5 Free Steam Games Like Halo You Can Play Now

Halo remains one of gaming's greatest achievements. It stands alone as the defining sci-fi shooter of a generation, and the progenitor of an entire style of multiplayer gaming. Every little detail in the storied franchise adds up to being exceptional: the combat is tightly tuned and dynamic. The stories have enraptured multiple generations of gamers. Finding other titles that come anywhere near living up to that mark is a tall task.

Fortunately, there are a couple of games on Steam that manage to recapture a bit of that magic. Whether it's via a complex story that captivates for years on end, or fast-paced explosive action inside immaculately designed arenas, every game in this list expands on one of Halo's core principles. They might not totally replace Master Chief in your heart, but it's worth giving them a look anyway.

5 Destiny 2

Let's get the easy one out of the way. Bungie's Halo successor had an incredible run, and while Destiny 2's active development concluded in early 2026, it's still worthy of playing for anyone who never took the leap. One part looter shooter, one part dense science fiction narrative, the Destiny universe is jam-packed with the same slick combat and "I can't believe that just happened" spirit that made gamers across the world fall in love with Halo back in the day.

You don't have to play D2 for long to see the layers of storytelling that made it a massive success for so many years. Each expansion brought something new to the game, like reinforcements arriving on the battlefield. Every step through the Light & Dark saga is a chance to fall in love with the world a little harder. The effective culmination of the game's long-running story, The Final Shape, is among the best conclusions in gaming history. ScreenRant's very own review gave it a 5/5, calling it "a gratifying ending to an enduring Masterwork."

4 FragPunk

Chaotic, powered-up combat in smartly designed arenas is what FragPunk is about at its core. Shard Clash is a traditional bomb defusal affair where players select a super-powered Lancer to control. These cyberpunk-styled soldiers have abilities as you'd find in Apex Legends or Valorant. What separates FragPunk from those games is the ever-shifting nature of combat. Every round starts with both teams choosing their Shard Cards. These temporary power-ups are far more expansive than Invisibility Orbs and Overshields, but strategies are built around them all the same. An effective player will learn over time how to use each card to its full potential.

There are several other game modes available — such as Team Deathmatch, Capture the Core, Kill Confirmed, and Free for All — and a few other for-fun modes tossed in for good measure. It's in those games, like Rocketeers or Sniper Deathmatch, where the Halo comparison truly comes to life, but the Shard Card system sprinkles a little bit of that Fiesta playlist flavor all across the game.

Don't be fooled by the aesthetics of this one. It is a full-fledged competitive shooter complete with a functional Ranked mode under all the flashing lights and bright colors. Be prepared to learn the ins and outs of another sweaty hero shooter if you plan to dip a toe into the more tactical gameplay modes.

3 The Finals

Few games could ever match the thrill of hitting a fusion coil with a sticky grenade, causing it to ping a traffic cone across the map at terminal velocity before taking out an unsuspecting enemy. Every round of The Finals feels like chasing that same level of euphoria. The gameplay loop of Embark Studios' first-person shooter is simple. It's primarily comprised of small team battles across destructible environments, with teams racing against the clock and each other to complete the objective at hand. Collect cashouts, shoot the bad guys, and so on. There's nothing revolutionary here. It's just a plain old good time.

One fight might start on the rooftop of a shopping mall structure and end in the parking garage, rubble abounding in all directions. Chasing a hypermobile light might lead right into the open arms of an LMG-wielding Heavy, who is primed and ready to put on a show for all the spectators of the virtual game show that acts as the foundation of every battle. For all of those reasons, no two matches are ever the same.

Another pleasant comparison to classic Halo is the cosmetics system. You can earn cool gear in The Finals just by playing the game, and in an industry obsessed with microtransactions, that's exceedingly rare these days. Arc Raiders might be Embark Studios' true focus right now, but The Finals is free to play and still receives regular updates.

2 SPLITGATE: Arena Reloaded

1047 Games has not been shy about how big of an inspiration Halo was for Splitgate, and it's obvious from the very first gunfight. This is Halo meets Portal, and it's not trying to be anything else. The inspiration runs from top to bottom. Even the standard arsenal of weapons has essentially been pulled straight from Bungie's playbook. There's a DMR, a one-shot-kill sniper rifle, a Rocket Launcher, and an unending feeling like you've played this game before.

The level design is a little more unique than the weaponry. There's certainly a Halo-style philosophy around their design. However, the addition of Halo 5-style movement mechanics and the ability to create a portal connecting any two parts of the map at will are what make Splitgate worth checking out. This is the game for you if mechanical outplays and moment-to-moment skill expression are what keep you coming back for more.

1 PlanetSide 2

One of Halo's great storytelling pillars is that no soldier can win a war alone. PlanetSide 2 takes that lesson and amplifies it to its breaking point. This free-to-play MMO drops players into a never-ending conflict and gives them the kind of freedom that might border on aimlessness without friends to guide them through the ongoing eternal war. It truly is a spectacle of a shooter.

There is always a grand battle to be found on the ground or a dogfight to join in the skies. Entire play sessions can be spent securing tiny swathes of space, beating back opposing players as they attempt to encroach on friendly territory.

There's depth in all the chaos, too. Very few games have as fleshed-out a social structure as PlanetSide 2, even 14 years later. Battles often depend on coordination at the squad, platoon, and outfit levels to succeed, requiring large numbers of players to keep their heads on a swivel and work in lockstep. It's intimidating from the outside, but spending a few hours to learn the basics is still worth it in 2026.