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Live-service games are a way for a company to continue the growth of a game for years after its initial release. In fact, some gamers have probably played these games and have not even realized they are live-service.
Updated November 18, 2021 by Russ Boswell: Games as a Service (GAAS) are still gaining heavy ground in the modern age, with new titles entering the fray every year and offering up hours-upon-hours of content for players to enjoy through things like live events, battle passes, expansions, and DLC. But with a multitude of live service games to choose from, which ones are the best? To better help players discover some of the best live service games currently available, the following list has been updated to include even more entries.
13 Warframe
Warframe has been around for a long time. It originally launched on Steam way back in 2013. This game has been running strong ever since and is one of the most played games on Steam. This free-to-play game offers a ton of loot for players to craft aboard their ship, new characters to unlock, and tons of story that will keep them busy for hours.
Each update to this game brings in new Warframes, weapons, and story tidbits for players to experience. Not only is there a ton of content, but the game keeps things interesting with multiple game modes and open-world locations. Oh yeah, and the game entirely revolves around space ninjas.
12 Dota 2
If Valve is known for one thing (besides Portal and Half-Life) it would be for basically creating the game genre known as MOBA or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. DOTA 2 has been around since 2003 and is still one of the most popular live-service games to date. It is also known as the world’s biggest e-sport with prize pools in the millions.
The game has so much content at this point that it will take a player months before they understand a large portion of the game. There are over a hundred heroes for players to try out and learn their abilities. It’s never too late to give this game a try.
11 Grand Theft Auto Online
Grand Theft Auto Online gets updated at least twice a year with new heists, vehicles, and businesses to keep players interested. This game, that released back in 2013, has kept players coming back for years. What started off on the Xbox 360 and PS3 is now getting remastered and enhanced for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
The latest update is rumored to add even more heists and businesses to the already massive world. There are even rumors of a new map coming to the game.
10 Path Of Exile
Path of Exile wasn’t always as popular as it is today. When it was originally released back in 2013, fans were hesitant to give the game a try. Since then it has exploded into what some have dubbed the ‘Diablo-killer.’
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The game is much like Blizzard’s game Diablo and has players traverse dungeons in a quest for loot and glory, but the gameplay and seasonal events outshine anything that Diablo could do. Path of Exile is one of the few live-service games that can be played for free and has no paywalls to stop gamers from access the good stuff.
9 Call Of Duty: Warzone
Ditching the standard style of multiplayer shooter that Activision has been known for since 2003, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was the first game in the franchise to take part in the battle royale craze. This battle royale became so popular that Activision decided to keep in going with Call of Duty: Warzone which launched in 2020.
Though it is still fairly new, Warzone is one of the leading battle royale games out there. With a large map filled with up to 150 players, gamers can take part in two game modes, battle royale or plunder.
8 Counter-Strike Global Offensive
Counter-Strike Global Offensive (or CS-GO for short) is one of the most competitive games on the market for players who are on the hunt for first-person shooters. Counter-Strike spawned from a Half-Life mod and has since exploded into one of the most played shooter games in the world. It is also one of the most popular e-sports out there.
The game is pretty simple to follow. One team of 5 players plays as Counter-Terrorists while the other team of 5 plays as Terrorists. It is the Counter-Terrorists job to stop the Terrorists from placing and detonating a bomb. Of course, a team can also win by taking out the opposing team.
7 Rainbow Six Siege
Ubisoft brought a strong competitor to the field when they released Rainbow Six Siege back in 2015. It’s been almost six years and the game is still going strong with a large community. This game takes the idea of a team-based shooter and adds a heavy amount of cooperation and strategy to it to help keep it one of the best shooters out there.
Typical shooters games have players running out of the gate and getting mowed down at the sight of the first enemy. RainbowSix changes the formula with strategic gameplay that rewards players for defending or attacking their objective. Each update brings new operatives into the mix to help keep the game feeling fresh.
6 Overwatch
Overwatch exploded in popularity when it hit the gaming scene back in 2016. Since then, many fans have flocked to the beloved team-based shooter game created by Blizzard. Blizzard has made some major changes to Overwatch over the year, but the core gameplay has always remained the same.
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Seasonal events keep players interested with new skins and consistent updates with new heroes make keep the game fresh. It might not be as popular as it once was when it was released, but it still has a strong player base.
5 League Of Legends
Although DOTA 2 sees a massive amount of players each day on the Steam platform, it’s arguable that League of Legends is the more “widely-known” MOBA, specifically in the West. The title has a massive amount of Champions to choose from and developer Riot is constantly releasing new heroes and villains into the pool of available characters.
League of Legends has become such a household name that the developer has released a series of spin-offs, including a card game in Legends of Runeterra and a single-player turn-based RPG adventure in The Ruined King. Riot continues to grow their immense worlds and offer players a multitude of ways to enjoy their expansive lore.
4 Destiny 2
There are many out there that prefer the original Destiny but the second release is still trying its best to find a solid identity and give fans the gameplay they’ve come to know and love from iconic developer Bungie. In its current state, Destiny 2 has seen multiple DLCs and has a new one on the horizon.
The title still manages to generate an extremely dedicated fanbase, thanks to its incredibly addictive gunplay, immersive worlds, beautiful visuals, and grind-heavy content. There is a ton of fun to have with Destiny 2, and the fact that the base game is free, helps to draw new players in each day.
3 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Final Fantasy 14 got off to a rocky start with its original release but the plan to completely dismantle the base game and rebuild it from the ground up worked to spectacular effect. A Realm Reborn has been entertaining gamers for years now and currently stands as one of the best MMORPGs currently on the market. It’s seen multiple expansion packs with a new one on the way in December 2021.
With so many classes to choose from, quests to undergo, and events to keep players engaged, it’s no wonder FF 14 is still standing tall, while other MMOs fade into obscurity.
2 Fortnite
Fortnite was once the most popular battle royale game out there when it was released back in 2017. Almost four years later and the crazed has died off a little, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t still popular. Gamers both new and old flock to Fortnite for its cartoonish look, non-gory fight to the death combat, and constant changes.
The development team behind Fortnite is constantly adding new items, skins, and characters to the game. They are also always making changes to the island to keep players on their toes.
1 Apex Legends
Apex Legends is up there in popularity with other battle royale games like Fortnite. With a massive player base that keeps the game alive, Apex Legends probably isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
This game takes teams of three players and puts them into an arena with up to 60 players and has them fight to the death to be the last team standing. With consistent updates and new characters appearing pretty often, the game has received a ton of support over the years.
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