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Single-player games, online multiplayer games, and even AAA titles from huge studios are all eligible to become free-to-play in current times thanks to in-game stores and larger player bases. Some of the most successful games of all time owe their continued popularity to switching their financial model.
6 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter Strike: Global Offensive is the third Counter Strike game released by Valve, and it’s among their most popular games ever released (looking just at sales). However, the game was initially released at a $15 price point back in 2012. Counter Strike: Source was selling for $10 at the time, but the sequel was a natural upgrade in all respects.
Counter Strike: Global Offensive went free-to-play back in late 2018 to boost the player base and give a much-needed shot of interest in the slowly waning game. Counter Strike: Global Offensive still offers cosmetic upgrades in-game, but the rest of the game in all of its glory is available to everyone for free on Steam.
5 Destiny 2
Destiny 2 launched in 2017 at a whopping $60 price point – the far upper end for the then-current generation. In September 2019, the game welcomed an influx of new users as the game went free-to-play on Steam. It lets players get into the game without having to worry about buying anything until they become interested in the DLCs available.
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The decision was initially met with a lot of resistance from players who spent the money on the game when it launched, but over time the switch from pay-to-play to free-to-play likely saved the game from going into obscurity. More people are likely to play a free game four years after release than a $60 one, after all, and there’s still plenty of ways for Bungie to get money out of players in the new format.
4 Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is a titan of the online multiplayer gaming genre. It’s been around for what feels like forever, and it’s been free-to-play on Steam for much of its lengthy lifetime. When the game was first released, though, it was a $30 investment – well spent on one of the most memorable games ever made.
Just four years after its release the game switched over to a free-to-play model. Legacy players got special cosmetic items and upgrades, while new players had the option to buy cosmetics through the in-game store or through other players. The game still holds records for the most downloads on Steam, and it’s consistently one of the highest played games on the platform 14 years after its release.
3 Crusader Kings II
Crusader Kings II is the ultimate in European historical-strategy gaming, and after years of being $30 it turned into a free-to-play subscription-based game in 2019. The subscription part of the game largely came about due to the exorbitant price of all DLC in the game – it came out to over $300 to buy every DLC pack – and the game has seen an uptick in users since the announcement.
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Crusader Kings III has mostly taken the limelight from the second entry in the series, but for those that can’t afford the modernized version of the game, the free-to-play predecessor is just as complex and just as strategically interesting as its sequel. For those that do get the paid subscription (at $5 a month) all the DLC becomes available and other major improvements are granted too.
2 Super Animal Royale
Super Animal Royale is one of the latest entries in the Battle Royale genre that has so overwhelmingly taken over the gaming industry in recent years. The game launched for $12.99 originally, but in late 2020 the game switched over to a free-to-play model after the development company switched publishers.
The game’s art style is reminiscent of paper cutout art, but the gameplay is anything but cute. It’s a nontraditional Battle Royale game for its 2D plane that players fight on. Most of the time, players don’t have to worry about seeing all around themselves in a game like this but the large view distance and overhead view makes combat much more tactically interesting.
1 Star Wars: The Old Republic
Star Wars: The Old Republic is a Bioware MMO based in the Star Wars universe that originally launched for a whole $60 upon release with long-term subscription requirements, akin to World of Warcraft’s financial model. The game saw a little bit of success at first, but ultimately interest in the game fizzled out as other MMOs took players away. The most important thing to an MMO’s longevity is player totals, though, so the game was switched to a free-to-play model.
However, the game only offers a free experience for all players up to Level 60 and doesn’t include many of the game’s expansions. After level 60 (or if fans want to play one of the expansions) players must pay a monthly subscription of about $15 per month. The game no longer has an initial price point to get into the game, but fans who find themselves dedicated to their characters have no choice but to cough up at level 60.
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