Warframe review: 12 years of free content and still the best space ninja game

The verdict

Warframe is the most generous free-to-play game ever made. Twelve years of content, 50+ Warframes, 200+ weapons, three open worlds, and a story quest that genuinely surprised me — all free, all farmable, no energy system, no pay-to-win. Nothing else comes close.

What works

The movement is the best in any looter-shooter. Bullet-jumping, wall-latching, aim-gliding — traversing a tileset at full speed feels like a dance. Once it clicks, no other game feels this fluid.

The build depth is staggering. Mods, arcanes, focus schools, incubator companions, railjack — there are more systems than you can learn in a month. And every single one is earnable in-game. Digital Extremes has never sold power, and it shows in the community's trust.

The Second Dream and The New War are the best free story content in gaming. Full cutscenes, voice acting, and twists that recontextualize everything. You'd pay $70 for worse elsewhere.

What doesn't

The onboarding is Warframe's original sin. The game throws you into a star chart with 200 nodes and no direction. New players bounce off the confusion constantly. It's improved, but it's still rough.

The grind is real. Crafting takes hours (real-time), and farming for specific drops can test your patience. This is a game that asks for hundreds of hours — which is great if you love it, daunting if you don't.

Should you play it?

If you want a co-op looter-shooter that respects your wallet and rewards your time, Warframe is the only answer. Give it 20 hours before you judge it — the game opens up after The Second Dream.

Score: 9/10 — Must-play.

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Warframe is free on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and iOS. Read our beginner guide for the roadmap nobody gives you.