Live Service Games or Games As a Service is a brand new business model for gaming. These
are the kind of games that are ‘alive’ and constantly add new content every season,
which includes Battle Passes, Cosmetics, Expansions and of course microtransactions. Controversial
as they are, these games have become the forefront of the gaming industry with their enjoyability
and massive stream of revenue.
1. Fortnite: Battle Royale The perfect start to this somewhat controversial
model in gaming. Epic’s sudden shift from quirky tower defense game to the pop culture
battle royale phenomenon that we now know was impressive.
Drop down that battle bus and dominate the cartoonish battlefield with your squad of
three. Fortnite: Battle Royale was the game that signalled a new age for young gamers
to participate in this non-brutal battle to the death. Packed with an almost endless amount
of content every month, unlock new skins and discover the perplexing mysteries in its crazy
world. A playscore of 8.35 on the PS4 and followed by the rest of these consoles.
2. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege Tactical first person shooter is Siege’s
strongest feature. Most FPS titles rely on fast-paced moment to moment action with no
room for breathing. In R6: Siege, taking time and planning ahead is a key strategy to win
the game.
Grounded on actual CTUs, realism is the main priority in this live-service game from Ubisoft.
Gather your squad of 5 and select from over 50 unique operators that can turn the tide
of every encounter. Each update adds a new Operation to the game, shifting the meta and
bringing along new Operators with game-changing abilities. A playscore of 8.24 on the PC and
the rest follows.
3. Warframe Digital Extreme’s long-running free-to-play
co-op game has come a long way. It’s currently one of Steam’s most-played titles and the
numbers grow by the day.
Space Ninjas is the easiest way to sum up Warframe. Create your own elite task force
of ancient warriors known as Warframes. Select a Frame, customize it to your heart’s content
and enter a galaxy full of explorable planets and loot to collect.
Over the years, the developers constantly add new gameplay features aside from the usual
grinding and looting. The addition of new Warframes and a few story tidbits keep the
lore interesting and alive. A playscore of 8.30 on the PC and here are the rest.
4. Destiny 2 Free from the shackles of Activision, Bungie’s
award-winning sci-fi MMOFPS makes its way to Steam, PS4 and Xbox One as a FREE game.
A sequel to Bungie’s first original IP after Halo, travel to distant planets and create
your own character and choose from 3 unique classes. Each offer distinct abilities that
can help you and your buddies in its multiplayer or single-player modes.
Bungie isn’t stopping with its limitless amount of content, although they did take
a dip in quality recently. Nonetheless, each expansion brings a whole new flavor to the
raids. Especially with its additional story mode and powerful gear to unlock. The PlayStation
4 version receives a playscore of 8.85 while the rest follow.
5. Path Of Exile Blizzard’s days when it comes to their dungeon-crawling
icon, Diablo, has reached a standstill. First released on the PC last 2013, it took a while
for Path of Exile to make a name for itself as the ‘Diablo killer’, and now it’s
2020, it has proven itself with its massive playerbase and expansive new content drops.
Grinding Gear Games expanded on the isometric dungeon crawling with online activities that
Diablo III didn’t deliver during their launch. It's still going strong today as a free to
play title that's also free from the hassle of paywalls. A little daunting for beginners,
there's no reason NOT to check it out, with an impressive score of 8.14 on the PC.
6. Paladins Hi-Rez’s very own take on the hero-shooter
genre sparked a few controversies during its launch, but over the years it gained its own
identity with more heroes and diverse multiplayer modes to choose from.
At launch, Paladins wasn’t free-to-play and it took them almost a year to change their
business model. Now a Live Service game, Paladins continue to add new features to the game including
a new champion every now and then and some sweet lore.
Paladins isn’t Overwatch, it’s its own kind of fun with a complex deck-building system.
It receives a playscore of 8.03 on the PC and PS4 and 7.25 on the Xbox One.
7. Smite Also from Hi-Rez, witness the clash of the
gods in this MOBA game of epic proportions. The game boasts over 80 deities, figures,
and mythological creatures from the world's many lores and religions...along with a few
questionable additions.
Whether it is Zeus, Thor, Anubis, or even the newly added Mulan, you're bound to find
a god or warrior for you. Whatever game mode you choose, it's always a fight for praise
and eternal glory. Smite is still in its active phase, bringing in a new God in every season.
A playscore of 8.18 on the PS4 and here are the rest from other consoles.
8. Dota 2 Valve knows how to keep pumping the good stuff.
Making its humble beginnings as a WarCraft mod, it was a game that single handedly started
the MOBA genre. Valve redeveloped a sequel with overhauled graphics, improved UI, and
remodeled heroes.
Despite its vibrant looks, It boasts one of the steepest learning curves. With hundreds
of heroes(and counting), and deep mechanics, there’s a lot of things you won’t learn
on your first days, weeks, and even years. Its live-service approach come from its constant
meta changes and patches, every new update shifts the way heroes play. It’s currently
the #1 eSport of this generation with massive prize pools reaching millions and millions
of dollars. It has a playscore of 8.63
9. Counter Strike: Global Offensive Another title from Valve. Counter Strike:
Source gave birth to a number of shooters from their very own Source engine. Now, Global
Offensive was built on the strong foundations of the already established franchise, and
slapping it on with updated visuals, improved multiplayers, and a few new modes. Not to
mention it recently turned free-to-play for all players.
It provides an intense, skill-based system that even today, it still has an active community
and a strong eSports scene. Its latest content, Shattered Web, brings in new equippable agents
and a revamped battle pass system.
While its punishing learning curve might be too much for newcomers, the grind is always
worth it, it has a playscore of 8.46 on the PC.
10. Call Of Duty: Warzone The latest shooter in the market. Activision
brings in the big guns with their very own standalone battle royale game… for free.
Survive a harsh yet massive battlefield with up to 150 other players that might be insanely
good or monumentally bad. As of the moment the game has two modes that are as good as
the other. Go Battle Royale and be the last man standing, or Plunder as you go on a race
against time to deliver a bag of moolah.
As a live-service title, it’s still in its fresh start, so expect a few improvements
coming along the way with more game modes. cosmetics and maps. If you can get past its
massive 80-100gb game size, you’ll be ok. A playscore of 8.32 on the PS4, 7.08 on the
Xbox One and as for PC, no playscore yet. Although you could help it by giving it a
review on our website!
11. Apex Legends Titanfall spin-off takes you to a sadistic
arena with a ragtag group of characters.
Gather your squad of three, select your champion and begin the hunt. It shares the same hero-based
strategy from Blizzard’s Overwatch, but the action is quicker as time pushes everyone
to keep moving forward.
As far as Battle Royales go, become the last squad standing in an arena
of 60 people. Whether you want to take it slow, or aggressively, the choice is up to
you. EA’s continuous support for this game brings in more content every month. Its latest
hero, Revenant, adds a harrowing presence to the arena. A playscore of 8.44 on the PlayStation
4.
12. Hearthstone: Heroes Of Warcraft Whether you like it or not, it’s the leading
CG in the gaming sphere. Not even Blizzard’s controversial debacle could stop this strategy
game from dying.
Over its 6-year run, the game still plays the same. Control a deck and choose among
the 9 iconic classes and characters from the Warcraft universe. Each has their own unique
abilities that shape the battlefield, and it’s up to you to outsmart your opponent
.
Maximize your turn by dealing the most efficient damage to your enemy and watch them concede
when you play your cards well. With expansions and balance changes coming in every season,
it’s a good game for a casually fun card-battling experience. A playscore of 8.41 on the Android.
13. Fallout: Shelter Looks like Bethesda’s Fallout spin-off made
it to the list, and others might not be too happy about this. A quirky social commentary
about the effects of nuclear war, become the overseer and build your own underground Fallout
bunker.
Rebuild civilization the bowels of the earth. Repopulate your citizens and create a thriving
community capable of sustaining their day to day activities, except for any incoming
Raider or Deathclaw attack.
The main Fallout titles may have suffered a literal fallout in quality, but this casual
simulation offers fresh content every month. It’s currently free on the PC, Android and
the iOS and it receives a playscore of 7.98, 8.51 and 8.17 respectively.
14. Rocket League Hear the roaring engines of indestructible
cars. Rocket League is a sports game that mixes over-the-top physics and a fun multiplayer
experience for all ages.
The goal (pun intended) of the game is simple. Use your rocket-powered vehicle to control
one giant ball, race across the pitch and score a goal. It’s literally soccer with
a big hauling metal twist.
It has become a notable inclusion to the eSports scene and to this day, developer Psyonix continues
to support the game with Rocket Passes, competitive seasons and a bigger eSport tournament in
the future. It has a playscore of 8.84 on the PS4 and here are for the other consoles.
15. Overwatch Blizzard hit the jackpot when their team-based
hero-shooter dominated the market when it released. Overwatch, to this day, is still
alive and kicking, although their numbers aren’t quite record-breaking as it was before.
Blizzard is currently focusing on their hero-based composition up until now, over the years its
live service feature has presented new gameplay changes into the mix including their latest
role-lock and the upcoming new DPS hero, Echo.
Of course, these are all but preparations for their most anticipated sequel, Overwatch
2, on which the details are still a mystery as of the moment. It receives a playscore
of 8.62 on the PS4, 8.57 on the PC and 8.07 on the Xbox One.
Honorable Mentions PLAYERUNKNOWN’s BATTLEGROUNDS. When Fortnite
is too cartoony, there’s always Bluehole’s realistic Battle Royale. Be the last man standing
in a battlefield of 100 players and get that chicken dinner. Its recent updates range from
weapon balance and bug fixes.
League Of Legends. Riot Game’s very own MOBA is something, but its parade of abysmal
reviews turned this game’s playscore upside down. Nonetheless, it’s still hailed as
one of the most played game in the world, despite its… community.
GWENT: The Witcher Card Game. It couldn’t really compete with the big CGs just yet,
but CD Projekt Red’s standalone version of Witcher III’s Gwent is shaping up to
be a strong competitive card game in the eSports scene. CDPR constantly adds new cards to its
expansions every season.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Square Enix’s prodigal son returns and its massive
overhaul gave birth to a rising number of new players. This MMORPG takes you to the
world of Final Fantasy oozing with spellbinding magic and adorable chocobos. Its latest expansion,
Shadowbringers, changes everything we know about XIV.
World Of Warships. Wargaming’s free-to-play battleship game is still racking up a strong
playerbase. Navigate the high seas with your team of explorers and battle it out with destroyers,
cruisers, and battleships. It’s a high-stakes all-out war, complete with history's iconic
vessels from around
the globe.