Social Gaming 101: How To Play Games For Free
Some people game just for fun. Others do it professionally. But whichever side you are, it’s impossible to avoid the rise of social gaming, which has quickly become one of the most popular (and talked about) genres in the gaming world. From console to mobile, social games have skyrocketed up the charts and racked up millions of downloads. Clash of Clans alone has reached over 500 million downloads on iOS and Android, which tells you everything you need to know. And this isn’t just a short-lived trend, either. Instead, it’s an indicator of what the modern gamer wants: a social gaming experience when they play their favorite video games. If you can relate to this, then use this Social Gaming 101 guide to get started and learn how to play games for free, no matter which platform you’re on.
What is Social Gaming?
Social gaming is any type of gaming that has social features, such as being able to chat with other players, climb leaderboards, and win prizes. Most of the time, social games are free-to-play, too, because this encourages as many people as possible to download them. You also generally find that most social games are from the casino, battle royale, first-person shooter, or puzzle genres.
What’s interesting about social gaming is that it only recently exploded in popularity. Specifically, it started getting popular around the mid-2010s, which was largely driven by social media platforms like Facebook adding popular games to their libraries, with 8 Ball Pool proving to be one of the most successful social media games of all time.
Then, when the COVID-19 pandemic happened in 2020, social gaming reached a new level due to the simple fact that people were stuck at home and craving social entertainment. During this time, millions of people around the world, especially Gen Z and Millenials, began hopping on free-to-play social games, which eventually led to the social gaming industry generating $17 billion revenue in 2021. The trend has stuck ever since — and social gaming is now more popular than ever.
How to Play Social Games for Free (Console, PC, Android, and iOS)
One of the biggest attraction points of social gaming is that almost all of the games are free-to-play. There’s no upfront cost, subscription fee, or anything of that nature. Instead, you simply access the game for free and (if you want to) purchase extra in-game content designed to enhance the experience even further. In most cases, though, people tend to just play the game for free and leave it at that.
The great news is that it’s easy to play social games for free. Generally, the best options are:
- Social casino sites
- iOS and Android app stores
- Social media platforms like Facebook
Currently, social casino sites (also known as sweepstakes casinos) are a hugely popular option on PC and mobile. You can see the new operators on the sweeps casino site, including the likes of Sweeptastic and Vegas Gems. After joining any of these social casinos, you’ll then gain access to hundreds of free-to-play social casino games that also offer the opportunity to win real prizes, which is ultimately why they’ve become such a big hit in the gaming community.
Similarly, whether you’re on iOS or Android, you can open up the app store to find a giant range of social games to download. As mentioned previously, most mobile social games are free to play, so hitting the download button doesn’t cost a penny. At the same time, you can also use social media platforms like Facebook to play social games, with Facebook alone offering over 6,000 different games to choose from.
The Advantages of Free-to-Play Games
If you’re a newbie in the world of social gaming, you’ll be glad to know that the advantages of free-to-play games are almost endless. Naturally, the games are free, so you get to save huge piles of money compared to traditional console games, which can cost upwards of $60. On top of this, free-to-play social games provide users with an excellent platform for connecting with new players and forming new friendships in highly sociable gaming environments.
Just recently, it was discovered that 40% of Gen Z and Millenials now use video games to socialize, so if this is what you’re looking for, it’s perfect for you. And let’s not forget that free-to-play games cover almost every major genre, including battle royale and first-person shooters, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy as they become part of a wider gaming community.
Current Chart-Topping Social Games
Unsurprisingly, some free-to-play social games are more popular than others. Right now, some of the chart-topping social games include:
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Apex Legends
- Fall Guys
- Fortnite
- Counter-Strike 2
All of these games (and plenty of others) remain free and give you (the player) a platform to enjoy multiplayer action while interacting with countless other people from around the world. Ultimately, this combination of low-cost gaming and social interaction will be a continuous driving force behind the rise of social gaming moving forward, which is set to remain the most popular genre in the industry for decades to come.
