List of freeware video games explained

This is a selected list of freeware video games implemented as traditional executable files that must be downloaded and installed. Freeware games are games that are released as freeware and can be downloaded and played, free of charge, for an unlimited amount of time.

This list does not include:

• Open source games (see List of open-source video games).
• Games that were previously sold commercially (see List of commercial video games released as freeware).
• Shareware or Free-to-play games that require purchase for play time, game items, new content or features.
• Browser games alias browser-based games.
• Mods

software that cannot be played as stand-alone game.

A

• Aleph One, a modified version of the Marathon 2 engine
• Ahriman's Prophecy, a prequel to the Aveyond RPG series.
• Alien Swarm, a free top down shooter from Valve used to test the Source 2010 beta.
• America's Army is the official United States Army game.
• Anchorhead, a horror interactive fiction game.
• ADOM, a roguelike game (technically postcardware) by Thomas Biskup.
• Armored Brigade, a freeware tactical wargame, focusing on realism and playability.
• Assault Cube, a Counter-Strike-like first person shooter with low system requirements.
• Astro Battle, a top down multi-directional shooter in which players design their own spacecraft and battle other players on-line.

B

• Babbdi, an adventure game in which players attempt to leave a dystopian city^[1]
• , a futuristic role-playing video game starring basketballer Charles Barkley.
• Battleships Forever, a real time tactics game with a ship designer.
• Beneath a Steel Sky, a point-and-click adventure game.
• BMW M3 Challenge, a BMW M3 car racing game.
• Black Mesa (originally Black Mesa: Source; stylized as BLλCK MESA), a third-party remake of Half-Life.
• BVE Trainsim, a railroad simulator created by Mackoy of Japan.
• , a fan-made Broken Sword game.

C

• , a roguelike survival game.
• Cave Story, a side-scrolling action-adventure game.
• , a single-player and multiplayer game that uses the Ageia Physx engine.
• , a football management video game in Sports Interactive's Championship Manager series.
• Chex Quest, a comedic Doom clone (technically an advergame).
• Chicken Invaders, a space shooter by InterAction Studios.
• Chzo Mythos, a set of four separate adventure games: 5 Days a Stranger, 7 Days a Skeptic, Trilby's Notes and 6 Days a Sacrifice by Ben Croshaw.
• Cloud, a third-person computer puzzle game based on weather and atmospheric aesthetics.
• Continuum, a top-down multiplayer video game.

D

• The Dark Mod, inspired by the original Thief series.
• A Date with Death, a visual novel and dating sim.
• Deadly Rooms of Death, a turn-based puzzle game available in two free versions: Architect's Edition and browser-based Flash version.
• Deepest Sword, a puzzle-based platform game.
• Digital - A Love Story, a computer mystery/romance set five minutes into the future of 1988.
• DinoHunters, an advertisement-supported first person shooter and machinima series created by Kuma Reality Games.
• Dogfights: The Game, a combat flight simulator based on the History Channel series of the same name.
• Don't Shit Your Pants, a text-based browser game.
• Dwarf Fortress, a real-time fantasy roguelike (technically donationware).
• Doki Doki Literature Club!, a popular visual novel game developed by Team Salvato.

E

• Eastside Hockey Manager, a hockey manager game.
• Eternal Daughter, a Castlevania-style action-adventure game.
• Elona, an open world roguelike game.
• Elsword, a free-to-play MMORPG.
• Eversion^[2]

F

• Food Force, a game where the player must deliver food to places in which people are starving.
• Future Pinball, a pinball simulation editor and game with many tables available.
• FNaF World, a spin-off of FNaF.
• Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator PC version only.

G

• Gate88, an abstract top-down futuristic real-time strategy space combat simulator.^{[3] [4]}
• Genetos, a scrolling shooter.
• General, a strategy game with text interface.
• GeneRally, an arcade-style top-down racing game.
• Grid Wars, a clone of Geometry Wars.
• GROW, a series of puzzle games.
• Gunster, a discontinued multiplayer scrolling shooter.
• Guns and Robots, a multiplayer third-person shooter.

H

• Hero Core, a shooter game with Metroidvania elements, made by Daniel Remar.
• Hydorah, a 2D Shoot 'em up similar to games such as Gradius. Was later released as a non-freeware title under the name Super Hydorah.

I

• I'm O.K – A Murder Simulator, a satirical side-scrolling shooter by Derek Yu.
• Ib, a horror/puzzle RPG creation game.
• Icy Tower, a tower-climbing platform game.
• Ikachan, an action-adventure game by Studio Pixel.
• Iji, a platform-shooter by Daniel Remar.
• IMVU, an online social entertainment game.
• Inner Worlds, a DOS platformer where you play as a woman that turns into a wolf. (Sleepless Software, 1996)^[5]
• I Wanna Be the Guy, a 2D platformer.

J

• Jump 'n Bump, a multiplayer battle game.
• , a Lego-themed puzzle game.

K

• Knytt Stories, a 2D exploration platformer with a built in editor by Nicklas Nygren.

L

• La-Mulana (2006, first edition), a 2D platform game.
• Lexus ISF Track Time, a Lexus ISF car racing game.
• Liero, a 2D side-scrolling shooting game for one or two players.
• Liyla and the Shadows of War, a 2D side-scrolling platform game about the 2014 Gaza War.
• Little Fighter, a beat'em up DOS fighting game.
• Little Fighter 2, a sequel to Little Fighter released for Windows.
• The Looker, a parody of the puzzle game The Witness^[6]
• Loved, a browser-based game released online to various game hosting websites.

M

• Maldita Castilla, a platformer arcade action game released in 2012, developed by Locomalito.
• Magestorm Revival, a team based FPS game recreated by KOD.
• Mad Father, an RPG Maker game created by Miscreant's Room
• Moon Whistle, a classic RPG Maker game made by Kannazuki Sasuke.
• Monster Milktruck, a single-player online game using Google Earth technology.
• The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, an official Sonic the Hedgehog visual novel released to celebrate April Fools' Day.
• MUGEN, a custom fighting game engine.
• The Museum of Broken Memories, an adventure game by Jonas Kyratzes.

N

• N, a platform game.
• Narbacular Drop, a 3D puzzle game developed by Nuclear Monkey Software. It is the precursor to Valve's Portal.
• Noctis, a space exploration simulator.
• Notrium, a survival game.
• , a racing game.

O

• Off (video game), a French (later translated into English) RPG game about an entity known as "The Batter" and his quest to purify the world of OFF.
• Off-Peak, an adventure game set in a train station^[7]
• One Night Trilogy, a series of three survival horror games.
• , a train simulator.
• osu!, a simulator of the rhythm video games Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and Elite Beat Agents.

P

• Perspective, a single player puzzle game that includes aspects of a 2-D platformer where the player switches between a 2D and a 3D game environment.
• Plasma Pong, an unfinished Pong game in which the ball is manipulated by a fluid dynamics environment.
• Play65, an online multi-player backgammon game featuring 3D graphics and community modules.
• Plobb!, a single player 2D arcade shooter, and as a multidirectional shooter shares the gameplay of Asteroids.
• Progress Quest, a parody of EverQuest and the MMORPG genre, focuses on pure character building with no interaction involved.
• Project Reality, a standalone modification of tactical first-person shooter Battlefield 2.

R

• Ragnarok Battle Offline, a 2D fighting game that is spin off of the MMO Ragnarok Online.
• The Realms of Loria, a free browser-based multi-player online roleplaying game, set in Loria, a medieval fantasy world.

S

• Samorost, a point-and-click adventure game.
• Scorched 3D, a 3D remake of an artillery game Scorched Earth.
• A Second Face, a sci-fi adventure game.
• Second Life, a virtual online world, created by its users. Developed by Linden Lab.
• Seiklus, an ambient single-player action-adventure game.
• Shobon no Action, a Japanese game notorious for its difficulty.
• SimSig, a train simulation game based on real UK signalling systems.
• Skifree, a game for early versions of Microsoft Windows.
• Soldat, a 2D, fast-paced, action multi-player shooting game with many different game modes and weapon choices.
• Space Combat, a 3D space simulator.
• Space Tanks, a 2D/3D gravity game.
• StepMania, a rhythm based game with online capability.
• SubSpace, a 2D top-down space shooter game with massive multiplayer capabilities.
• Super Cosplay War Ultra, a 2D fighting game featuring cosplayers.
• Synaesthete, a psychedelic rhythm shooter.
• Synth, an abstract procedurally rendered 3D game.
• Microsoft Solitaire

T

• , a 3D first-person action & puzzle game that uses paint to manipulate physics.
• , a 2D side-scrolling platform game.
• TagPro, a browser-based multiplayer capture the flag game.
• Temporal, a platform game involving time travel based puzzles.
• Tinker, also known as Microsoft Tinker, a 3D puzzle game for Windows.
• Trackmania Nations, a 3D racing game specially developed for the Electronic Sports World Cup by Nadeo.
• Transcendence, a 2D space adventure game featuring extended moddability.
• TUMIKI Fighters, a 3D scrolling shooter.
• Toribash, a 3D ragdoll fighting game in which you control every joint of your fighter.

U

• Star Control II: Ur-Quan Masters
• UnReal World, a survival roguelike set in a world inspired by the late Iron Age of Finland

V

• Vanguard Princess, a dōjin 2D fighting game
• Visual Pinball, a pinball simulation editor and game with many tables available.
• Vestaria Saga, a tactical role-playing game from Shouzou Kaga, the creator of the Fire Emblem series.

W

• , an apocalyptic, first-person shooter.
• Warning Forever, a vertical shooter.
• Within a Deep Forest, a 2D physics and exploration game.
• WolfQuest, a wildlife simulation game.

Y

• Yume Nikki, a relatively well known "exploration" (Walking simulator) game themed around dreams and nightmares with pixel graphics, which gained a cult following.

Z

• Zineth, an indie third person skating game where you must traverse an environment with speed and agility.

See also

• Open source video game
• List of open-source video games
• List of free massively multiplayer online games
• List of free multiplayer online games
• List of free PC games
• List of commercial video games released as freeware
• List of commercial video games with later released source code

Notes and References

1. Web site: Explore a Brutalist city with climbing axes and a trumpet in this great free indie game. O'Connor. Alice. Rock Paper Shotgun. 2023-01-13. 2023-07-10.
2. Web site: Free Game of the Day: Eversion. Davis. Justin. IGN. 2012-02-28. 2022-09-05.
3. PC Gamer UK. 144. January 2005. 113. All your gates belong to us.
4. Web site: Gate 88. Home of the Underdogs. 2009-10-24.
5. Web site: Inner Worlds homepage. 12 January 2013.
6. Web site: The Looker is a free puzzle parody of other, much more serious, puzzlers. Bolding. Jonathan. PC Gamer. 2022-06-19. 2023-07-31.
7. Web site: Freeware Garden: Off-Peak. Dimopoulos. Konstantinos. Rock Paper Shotgun. 2015-02-24. 2023-04-22.