Download games for free

As an avid gamer you are, do you very often buy new video games for your computer, your console and your mobile devices? I had no doubts about it, but what if I told you that there are so many interesting titles that you can download, install and use at no cost? I bet you’re already jumping for joy!

You probably weren’t aware of it, but you should know that on the Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and major game consoles stores there are numerous titles that can be downloaded and played without spending a cent. Among these are indie games (ie made by independent developers) and / or distributed with the free-to-play formula (ie which are free to use but contain extra paid content). In short, as you can see for yourself there are solutions to download free games , and how!

So, if you want to know more, take a few minutes of free time just for you, make yourself comfortable and immediately start concentrating on reading what is reported below. I am sure that in the end you will be able to tell yourself very happy and satisfied with what you have learned and that, even, you will be ready to provide useful advice in this regard to all your friends interested in the same topic. Let it bet?

Index

• Download free games for PC
  • Microsoft Store
  • Mac App Store
  • Steam
  • Epic Games Store 
  • Sites to download free games
• Download free games for smartphones and tablets
  • Download free games for Android
  • Download free games for iPhone and iPad
• Download free games on consoles

Download free games for PC

Interested in understanding how to download free  PC games ? Then go ahead and read. Below you will find indicated how to do it both from Windows and from macOS , using the official stores of both operating systems and one of the most nightly platforms on the square for what concerns the distribution of video games. Good fun!

Microsoft Store

If you are using a PC with Windows 10 installed , you can download many free games using the Microsoft Store , the Microsoft virtual store made available for the latest operating system of the company through which you can find applications and games in a simple way, fast and safe. Some contents are paid, this must be said, but many others are totally free.

To use it to find free games, all you have to do is start the store by clicking on its icon (the one with the shopping bag and the Windows logo ) that you find at the bottom left of the taskbar . Alternatively, type “Microsoft Store” in the search field attached to the Start menu , which you can access by clicking on the button with the Windows flag always placed on the taskbar , and select the relevant result.

Once the Microsoft Store window is displayed on the desktop, select the Games tab at the top and scroll the displayed screen until you find the category Most popular free games . Next, click the Show All link to expand your view and see the full list of free games available for download.

In the catalog you will find games belonging to practically every type: card, adventure, strategic, simulation, etc. If you want, you can filter the results using the Categories drop-down menu at the top. Additional filters are available by clicking on the More Filters button . If you want, you can also search by keyword, by clicking on the Search item at the top right and typing the keyword in the appropriate field displayed.

Once you have identified the game you think you might be interested in, click on its title and then on the Get / Install button and wait for the download and installation procedure to be completed. Then, click the Play button to start playing, or call the game from the Start menu by clicking on its newly added link .

Keep in mind that after clicking on the Get / Install button , if you have not yet added your Microsoft account to the Microsoft Store you will be asked to do so, in order to be able to use the chosen game also on other devices to which it is possibly connected account. To log in, then, press the Login button and enter the required data. If, on the other hand, you are not interested in this, click on the No thanks button .

Mac App Store

Are you using macOS ? in this case, you can rely on the Mac App Store to find games at no cost: this is Apple’s virtual store accessible by Mac users, through which you can download games and applications, both free and for a fee.

To use it to find free download games, first start the Mac App Store by clicking on the relevant icon (the one with the “A” and the blue background ) on the Dock bar . Alternatively, call up the store via Spotlight , Siri or from the macOS Applications folder .

Once the Mac App Store window is displayed on the desktop, select the Categories item in the menu on the left, click on the Games category on the right, scroll the displayed screen, locate the word Top free and click on the related List link complete to, in fact, view the complete ranking of free games available.

Alternatively, if you want to explore the games by type, select the Play item in the left part of the Mac App Store window and consult the various categories available on the right. If, on the other hand, you want to search by keyword, type it in the field above and press the Enter key on your keyboard. In both cases, however, keep in mind that along with the free games you may also be shown the paid ones (you recognize them because the price is next to the title) and the applications.

When you find a game that you think you might like, click on its Get / Install button and authorize the download, if necessary, by typing your Apple ID password or using Touch ID , if your Mac supports the aforementioned technology.

If you use  macOS 10.15 Catalina or later, you can also take advantage of  Apple Arcade : a subscription service from Apple which, for 4.99 euros / month after a 30-day free trial, allows you to access a catalog consisting of over 100 exclusive games, ad-free and without in-app purchases from macOS, iOS and tvOS. Can be used with the homestay account (up to 6 users). To access it, just select the appropriate App Store tab. More info here .

Steam

If you are looking for a solution, so to speak, independent of Microsoft’s Windows Store and Apple’s Mac App Store to download free games to your PC, I suggest you consider Steam . Haven’t you ever heard of it? No problem, let’s fix it instantly: it is a free gaming platform developed by the well-known software house Valve, available for both Windows and macOS, through which you can download practically any kind of game, both the most famous ones. that not, both free and paid.

To use it, therefore, first of all install the platform client on your computer by connecting to the Steam website , by clicking on the Install Steam button  located at the top right and on the Install Steam now button .

Subsequently, if you are using Windows , once the download is complete, open the .exe file obtained, click on the Yes button in the window that appears on the desktop and on the Next button . Then put a check mark next to the item relating to the use of Italian , press the Next button again and complete the setup by clicking on the Install and Finish buttons .

If, on the other hand, you are using macOS , open the .dmg package obtained and click on the Agree button in the window that appears on the desktop. Then drag the program icon  (the one with the Steam logo ) into the  macOS Applications folder  , right click on it and select the Open item from the context menu.

At this point, regardless of the operating system, wait for all the components necessary to run Steam to be downloaded from the Internet and create your account to use the service by clicking the Create a new account button in the window that appears. Then complete the registration by providing the data requested.

Once logged into Steam, you can start looking for free games to download on your PC by clicking on the Free to play category located in the top menu bar and on the Free To play item . If you want, you can also filter the list of games that is proposed to you by category, by clicking on the items in the right part of the window.

You can also search by keyword, typing the one you are interested in in the appropriate field at the top. In this case, however, keep in mind that along with the free games you will also be shown the paid ones (which you can easily recognize because the price is also shown next to the title).

When you find a game that you think you might be interested in, click on its name and press the Start Game button . To install it and to play it, click on the Next and Accept buttons and on the one that says Start game .

For more details about the functioning of Steam, I refer you to reading my guide dedicated specifically to the famous platform .

Epic Games Store

As an alternative to Steam , I recommend that you seriously consider the Epic Games Store . This is another gaming platform, available for both Windows and macOS, through which you can find lots of free games, as well as paid, in just a few clicks. Among the most famous games on the store is the famous Fortnite .

To use it, first of all download the Epic Games launcher on your computer by connecting to the official website of the platform and clicking on the Get Epic Games games button located at the top right.

When the download is complete, if you are using Windows , open the .msi file obtained and click on the Install button in the window that appears on the desktop. Then press the Yes button twice consecutively and wait for the installation procedure to be completed.

If, on the other hand, you are using macOS , open the .dmg package obtained and drag the Epic Games launcher icon to the Applications folder on your computer. Subsequently, right-click on it and select the Open item from the context menu that opens, in order to start the application, however, going around the limitations imposed by Apple on non-certified developers (operation that must be carried out only at the first start) .

Now that, regardless of the operating system used, you see the Epic Games launcher window on the screen, register a free account to be able to use the service by selecting the item Don’t have an Epic Games account? Register which is located below and filling in the form that is proposed to you in the browser window that will open with the required information, following the detailed instructions on what to do that I provided in my tutorial on how to create an Epic Games account .

Then, log in to your account through the launcher window by filling in the appropriate fields visible on the screen and clicking on the Login button . Once logged in, click on the button with horizontal lines located at the top right and select the Shop item from the menu that appears on the left.

Then, start looking for the free games of your interest, by scrolling the displayed screen: you can easily distinguish them as they are marked with the word Free (while for the paid ones the price is shown). If you want, you can also carry out a direct search, by typing the reference keyword in the appropriate field located at the top and pressing the Enter key on the keyboard.

When you find a game you think you might like, click on its name  and on the Free button , then click on the Place order button located at the bottom right and on the I agree .

At this point, press again on the button with horizontal lines at the top right, select the Library item from the menu on the left, click on the Install button that you find in correspondence with the name of the chosen game, check the box relating to the acceptance of the contract license , press the Accept button , the Install and Yes buttons and, once the setup procedure is completed, start the game by pressing the appropriate button that appears on the screen.

Sites to download free games

As I told you at the beginning of the article, on the Net there are also several Internet sites through which you can download free computer games without having to resort to the official operating system stores or dedicated platforms. You ask me what are these portals? Find the ones that in my humble opinion are the best in the category right below.

Game Jolt

The first of the Internet sites from which you can download free games that I want to invite you to consider is  Game Jolt : it is a portal dedicated to indie games on which you can find titles of all downloadable genres, both free and paid . Of course, don’t expect blockbusters from the videogame world, but often behind an approximate graphics or a plot that makes you turn up your nose, there are little jewels to be discovered.

To browse the catalog of games available on Game Jolt, connected to the main page of the site and click on one of the icons dedicated to the videogame genres available for download that you find under the heading Browse by Tag . In this way, you will see the complete list of titles belonging to the selected category.

Alternatively, you can search by keyword by clicking on the Search box at the top left and typing in the keyword of your interest.

To view only free games, click on the Price menu at the top and select Free / Name Your Price from the menu that appears. Using the other adjacent menus you can further filter your search results by narrowing them down to certain platforms and games that have already reached the final stage of their development.

When you find a game that you think you might like, click on its title and then on the Download button on the relevant page. Once the download is complete, extract the game from the resulting ZIP archive and start its installation package , but these steps vary from game to game.

IndieDB

Another site that allows you to download free games is IndieDB which, as the name can easily guess, offers a wide range of indie titles that can be downloaded for free on your computer.

To “browse” the titles available on IndieDB, linked to the home page of the site and select the item Releases from the Files menu  located at the top center.

On the page that opens, set the Full version option from the Category menu and click on the Search button , in order to narrow the search results to full games, since there are also demos and other content on the site.

If you want, you can also search by keyword by typing it in the Search field located in the center, but in this way all the other content on the site will also be visible and not just the complete games at no cost.

At this point, to download a video game from IndieDB, first click on its title and then on the Download now button on the relevant tab. You will find all the information relating to the target platforms of the title and its release date in the right column (in the Profile section ).

Once downloaded, the games must be installed on the computer by starting the relative installer and following the procedures provided for in the setup.

Archive.org

Another portal to which, in my opinion, you would do well to turn to find free games is Archive.org . On this site, in fact, you will find a vast archive, organized into categories, of digital material of all kinds and at no cost, including video games for PC. However, I warn you that some titles are so old that you may have some problems running them on the most recent operating systems.

If this interests you, visit the home page of the site , click on the floppy disk icon at the top and select the items  MS-DOS Games or Classic PC Games in the menu that opens.

In the new page loaded you can, therefore, view all the free games belonging to the chosen category. If you want, you can refine the display of the results using the filters on the right or, again, you can search by keyword by typing it in the appropriate field that is always on the right.

When you find a game you think you might like, to download it click on its title and then press on the ZIP item (if available, not all games can be downloaded) in the Download Options box on the right. When the download is complete, extract the resulting ZIP archive and start the game installation file located inside it.

Download free games on smartphones and tablets

Do you have a smartphone or a tablet Android or an iPhone or iPad and you’d then figure out how to download free games on smartphones and tablets ? Then go ahead and read. Below you will find explained how to do this by connecting to the official stores available for both platforms. Good fun!

Download free games for Android

You’re using a smartphone or tablet Android and would like to figure out how to download games in this case? I’ll explain immediately how to do it. All you have to do is rely on the Google Play Store , the virtual store of apps and games, in fact, made available by the Internet search giant for devices based on its operating system. There you will find a practically infinite amount of content, both at no cost and for a fee.

So, to search for free games on the Play Store, take your device, unlock it, access the drawer (the Android screen where the icons of all the apps are grouped) and tap on the Play Store icon (the one with the multicolored triangle ).

In the new screen that will be shown to you at this point, tap on the Games item at the top, select the Categories item that you find in the menu always at the top and select the category of your interest from those available in the proposed list, in order to start browsing the various titles belonging to the genre in question.

Alternatively, you can view the list of games by rankings, by tapping on the Rankings item that you always find at the top of the Play Store screen, selecting the section of your interest from those available and scrolling through the proposed lists. If, on the other hand, you want to search by keyword, type it in the appropriate bar at the top of the screen.

In all cases, unfortunately there is no filter that allows you to view only free games, but you can easily distinguish them from paid ones as the latter are marked by the price next to the title.

Once you have found a game that you think might interest you, tap on its name and then on the Install button . If necessary, authorize the download with your Google account by tapping the Accept button . once installation is complete, start the game by pressing the Open button or by tapping on its icon that has just been added to the drawer .

I would also like to point out the availability of Google Play Pass : a subscription service from Google which, for 4.99 euros / month (29.99 euros / year) with a 1-month free trial, offers the possibility to access hundreds of apps and video games without ads or in-app purchases . It also supports sharing with your family group, up to a maximum of five. For more information, visit the Play Pass official website .

Download free games for iPhone and iPad

If you are using an iPhone or an iPad , you can download free games by going to the App Store , the virtual store of applications and games that Apple has made available for all its iOS-based devices. When it comes to games, there are a myriad of zero-cost titles available in virtually every possible genre. Of course, there is also a lot of paid content, but you don’t care at the moment.

To take advantage of the App Store to find free games, take your device, unlock it, access the home screen and tap on the store icon (the one with the “A” and the blue background ). Once the App Store main screen is displayed, select the Games item at the bottom, locate the Top free games section by scrolling the page and press on the See all item .

In the screen that will subsequently be shown to you, you will be able to view the complete list of free games available. If you want, you can filter them by categories by tapping on the All games item located at the top right and selecting the one you are interested in.

If, on the other hand, you want to search by keyword, tap the Search item at the bottom right and type the keyword of your interest in the appropriate box on the screen. Keep in mind that by doing so you will also be shown paid games (which you can easily recognize as the price is next to their name) and apps. When you find a game that you think may be interested, simply tap on the button Get / Install  place in his correspondence and authorizes download via Face ID , Touch ID  or password of ‘ Apple ID .

If you use iOS 13 or later, you can also take advantage of  Apple Arcade , a subscription service that for 4.99 euros / month (for family use up to 6 users) allows you to access a catalog of over 100 exclusive titles without advertising or in-app purchases. Offers 30 days free trial. To use it, select the appropriate tab in the App Store .

Download free games on consoles

For completeness of information, it seems only right to explain to you how to download free games on consoles , for example on PS4 , Xbox One and  Nintendo Switch . Yes, the thing is feasible even in this case.

Before telling you how to do this, however, make sure that the console in your possession has previously been connected to the Internet through the relevant settings menu , as I explained to you, as regards the PS4 and the Xbox, in my specific guides on, respectively,  how to play online with PS4 and how to connect to Xbox Live .

For example, in the case of the PS4, you can do this by going to  Settings> Network> Set up Internet connection  and intervene from the screen displayed.

Then, go to the default virtual store of your console and identify, through it, the free games you are interested in downloading, select them and press the button to proceed with the download. More details on how to download free games on various consoles can be found in my guides on how to download free games on PS4 , how to download free games on Xbox One .

To give an example, if you want to download free games on PS4 , you must connect to the PlayStation Store , selecting the shopping bag icon , and you must write the title of the game you want to download in the Search field , at the top. If, on the other hand, you want to view the games by category, select the Genre item in the left sidebar and, in the new screen displayed, choose the category you prefer. You can easily distinguish free games from paid games as they are marked with the word Free  (while for paid games the price is shown).

I also remind you that to play online on PS4 and Xbox One, a subscription to the PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold service is required, respectively . For more information, read my guides on how to play online on PS4 and how to play online on Xbox One .