into without the fear of intrusive pay-to-win practices.

Download : Rocket League on theMicrosoft Store ,PS Store ,Nintendo Store , or theEpic Games Store .

5. Smite

Another key factor of live service games, especially if you go to play a free-to-play live service game, is Battle Passes. And games that feature a Battle Pass come with an extra layer to how pay-to-win practices can be implemented.

For instance, if you play a live service title with a premium paid Battle Pass that keeps exclusive features like weapons or stat boosts locked behind a pay wall, the game is likely pay-to-win.

But while there are manyways Battle Passes can alter your gaming experience , if you want to experience a free-to-play live service title that represents a well-implemented Battle Pass with no pay-to-win features, Smite is the game for you.

Smite is a free-to-play online battle arena game like League of Legends that takes a third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective instead of top-down.

Uniquely, Smite enables you to play and fight against Gods from almost every pantheon without fear of being forced to spend money. So if you want to dive into a battleground of Gods, free from the worries of having to spend extra money to catch up with Zeus or Anubis, you’ll be more than happy to sink your time into Smite.

Download : Smite on theMicrosoft Store ,PS Store ,Nintendo Store ,Steam , or theEpic Games Store .

6. Path of Exile

Aside from massive arena multiplayer games, or online PvP titles, if you’re looking for a free-to-play live service single-player experience, the Diablo-like action-RPG game Path of Exile can scratch your gaming itch.

On the surface, Path of Exile appears as one of the manyaction-RPG games you can play instead of Diablo . But once you dive deeper into the game, you’ll realize that the level of gameplay, gear, and character optimization provided far outstretches Diablo IV.

With an immensely vast paragon tree and a unique feature in which the combination of gems placed in your armor influences your skills and allows for skill customization, Path of Exile stands on its own as a rival, not an alternative, to Diablo.

And even with the main story completed, you can still expect to sink countless hours into the post-game activities, just as you would Diablo. Better yet, while the game features a paid Battle Pass, none of the unlockables affect gameplay and are all cosmetic.

This makes Path of Exile a must-play for any action-RPG fans, and a breath of fresh air if you’re looking for a live service title jam-packed full of content and free from any pay-to-win intrusions.

Download : Path of Exile on theMicrosoft Store ,PS Store , orSteam .

Live Service Games Can Be Free From Predatory Microtransactions

While tons of live service games feature intrusive microtransactions and, yes, pay-to-win practices, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find fair and fun live service titles among the rabble.

And if you’re willing to push through the barrage of live service announcements and games, you can find free-to-play titles like Fortnite and Path of Exile that represent hundreds of hours of gameplay. In these instances, live service games free from pay-to-win incentives represent some of the best gaming experiences you can play.

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