Free PS5 games: the 10 best titles to enjoy without breaking the bank

If you're looking to find the best free PS5 games available right now, you've come to the right place. With all sorts of experiences to jump into without spending a cent, there's no shortage of options to explore and try out. From some of the best shooters to the best online games, and much more.

With many available for both PS5 and PS5 Pro, Sony's console is home to an expansive library of games that's only growing thanks to a big lineup of new games on the way, which includes plenty of upcoming PS5 games. But there's happily some absolute gems out there already that you can play for free.

While some do include optionable purchasable in-game features, this list brings together a selection that don't require you to spend anything if you don't want to. So read on below as we take you through the 10 best free PS5 games available right now.

The best free PS5 games are...

10. Marvel Rivals

If you're looking for a team based PVP shooter that lets you cause web-slinging chaos as Spider-Man, or blast foes as Iron Man, then look no further. Marvel Rivals let you squad up as a roster of fan favorite superheroes and super villains, with everyone from Guardians of the Galaxy to the Avengers, and more.

As you battle it out across battlefields set across the Marvel universe, plenty of updates have refined the experience since launch, with new characters joining the roster and more fresh faces still to come in the future. With lots of different powers at play that can alter environments and give your team the upper-hand, Marvel Rivals is a great option to play with pals for free. For more, check out our initial Marvel Rivals review.

9. Astro's Playroom

We've already given you 7 reasons why Astro's Playroom should be the first thing you play on PS5 – one of which is the fact it comes pre-loaded and ready to go on Sony's latest console. That's especially pertinent given the purview of this list, and while it may present itself as a fancy tech demo, rest assured, Team Asobi's 3D platformer is so much more than meets the eye. For starters, it takes players on an Easter egg-packed tour of PlayStation's history, a journey which visits the actual components of the hardware.

Cooling Springs represents the console's fan system, for example, while Memory Meadow nods to its 16GB GDDR6 of RAM – all the while showing off the DualSense features of the control pad with aplomb. In doing all of that, expect a wonderfully-designed, gorgeous-looking platformer that's completely free-of-charge.

8. Destiny 2  

Although beginning life as a pay-to-play game, Destiny 2's New Light update of late 2019 introduced a free-to-play entry point for the space opera shooter. In essence, New Light delivers a tailor-made version of the full game that focuses on content released before Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, the major expansion paired with New Light.

It allows players to sample myriad Destiny 2 activities and destinations, and play with their friends, without spending a dime – on PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It also supports the new Destiny 2 cross save feature, so if you start playing on one platform and decide to move to another, you'll be able to bring all of your Guardians with you. Check out our Destiny 2: Final Shape review for more.

7. Rocket League  

The aforementioned cars meets soccer meets, um, cage fighting spectacle that has no business being as entertaining as it is. But Psyonix's long-standing sports-racer is tremendous fun – in one vs one bouts, four vs four encounters, and everything else in between.

Out on the pitch, speed-enhancing boosts help you scoot around at lightning speed, and a roguelike ability to double jump broadens your scope for creativity in defense and attack. Like real-world sport, and indeed virtual incarnations of real-world sport, tactics, and strategy are key, but that doesn't mean you can’t strive to smash up your opponent's cars at every turn. Popular tie-ins since the car-soccer sim's 2015 launch include the movie Back to the Future, wrestling giant WWE, and EDM artist Deadmau5. Find out more in our Rocket League review.

6. Apex Legends

If Titanfall 2 and Overwatch got together in the throes of a war-torn battle royale deathmatch, the outcome would look something like Apex Legends. Respawn's free-to-play FPS was a bit of a surprise hit when it landed in early 2019, and it's hardly looked back since, driven by its meticulous, razor-sharp shooting and head-spinning, breakneck speed.

Throw its innovative Ping system into the mix – a means of player communication via a host of commands and statements in lieu of voice or text chat – and you’ve got a real free-to-player winner in Apex Legends. Fortnite is rightly praised for its accessibility, but there's a strong argument to be made that Apex Legends is the most inviting free game you don't need money to buy. Learn more in our Apex Legends review.

5. Honkai Star Rail

If you're looking for a JRPG on PS5 to step into for free, Honkai Star Rail from HoYoverse is a great option. The space fantasy takes you on an intergalactic adventure that sees you hop from world to world aboard the Astral Express, where you'll encounter other characters, try to resolve conflicts, and more.

With different companions to choose from who will fight alongside you in turn-based combat, you'll be able to use the power of a Stellaron which implanted in your chest to follow the trail of mysteries dotted around the universe, with puzzles to solve along the way. To learn more, check out our Honkai Star Rail PS5 review.

4. Genshin Impact  

Another free-to-play game that landed with modest fanfare that has really taken off since launch is Genshin Impact. MiHoYo's sprawling open-world gacha JRPG arrived in late 2020 for PS4 and PC (making the jump to PS5 in April, 2021), and has since been treated to frequent updates and neat additions which have grown its world exponentially.

Story-wise, Genshin Impact covers a lot of familiar JRPG ground – after being separated from your family, you’re tasked with exploring the expansive setting of Teyvat, in order to find answers from the gods of elements known as The Seven. Classic stuff, really. In sort-of Suikoden-like style, you can also recruit a host of characters to help you on your merry way, each of who possesses a variety of different skills. With so much going on, you’d be forgiven for forgetting the fact Genshin Impact is free-to-play. Assuming you choose not to punt on its loot box-aping gacha features, it totally is.

3. Warframe 

If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a space ninja (which is, surely, every one of us), then Warframe is the game for you. With a mix of close-quarters melee, fast-action shooting, RPG and stealth elements, life as a Tenno warrior is never boring, especially when locking horns with the Orokin, a faceless army of robots sent to kill you by evil mega-corporation, the Corpus. Since its launch way back in 2013, Warframe has undergone several transformations to become the free-to-play giant it is today, with developer Digital Extremes rolling out extensive updates a few times a year. Despite making Xbox Series X players wait several months for a dedicated next-gen version of the game, Digital Extremes launched Warframe on PS5 at launch, and has since rolled out a number of quality of life updates designed to cut loading times and improve cross-play matchmaking.

Read our Warframe review here

2. PUBG Battlegrounds

A mostly unnecessary name change was quickly followed by a much-welcomed format change in the world of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, sorry, PUBG, sorry, PUBG Battlegrounds, recently. The battle royale that in 2017 inspired the subsequent influx of battle royale games; the game which breathed new life into the genre and helped spawn modern juggernauts such as Fortnite and Apex Legends, is now free-to-play itself. Which means there's no better time to storm Erangel and its other six sprawling murder playgrounds in your quest for those elusive chicken dinners.

1. Fortnite

Building upon the sound battle royale foundations laid by PUBG Battlegrounds (back when it was known simply as PUBG) in 2017, Fortnite Battle Royale – a spin-off itself of Fortnite Save the World – added a splash of on-the-fly construction to the 100-player, last-person-standing formula to great effect.

Instantly approachable but with real long-term depth, Fortnite has since taken the world by storm with its series of themed season and real-world crossovers – not least a remarkable, in-game live performance from American rapper Travis Scott in 2020 – wherein players can expect a different experience every time they parachute into the game's open-world island map. Cosmetics are now available to buy by the bucketload, but there is still plenty of fun to be had with Epic Games' battle royale juggernaut without spending a thing.

There's a host of free PS4 games to play, too, if you're after more recommendations.