Free to play is a popular model for games as of late, seeing as Warframe and Path of Exile are some of the most popular games on Steam. Even AAA games like Destiny 2 have taken the approach of making their game free to play.
This isn't guaranteed to succeed, however, as many titles that have followed this path have failed. Some of these forgotten free to play games offered something truly unique, but publisher meddling or bad player retention made these games die while they were on life support. Here are the 10 best free to play games that you can't play anymore.
10 Marvel Heroes
Superhero games are a perfect setting for any MMO title. City of Heroes was down for years before players brought it back, and DC Universe Online is simply dated.
Marvel did have their own MMO called Marvel Heroes, letting players fight various villains as iconic heroes most have come to love. The gameplay was rather rough, and the release version had plenty of issues, yet many played this game regardless because the genre has little competition. Unfortunately, the game was shut down after Disney revoked the developer's rights to use the Marvel license.
9 Atlas Reactor
Tactical shooters have seen few releases over the years, meaning fans of the genre have had to stick with the same few games for a while now.
Atlas Reactor tried to fill a niche in the gaming market by being a free tactical shooter. Similar to games like XCOM, players control special units that have unique abilities. Competitive, team-based gameplay allowed players to coordinate attacks and abilities to take down their foes.
8 Ascend: Hand of Kul
Made by the same people who made Toy Soldiers, Ascend: Hand of Kul let players control a customizable demi-god in this third-person MMO lite hack-and-slash.
Players pledged their allegiance to one of three Gods, each with unique items, abilities, and minions to aid the player. Shrines would be erected to serve your god, but other players could invade your world asynchronously to take it over. The combat had some bugs, but this incredibly fair free to play title offered some enjoyable gameplay and world-building.
7 Blacklight: Retribution
Free to play first-person shooters are typically too unpolished to keep players interested, or they make their game pay to win to make revenue off of their game. Blacklight: Retribution breaks all of these stigmas, resulting in a satisfying and very fun shooter.
This game is multiplayer only, pitting players against each other for kills or objective play. Mechs and powerful weapons can be used throughout the game to get an upper hand. Every player had wallhacks, but using them meant you were vulnerable and couldn't use your weapon. This made matches fast-paced and kept people on edge. Best of all, the weapon customization was top notch. It's a shame this game is no longer available.
6 Paragon
Epic Games tried their own approach with Paragon, a MOBA focused on being third-person rather than above all of the action, similar to Smite.
That was the issue: the things Paragon tried to do were done before. That isn't to say this game was not enjoyable, however. Paragon was a blast to play with its high visual fidelity—thanks to Epic's Unreal Engine 4—and unique heroes players could control. Regardless, this game did not attract enough players and shut down in 2018.
5 Galactic Junk League
Minecraft showed the gaming industry that a game focused on the player's creativity is just as fantastic, arguably more so than linear action titles.
Galactic Junk League allowed players to build their ships using parts they would unlock in fast-paced multiplayer matches. Spaceships could have unique abilities to make the gameplay more like Overwatch than Robocraft. Again, this title just could not get enough players due to a lack of marketing and general awareness, resulting in this game getting shut down as well.
4 Loadout
Similar to Galactic Junk League, Loadout allowed players to get creative with their weapons to fight others in competitive multiplayer.
This game didn't use spaceships, however. Loadout allowed players to craft custom guns that had unique properties based on the weapons used, which could then be used to blast other players to gibs in arena-style third person matches. A campaign mode became the focus for the developers that no one asked for. Updates slowed down, resulting in players leaving. The fun of making a flaming minigun is no more.
3 Hawken
Mechwarrior Online remained the uncontested free to play mech game for a very long time, arguably still holding that crown today. Hawken did its best to compete with it, but sadly couldn't find a large enough fanbase—this seems to be a common theme...
Regardless of its success, Hawken wowed players with its unprecedented visual fidelity for a free game. Tight controls and uniquely-styled mechs meant this game was instantly recognizable off of screenshots alone. Competitive matches ranged from deathmatches to controlling territory to destroy enemy cruisers. This game was a blast to play when it was still playable.
2 The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot
Ubisoft has always tried to create games that are truly unique from their competition, and The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot is no exception.
Combining Diablo and Dungeon Keeper, players got to control their very own castle with plenty of room to store goodies. Interestingly, players had to create a dungeon of sorts to defend their castle. The twist is you could invade other people's castles and steal their loot, and consequently, they could do the same to you. It provided a gameplay loop that has not been replicated since. The mobile reboot does not do the original PC release justice.
1 Evolve: Stage 2
Talk about depressing. Evolve: Stage 2 was akin to a re-release of the ever-controversial video game. Plenty of journalists critiqued this game for its base asking price, not one but two season passes, and the lack of content for both PvE and PvP.
Evolve: Stage 2 was meant to fix all of these problems, and they succeeded to some degree. A free model allowed plenty of players to get in on the monster-hunting action. The reboot looked strong, but the developers were forced to shut the game down last year. Many critique the developers, saying if it released free to play none of this would have ever happened. but hindsight is 20/20. No one can say for sure if this title was doomed from the start.