Free-to-play (F2P) refers to any video game that has the option of allowing its players to play without paying. The model was first popularly used in early massively multiplayer online games (MMO) targeted towards casual gamers, before finding wider adoption among games released by major video game publishers to combat video game piracy and high system requirements. Since games using the concept are available at no cost to players, they use other means to gather revenue, such as charging money for certain in-game items (like powerful bonuses which are usually available for real money only) or integrating advertisements into the game. Free-to-play can be compared to pay-to-play, in which payment is required before using a service. Pay-to-play games usually offer equal gaming experience for all players while free-to-play games give advantage to premium players. And freemium, a more general term and a business model in which a product is offered free of charge while a fee is charged for users to access premium features and virtual goods. There is no strict distinction between certain shareware versions of games and free-to-play games, however shareware versions are generally hugely more restricted with less than a quarter of standard content being typically available and no online mode. If there is no charge payable for any feature in a game, it's known as freeware. Pay-to-play games usually have the best quality, support and service.

L’étiquette free to play (F2P est une abréviation couramment utilisée) appliquée à un jeu en ligne indique qu’un utilisateur peut utiliser le jeu gratuitement.

O termo Free-to-Play (F2P) (Grátis para Jogar) refere-se a qualquer jogo, geralmente MMORPG, que permite que as pessoas joguem gratuitamente.