15 Best Free PC Games to Play in September 2026

Every game below costs nothing to install and play, and we checked that on 3 September 2026 against the storefront or an authoritative reference rather than taking it on trust. Free-to-play games sell things — cosmetics, characters, time — so for each one we say what the model is. We have not ranked them by score: the list runs from the biggest to the most specialised, and the right pick depends on what you want to play, not on a number.

How this list was built

A game qualifies if the full core experience is free (not a demo, not a trial), it is actively maintained, and it has a real player base on PC. We note the official minimum requirements where a store page publishes them, and we send you to a dedicated article where we have one. We did not test these games for this article and make no performance claims.

1. Counter-Strike 2

Valve's tactical shooter is free to play on Steam, and on the day we checked it was the most-played game on the platform with roughly 785,000 concurrent players. The minimum requirements list Windows 10, a CPU with four hardware threads (Intel Core i5 750 or higher), 8 GB of RAM, a DirectX 11 GPU with 1 GB of memory and Shader Model 5.0, and 85 GB of storage.

For: anyone who wants the deepest competitive shooter on PC and is prepared to be bad at it for a while. Monetisation is cosmetic.

2. Dota 2

Valve's MOBA is free on Steam and was the second most-played game on the platform on our snapshot day, at about 565,000 concurrent players. Minimum: Windows 7 or newer, a 2.8 GHz dual-core, 4 GB of RAM, a GeForce 8600/9600GT or Radeon HD2600/3600, DirectX 11 and 60 GB of storage.

For: players who want a team strategy game with a decade of depth and a famously long learning curve. Monetisation is cosmetic.

3. Apex Legends

Respawn's squad battle royale is free on Steam, where it released on 4 November 2020, and sat in the platform's top five on our snapshot day. Minimum: 64-bit Windows 10, an AMD FX 4350 or Intel Core i3 6300, 6 GB of RAM, a Radeon HD 7790 (2 GB) or GeForce GTX 950, DirectX 12 and 75 GB.

For: fast movement, hero abilities and three-player squads. Monetisation is cosmetic and battle-pass based.

4. Delta Force

Team Jade's modern military shooter, published by TiMi Studio Group, released free on Steam on 4 December 2024 and was in the platform's top ten on our snapshot day. Minimum: Windows 10 64-bit, a Core i3-4150 or FX-6300, 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 660, HD 7870 or Arc A380, DirectX 12 and 88 GB.

For: large-scale combined-arms battles and extraction play without a purchase price.

5. War Thunder

Gaijin's vehicle-combat MMO has been free since it launched on Steam in August 2013 and had just under 60,000 concurrent Steam players on our snapshot day. Minimum: Windows 10 64-bit, a dual-core 2.2 GHz CPU, 4 GB of RAM and a DirectX 11 card at the GTX 660 / Radeon 77XX level.

For: anyone who likes tanks, aircraft or warships as objects and wants a game to grow into over years. Monetisation sells time and premium vehicles.

→ War Thunder hub: beginner guide, settings and update coverage

6. Team Fortress 2

Valve's class shooter, released in 2007, is free on Steam and still had around 49,000 concurrent players on our snapshot day. Its minimum requirements are the lowest on this list: a 1.7 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, DirectX 8.1 and 15 GB of storage.

For: a lighter, funnier shooter that runs on almost anything. Monetisation is cosmetic.

7. NARAKA: BLADEPOINT

24 Entertainment's melee battle royale went free on Steam and was in the top twenty on our snapshot day, with about 48,000 concurrent players. Minimum: Windows 10 64-bit, a fourth-generation Core i5 or FX 6300, 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 750 Ti, Arc A380 or HD 6950, DirectX 11 and 90 GB.

For: battle royale without guns as the main event — grappling hooks, parries and martial arts instead.

8. Warframe

Digital Extremes' co-op action game is free to play. Its official wiki lists the PC minimum as Windows 7 64-bit, an Intel Core i7 860, Core i5 750 or AMD FX-4100 with SSE 4.2, 4 GB of RAM, a DirectX 11-compatible GPU and 50 GB of storage. It had about 45,000 concurrent Steam players on our snapshot day.

For: fast, acrobatic co-op with an enormous amount of content and a generous free path. Monetisation sells convenience and cosmetics.

9. Path of Exile

Grinding Gear Games' action RPG is free on Steam and states that all its microtransactions are purely cosmetic. Minimum: Windows 10, a 2.6 GHz quad-core, 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 650 Ti or Radeon HD 7850, DirectX 11 and 40 GB; recommended raises that to a 3.2 GHz quad-core, 16 GB, a GTX 1050 Ti or RX 560 and an SSD.

For: build-crafting depth that few paid games match. The cosmetic-only model is the cleanest on this list.

10. Marvel Rivals

NetEase's team hero shooter released free on Steam on 5 December 2024. Minimum: Windows 10 64-bit (1909 or newer), a Core i5-6600K or Ryzen 5 1600X, 16 GB of RAM, a GTX 1060, RX 580 or Arc A380, DirectX 12 and 70 GB.

For: six-versus-six hero combat with a licensed roster. Note the 16 GB minimum, higher than most here.

11. Brawlhalla

Blue Mammoth Games' platform fighter is free on Steam and asks for almost nothing: 2 GB of RAM and 800 MB of storage on Windows.

For: couch-style fighting on any PC, including very old laptops. Monetisation is cosmetic.

12. Guild Wars 2

ArenaNet's MMORPG has a free core game on Steam, with expansions sold separately. Minimum: Windows 7 64-bit, an Intel i3 3.4 GHz or Athlon x4 3.8 GHz, 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 680 or Radeon HD 7970 and 70 GB.

For: an MMO you can play at your own pace without a subscription. The free account has restrictions the expansions lift.

13. NTE: Neverness to Everness

Hotta Studio's supernatural open-world RPG launched free on Steam on 7 July 2026. Its minimum is the steepest on this list: a Core i7-10700, 16 GB of RAM, a GTX 1660 or RX 5600 and 70 GB.

For: an urban open world with a big cast and a very long side-activity list. Gacha character acquisition; read our requirements guide before installing on a modest PC.

→ Neverness to Everness PC requirements

14. Fortnite

Epic's battle royale is free to play across all its modes and is distributed on PC through Epic's own launcher rather than Steam.

For: the biggest social shooter there is, with building, zero-build and creative modes. Requirements are published on Epic's site.

15. Valorant

Riot's tactical hero shooter is free to play with cosmetic monetisation, distributed through the Riot client, and was designed with notably low minimum specifications so that modest systems could reach 30 frames per second.

For: Counter-Strike's pacing with hero abilities, on hardware that struggles with newer shooters. Riot's site lists the exact requirements.

Picking from the list

• Old or integrated-graphics PC: Team Fortress 2, Brawlhalla, Dota 2, War Thunder, Warframe, Valorant.
• Want an RPG: Path of Exile, Warframe, Guild Wars 2, Neverness to Everness — see our free RPGs list.
• Want a competitive shooter: Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, Apex Legends, Marvel Rivals.
• Want something different: War Thunder, NARAKA: BLADEPOINT, Delta Force.

→ Best free games for low-end PCs

→ Best free RPGs on PC in 2026

→ How to know if your PC can run a game