Live service games became particularly popular in recent years, especially free-to-play games that offer a lot of value if you’re tight on budget.
F2P business model creates a specific type of ecosystem where rich players can spend money on cosmetics and other extras to help fund the game, allowing other players to experience most of the core content entirely free of charge. However, seasonal updates and live service models are not tied to F2P, and there are a lot of examples of games that are not free but follow the same seasonal path to encourage players to keep playing.
What makes games with seasonal updates particularly engaging is the fact that there’s always something new to experience. Constant updates keep things fresh and exciting, significantly increasing the amount of fun that can be squeezed out of such games. And even if you’re done with all the currently available content and there’s nothing else left to do, you can just take a break and return when a new patch drops.
Here’s a list of some of the best live service games that are worth playing right now.
Fortnite Battle Royale
| Release date: | 2017 |
| Genre: | Shooter & Role-playing (RPG) |
| Developer: | Epic Games |
Starting off with a game that probably doesn’t need an introduction, but we’ll do it anyway.
Fortnite is a classic example of battle royale, where dozens of players are dropped onto an island where they must fight for survival and become the last one standing. The game receives regular updates that introduce huge map changes, new seasonal cosmetics, live events, and gameplay mechanics, ensuring that you’ll never run out of things to do.
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Apex Legends
| Release date: | 2021-02-16 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | EA |
Another battle royale, but focused more on the unique powers and abilities of each playable character.
Apex Legends follows a similar battle royale formula to other games and receives regular content drops that often shift the meta and require players to adapt to a new reality and find new top strategies. Each season usually brings a new playable character, a new map, a new quest, events, and a bunch of tweaks to make the experience more enjoyable.
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Call of Duty: Warzone
| Release date: | 2024-10-25 |
| Genre: | Shooter |
| Developer: | Treyarch |
Battle royales are still quite popular and genuinely fun to play; can’t blame us for having a few of them on the list.
CoD: Warzone is a fast-paced, modern-looking battle royale that provides players with regular updates that aren’t limited to simple tweaks and bug fixes. New seasons usually bring new weapons, playable operators, events, challenges, and more. In other words, the game never fails to deliver new and exciting content for players to try.
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Destiny 2
| Release date: | 2024-06-04 |
| Genre: | Shooter & Role-playing (RPG) |
| Developer: | Bungie |
Enter a new, exciting world that you can share with other players and engage in various PvE and PvP activities.
Destiny 2 is a fast-paced game with amazing visuals, satisfying gunplay, and rewarding loot. It receives regular seasonal updates that often feature huge overhauls and improvements, drastically changing the game and how it’s played. It’s never too late to jump in, so if you haven’t already, give it a go – the majority of the game is free.
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Genshin Impact
| Release date: | 2020-09-28 |
| Genre: | Gatcha RPG |
| Developer: | Mihoyo |
An artistic masterpiece that took the world by surprise and remains one of the most popular, free, open-world, live-service action RPGs out there.
In Genshin Impact, players form a team of four characters that can be freely switched between at any time, including combat, for a more varied gameplay experience. The game stands out due to its impressive quality and attention to detail, all provided in a free-to-play format without any paywalls or P2W. Explore Genshin’s massive open world full of secrets and enjoy a relaxing experience on any device, thanks to the game’s fantastic optimization and low system requirements.
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Rocket League
| Release date: | 2015-07-07 |
| Genre: | Racing & Sport |
| Developer: | Psyonix |
Football with cars has no right to be this fun. But it is. And it’s super addictive.
Rocket League definitely earned its place on a list of the best seasonal games. The core gameplay doesn’t change too much between seasons, though, especially the ranked mode. It’s more about the sheer amount of customization options you get with every update, allowing you to change how your car looks during play.
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Sea of Thieves
| Release date: | 2018-03-20 |
| Genre: | Simulator & Adventure |
| Developer: | Rare |
Gather your crew and set sail to explore vast seas in this exciting title filled with hidden treasures and epic battles.
Although Sea of Thieves can be played solo, only by playing with a group of friends will you be able to enjoy everything it has to offer, including its seasonal content. The biggest ships are nigh impossible to control alone; you need to have someone who’ll be operating cannons, steering, adjusting sails, and doing repairs.
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Animal Crossing: New Horizons
| Release date: | 2020 |
| Genre: | Social simulation |
| Developer: | Nintendo |
If you’re looking for a casual-friendly game to unwind and relax, that’s the one.
Animal Crossing is a social simulation game played in real time. It lets you create and decorate your own virtual space – an island – to live on. The game features multiplayer, allowing you to co-op with friends to work together or simply enjoy leisure time.
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Conclusion
Games with seasonal updates can keep players engaged for years, especially if they offer high-quality content. However, it’s worth noting that it can be exhausting to play and keep up with several different live service games simultaneously.
That’s why it’s strongly recommended to stick to a few of such games at most. Otherwise, playing may feel like a job, and that’s not what playing a video game is supposed to feel like. Pick your favorites, have fun, and keep yourself entertained – that’s the ultimate goal.