Whilst gaming culture can often make playing games seem like an expensive hobby, it really isn’t.
I mean, my main “gaming rig” these days is an second-hand small form-factor computer (with decade-old integrated graphics). Plus I also, on principle, also avoid buying and playing games with any kind of online DRM too (I sometimes make an exception for browser games, but won’t include any in this article). Yet, as regular readers of this site know, I still play and talk about games a lot on here these days. Even so, I mostly focus on “low-budget” gaming here.
However, having been through times when I had an even older computer and/or hardly any money for games, I thought that I’d take a look at the topic of “zero-budget” PC gaming today. Games that cost nothing, will run on almost anything and – most importantly – are also genuinely good games as well.
Yes, you’ll need an internet connection to download these games (although, if you’re reading this website…), but the download sizes of each game are relatively small (under 200mb) and all of these can be played completely “offline” too. These games have no micro-transactions either. Whilst I’ll be focusing on Windows here, since this is what I use, most (but not all) of these games have Linux and/or Mac versions as well.
For the sake of variety and brevity, I’ll be looking at five different genres and only focusing on one game in each. Whilst all of these games have run safely on my computer, it’s probably worth checking some of them over with a reputable free anti-virus (I used the free version of AVG) just to be sure.
[Edit: I should probably add a FLICKER WARNING to the “Freedoom” games. When re-playing “Freedoom: Phase 2” in the days after writing the first draft of this article, I noticed some rapidly-flickering background details in at least one or two levels (such as some ceiling/floor panels in level 24).]
1) FPS – “Freedoom Phases 1& 2” (2001-19): Although the programming code behind the classic 1993 shooter game “Doom” and its 1994 sequel “Doom II” is open-source, everything else about these games (eg: graphics, sound, levels etc…) is still copyrighted/commercial.
And, because of this, “Freedoom” was born!
This is a fan project which has created all-new graphics, sounds, levels etc.. in order to allow for a completely legal free alternative to these two games.
In order to play it, you’ll need to download a “source port” – either “GZ Doom” (for mildly modern hardware) or “Crispy Doom” (for seriously low-end hardware). Then just copy the “freedoom1.wad” and/or “freedoom2.wad” files into the same folder as your source port and start it up.
This is a screenshot from “Freedoom: Phase 2” (2001-19), running on GZ Doom. Each “phase” is inspired by one of the first two “Doom” games. And, for a completely free FPS game, this one is superb!
As for the “Freedoom” games, they play a lot like the classic “Doom” games – fast-paced combat, pixel art, non-linear levels etc… – and the new levels are reasonably good too. The new graphics have slightly more of a “sci-fi” look to them but they still keep a lot of the edgy 1990s atmosphere of the orginals.
Plus, when I loaded “Freedoom” up to test it out again before writing this article, I ended up playing something like three and a half levels of “Freedoom: Phase 2” (2001-19) when I’d only planned to maybe play five minutes of it to get screenshots. So, yes, it’s a very compelling and fun game 🙂
2) 2D Platformer – “SuperTux” (2004-21): Whilst “SuperTux” – a free “Super Mario World”-inspired game featuring the Linux mascot, Tux – was primarily designed for Linux, there are also ports for Windows and MacOs as well.
This was a game which I first stumbled across by accident in about 2006/7 and had a lot of fun with back then. Interestingly, it has received updates as recently as 2021 and – playing the latest Windows version – I noticed a few new things, like a cool “melting” animation/sound effect for some defeated snow monsters.
This is a screenshot from the Windows port of “SuperTux” (v 0.63) (2021). Not only is the artwork reasonably good – and, yes, classic PC platformer fans might recognise a certain fish here – but the gameplay itself is really solid too. If you played the classic “Mario” games when you were growing up, you’ll be at home here.
Still, the gameplay is as fun as ever. Imagine one of the old “Super Mario” games but with a more Christmassy kind of atmosphere and, in later levels, more of an emphasis on tough puzzle-platforming.
The 2D art is adorable, there’s a bit of a difficulty curve (the earlier parts are easier, but it can get fairly tough in the forest-themed levels) and the levels are reasonably well-designed too. Again, this was a game I’d just planned to play for five minutes to get screenshots but ended up playing at least five levels.
3) Survival horror – “The Devil” (2020): One of the cool things about the modern day is that classic 1990s-style survival horror games have had a bit of an indie renaissance 🙂 And, if you want a completely free zero-budget example of this, then it is well worth checking out Cathroon’s “The Devil” (2020).
This is a screenshot from “The Devil” (2020). It’s inspired by the original “Silent Hill” but is set in a large maze-like concrete tower in a dystopian future. It’s a short game (1-2 hours) but is very atmospheric, creepy and genuinely nerve-wracking in parts. It also has a subtle, grainy “static” animation overlaid over the game too (I found it atmospheric, but some might find it annoying).
Yes, it has unusual keyboard controls (read the website), the MacOS version apparently doesn’t work on some versions of the OS and, if you load the game in Windows 10, you’ll get an “unrecognised app” warning message (scan it with an anti-virus before playing just to be safe, like I did). Still, once you get past this, it’s a reasonably solid – if somewhat short – free survival horror game.
Featuring retro PS1-style graphics, excellent pacing and an interesting two-part structure, this game is a bit different to the classics. Not only does it have a very distinctive atmosphere, but it also contains a brilliant mixture of slow-paced ominous atmosphere and frantic “run for your life!” gameplay as well. It’s a homage to games like “Silent Hill” (1999) whilst also very much being its own thing at the same time.
4) Arcade/Puzzle – “Techlogica TechTris” (2006): Before I go any further, a few warnings with this one. Although the game will run on Windows 10, it contains a warning message pointing out that it was designed for Windows XP.
Likewise, when you start the game up for the very first time, it will ask for optional donations. Even if you click “don’t show this message again”, it might take you to what… used… to be the Techlogica website. However, in the years since 2006, the domain has lapsed and – as of late November 2022 – it appears to currently be used by a shopping or web-hosting site of some kind (I don’t speak the language it is in, so I can’t be certain here).
This is a screenshot from “Techlogica TechTris” (2006), a freeware “Tetris” clone. The window size is tiny, and the bottom part of the screenshot got clipped off for some reason, but the gameplay itself is still really enjoyable though.
Anyway, this freeware “Tetris”-clone was something I first stumbled across in about 2007/8. As you might imagine, it plays a lot like “Tetris” – where you have to move falling blocks to fill up lines which disappear. The download is also less than a megabyte in size (for anyone still using 56k or slower broadband).
It has a cool “galactic” background and reasonably fast, responsive gameplay. There’s no in-game music and the window size is fairly small, but the actual gameplay itself is very solid. And, yes, I spent a few more minutes playing it than I had expected to.
5) “Point And Click” – “Beneath A Steel Sky” (1994): This game’s freeware status is complicated. Although the iPad/iPhone ports are commercial software, the PC version is free – albeit seemingly only distributed through two major game sites these days. This means you’ll have to create a free log-in/account to download it.
Personally, I’d recommend getting the version of the game on GOG, since it contains no online DRM. You can just download it, install it and – if you want to- never log into the website ever again (although there are some other interesting free games on GOG too). However, for those who don’t mind “Sign-in to play this single-player game” type DRM, it’s also on *ugh* Steam as well.
This is a screenshot from “Beneath A Steel Sky” (1994), a classic dystopian sci-fi “point and click” game with a brilliantly cynical sense of humour 🙂 And, yes, if you grew up in 1960s-2000s Britain then this style of dilapidated concrete architecture will probably be wonderfully nostalgic too 🙂
As for the game itself, it has been almost a decade since I last played it, but its very memorable. Whilst the puzzles can involve pixel-hunting and annoying stuff like that, this is a game which is well worth playing for its amazing pixel art, memorable soundtrack and hilarious “cynical 1990s Britain” writing. It’s a funny, quirky and mildly edgy dystopian sci-fi adventure game with a lot of personality.
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Anyway, I hope that this was useful 🙂
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