Gaming is one of the major hobbies and one of the major ways to unwind for many people. This is a huge industry that looks for ways to keep people entertained and playing, consuming more and more gaming products. So, in this regard, the industry matches the request and gaming becomes a normal part of everyone’s lives.
However, as long as this is just entertainment, many players don’t want to spend much money on a game, especially if they play some kind of Candy Crush game type while commuting. This is ever fair considering that many games are no longer hidden behind paywall and publishers offer lots of games for free.
If you would like to play high-quality games for free or avoid the paywall as long as possible, this post is for you!
Ad-Based Video Games and Mobile Games: Completely Free!
Annoying but true – ad-based video games are at the top of the list of free gaming options. This is how it works.
The game publisher never charges fees from its players for playing the game, or at least there is such an option in the revenue model. Players get unlimited access to the game but in return, they have to watch ads that interrupt the game. The ads can be at the beginning of the session and in the middle of it, and the duration of the ad is pretty lengthy without the option of skipping it.
The point here is that while the player doesn’t pay for the game, the publisher still needs money to make the game and this is in the best player’s interests. So the publisher integrates ads in the gaming content and gets revenue from the company that orders the ads. So, it is the third party that pays for the publisher’s work while the player just enjoys the game and watches the ads from time to time.
Most of the time, especially if the game is good, ads are annoying because they interrupt the flow. As a result, players have to either tolerate them and help their favorite publisher receive paychecks from a third party, or they become willing to pay for the ad-free version. This way, the publisher also gets its money but the game is no longer for free.
Demo Mode Games: Play for Fun
Another option for free gaming is to play games in the free trial or demo mode.
Many subscription-based games offer free trial periods, especially if the game is something more than a casual mobile gaming app, or has a higher subscription fee. These days, players are no longer willing to pay upfront unless they are absolutely sure about the game’s quality and perks. Without a free trial option, most games just won’t get sold.
So, free trials are indeed a thing because players can get a feel of the game and decide whether they are even interested. As a rule, free trials expose all the qualities and features of the game (no feature gatekeeping) to entice the player to pay and get full access.
The disadvantage of the free trial gaming strategy is having time limits. Players can enjoy the game for several days, maybe a week or two, but then they have to choose whether they pay or leave. Yes, there is always an option to create a new account and start it all over but game publishers might choose to prevent such scenarios for more expensive games.
In this case, demo versions of games are a good choice. Not all game types have free demo versions with unlimited access though. If you are into entertaining and easy-to-play games, free slot games offered by no wagering casinos might be your best choice.
Demo mode (also called Fun mode or Practice mode) allows you to play games even without account registration. You can use all the game features and have unlimited access to them; the only disadvantage when it comes to online casino slots is that in demo mode, you can’t win any real money, even if you are lucky with the features and hit a jackpot. However, if you are here just for fun, you can play unlimited slots, blackjack games, roulette, and so on, anytime, anywhere, without even sharing your data with the platform.
Freemium Games: Choose Whether to Pay
The freemium games concept is something in between the two types described above. Freemium games can be casual mobile apps or something more complicated but the key point is that there is free content and paid content that coexist in the player’s experience.
These games can be played for free, sometimes with ads, sometimes not, but the access is unlimited most of the time. However, players are constantly offered extra perks like gems, weapons, magic tools (depending on the game theme), skills, appearance enhancements, and so on, for a small price. Some games take it further and offer to unlock additional levels or quests in the game for a one-time payment. In other words, there are plenty of options that a game might use to offer paid content based on its free content.
Freemium games are legit and many players enjoy them without paying, or almost without paying. It is up to the player eventually to decide whether they want any extra content on the game.
