Best Free Third-Person Shooter Games For Single-Player

It seems like free-to-play games are everywhere these days. It has gotten to the point where certain genres cannot dare to charge for a copy, lest they become the subject of mockery. Unfortunately for some gamers, free-to-play games are mostly multiplayer affairs. This is especially true when it comes to shooters.

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Finding a free third-person shooter with plenty to do for those who fly solo is a challenge, but they do exist. Most of them are well worth fans' time and have plenty of action. Free-to-play games can have their traps where players almost have to pay to progress, but the games below thankfully avoid this.

1 Warframe

A Shooter That Never Stops Growing

The PS4 launch was an interesting time. It lacked backward compatibility so the library started from square one. Additionally, maybe the game people bought the system for was still months away from launch. Thankfully, some free titles were available on the console's release day to tide players over.

Warframe benefitted greatly from being one of them. There was a minimal amount of content at first, but the gameplay loop was compelling. Over the years, Warframe grew in popularity as developers expanded the gameplay variety. Now, there is a shocking amount of content to explore to the point where it barely resembles the game from 2013.

While the missions and quests can be tackled with friends, the game complements solo play well. It can be daunting to get into a title a decade after its launch, but Warframe has a welcoming onboarding process.

2 APB Reloaded

Crimes Are A Lot More Fun In Video Games

Of all the games here, APB Reloaded is probably the most limited in its single-player content. This free-to-play third-person shooter is an open-world game built around a cops and robbers idea. In the game, the two sides are called Enforcers and Criminals. Players pick a faction to join and that determines their role.

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Criminals do what criminals do best to accumulate cash. Once they have enough they become a target for the Enforcers on the server. When it comes to content one can do solo, players can engage in certain criminal activity outside missions to get cash.

However, after a certain amount of time, they will draw the Enforcers' attention. It is possible to jump into a server with no other players, but Enforcers will come in eventually. How much of a problem this is all depends on the Enforcers who join the game.

3 Star Trek Online

Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

Star Trek feels like the perfect IP to adapt into an MMORPG. The whole franchise is built around discovering strange new worlds, flying through space, and intergalactic politics. Star Trek Online is a fan's dream MMO, letting them captain their own ship to go on various missions.

The game started as a subscription-based title when it launched in 2010. After just two years, the game switched to a free-to-play model. The move seemed to work since Star Trek Online is still active to this day. Several expansions with storylines that tie into various bits of Star Trek lore have kept fans engaged with the title.

Some of the references are too deep for casual fans to understand, including direct ties to the Enterprise TV series from the early 2000s. The gameplay is split into different types such as space combat and on-foot third-person shooting segments. The latter missions can be done solo, making it a worthwhile experience.

4 The First Descendant

A Looter Shooter One Can Take On Alone

There are a lot of looter shooters out there, from Borderlands and The Division to Outriders. Players need to pay for all these titles, however. Fortunately, The First Descendant is here to satisfy the looter shooter itch for anyone looking for free-to-play content.

Like the other examples, The First Descendant is perfectly okay for solo play. The classes all complement each other when going into missions as a team, but they also stand by themselves for solo players.

A small portion of the gameplay forces players to group up, but it is a negligible amount of content. Like a lot of free-to-play titles, The First Descendant has its share of grinding. This makes it a good game to pair with podcasts.

5 Fortnite

Survive In The Lego Wilderness Or Rock Out In The Fortnite Festival

Fortnite's Battle Royale mode is massively popular. Its reign truly has no end in sight. As long as it keeps expanding and bringing other IPs into the fray, it is hard to see any other free-to-play game dethroning it. Fortnite is so big it now includes other varied game experiences, such as Fortnite Rocket Racing, Fortnite Festival, and Lego Fortnite.

While the Battle Royale mode cannot be played solo - though there is plenty to do during a match that does not involve attacking other players - Fortnite Festival and Lego Fortnite can be played solo. The former is developed by Harmonix and essentially brings Rock Band into Fortnite.

Players can even use their instruments from the older rhythm game. Lego Fortnite is a survival game utilizing the trademark Lego aesthetic. While survival is always easier with friends, Lego Fortnite works perfectly fine for those going solo.

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