12 Best Free PC Programs Every Gamer Needs

Most PC gamers will see the benefits of these free apps and downloadable software, which are sure to improve the overall gaming experience and the quality of life for the PC. Whether it’s to control the memory usage, to play online with friends, or even access games, these are must-haves for all PC owners.

Discord

Discord is one of the very first apps any new gamer should get. It’s a great way to stay in communication with people online, is perfect for voice calling while playing a game, and is even useful for screen sharing for certain titles, as groups play together.

As digital gaming has come into its own, new communities have formed around Discord and the free software has surpassed social media platforms as the place to be for ongoing experiences. It’s easy to use and very accessible for those looking for their own community to join.

CleanMYPC

While PC gamers will be looking into the best graphic cards and hard drives to improve their gaming experiences, there is a free piece of software to download that will immediately enhance their gaming experience. Sometimes games run slow because a PC is just so bogged down.

CleanMYPC is a pretty self-explanatory piece of kit, that has an intuitive menu and gives the user a surprising amount of control. They can sweep pointless files clean and really make the PC a lot more efficient, which is sure to free up space for more games!

F.lux

There are some pretty good gaming glasses that can help users when they are staring at a screen for too long. But it’s important to stay healthy when gaming and adjusting the screen brightness throughout the day is a suitable way of ensuring that no headaches occur.

With timers, a huge amount of customization, and real-time shifts based on the colors of the screens from warmer to colder shades, F.lus comes with a range of options that allows for the look of the monitor to be changed. It’s a perfect piece of free software for those conscious of such issues.

TeamSpeak

TeamSpeak and Discord cover some of the same territories, but some gamers prefer to use TeamSpeak when getting involved in bigger games with their community of friends. TeamSpeak is a basic communication software that acts as a conference call platform.

It’s accessible, streamlined, and very rarely lags despite the internet connection. It pairs well with other apps and ultimately boasts an ethos of bringing gamers together to experience these narratives and battle royales as one connected team. Online play really benefits from this.

MSI Afterburner

Let’s start with the basics: Altering and monitoring your game hardware performance. MSI Afterburner is a free utility that works with both Nvidia and AMD graphics cards and allows you to keep tabs on the vital stats for your hardware.

Afterburner lets you see your GPU clock speed, temperatures, fan speed, and even how many frames per second you’re getting in-game. You can conveniently configure it to show up on-screen while you’re playing. Feeling adventurous? It will allow you to overclock and adjust power limits, too.

GeForce NOW

Sometimes one piece of software can do it all. That’s the case for GeForce Now which is free to download and turns any PC into a full-on gaming rig. This works via the cloud and thus allows players to save all their content digitally, which is a massive deal for those struggling with memory cards.

What’s more, it hosts a range of games from Steam, Epic Game Store, and other platforms, collating them all together with the collection that players have already forged. While current PC gamers might be looking to kit out the likes of the Steam Deck, GeForce Now shows that fans shouldn’t move away from a traditional setup just yet.

Bluestacks

Some gamers are looking to take their Android app collection to the PC and play in a slightly different way. That’s not normally possible for every game but the software Bluestacks makes it a reality. For those who don’t want to play titles on their iPad or mobile devices, this is the way to go.

After downloading Bluestacks it essentially opens up an app store exactly the same way as the likes of Google Play. The same titles are available too and interact with a gaming rig no differently to the likes of Steam or other gaming platforms. This is a groundbreaking design that has opened up mobile gaming significantly.

OBS Studio

In the digital age, plenty of gamers want to film their setup. They might want interaction with their webcam as well, or require a screen live stream for the likes of Twitch to continue to broadcast their gameplay to the world. OBS Studio is the best way to go for that.

There are so many other free screen recording software on the market, but this is above all others for its intuitive design, many customizable features, and ability to interact with plenty of other software. It delivers high-quality footage and never lags or becomes visually choppy.

Razer Cortex: Game Booster

There is a lot of Razer gear that gamers can buy when setting up their gaming rig, from fantastic headsets to lighting equipment. However, while the Razer Cortex: Game Booster might work hand in hand with some of this equipment, no Razer products are needed to download it.

It boosts any PC into the ultimate gaming experience. Not only does it provide valuable gaming deals, but also it enhances the system, ensuring it’s efficient, high-octane, and performs at a quality level. A launcher, booster, system booster, and inclusion of the likes of an Xbox Game Bar makes this a brilliant concept to get involved with.

Steam

Steam is the quintessential software that everyone has to get when first building their PC gaming rig. While there are other options on the market, from the Epic Games Studio to what Razor offer, everything goes through Steam in the end, and it’s an ever-evolving platform.

It supports indie gaming in a beautiful way, brings plenty of console games onto PC, boasts some free experiences to get involved with, and works on a wide range of PCs and alongside lots of other software. There’s a reason that this is at the top of its game.

Reshade

Reshade is free utility that lets you get deep into customization of the graphics and post processing in your games. You know those drool-worthy in-game screenshots you often see shared on social media? ReShade often powers the extra eye candy behind them. Game modding is a vibrant community, ranging from custom worlds to utilities like this that allow you to create the visual settings that you want. This is what makes PC gaming great – endless versatility.

ReShade’s not rocket science, but it’s also not for novice users. It’s a great utility for folks looking to get better-looking games with the hardware that they currently have. You’ll tinker with resolution, anti-aliasing, and other visual niceties. Be prepared to solve problems as they arise, as many games will differ and often presets found online will need your own custom settings.

GameSave Manager

PC gamers know that a lot can go wrong when saving progress. It could be a corrupted file. It might be that the cloud is down, a system has been hacked, or the hardware has failed. Whatever the case, GameSave Manager is a vital app to get on PC.

It’s an extra line of security, ensuring that not everything has been lost if something went wrong. It’s always dependable and secure and backs up the data, restores lost files, and allows for easy transfer. It’s an easy example of software to use in a stressful situation.

Make sure you download from reputable sources, and seek parents permission if under 18.