3 Excellent Free-to-Play Online Shooters

Who ever said all the best gaming experiences have to be expensive? Even budget-conscious gamers need to get their pew-pew kicks from time to time, too, right? If you're short on coin or would rather save your hard-earned cash to beef up your PC gaming rig, we totally understand. To clock some high-quality killing without decimating your wallet, check out this trio of unique, AAA-quality shooters. They won’t cost you a dime, and they'll still deliver a ton of explosive fun.

HAWKEN 

In the bid for dominance over the thrilling realm of giant robotic warfare, HAWKEN elevates pumping hot led into metal doom machine to an artform. Hopping into the cockpit of some crazy souped-up mechs, this fast-paced sci-fi shooter is a pulse-pounding treat for fans of frenetic robot destruction. With lots of mechs to unlock and upgradeable parts to equip the with, there's ample room for all kinds of play styles. The finely tuned action isn't everything though. It's the attention to detail — from the heavy thud and mechanical whirl of your motorized walking struts to the realistic cockpit battle damage and flashing control console — that really makes this shooter experience a special treat. Also, peep that gorgeous sci-fi scenery!

Dirty Bomb

If you've got an itch for straightforward twitch-based shooter action at high speeds, then Dirty Bomb is a great way to scratch it. Set in a quasi-futuristic London, after a string of toxic chemical attacks have wrecked much of the city, this intense shooter covers many familiar bases in the genre, yet delivers fresh energy through its classic design. The game's objective-based team firefights push you to charge into battle, stay in constant motion, and rely closely on teammates to keep from getting splattered across the radiation-soaked cityscape. Each gritty Mercenary you can unlock and play has distinct abilities that go add exciting wrinkles to the strategic push-and-pull pugilism, too. It's well worth a play if you're keen for something familiar and fun.

Evolve Stage 2

For something completely different, Evolve Stage 2 dishes out a creepy dose of asymmetrical horror combat where a team of four players co-operatively work to hunt down and kill a fifth player —who takes the form of one of many giant super-powered hell beasts.

As the monster, you'll thrash around and scarf down local wildlife in third-person to evolve into a stronger form for maximum killing prowess. Meanwhile, the other players team-up to try to take you down through strategic outmaneuvering and raw firepower. It all makes for tense, chaotic matches where the tide can turn on a dime. All of the monsters and characters have interesting visual designs, unique combat styles, and cool abilities, which blends nicely with the grim atmosphere and horror vibe. If you missed Evolve the first time around when it was a paid-for game, you should definitely get in on the exciting and grisly stalking action in this free-to-play edition.

Ensuring a smooth time while blasting players online in these high-quality, AAA-visual multiplayer shooters requires a good graphics card and a sturdy router. If you're not sure your gear is up to the task, we recommend checking out the ROG STRIX RX 480 for a graphics boost and the ASUS RT-AC88U to deliver rock-solid high-end gaming connections speeds with the help from WTFast.

 

By Nathan Meunier