Looking for Free to Play Turn-Based PC RPGs? We got you covered. Below is a list of interesting options for players on a budget. From fantasy RPGs to card battler, MMO and strategy games. All the Free to play games shown below are PC games released during 2021, and some of them are also available on mobile devices.
Often, zero is synonymous with low quality, but I assure you that the games selected here offer high standards and can grant many hours of gameplay at no cost.
Let’s take a look at some of the best turn-based free-to-play games from the past year before we look ahead to 2022.
Mist Legacy
A promising early-access title, Mist Legacy is an indie MMO that’s had some serious love put into it. Set in a well-illustrated fantasy world where a magical mist obscures the “true” reality, it implements a turn-based combat system that not only puts the player and their NPC allies into the action, but allows them to invite other players as well. All the other hallmarks of MMO gameplay are here, from character development to crafting and even base building.
The real ambition of Free to Play Turn-Based Mist Legacy lies in its progression system. Players who have spent any time with The Elder Scrolls will recognize the system by which only the skills you use improve – practice makes perfect. What sets Mist Legacy apart is how the skill system and crafting system are intertwined. Crafting materials have inborn properties that are conferred on the items they’re refined into, so how you craft your gear will have just as much of an impact on your character’s skills as which gear you make.
If you’re as curious as we are to see where Mist Legacy goes on its journey to full release, you can try it right now!
Spirit of Europe – Origins
Never let it be said that video games can’t come up with anything new. Spirit of Europe: Origins bills itself as a JRPG edutainment title. Surely that’s an unexpected-enough combination of words that you’re at least a little curious, right?
Spirit of Europe integrates combat inspired by Disciples II with a plot that’s meant to be an allegory for the rise of Western civilization, from ancient Greece to the beginning of the Renaissance. It boasts historical characters from across that time-span among its hundreds of NPCs, and allows the player to possess and take control of any one of them. To top it off, the game tasks the player with defeating personified vices and using their essence to summon heroes from past eras.
All that would be more than enough to make it worth a try, just to see how the whole thing works, but there’s more – the game is funded by the European Commission. While it’s neat to see a major government body funding video games as art (it’s about time!) this does add a few bureaucratic hoops to jump through before you can start playing. The game is free, but players have to go through a lengthy one-time registration process that includes personal information so the developers can prove to the EC that they aren’t artificially inflating player numbers.
If you don’t mind handing over some data and want to see what Spirit of Europe is all about, the game as well as the registration link are on Steam.
Ram Pressure
After thousands of years careening silently through space, the remnants of an alien fleet destroyed in a long-ago war crash to Earth. In Ram Pressure, the player leads a squad of soldiers to recover these valuable pieces of alien technology – whatever the cost. It’s a neat concept for a game, and the XCOM influences are obvious in both the story and the gameplay. Unlike XCOM though, where multiplayer is an add-on to the main game, tactical PVP combat is central to Ram Pressure.
Characters are highly customizable, and the game encourages the player to cause indiscriminate destruction if it means victory. Maps are procedurally generated and include variants for weather conditions and time of day. The free-to-play model makes the game accessible to anyone, but in this early stage of the game’s life cycle there are player concerns about it becoming pay-to-win. The only way to decide for yourself is to give it a shot.
Get In The Car, Loser!
Get in the Car, Loser! is in many ways the antithesis of the highly-divisive Final Fantasy XV. It’s a brightly-colored indie pixel-art JRPG/visual novel about magical lesbians on a road trip to save the world. Indeed, GITCL acknowledges its Final Fantasy heritage – the paid expansion to the free main game is called Battle on the Big Boardwalk, a clear reference to Gilgamesh’s theme Battle on the Big Bridge in Final Fantasy V. The active-time battles will immediately be familiar to anyone who played a JRPG in the 90s, and the pop soundtrack gives the game a high-spirited modern vibe over its retro visuals.
Of course, any RPG worth its salt these days needs a little something extra in its progression system, and GITCL allows you to change up gear sets on the fly to adapt your tactics. Victory in combat relies on having the right equipment at the right time, but also making sure your party works together as a team – their abilities are designed to play off of one another. If you’re as sold on the idea of an unapologetically queer RPG as I am, then GET IN THE CAR, LOSER!
Echo of Combats
It’s easy for games to get lost in the sea of Hearthstone-like card games available. Echo of Combats sets itself apart by adding a positional aspect to its gameplay. The free-to-play turn-based Card game from Mad Devices requiring the player to not only decide when to play their best cards but also where they need to go for best effect adds a layer of depth that many online card games are missing. Additionally, this is one of the few games where unspent mana carries over into the next turn, increasing the overall power level of play.
Echo of Combats is still new, and like any head-to-head multiplayer game will live or die by its player base. Like all the games on this list, it’s free to play so there is no drawback to trying it.
Heart Of Enya
Heart of Enya casts the player as a campfire spirit tasked with guiding a band of adventurers on their journey. The controls are simple, but the combat can require some real strategy to come out on top. Every action is performed with a simple point-and-click, letting the player focus on their game plan without having to worry about hotkeys or quick items. Check out our review about Heart of Enya.
The game started as a student project at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and it’s clear that the creator went far beyond just what they needed for a grade. With lovely visuals, character-driven storytelling and rampant positivity in the face of adversity, Heart of Enya marks Team Bapy as a developer to watch. It’s definitely worth a look.
DISGAEA RPG
Chances are you’ve heard of the Disgaea series. It’s amassed a cult following over numerous entries and keeps coming back for more. Disgaea RPG brings the franchise into the free-to-play space along with its trademark over-the-top battles.
Most games cap character progression at some reasonable level, like 60 or 99. Disgaea doesn’t do anything at merely a reasonable level, which is part of why fans love it so much – the level cap here is nine thousand-nine-hundred-nintynine 9999. If you’re a longtime Disgaea player, Disgaea RPG is a must. If you’re new to the series, it’s a great place to start tossing enemies around the map and blowing them up with world-shattering attacks. Either way, getting started won’t cost you a penny.
Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower
Free to Play turn-Based RPG Warhammer Quest has had a long journey. Originally an adventure board game spinoff of the famous Warhammer Fantasy Battles, it was out of print for a long time before being resurrected in the franchise’s new Age of Sigmar setting. The move to digital has broadened its reach, and Silver Tower provides the main game’s tactical gameplay in less time.
Not only can players do all the normal Warhammer Quest activities of searching for treasure and smiting enemies, they can also try a Daily Quest, providing constant new challenges. It’s a smart way to keep the game from getting stale after completing the main campaign. It’s a great pick for Warhammer fans who don’t have the time or patience to field massive armies of miniatures anymore but still want to engage with the setting. Silver Tower also serves as a great entry point to the Age of Sigmar setting, so new players can see for themselves what all the fuss is about.
Last Blossom: Roleplaying tabletop based scene
As its name might suggest, Last Blossom RTBS is a deeply experimental title. It presents a single scene that could honestly appear in just about any fantasy RPG, but is clearly meant to be in Dungeons & Dragons, complete with square grid-based combat. The player and one of their three playable characters will make decisions as the scene plays out, and in true tabletop fashion dice rolls will determine the outcome. Part visual novel, part tactical RPG, Last Blossom is a reminder that you can’t create something new without trying something new.
Tiny Heroes 2
Tiny Heroes 2 brings fun cartoony graphics to classic RPG battles. A wide variety of gear gives every loadout a unique look, so players will have plenty of ways to explore the different character designs available. Add in a crafting system to provide even more equipment options, and Tiny Heroes 2 provides endless builds for your adventuring party. Your heroes aren’t all just the standard elf rangers and dwarf fighters, either; maybe you’ll recruit a faceless slime with a cute bow, a werewolf or any of dozens of other fantasy creatures usually reserved for the enemy side of the screen.
Of course, there’s also the combat to consider. Like Heart of Enya, TH2 boasts a simple control system for its tactically complex gameplay. Combos are encouraged, setting up enemies before knocking them down with mighty spells and attacks. Give it a download if you’re looking for some exciting battles against animated foes.
Let us know what you think about these 10 Free To Play Turn-Based RPGs in the comments below and remember to check out the video version of this article.
