For the most part, gaming is quite an expensive hobby. Even if you’re playing popular free-to-play games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or League of Legends, the chances are that you need a hefty bit of hardware for the optimum experience. On top of this, most require or attempt to coax you into making micropayments to fully enjoy the game, with elements hidden behind mechanics such as paywalls or time walls.

Indeed, playing premium games for free, even for a short spell, is rare. Even on Xbox, with its main selling point, the Game Pass, you need to be a subscriber to then hand out 14-day free trials to PC users. Still, there are some ways that you can play premium games for free and with little more than a download tap or a sign-up form.

Value in trying before you buy

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It used to be commonplace for studios to release demos and trials for free, often on discs in magazines, to help drum up interest in a new game or concept. It’s often a struggle to find even a brief trial for the games that ask for some $75. To rise in the prevalence of gameplay footage and free-to-view online reviews has helped to lessen the need for these, but they can’t possibly cover all of the games or relay if you’d personally like the games. While certainly not for all its biggest games, the free PC launcher Steam offers several demos.

At the time of writing, the most-played demos were Dead of Night, Vera, and the surprising addition of Street Fighter 6. Still, these demos are limited and not the whole experience. Where people can get the whole experience through a similar offering in the rare space of no-deposit bonuses. Collected by CasinoBonusCA, the platforms offering these bonuses give a heap of free spins or playing funds without the need to make a deposit. The most popular games, like Wild Cash, Big Bass Bonanza, and Book of Dead, tend to be the focus, but some, like the 88 free, no-wagering spins, are much more open, so you can play on any slot and keep any winnings.

Regular free game launches on the house

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Free games are incredibly appealing and lucrative to studios and publishers. The prime example of this was Fortnite, which made Epic Games billions. With that cash, the company decided to build its PC game launcher that would, hopefully, compete with the near-monopoly of Steam. The move divided some PC gamers, especially when timed and outright exclusivity was brought into play, but Epic certainly stuck gold with its core selling point.

Players can get a free game every week just by signing up for the EpicGamesStore. This is on top of the library of free-to-play and priced games available. At the beginning of June 2023, Epic launched the classic, beloved role-playing game Fallout: New Vegas – Ultimate Edition as its free game for the week. Another was also to be launched later that same day. It’s well worth signing up to the platform for this very reason.

Truly free premium games to enjoy on mobile

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Ground Zero for freemium mechanics, microtransactions, and time walls, mobile gaming has long been considered a distinctly vampiric form of gaming, and, to many gamers, mobile gaming isn’t counted as a gaming experience. Some developers, however, seek to defy the standardization of mechanics leaned on even by MeritLine most popular mobile games, like Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, and Clash of Clans.

Without paying a penny, you can enjoy the whole or a huge amount of the whole game when you download Pocket City, Oddmar, or SEGA Forever for free. For the most part, the premium versions eliminate the infrequent ad pop-ups or add a few more options. However, Astroturf, Underhand, GameStart Pixel Battle, and Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath are wholly free-to-play without options for in-app purchases.

Enjoying the top-class games of these platforms is possible if you know where to look, and with each of these examples, a great gaming experience is merely a sign-up form or download button away!

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