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Top 10 Games That Should Be Free (But Aren’t)

Top 10 Games That Should Be Free (But Aren’t)

Going free-to-play or free-to-start isn’t always plausible, but it would make sense for so many games. Especially given the crowded marketplace we’re experiencing in this era. There are so many MMORPGs, team-based shooters, and fighters that it can be difficult to get invested in something new. But when there’s a no risk situation that lets you try a game for free, things can get more attractive. While the following titles may never be free or free-to-play, it’d be great for us if they were!

Dragon Ball Xenoverse

Dragon Ball Xenoverse

The Dragon Ball Xenoverse games are very close to the MMORPG experience. You have a custom character and can go on quests with other players. Now that Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is here, though, the original installment’s shine has faded. Know what would be great? If Bandai Namco offered it as a free-to-play game. They could still make money off of the add-ons. And, by making it a free game, they could use it to sell Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 .

Quake Champions

Quake Champions

We know Quake Champions is in development and that it’s going to be an arena based shooter with multiple playable characters for people to use. Which means it’ll be one of many in a very crowded market. But, consider that this was originally going to be an expansion for the free-to-play Quake Live . If id Software and Bethesda decided to give people a basic client and one or two characters for free, then sell additional maps and characters, it’d be a great way to draw attention to a game that might otherwise get lost among the Team Fortress 2 s and Overwatch es of the world.

Mortal Kombat X

Mortal Kombat X

Mortal Kombat X ‘s time has mostly come and gone. The game’s aged well, though, and is still an amazing product. Wouldn’t it be great if Warner Bros. took a page out of Microsoft and Rare’s book and made Mortal Kombat X free-to-start like Killer Instinct ? It’d be a good way to reintroduce the game to the public. We’d have a chance to try it out or get into it again with a renewed playerbase. Warner Bros. would benefit by selling additional characters. Everyone would win.

GTA Online

GTA Online

Grand Theft Auto Online is a fantastic game. People can go online and enjoy all sorts of GTA adventures. Unfortunately, you have to actually buy GTA V to play it. Given the game is two years old on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, it seems like a good time for Rockstar Games to step in and separate the two. It isn’t like it would cut much into Rockstar’s profits, seeing as how GTA Online ‘s made over $500 million in microtransactions. If people could get GTA Online separately, you could enjoy the adventures without having to buy GTA V , and Rockstar would still get its cut.

The Elder Scrolls Online

The Elder Scrolls Online

The Elder Scrolls Online is the Elder Scrolls MMORPG. It’s fun enough, but has never enjoyed the success of MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV or World of Warcraft . Bethesda’s already been rather smart, dropping the subscription fees, but you still have to pay for the base game. Given how bad the support response is for the game and the use of (real money currency) Crowns to get some in-game items, it seems like going free-to-play wouldn’t be a bad idea.

No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky has fallen on some hard times. Early promises went unfulfilled. Few people are playing on PC. Things are bad. But there’s nowhere to go but up. If Hello Games turned it into a free-to-play game where people paid for additional features, it’d be a lot easier to stomach the disappointment we endured from it not shaping up as we expected. Maybe it’ll happen someday?

Destiny

Destiny

Destiny ‘s run is coming to a close. Destiny II could be announced any day. Wouldn’t it be great if this online multiplayer shooter ended up having a free option? Say the base experience was free, but you still had to pay for expansions? It’d grant a lot of exposure to the game, give people a chance to see what Destiny is like, and prepare us for a sequel.

World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft

Blizzard has reached a point where it won’t disclose how many people are playing World of Warcraft . It seems like there’s really only a surge when a new expansion is released. Given how old the game is and how many purchases there are that let you get new pets, mounts, equipment, and services, it seems like a great time to get rid of the subscription fee. We already know it’s a good product. People will definitely keep paying for extra features and expansions. It’s time to eliminate some of the extra costs in World of Warcraft .

Final Fantasy XIV

Final Fantasy XIV

The cost of Final Fantasy is pretty high. You have to pay for the base game. You pay for each expansion. There’s a monthly subscription fee. It’s a great MMO, but costs so much. Wouldn’t be be wonderful if Square Enix cut out some of those fees? It’d boost the player base. What if you didn’t have to pay for the base game, but only had to pay for expansions and a subscription, like World of Warcraft does? What if it followed The Elder Scrolls Online ‘s lead and dropped the monthly fee, but still charged for the game and expansions? There are so many options that could work.

Battleborn

Battleborn

Battleborn is in trouble. We’ve already heard it isn’t planning to go free-to-play, but it should. It can’t compete in a sphere where Overwatch is the current king. Especially when there are free options like Team Fortress 2 , Gigantic , Paladins , and PlanetSide 2 . What needs to happen is a free-to-start shift. Give people a few characters and maps for free, then let them pay for the rest. It’s a good way to get people in and build goodwill for what’s become the basement baby of the team-based FPS.

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