The best free games for the ROG Ally

One of the best parts of PC gaming has always been the wealth of free games available to play. Some you have to nab while they’re on sale for $0, others are free to play all the time. Now, the ROG Ally benefits from the same great ecosystem – so here are some spectacular, controller-friendly games that cost you nothing to get started. 

This is part of our ultimate guide to the ROG Ally series of articles. For more great games, check out our best-of roundups. 

Fall Guys

Whether you have 20 minutes to kill or 2 hours, Fall Guys is a great way to blow off some steam. This wacky game is oversaturated with color and ultra-cute characters called beans, each controlled by a player trying to make it through the level before the others. You can play casual or cutthroat, with both the environment and other players trying to take you out in the silliest way possible. With the recent addition of a creative mode, the community can also submit custom maps for an endless list of places to fall from. Watch out for the bottom, Fall Guy. You can test your mettle here. 

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 and DMZ

The Call of Duty franchise has helped define the FPS genre for decades, with a name that even non-gamers recognize. In 2020, Call of Duty: Warzone was released as a free-to-play battle royale companion to the franchise’s mainline installments, giving access to COD’s incredible gunplay without needing to buy a standalone game. Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 updated that formula with the release of Modern Warfare II, while also introducing a new extraction-based mode called DMZ. DMZ is a fresh take on the extraction shooter genre, aimed at a more casual player but with most of the same joys of looting you’d get from much more hardcore titles. With a price tag of $0, both modes are well worth checking out — be sure to try our optimized settings for the best experience, too. 

Fortnite

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, you’ve probably heard of Fortnite. This pop-culture phenomenon manages to weave movies, games, and anime tie-ins to superb battle royale gameplay with such style that it almost seems like they weren’t the first to try it. Want to win your match as Thanos with all of the power of the Infinity Gauntlet? Gotta play Fortnite. Go ultra-competitive in the battle royale mode or get wacky with one of the special game modes, all for free. Hop on the Battle Bus here, and try out our recommended settings for performance and graphical fidelity. 

Final Fantasy XIV

Sometimes gaming is about getting lost in new worlds completely unlike our own, an area where the Final Fantasy franchise has always excelled. Final Fantasy XIV is set in a world recovering from a past calamity, offering a magical universe is filled with color, levity, and the style of narrative story that made Final Fantasy famous around the world. Unlike many of its predecessors, though, Final Fantasy XIV is a massively multiplayer online RPG, with epic boss battles, a myriad of character classes, and a story that will keep you on your toes throughout all of the expansions. And like many other MMOs, it’s completely free until level 60, so you can start playing at no cost right now. 

Rocket League

I wrote about Rocket League in our list of favorite multiplayer games on the Ally, but since going free-to-play in 2020, it belongs here too. The ability to pick up the game and quickly score a goal, mixed with an intricate depth of play and nearly infinitely high skill ceiling makes Rocket League approachable to a brand-new player while also being something into which you can sink thousands of hours. If you’ve never tried this gem, I can’t recommend it enough. Rocket League is free to play and available now. 

Destiny 2

Set in the somewhat near future in the ruins of our solar system, Destiny 2 is a story about reclaiming what little light is left in the universe. This first-person massively multiplayer shooter allows you to explore different planets, fight aliens, and eagerly claim their loot. New guns and gear keep each raid feeling fresh, and when you need to give the AI a break, you can always throw down vs other players in a mix of PVP modes. Developed by Bungie, the creators of Halo, Destiny 2 features incredibly beautiful character and set designs backed up by solid gunplay, leading to hours and hours of replayability. Find your destiny today and check out our optimized settings to get the most out of your journey. 

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is a truly special one for me. While it’s not the first battle royale by any means, this game introduced me and millions of others to a new genre of shooter on the island of Erangel, a place where the only way out was to win. Whether you drop on School or Pochinki for a high stakes match from the very beginning, or land in a quiet corner of the map and slowly follow the zone to the bitter end, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS has seemingly infinite replayability. By rewarding both solid gunplay and smart tactical decisions, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS defined the battle royale genre, and still stands as one of the best around. I’ll never forget the feeling of joy at my very first Winner Winner Chicken Dinner as a solo player, and I’m sure many others still remember theirs. Test your luck on the battleground here. 

Genshin Impact

Built with love for anime fans of all stripes, Genshin Impact is a delightful, complex, and fun action RPG. Set in a beautiful world filled with color, treasure chests, quests, and monsters to battle, Genshin Impact offers more than a hundred hours of content. With an intricate combat system that allows you to seamlessly transition between multiple characters with different elemental efficiencies, even seemingly insurmountable enemies can be easily dispatched with the correct combos. You can travel to Teyvat for the first time for free here. 

Apex Legends

Coming out of nowhere with a surprise release, Apex Legends saw instant popularity thanks to excellent gunplay and movement mechanics paired with a hero system that set it apart from other battle royale titles. Over the last few years, the game has significantly deepened its character pool from the original 8 to 25, added multiple new maps, and refined what was already superb gameplay. Inspired by and set in the Titanfall universe, movement and positioning is fast and fluid, and being able to catch an opponent off guard with a quick flank is a key to success. If you like to run like the wind and overwhelm your opponents, Apex Legends is a treat to play. You can download Apex Legends for free here. 

Warframe

Warframe is a true development success story, with over a decade of history bringing the game to the massive hit it is today. Set in an alternate future version of our solar system, you fight as a member of the Tenno against hordes of robots, zombies, and more. Mixing FPS, stealth, and RPG mechanics, Warframe is something truly special, and hopefully will continue years more content with future DLC. You can play Warframe for free. 

Counter Strike: Global Offensive

Counter Strike: Global Offensive is one of the most classic first-person shooter titles of all time. With a thriving competitive scene, millions of active players, and a sequel on the way, it's safe to say that Counter-Strike isn’t going anywhere soon. Starting off with just a pistol, you need to make your way through the map to either plant the bomb, or stop all those pesky terrorists from destroying your base. With a unique recoil system and incredibly tight gameplay, CS:GO is the ultimate arena to test your FPS mettle. Hop into the fray here. 

Halo Infinite (Multiplayer)

Halo Infinite had an interesting two-part launch strategy. The campaign, which I highly recommend longtime fans play, is the paid portion. The multiplayer, which for decades has been the bread and butter of the Halo series, is completely free to play, meaning that you can dip your toes (back) into the franchise without spending a cent. Halo Infinite is a polished multiplayer arena shooter, and it still feels just as satisfying as ever to hear the announcer scream “KILLTACULAR!” when you hit a hot streak. While the stock set of maps and modes are prodigious, the introduction of the Forge has led to over 1 million community-built maps, ensuring that Halo Infinite will feel fresh for years to come. You can find Halo Infinite on the Xbox store. 

This list is by no means exhaustive – there are simply too many incredible free games out there. From the intense 1v1 fighting game action of Killer Instinct to an easy-to-learn but hard-to-master card game like Heartstone, PC gaming has never been easier to jump into. Check out more of our favorite games here, and share your favorites with us over on our Discord.