The best free FPS games you can play right now | Digital Trends
A few years ago, it was hard to find any decent free-to-play games that weren’t MMORPGs, and good free first-person shooter (FPS) games were almost non-existent. The few that were around usually came from less-than-reputable sources and usually experienced a host of bugs and connectivity issues.
With battle royale games offering a boon to the free-to-play model, though, AAA studios have started releasing high-quality, free FPS games. Games like Warframe paved the way for Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0.
Now, players have almost too many options when it comes to the best free FPS games, with options on Android and iOS as well as Xbox, PC, and PlayStation consoles. We’ve rounded up the best free FPS games so you don’t have to weed through all the options. Each one of these games can be found in the game store of your choice on any of the listed platforms.
Halo Infinite
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Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter
Developer
343 Industries
Publisher
Xbox Game Studios
Release
November 15, 2021
The original console arena shooter is back with Halo Infinite , only now the entire multiplayer suite is completely free to play for anyone on Xbox or PC. While it launched a little light on content, and with a frustrating progression model, the team at 343 has been working on adding more maps, modes, and smoothing out their battle pass to keep players engaged. At its core, though, Halo Infinite‘s gameplay is rock solid. The guns feel satisfying to use, movement feels fluid, and everything has a nice, punchy sound to it. The Halo franchise has always offered a refreshing alternative to the loadout style, twitchy realistic shooters where encounters last fractions of a second at times. The longer engagements in Halo make every kill more satisfying while allowing skilled players to have a chance, even if their opponent gets the drop on them.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0
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Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Tactical
Developer
Infinity Ward
Publisher
Activision
Release
November 14, 2022
While Warzone 2.0 may not be a massive improvement from the first entry, it’s Call of Duty battle royale and its best. Jump down into the chaos solo or with friends, make sure you have the right loadout to survive, and make it to the end of the match as the last player standing.
Splitgate
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Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter
Developer
1047 Games
Publisher
1047 Games
Release
May 22, 2019
Splitgate advertises itself as “Halo meets Portal,” and that’s easily the best way to describe the game. This is a fast-paced, arena-based shooter where you and everyone else can create portals to flank, reposition, and zip around the map. That concept alone would make this game worth a look, but once you actually feel how good this game is to play, you’ll stick around for match after match. However, you do still need to be smart . Portals can only be placed on specific surfaces, so you can’t spam them anywhere to get yourself out of a bad situation. While most shooter experiences will live or die based on how fast you can nail a headshot, Splitgate evens the playing field a bit with the portal mechanic. Positioning is always a key factor in FPS games, but this new level of dimension and strategy that portals bring to the genre makes tactics even more important than quick reflexes. If you’re smart enough, you can get the drop on your enemy, mow them down, and escape back to safety when a direct engagement would’ve ended with you biting the dust. The weapons are satisfying, movement tight, aiming precise, and it all just feels so fair. Even when you get blindsided, you’ll be inspired to use portals in a new way on your next try.
Apex Legends
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Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Shooter
Developer
Respawn Entertainment
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Release
February 04, 2019
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0. The only difference is that you can play as one of 13 legends, each with
It has been quite a few years since Respawn Entertainment launched the excellent Titanfall 2, a full-priced multiplayer shooter that mixed brilliant on-foot gunplay with hulking, walking tanks that delivered deadly firepower. Rather than create a full sequel, the studio instead developed the free-to-play Apex Legends , a battle royale game cut from the same cloth as. The only difference is that you can play as one of 13 legends, each with its own unique abilities . Set on an enormous map littered with squads of two or three, Apex Legends feels like a battle royale game made for people who don’t typically enjoy the genre. There is still a circle that closes in on your position, but if you don’t like where you spawned, you can find a device that flings you back into the air. If you happen to get killed early on, your teammates still have a chance to recover your “banner” and revive you at a special medical station. These tweaks are placed on top of a gorgeous and varied map, and Respawn’s signature snappy weapon controls are back in full force. It isn’t Titanfall 3, but it’s still great. In fact, Apex Legends attracted more than 50 million players in its first month and is one of the best PS4 shooter games you’ll find.
Overwatch 2
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Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Strategy
Developer
Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher
Blizzard Entertainment
Release
October 04, 2022
While the original game would’ve fit perfectly on this list if it had been free to play, we can thankfully add the sequel, Overwatch 2, since it has adopted the free model. This hero shooter is everything you loved about the first game, if you played that, including every single existing hero and map, only with even more content. There are new modes, heroes, map variants, and an entire roadmap of content coming. The hero shooter the series pioneered was never really topped by any other game, and at this point, it essentially stands alone as the best, most addictive game in its own specific genre. With heroes of so many types and with fun and creative abilities, this is a game FPS players of any skill level can jump into and have a good time, from newcomers with not-so-great aim to the most hardcore snipers.
PUBG Mobile
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Platforms
Android, iOS
Genre
Shooter, Strategy
Developer
PUBG Corp
Publisher
Tencent Games
Release
March 19, 2018
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds first amassed a huge following on PC, and later on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. However, the free-to-play PUBG Mobile offers a great alternative version for anyone itching to get their battle royale fix on the go. The game uses a combination of virtual buttons and sticks to create a shooting experience much better than it has any right to be, and with optional motion controls, you can even fine-tune your shot to take out the most distant targets with a sniper rifle. As with its big siblings, PUBG Mobile supports duo and team-based matches, and built-in voice chat allows you to coordinate with your teammates before you approach a new area. You can actually play PUBG Mobile in either first-person or third-person perspectives, and you don’t even have to have a mobile device to get in on the action. Publisher Tencent developed its own emulation tool so you can play the game from your PC with a mouse and keyboard setup. It won’t have the same fidelity as the full PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, but it’s completely free to play and just as addicting. Tencent also recently extended the reach of its PUBG Lite release to almost anywhere other than North America. Initially restricted to Thailand, this free alternative to the original PC release also relaxes the more taxing system requirements, making it easier on older systems. If you had to settle for the mobile version because of an aging machine, PUBG Lite might be what you’re looking for. Likewise, there’s PUBG Mobile Lite if a 2014 handset is your only option.
Valorant
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Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter, Tactical
Developer
Riot Games
Publisher
Riot Games
Release
June 02, 2020
Riot Games is no stranger to the free-to-play genre, focusing most of its history on League of Legends before moving on to a slew of mobile games. Valorant is its latest attempt, and although it keeps the MOBA roots of the studio, it adds first-person action into the mix. The hybrid MOBA-FPS is just getting started, with its second competitive season launching just days ago, bringing a deathmatch mode and more to the game. Valorant shares more with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Overwatch than it does with Apex Legends or PUBG. The main game mode is a variation of search and destroy, where one team’s goal is to plant a bomb, with the other team’s goal being to defuse it. Rounds go by in a matter of minutes, and you’ll play through multiple rounds before the match ends. Valorant’s hero-based gameplay makes each round interesting, as you unleash unique abilities to help you claim victory. Valorant doesn’t present too many new ideas, but it’s still an excellent free-to-play FPS outside of the battle royale genre.
Deceit
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter, Tactical, Indie
Developer
Automaton, World Makers
Publisher
Automaton, World Makers
Release
March 03, 2017
Unlike most other games on this list, Deceit is more of a horror- or thriller-style game than others that focus on quick aiming and fast reaction speeds. Think of it as the FPS version of Among Us, only this game came out long before that phenomenon took the internet by storm. The basic setup is that you join a group where about one-third of the players are randomly assigned to be infected with a special virus that allows them to transform into monsters to pick off the humans. But there’s more to it than just sneaking around and waiting for the right time to strike. Rounds are broken up by blackouts where the infected have an opportunity to transform and attack without being seen. Normal players need to complete objectives in order to unlock the next area of the map before a timer runs out or everyone will die. These tasks often require multiple people to complete, so the infected have to earn the trust of the survivors while also slipping away to consume blood packs on the map to power up their monster forms. If someone is suspected of being a monster and shot enough to go down, the rest of the team needs to vote on whether or not to fully kill them by attacking them or letting them get back up.
Quake Champions
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Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter
Developer
id Software
Publisher
Bethesda Softworks
Release
August 22, 2017
Id Software is the king of first-person shooters, playing a pivotal role in their development in the ’90s. Few games were more influential during that time than Quake. The lightning-fast shooter put reflexes and skill above all else, becoming a popular early e-sport and spawning several sequels. With Quake Champions, which went free-to-play in August 2018, Id delivers classic Quake action at a speed you can only get on PC — unlike most of the studio’s recent work, it isn’t available on consoles. You’ll need a capable system to run it too, with Id Software recommending at least 16GB of RAM and an AMD R9 290 GPU. You can spend the money to upgrade your computer with the cash you didn’t have to spend on the game! Quake Champions features a variety of different game modes, including traditional deathmatch and both 1v1 and 2v2 duels, and it includes a mix of classic and new weapons. If you’re a fan of Id’s other games, you can even play as the Doom series’ Doomslayer and the Wolfenstein series’ B.J. Blazkowicz. Quake Champions is a niche game, though, so you may have to queue for a few minutes before finding a match.
Paladins
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Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Shooter, Strategy
Developer
Hi-Rez Studios, Evil Mojo Games
Publisher
Hi-Rez Studios
Release
May 02, 2017
Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 remains the king of the “hero shooter” multiplayer genre, but Hi-Rez Studios’ Paladins: Champions of the Realm is a great alternative for those who don’t want to sink $40 before they’ve even begun playing. Much like in Overwatch, you select from dozens of different characters spread across multiple classes such as damage, flanker, support, and front line, each offering a different style of play that can help your team to victory. The tree-like Grover, for instance, can deal out heavy damage with his ax while also healing nearby allies, and the crafty Pip makes use of explosive potions to catch enemies off-guard. Unlike the set classes and abilities offered in Overwatch, Paladins allows you to customize your heroes using a deck-building system. There are also pre-built deck loadouts for those looking to jump into a match with a solid chance of contributing, and with three different modes – Siege, Onslaught, and Team Deathmatch — you’ll have plenty of opportunities to try the abilities out.
Team Fortress 2
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Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac
Genre
Shooter
Developer
Valve Corporation
Publisher
Electronic Arts, Valve Corporation
Release
October 09, 2007
Boasting beautifully rendered graphics and a well-balanced class system, the lauded Team Fortress 2 still appeals to casual gamers and pros alike, garnering what is one of the largest player bases on Steam more than seven years after its initial debut. The game is a steadfast hybrid of fast-paced combat and intense strategy in which every one of the game’s nine classes exhibits its own powerful strengths and crippling weaknesses. Game modes are straightforward, primarily pitting two teams against one another in an effort to move a cart, capture select points, or steal a briefcase. It’s highly competitive in nature, but it still caters to all skill levels. Like most multiplayer titles, it’s about exploiting the Achilles heel of your enemies while protecting your own, but it relishes a stylized brand of humor that has become iconic for the Team Fortress brand. Few games have held up as well over the years, and to be honest, few probably will.
Crossfire
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter, Tactical
Developer
Smilegate
Publisher
Neowiz Games
Release
May 03, 2007
If you were just getting into PC gaming proper in the mid-’00s, you probably came across Crossfire in some form. With all sorts of foreign games making it over from places like Japan and Korea at the time, it stood out among the proverbial tidal wave of the F2P boom. Crossfire was Korea’s answer to Counter-Strike, so much so that it was once one of the biggest games in the world with around 660 million players. It’s not a well-known title in the west these days, but Remedy Entertainment’s involvement in the upcoming CrossFire X is set to change that. But if you’d rather not wait until later this year to see what CrossFire is all about, you only need to turn to CrossFire West — the official name of the newly merged EU/US versions of the game. CrossFire West has all the hallmarks of a Counter-Strike clone. It’s not the best-looking tactical shooter on the market by today’s standards, but its many years of service means over 30 modes are available to play. It’s Black List versus Global Risk for the most part, but things like Horror Hide and Mutant Escape modes mix things up a bit from time to time. There’s even a class-based zombie mode if you’re itching to blast away the undead. Of course, the focus on skins and monetization means this one military-class FPS is now home to its fair share of fashionistas.
Black Squad
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter
Developer
NS Studio
Publisher
Neowiz Games
Release
July 28, 2017
Sometimes, you just want to get down to the nitty-gritty fundamentals of first-person shooters: The shooting. With Black Squad, NS Studio has created a relentlessly twitchy and precise multiplayer experience that should feel right at home for fans of earlier Call of Duty titles and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The game offers enough variety for players of all styles and abilities to feel like they’re making progress and contributing to their team. Getting a kill results in a gloriously over-the-top sound effect and a hefty splatter of blood on nearby walls, so there will never be any doubt whether your target is down. Black Squad promises absolutely zero “pay to win” mechanics, with no gameplay-focused microtransactions available. Instead, you can earn everything through in-game currency or spend extra cash to buy certain cosmetic items, such as weapon skins, before other players. With only 4GB of recommended RAM and a minimum spec that calls for the aging GTX 560 GPU, you’ll be able to run the game on all but the very oldest machines.
Warface
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Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Shooter, Simulator, Strategy, Adventure
Developer
Crytek Kiev, Allods Team
Publisher
Tencent Holdings Ltd, Trion Worlds, Microsoft Studios, My.com
Release
October 21, 2013
Crytek has been developing first-person shooters for nearly two decades, and the company’s experience has shown with polished and flashy games that feel just as good on console as they do on PC. The free-to-play Warface is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and, more recently, even the versatile Nintendo Switch. Its class-based approach forces teams to work together. Engineers, for instance, are capable of repairing their teammates’ armor, while Medics can heal and dish out heavy damage with a shotgun from close range. Most free-to-play first-person shooters focus exclusively on competitive multiplayer, but Warface also features a cooperative mode that rewards you for completing missions and playing well as a team. This mode has a tutorial for newer players to learn the classes. If you do decide to face off against other players online, you’ll be able to do so in traditional kill-based and objective-based modes, and a battle royale mode was added in an update in late 2017. Powered by Crytek’s CryEngine, it’s one of the most attractive free-to-play games around, yet its recommended PC specifications are modest.
The Cycle: Frontier
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter
Developer
Yager Development
Publisher
Yager Development
If you’re looking for something fundamentally different from most other free FPS games out there, The Cycle: Frontier might be worth checking out. It’s a hardcore shooter developed and published by Rogue Planet Games. The Cycle: Frontier is a unique quest-based PvPvE multiplayer shooter. You drop into a match and aim to complete more quests than the other players before the planet, its alien inhabitants, or said other players kill you first. You can sabotage the efforts of other players by doing things like hijacking their automated tools while they’re away or working together by signaling a team-up or rescuing them from danger just to stab them in the back later on. The Cycle: Frontier is still very much in development. It only entered the F2P space proper in September 2019. It’s a brave move to shrug off the battle royale formula in favor of something totally different these days, but if you’re tired of fighting over chicken dinners and victory royales and a simple K/DA, The Cycle: Frontiers is worth a look. It’s going to need all the help it can get.
PlanetSide 2
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Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Tactical
Developer
Rogue Planet Games
Publisher
Daybreak Game Company
Release
November 20, 2012
With planet-spanning battles and three diverse factions, Planetside 2 ups the ante on everyday first-person shooters. Everything the player does affects their faction’s success in battle, from killing enemies to buying vehicles and taking enemy control points, all of which take place on a massive scale featuring lean animation and exceptional skill trees. The diverse combat ensures no two matches are ever the same, placing players against one another in custom tank battles one minute, and urban firefights and aerial onslaughts the next. It all gives players the opportunity to unlock weapons, attachments, skills, and other components through the game’s intuitive leveling system. The core of Planetside 2 revolves around holding crucial territories and claiming key resources, with hundreds of players fighting it out over the course of multi-day and weeklong battles. Turning the tide takes teamwork — and sometimes being a cog in the machine isn’t so bad.
MechWarrior Online
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Simulator, Strategy
Developer
Piranha Games
Publisher
Infinite Game Publishing
Release
September 17, 2013
The overwhelming trend in modern shooters is speed. Series such as Call of Duty have been doing everything they can to speed up gameplay, giving players the ability to run on walls and snipe opponents while backflipping through the air. This makes MechWarrior Online’s almost chess-like pace all the more refreshing. The latest in the long-running MechWarrior series, Online is a free-to-play vehicular combat game in which players plod about in massive robot suits. There are dozens of mechs spread out across four different weight classes, and those weight classes factor heavily into the play style. Light mechs are nimble and stealthy, but can’t carry much in the way of weaponry, while the massive assault classes can shoulder entire arsenals. Players can also customize their mechs with weapons, but the sheer variety of mechs comes at a price. Although MechWarrior Online is technically free to play, mechs must be purchased for use, either with in-game currency or with microtransactions. Mechs get more expensive with size, with some of the heavier mechs exceeding $20. It’s an annoying hurdle in an otherwise very fun game.
Ring of Elysium
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter
Developer
Tencent Games, Tencent Aurora Studios
Publisher
Tencent Games
Release
September 19, 2018
Battle royale games are a dime a dozen these days, but Tencent mixes up the formula in Ring of Elysium by providing another option for those not interested in mowing down other players: Escape. Set on a snowy mountain in the middle of a massive storm, you and up to three other players can survive certain death — either by the weather or other players — by boarding a rescue helicopter. To brave the storm, you can even snowboard or hang-glide to your destination, but you have to watch out for the dropping temperature that can send you to an early grave. Tencent is no stranger to battle royale games, as the company is responsible for publishing PUBG Mobile, and it shows in Ring of Elysium. Snappy, satisfying gunplay and a simple inventory system help keep you in the action and away from menus, and the game’s gorgeous buildings and environments are far different from the urban and forest-heavy places we’ve seen in similar battle royale games. As of now, it’s only available on PC.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
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Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac
Genre
Shooter, Tactical
Developer
Hidden Path Entertainment, Valve Corporation
Publisher
Valve Corporation
Release
August 21, 2012
No list of the best FPS games would be complete without Counter-Strike. A pioneer in the competitive gaming scene, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has taken the genre staple to new heights over the years, bringing skill and strategy to the shooter scene and introducing it to PC newcomers used to dolphin dives and tactical nukes. And the move to a F2P formula in late 2018 is only broadening its reach. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a tough sell, though. Those who’re good at it are obscenely good, creating a skill ceiling objectively far higher than most other competitive games. Be prepared for a long and arduous struggle to the top to replicate your esports heroes with this one. But with a competitive scene that’s bursting at the seams, the rewards are out there for anyone with the patience to learn its intricacies. Best of all, its dated visuals help it run on virtually any PC out there.
Destiny 2
T
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Tactical, Adventure
Developer
Bungie
Publisher
Activision
Release
September 06, 2017
Destiny 2 is Bungie’s premier title right now, and its divorce from Activision has allowed it to go down the F2P route. You won’t have complete access to the game’s full suite of expansion packs and stories by refusing to open up your wallet, but Destiny 2: New Light offers an extensive taste of its core experience, and even allows for full access to its varied PvP battlegrounds. If you miss the days of Halo 3, know that much of Bungie’s winning formula transferred to the Destiny series, creating a snappy, superpower-fueled FPS classic. So if you’re looking to stretch the Halo itch, Destiny 2 is well worth a look. Dive into its PvE storylines and shell up for the rest, or just hunker down and become a PvP god. Either way, don’t let the idea of years of catch-up stop you from jumping into one of this generation’s biggest talking points.
Call of Duty: Mobile
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Platforms
Android, iOS
Genre
Shooter
Developer
Timi, Activision
Publisher
Tencent Games
Release
May 14, 2019
Stop. Don’t skip this one. Slapping “Mobile” on the end of a popular FPS game doesn’t automatically make it bad. In fact, Call of Duty: Mobile is our top pick for a mobile shooter. And it isn’t even limited to mobile phones . Just like with PUBG Mobile, Tencent built Call of Duty: Mobile with support for its own purpose-build emulator, making it incredibly easy to play this game with a mouse and keyboard. But better still is the fact that Call of Duty: Mobile sticks to what made the shooter series take off in the first place: Fast, fluid action on a bunch of instantly recognizable and iconic maps. Plenty of CoD 4 maps return, with other titles represented, too, making it easy to jump right in no matter when you hopped on or fell off the yearly hype train. Certain playlists (like Zombies and Gun Game) are time-limited events, but you’ll always have access to staples like Team Deathmatch and Search & Destroy. Better yet, there’s even a Battle Royale mode, making it a fine choice for those who just can’t handle PUBG Mobile.
Ironsight
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Shooter
Developer
Wiple Games
Publisher
Aeria Games
Release
June 20, 2019
Players could have a difficult time distinguishing this game from Call of Duty just through screenshots alone. Even reviews on Steam make the game seem like it’s a cost-effective clone of the game. It’s often compared to a newer, updated version of Black Squad. It could be a fun challenge for loyal COD players. Ironsight launched right at the end of 2019. The holiday release played out like most holiday releases. This game comes from the relatively unknown Wiple Games, and the ever-present Aeria Games published it. Ironsight appears to take Activision’s massive shooter franchise’s greatest elements and smashes it together with a F2P (not P2W) formula. We think that the maps even resemble each other. To play, you take on the persona of one of the two factions fighting over the planet’s remaining natural resources following a massive natural disaster. Your choice of equipment is essential in combat, as well as your choice in tactical-assistance drones. The game features low-recommended specs, and it’s completely budget-friendly; it’s a game that is accessible to everyone.
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