9 Best Free RPGs of 2026

Genshin Impact ranks first because it gives the most RPG for no money. HoYoverse describes a world where you can climb any mountain, swim across any river and glide over the land, with combat built around seven elements whose reactions reward building a varied party. Friends can join across platforms to clear bosses and domains, and the newer Miliastra Wonderland mode adds a lobby and a sandbox for making your own stages. HoYoverse says the game has been out since September 2020 on consoles, PC and mobile, and it announced an Xbox release for November 20, 2024. On the US App Store it holds 4.2 out of 5 from 581K ratings and an Editors' Choice badge. The catch is the gacha model: new characters come from random draws, and the store lists optional purchases from $0.99 for 60 Genesis Crystals up to $99.99. Phones need 40 GB of free space. If you want a free open-world RPG to play for months, start here.

Path of Exile is the best free RPG for players who care most about builds. Grinding Gear Games' Steam page says the game is completely free and will never be pay-to-win, and the design backs that up: power comes from items, gems and a Passive Skill Tree shared by all seven classes, while the store sells supporter packs and cosmetics. Each class starts at a different point on the tree, and Keystones, Masteries and Jewel Sockets change how a character plays. Gems combine into hundreds of skill setups, gold is replaced by crafting orbs, and the Atlas of Worlds endgame has more than a hundred high-level maps. Of 143,329 Steam reviews, 89% are positive, and the last 30 days match that. The downside is the learning curve, which is steep for newcomers, and the cheapest supporter pack costs $29.99. Path of Exile 2 is still a paid Early Access game, so this is the free one to play.

Honkai: Star Rail is the turn-based RPG from the studio behind Genshin Impact, and it ranks third because it is the easiest game here to pick up on a phone. You ride the Astral Express between worlds, and battles are about matching your team to enemy weaknesses, chaining follow-up attacks and stacking damage over time. HoYoverse fully voices the story in four languages and adds side modes such as simulation management, puzzle exploration and the seasonal Currency Wars. It launched on April 26, 2023 on PC, the Epic Games Store, iOS and Android, and the official site lists it as a PS5 game. The US App Store rates it 4.4 out of 5 from 53K ratings with an Editors' Choice badge, calling it an unforgettable RPG with cinematic turn-based battles. Like Genshin, it sells random character draws, with the Express Supply Pass at $4.99 and currency packs up to $99.99. Pick it if you want strategy over reflexes.

Warframe has the best Steam review ratio on this list, with 91% of 304,205 reviews positive, and it is the best free pick if you want to play an RPG with friends. You level a Warframe, a suit with its own abilities, and build an arsenal from hundreds of craftable weapons, companions and vehicles. Digital Extremes lists 60+ Warframes that you can earn in play or buy outright, a story across 5 expansions and 30+ quests, open-world zones and ship-to-ship space battles. Squads earn bonus rewards for completing missions together, and matchmaking fills empty slots. The US Steam store sells packs from $2.99 for a battlekit and $4.99 for a starter weapon pack, up to $49.99 Prime Access packs, all optional. The PC version needs 75 GB of space and only 4 GB of RAM, but there is no Mac or Linux client. New players should expect a long list of systems before the game opens up.

Guild Wars 2 is the best free MMORPG for players who dislike subscriptions. ArenaNet's Steam page describes an open world where you help other players with events, jumping puzzles and world bosses without joining their party, and you earn experience from almost everything, including reviving others and gathering herbs. Structured PvP puts every player at the same level with max-level gear and build options, so spending does not buy an edge there. The core game is free, and ArenaNet says over 16 million players have joined. The free account is limited, though: upgrading adds log-in rewards, more character and bag slots and chat features, and the best-known systems, such as gliding and mounts, come with expansions. In the US Steam store the Starter Pack is $19.99 and expansions cost $24.99 to $29.99. Of 19,371 Steam reviews, 88% are positive. The PC version needs 70 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM.

Wuthering Waves is the open-world gacha RPG to pick if Genshin Impact feels too slow. Kuro Games builds combat around Extreme Evasion, Dodge Counter, Echo Skill and quick-time events, and exploration drops stamina limits, so you can dash, run up walls, fly and ride a motorbike across Solaris-3. You play Rover with a party of Resonators whose abilities, called Fortes, combine in battle. Kuro Games says it won Players' Voice at The Game Awards 2025. It scores well with players: 87% of 31,007 Steam reviews are positive and the US App Store rating is 4.6 from 60K ratings, though the last 30 days on Steam fell to 78%. It is the heaviest game here, asking for 150 GB of storage and 16 GB of RAM on PC. Purchases follow the usual gacha pattern, from $0.99 for 60 Lunites to $99.99, plus a $4.99 Lunite Subscription.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is the free RPG for players who want story first. Its Steam page lists 8 class storylines and 16 combat styles, cinematic dialogue with full voiceover for every character, and Light or Dark side choices across 6 narrative expansions. You can play a Jedi, a Sith, a Bounty Hunter or other roles across more than 20 planets, then group up for Flashpoints and Operations, PvP Warzones and Arenas, space combat in Galactic Starfighter, or decorate a Galactic Stronghold. Of 53,376 Steam reviews, 90% are positive, second only to Warframe here. The free option is real but trimmed: the store pushes a subscription starting at $14.99 per 30 days, and Cartel Coins start at $4.99 for 450. The game is Windows only on Steam and needs 75 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM. For Star Wars fans it is the deepest free option available.

RuneScape is the free RPG for players who enjoy progress for its own sake. Jagex's Steam page lists 29 skills, from Woodcutting, Fishing and Cooking to Invention, Summoning and Dungeoneering, plus melee, ranged and magic combat, player-owned ports and farms, and a Grand Exchange for trading. Jagex calls it the perfect second-screen game, and cross-play between PC and mobile lets you continue on a phone. It cites 270 million installations. RuneScape can be played free, but Jagex says optional membership adds 8 skills, over 120 quests and the entire world map, with Steam bundles from $19.99 for one month and RuneCoins from $5.99 for 200. Lifetime reviews sit at 81% positive from 22,108, but the last 30 days fell to 60%, the lowest recent score on this list. Hardware needs are minimal: Windows 10 and a broadband connection. Expect to pay for membership if you get hooked.

The Lord of the Rings Online is the free RPG for Tolkien fans and owners of older PCs. Standing Stone Games recreates the Shire, Bree, the Mines of Moria and Lothlórien, and adds legendary weapons you customize, farming and crafting, and monster play, where you fight for Sauron against other players. The minimum spec is 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage, the lightest on this list. The free tier is the most limited here, though. The official VIP comparison gives free players 2 character slots, 11 skirmishes, 1 monster play class and limited quest packs, while VIP members get 7 character slots, 19 skirmishes, all 7 monster classes and 500 LOTRO Points per month. The VIP page says plans can only be bought in game, and its prices did not load as a US quote here, so the price is pending. Of 14,698 Steam reviews, 81% are positive, with 73% in the last 30 days.