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Games · Top 10

Top 10 Free-to-Play PC Games on Steam in 2027

By Kory White · Updated Oct 2026 · 4 min read
Counter-Strike 2
Direct answer

Counter-Strike 2 is the most-played free-to-play PC game on Steam, with 1,132,096 players at its 24-hour peak on Oct 27, 2026. Dota 2 is #2 at 1,069,502 and PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is #3 at 763,890. Warframe has the best reviews on the list at 91% positive.

At a glance

#PickPeak players (24h)Best for
1Counter-Strike 21,132,096 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Competitive 5v5 tactical shooter players
2Dota 21,069,502 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Players who want a deep team strategy game
3PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS763,890 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Battle royale fans who want the original
4Apex Legends193,787 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Squad-based hero shooter players
5Delta Force107,425 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Fans of large-scale combined arms warfare and extraction modes
6Team Fortress 284,366 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Players who want a colorful class-based shooter
7War Thunder79,473 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Fans of tanks, aircraft and warships
8Warframe75,985 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Co-op action fans who want a huge free game
9Marvel Rivals55,982 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Marvel fans who want a hero team shooter
10Destiny 229,766 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Shared-world looter-shooter and co-op fans

Pick by what you want

Most played
Counter-Strike 2
Best reviewed
Warframe
Best MOBA
Dota 2
Best battle royale
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
Best hero shooter
Apex Legends

The ranking

1

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2
Answrs VerdictThe most-played free game on Steam.
Peak players (24h): 1,132,096 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Released: Aug 21, 2012 by ValveSteam reviews: 85% positive of 2,641,091 English-language reviewsPlatforms: Windows and LinuxPrice: Free to play

Counter-Strike 2 from Valve (released Aug 21, 2012) peaked at 1,132,096 concurrent players in the 24 hours to Oct 27, 2026, the most of any game here. Steam shows 85% positive of 2,641,091 English-language reviews, and it lists Windows and Linux.

Go ifCompetitive 5v5 tactical shooter players
Skip ifYou want a loot-and-progression game
Why #1 over #2: Its 1,132,096 peak edges Dota 2’s 1,069,502.
2

Dota 2

Dota 2
Answrs VerdictThe free MOBA that nearly matches Counter-Strike 2.
Peak players (24h): 1,069,502 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Released: Jul 9, 2013 by ValveSteam reviews: 87% positive of 842,769 English-language reviewsPlatforms: Windows, Mac and LinuxPrice: Free to play

Dota 2 from Valve (released Jul 9, 2013) peaked at 1,069,502 players, with 87% positive of 842,769 English-language Steam reviews. It lists Windows, Mac and Linux.

Go ifPlayers who want a deep team strategy game
Skip ifYou want fast, casual matches
Why #2 over #3: It has a higher review score than Counter-Strike 2 (87% against 85%) and more platforms, but a smaller player peak.
3

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
Answrs VerdictThe battle royale that started the craze.
Peak players (24h): 763,890 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Released: Dec 21, 2017 by PUBG Corporation (published by KRAFTON, Inc.)Steam reviews: 66% positive of 448,090 English-language reviewsPlatforms: WindowsPrice: Free to play

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS from PUBG Corporation (published by KRAFTON, Inc.) peaked at 763,890 players. Released Dec 21, 2017, it lists Windows only and sits at 66% positive of 448,090 English-language Steam reviews.

Go ifBattle royale fans who want the original
Skip ifYou want a well-reviewed game
Why #3 over #4: Its 763,890 peak is far above Apex Legends’ 193,787.
4

Apex Legends

Apex Legends
Answrs VerdictThe squad hero shooter.
Peak players (24h): 193,787 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Released: Nov 4, 2020 by Respawn (published by Electronic Arts)Steam reviews: 76% positive of 452,844 English-language reviewsPlatforms: WindowsPrice: Free to play

Apex Legends from Respawn (published by Electronic Arts) peaked at 193,787 players. Released Nov 4, 2020, it lists Windows and has 76% positive of 452,844 English-language Steam reviews.

Go ifSquad-based hero shooter players
Skip ifYou want a single-player campaign
Why #4 over #5: It has more peak players than Delta Force (107,425) and a better review score (76% against 65%).
5

Delta Force

Delta Force
Answrs VerdictThe newest big military shooter.
Peak players (24h): 107,425 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Released: Dec 4, 2024 by Team Jade (published by TiMi Studio Group)Steam reviews: 65% positive of 69,927 English-language reviewsPlatforms: WindowsPrice: Free to play

Delta Force from Team Jade (published by TiMi Studio Group) peaked at 107,425 players. Released Dec 4, 2024, it lists Windows and sits at 65% positive of 69,927 English-language Steam reviews.

Go ifFans of large-scale combined arms warfare and extraction modes
Skip ifYou are put off by mixed reviews
Why #5 over #6: Its 107,425 peak is higher than Team Fortress 2’s 84,366.
6

Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2
Answrs VerdictThe oldest game here and still one of the best reviewed.
Peak players (24h): 84,366 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Released: Oct 10, 2007 by ValveSteam reviews: 90% positive of 744,708 English-language reviewsPlatforms: Windows and LinuxPrice: Free to play

Team Fortress 2 from Valve (released Oct 10, 2007) peaked at 84,366 players, with 90% positive of 744,708 English-language Steam reviews. It lists Windows and Linux.

Go ifPlayers who want a colorful class-based shooter
Skip ifYou want modern graphics
Why #6 over #7: It is far better reviewed than Delta Force (90% against 65%).
7

War Thunder

War Thunder
Answrs VerdictThe military vehicle game.
Peak players (24h): 79,473 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Released: Aug 15, 2013 by Gaijin Entertainment (published by Gaijin Network Ltd)Steam reviews: 72% positive of 329,767 English-language reviewsPlatforms: Windows, Mac and LinuxPrice: Free to play

War Thunder from Gaijin Entertainment (published by Gaijin Network Ltd) peaked at 79,473 players. Released Aug 15, 2013, it lists Windows, Mac and Linux and has 72% positive of 329,767 English-language Steam reviews.

Go ifFans of tanks, aircraft and warships
Skip ifYou want quick on-foot action
Why #7 over #8: Its 79,473 peak edges Warframe’s 75,985.
8

Warframe

Warframe
Answrs VerdictThe best-reviewed game on the list.
Peak players (24h): 75,985 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Released: Mar 25, 2013 by Digital ExtremesSteam reviews: 91% positive of 303,610 English-language reviewsPlatforms: WindowsPrice: Free to play

Warframe from Digital Extremes (released Mar 25, 2013) peaked at 75,985 players, with 91% positive of 303,610 English-language Steam reviews, the best score here. It lists Windows only.

Go ifCo-op action fans who want a huge free game
Skip ifYou want competitive PvP only
Why #8 over #9: Its 91% beats Marvel Rivals’ 76%, though Marvel Rivals has the smaller peak of 55,982.
9

Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals
Answrs VerdictThe Marvel team shooter.
Peak players (24h): 55,982 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Released: Dec 5, 2024 by NetEase GamesSteam reviews: 76% positive of 306,539 English-language reviewsPlatforms: WindowsPrice: Free to play

Marvel Rivals from NetEase Games (released Dec 5, 2024) peaked at 55,982 players, with 76% positive of 306,539 English-language Steam reviews. It lists Windows only.

Go ifMarvel fans who want a hero team shooter
Skip ifYou want a solo game
Why #9 over #10: Its 55,982 peak is above Destiny 2’s 29,766.
10

Destiny 2

Destiny 2
Answrs VerdictThe sci-fi looter-shooter.
Peak players (24h): 29,766 (SteamCharts, Oct 27, 2026)Released: Oct 1, 2019 by BungieSteam reviews: 79% positive of 391,329 English-language reviewsPlatforms: WindowsPrice: Free to play

Destiny 2 from Bungie (released Oct 1, 2019) peaked at 29,766 players in the 24 hours to Oct 27, 2026. It lists Windows only and has 79% positive of 391,329 English-language Steam reviews.

Go ifShared-world looter-shooter and co-op fans
Skip ifYou want a complete story with no paid expansions

How we ranked these

We ranked every game by its 24-hour peak of concurrent players on SteamCharts, read Oct 27, 2026; this changes daily. Each game is listed as free to play on its Steam store page, which is also the source for release date, developer, platforms and the English-language review split. Peaks are from SteamCharts, not an official Steam figure. Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.

Questions people ask

What is the most popular free-to-play game on Steam in 2027?

Counter-Strike 2, with a 24-hour peak of 1,132,096 concurrent players on SteamCharts on Oct 27, 2026; Dota 2 followed at 1,069,502.

Which free-to-play Steam game has the best reviews on this list?

Warframe has 91% positive of 303,610 English-language Steam reviews, ahead of Team Fortress 2 at 90% and Dota 2 at 87%.

Are these games really free on Steam?

Yes. Each Steam store page lists the game as free to play, and each page is cited on its pick. Some sell optional cosmetics or items.

Which free Steam games run on Mac or Linux?

Dota 2 and War Thunder list Windows, Mac and Linux; Counter-Strike 2 and Team Fortress 2 list Windows and Linux. The other games list Windows only.

Peak concurrent players in the last 24 hours (Oct 27, 2026) at a glance

Destiny 229,766 players
Marvel Rivals55,982 players
Warframe75,985 players
War Thunder79,473 players
Team Fortress 284,366 players
Delta Force107,425 players
Apex Legends193,787 players
PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS763,890 players
Dota 21,069,502 players
Counter-Strike 21,132,096 players
Peak concurrent players in the last 24 hours (Oct 27, 2026), as published by each maker. Picks without a published figure are left off.

Official sites

Sources

Prices, specs and availability change; confirm on the official site before you buy.

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