Game On: Is 2024 the year for free-to-play cross platform games?

Players are spoilt for choice with games like XDefiant, Multiversus, and The First Descendant

When it comes to games, 2024 has been a bit lacklustre. Over the last few months, the excitement generated by early releases like The Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Palworld has failed to sustain. Meanwhile, the momentum of anticipated titles such as Helldivers 2,Tales of Kenzara: Zau, and Stellar Blade has been inhibited by unnecessary controversy. Amidst all this chaos, a few games have stood out, and the ones I have returned to have mostly been free-to-play (F2P) games.

The number of high-quality F2P games to choose from has been unexpected, and if I’m honest, I’ve been struggling to review all of them for Game On. Most of these games are cross-platform, which means they can be enjoyed on a variety of devices and are ideal for both marathon gaming sessions and quick play windows. Thus, this week’s column will identify four games that stood out:

The Finals: The Finals is technically not a 2024 game, as it launched in the first week of December 2023. However, considering most of us likely only got to the game by early 2024, it seems prudent to add the F2P FPS from Embark to the list.

A very popular game that claims to be both a multiplayer experience and a combat-centered game show, The Finals offers a variety of arenas for your team, featuring destructive environments that you can exploit to your advantage as you play and master the game’s mechanics. With escalating tiers and the possibility to develop unique playstyles, there is a lot to learn and grind for, beyond the fame the game promises.

Multiversus: This one from Warner Bros is a bit crazy, offering a unique combination of characters from across various universes for epic showdown battles. Your choices are nearly unlimited, as you can pick heroes from DC like Superman and Wonder Woman, to pair them up with either characters from like Bugs Bunny and Marvin the Martian (from Looney Tunes), or if that weren’t enough, the game also features Arya Stark from Game of Thrones and Shaggy and Velma from Scooby-Doo.

It might take you a long time to learn what each character brings to the table, as well as their unique moves. As it enters season 2, this is one multiverse that deserves some of your time.

XDefiant: The second FPS multiplayer on this list, XDefiant from Ubisoft, is a solid experience that combines elements from arcade games with shooter action while offering players some of the signature locations from Ubisoft games as maps to play in. Most avid players have been quite appreciative of how balanced the guns are, and I found that there is ample room for mastery when it comes to guns, especially regarding recoil patterns.

Fans of Ubisoft games will also find room for nostalgia, as player classes are based on popular franchises like Division, Watch Dogs, Splinter Cell, and Ghost Recon.

The First Descendant: The last game on this list is an MMORPG looter shooter from Korean game maker Nexon. The First Descendant has received numerous updates since launch to keep players both engaged and on their toes. Just last week, it received a large 1.05 update that offered two new characters, a boss fight, and new gear.

The large update was soon followed by an update/hotfix 1.06 to balance things out, highlighting how receptive the game makers are to player feedback. With solid fundamentals and an enthusiastic team of developers, there is a lot to like here. Given the recent issues at Bungie and with Destiny 2, The First Descendant could soon become the looter-shooter that many of us turn to. If shooting for looting is your style, this could be a game to consider.

As we look forward to newer f2p experiences like this month’s Smite 2 joining the fray, the competition in this space is only going to get fiercer. I might need an entirely new category for the best games at the end of the year.