Blacklight: Retribution is a free to play 3D next-generation first person shooter (MMOFPS) with cutting edge graphics that leverage AAA game technology such as the Unreal Engine 3 and DirectX 11. Free-to-Play / First-person Shooter It was originally released as a standalone game in 2008 and we still cannot talk about the best free games for Mac without mentioning Team Fortress 2. TF2 is a team-based first-person shooter developed by Valve.
Getting into the best PC games can be an extremely rewarding experience, but it can definitely get expensive. But, you don’t have to pay top dollar for a great gaming experience, which is why we gathered up the best free Steam games 2018 has to offer.
The best free games have become infamous recently for overly aggressive monetization through microtransactions. Don’t worry, though, you won’t have to sign your soul away in an agreement made of loot boxes to enjoy these titles. The best free-to-play Steam games can all be enjoyed for hours on end, without being manipulated into spending your money.
So, fire up your Steam account, boot up one of the best gaming PCs, put your wallet away (for now), and check out the best free-to-play Steam games of 2018.
Best Free Fps For Pc
1. Fractured Space
When it comes to MOBAs (multiplayer online battle arenas), not every game has to be a fantasy-based romp with daggers, spells and cutesy champions.
Take the science fiction ship battles of Fractured Space. Sure, it’s a MOBA-style 5v5 affair, but now you’re in control of a powerful frigate as your hurtle across the stars and attempt to destroy your opponent’s base before your own suffers the same fate.
Skewing the classic MOBA concept as a space-based naval affair gives the setup you know and love a much-needed breath of fresh air, while blowing away all the cobwebs. You can customize your ship and crew, as well as hotkeying weapons and abilities so you can combine the best ships for the task ahead.
It’s one of the most exciting MOBAs on PC, and it's free to play on Steam.
Download here: Fractured Space
2. Gigantic
Much like Paladins, Gigantic offers a team-based shooter that’s part-Overwatch, part MOBA and part something brand new. Instead of having you defend a slow-moving carriage through a map (because that never gets old) or destroy an enemy base (in classic MOBA style), Gigantic tasks you with killing an enemy giant while attempting to protect your own. Sounds mad, right? It is, but a brilliant kind of mad all the same.
With an art style that mashes up Studio Ghibli flourishes and classic Disney cuteness, Gigantic’s 20-strong character roster offers enough skills, weapons and attributes to appease even the pickiest of players.
Each match is a 5v5 event, with players working together to power up their own Guardian (that’s your giant weapon/walking base) while risking it all to lay siege to the enemy. The roving nature of your Guardian makes every match an intense affair, and best of all, it’s 100% free on Steam.
Download here: Gigantic
3. Star Trek Online
Best Free Fps For Mac 2018 Holiday
MMOs and film licenses don’t often mix well – from The Matrix Online to Star Wars Galaxies, recognizable universes have rarely lasted in the realm of persistent online worlds. Except for the enduring Star Trek Online, that is. Retroactively made free-to-play following its launch back in 2010, STO gifts you with a crew and a Federation starship and sets you free to sail the stars in true Trekkie fashion.
There are microtransactions available should you want to speed up the levelling/resource gathering process, but STO is consistently generous with its free content, especially to new players looking to see their very own final frontier. It’s also set within ongoing Star Trek canon, taking place roughly three decades after the events of Star Trek Nemesis (you know, that terrible TNG film with Tom Hardy).
With an economy, ever-shifting alliances and a still impressively vast community, STO manages to bottle that magic that makes Star Trek so timeless.
Download here: Star Trek Online
4. Paladins: Champions of the Realm
Paladins launched just after a certain team-based shooter from Blizzard, and it's hard not see the similarities. Still, that doesn’t mean Hi-Rez Studios’ free-to-play FPS isn’t worth your time – it just means you get play something that’s often just as fun and rewarding without forcing you to break the bank with a full-game price.
With a menagerie of characters to choose from (known as Champions), each match offers an objective-based experience that feels more like triple-A fare than other free-to-play shooters.
Paladins includes everything from Overwatch-style payload defence/offence to a Survival mode akin to the popular ‘battle royale’ sub-genre made popular by PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite. It offers a consistently enjoyable and rewarding place to spend your time, even if it’s a tad derivative.
It's free to play on Steam, and there's no need to sink any money into it as long as you’re willing to grind for the first few hours.
Download here: Paladins: Champions of the Realm
5. ArcheAge
MMOs set within the confines of a fantasy setting are hardly new – in fact, almost all of them fit that description to a tee – but very few of them manage to offer just as much diverse content as the Korean-made ArcheAge.
You can do all your usual MMO minutia – questing, gathering resources, looting new weapons and gear, and so on – but grind through its early levels and you’ll discover an online world full of surprises.
Want to conquer lands and lay claim to them? Check. Fancy building your very own castle? Double check. How about forming an alliance and besieging another for control of their land? Triple check. Oh, and how about a naval combat setting that practically adds an entire open-ocean to explore and plunder? All the checks. ArcheAge offers all this and more. Its naval combat mechanics are particularly impressive, enabling you to dispense maritime justice or hunt for loot as a virtual pirate.
Download here: ArcheAge
6. Warface: Blackout
Free-to-play shooters in their more traditional, deathmatch-esque form are often a hit and miss affair, but despite all those polished triple-A offerings from the likes of Activision and EA, Crytek Kiev has managed to put together a robust little FPS that can be just as exciting and enjoyable as many other entries in the bullet-ridden genre.
Warface: Blackout offers four classes to choose from, with weapons, gear, attachments and specific skills tied to each one. Having the right balance of classes in your squad adds a more Battlefield-style teamwork ethic, especially when engineers can repair armour and snipers can pull off game-changing one-shot kills.
After four years of rotation on the field, Warface has also honed its online economy, neatly offering you the ability to spend in-game currency on a rental system that lets you test out guns and gear before investing time and cash into your own version.
Download here: Warface: Blackout
7. Art of War: Red Tides
Are you looking for a MOBA spin-off that’s light on the RTS elements but deep enough to keep you engaged through every match? Well, we’ve got just the free-to-play beauty for you. Art of War: Red Tides takes that classic MOBA structure – funnelling you down a channel with loads of units as you attempt to destroy a base at the other end – but strips out all the busywork in between. It might not appeal to the hardcore among us, but for those looking to replicate the relaxed involvement of a mobile title at your PC, this is right up your alley.
That’s not to say it’s a spectator title. You’ll still need to survey the battlefield and use your energy reserves to build units to counter those already on the field. There are a trio of modes available, but it’s in the 3v3 mode the setup works best, with matches often coming down to which team pulls off the best combo.
Download here: Art of War: Red Tides
8. Warframe
Okay, so the word ‘war’ features quite a lot in some of the best and most popular free-to-play titles, but that’s because few things are as fun to wage when you’re spending no money. Another such example is Warframe – an online melee brawler/shooter that’s evolved into one of the most enjoyable games on PC.
Putting you in control of a sword-wielding space ninja (yes, it’s as cool as it sounds), the game feels like a cross between For Honor and Destiny 2, with modes offering PvE and PvP matches to keep you engaged. There’s even a story mode, and it’s actually pretty fun, if a little repetitive in places.
Developer Digital Extremes has also been dedicated to Warframe, rolling out regular updates and events that offer new upgrades and expansion on its rich lore. It may have floundered on consoles, but Warframe is one of the best examples of how to do the best free Steam games right.
Download here: Warframe
9. Star Conflict
There’s been a resurgence for the sci-fi dogfighting subgenre in the last few years – thanks in part to the rise of VR – but there aren’t many titles that let you take to the stars and shoot space ships for nada. In fact, there’s just the one, and it’s one of the most enjoyable games we’ve played on this list.
The game is split into four main modes – PvP, Open Space, Sector Conquest and Missions – offering plenty of content for absolutely no pounds/euros/dollars. You can atomize other players in classic deathmatches, explore an impressively vast universe in Open Space, or head into co-op for a bit of PvE action in Missions. You can set up custom battles with friends if you’re in mood for a private dust up. Ship designs offer different attributes depending on your play style, and earning new ones can be pulled off without spending a penny if you’re willing to grind.
Download here: Star Conflict
10. Atlas Reactor
Part MOBA, part RTS, Atlas Reactor borrows those now ubiquitous decision queues and adds a neat twist: instead of each player acting out their turn one after the other, everyone gets to play at the same time. The result? A strategy game in actual real-time as players move units around the map, exchanging actions in a chaotic flurry. It can be a little more luck based than we would like (since you don’t know what you’re opponents are going to do next, it’s often guess work alone), but the pace soon hooks you in.
Decision, one of two main modes in the game, forces you to make these decisions in 20 seconds or under for each turn (making every match hella fun and hyper intense), while Resolution slows things down into four phases as you plan out your moves and set traps as you attempt to win each 4v4 showdown.
Download here: Atlas Reactor
Today's best £50 Steam credit deals
- Every one of these titles is the perfect fit for a Microsoft Surface Book
You Need a Mac VPN
There's a dangerous belief out there that macOS is somehow immune to attacks, that Apple's computers need no antivirus, and that Macs are intrinsically protected against spies and hackers. While it's true that Windows machines see more attacks, perpetrators of mass surveillance and online data thieves aren't discerning. That's why virtual private networks, or VPNs, are so important, even for Mac users.
The problem isn't your Mac, per se. It's the fundamental structure of the internet. The first bricks of the web were laid by government and university academics who were interested in making information sharing faster and easier. Privacy and security were secondary concerns. Fast-forward a few decades into the future, and things are quite different.
Today, we use the web for far more than just trading academic papers. We transmit important documents filled with personal information; we file our taxes; we send money to our friends and request money from our enemies; we even exchange incriminating emails and compromising photos. And we do it all over a system that makes finding your location and intercepting your information very easy.
Editors' Note: IPVanish is owned by j2 Global, the parent company of PCMag's publisher, Ziff Davis.
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Who Wants Your Data?
In short, just about everyone wants your data. Your personal information is valuable to hackers because it can be sold and resold on Dark Web marketplaces. Scammers and other criminals can then buy that information in order to commit fraud, which is not something people usually enjoy having done in their name.
In a similar vein, advertisers are keen to get your information so that they can better target you with online advertisements. Special trackers note information about you when you visit a website. When you navigate to a website that hosts another tracker from the same ad company, your movements are correlated across the web.
Even internet service providers (ISPs) are starting to get in on the act, now that Congress has given them the go-ahead to sell anonymized metadata about user activity. The ISPs argue that if advertisers can get a cut of the sweet>
Stay Safe and Private on Your Mac
Apple has polished macOS to a shine, and the company has always paid careful attention to stability and security. But out on the web, anything goes. That's why you need a VPN to provide a critical layer of security and privacy. It's a simple but powerful tool, and you'll be grateful for taking better control of your online experience.
While you're thinking about privacy for your Mac, you should also consider security. If you're not protected yet, you ought to read our roundup of Mac antivirus software.
Best Mac VPN Services Featured in This Roundup:
NordVPN (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $11.95Pros: Largest collection of servers. Specialized servers. Six simultaneous connections. Well designed, consistent user interface. Ad blocking and web protection.
Cons: Expensive. Lackluster speed test scores.
Bottom Line: NordVPN provides Mac users excellent network security, impressive features, specialized servers, and the largest network of VPN servers on the market, making it one of the best VPNs for macOS.
Read ReviewPrivate Internet Access VPN (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $6.95Pros: Thousands of servers across dozens of locations. Good speed test scores. Excellent, advanced tools. No logging. Works with Netflix.
Cons: Minimal interface. No free version.
Bottom Line: The perfect choice for a security wonk, Private Internet Access is a no-frills macOS VPN with the most robust network we've yet seen, at a very reasonable price. Don't expect much hand-holding from the interface, however.
Read ReviewTunnelBear VPN (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $9.99Pros: The best overall speed test scores for macOS. Friendly, charming interface. Blocks ads. Excellent privacy policies. Unique features specifically for macOS. Plays nice with Netflix. Bears.
Cons: Few server locations. No P2P or BitTorrent allowed.
Bottom Line: TunnelBear has always offered a great experience and excellent protection with its VPN software, and it shines on macOS. With a robust network of servers, a killer interface, strong speed test scores, and unique features for macOS, it's an Editor's Choice.
Read ReviewPureVPN (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $10.95Pros: Excellent geographic diversity of servers. Specialized servers. Allows P2P and BitTorrent. Excellent privacy policy. Works with Netflix.
Cons: Few servers. IKEv2 and OpenVPN not supported in client. Unfriendly interface.
Bottom Line: PureVPN offers robust protection for your web data with an excellent collection of servers and strong privacy protections, but it isn't the fastest Mac VPN we've tested.
Read ReviewGolden Frog VyprVPN (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $12.95Pros: Robust features, including split tunneling. Supports multiple protocols. Allows P2P and Bittorrent. Direct control of servers. Geographically diverse server options. Some stand-out speed test scores.
Cons: Lacks ad-blocking. Small number of servers.
Bottom Line: Golden Frog VyprVPN not only provides the secure encryption of a virtual private network, but it also packs a host of advanced features into a slick macOS app.
Read ReviewTorGuard VPN (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $9.99Pros: Numerous advanced settings. Very robust network of some 3,000 servers. Five simultaneous connections.
Cons: Unfriendly interface. Does not automatically select best server. Fewer options than Windows version.
Bottom Line: TorGuard is meant to be the VPN for BitTorrent acolytes, and it delivers a raft of advanced features confident users will appreciate, but it's not for networking newbies.
Read ReviewKeepSolid VPN Unlimited (for Mac) Review
MSRP: $9.99Pros: Affordable, flexible pricing structure. Nifty Touch Bar integration. P2P and BitTorrent allowed. Supports OpenVPN. Specialized servers. Information-dense client.
Cons: Lackluster overall speed performance. App Store and downloadable versions offer different features. Small number of servers.
Bottom Line: KeepSolid VPN Unlimited is a solid service with unparalleled flexible pricing, and robust security technology, but its interface feels clunky for a Mac app, and its speed tests results were only fair.
Read Review