For a little while, the term "free-to-play" was seen as a sign of failure since you couldn't convince enough people to pay full price. Needless to say, the situation has changed. Some of the most financially successful and culturally impactful games are free-to-play these days, so there's no use trying to avoid them.

Below, you'll find five PlayStation 5 titles that range from family-friendly fare to some gritty sci-fi shooting that you'll want to save for after the kids go to bed. So before you open that wallet, let's have a free-for-all.

'Genshin Impact'

Can't get enough of that colorful open-world exploration from "Zelda" games? "Genshin" does a decent job delivering the feeling of "Breath of the Wild" for platforms Nintendo doesn't support. The best part? You can enjoy countless hours without spending a single cent.

The developer, MiHoYo, has another game out on PC and mobile called "Honkai: Star Rail," and that's scheduled to hit PS5 later this year. Keep an eye out.

'Fortnite'

While it was initially something of a joke before the free battle royale mode, Epic Games pivoted "Fortnite" to become a free-to-play phenomenon that every single brand wants in on. Some of the cultural cachet has died down a bit over the years, but it's still a behemoth.

It's also where we get to see the cutting edge of the Unreal Engine, so it holds some aesthetic appeal even for folks who don't love the gunplay.

'Fall Guys'

This is also designed to be a battle royale title, but it's even sillier than "Fortnite." Plus, the cartoon-y characters an wacky tone pair well with it's "E for Everyone" ratings. The kids are gonna have a great time with it, and so will you.

'Destiny 2'

While the multiplayer FPS "Destiny 2" has been out since 2017, it has received an enormous amount of additional content since then. In fact, you won't even be able to go back and play that original campaign, so it's worth checking in even if you played at launch.

"The Final Shape," the last expansion, is set to launch in 2024. If you want to get in tip-top shape before that for-pay content drops, you can start by delving deep into the smörgåsbord of free stuff.

'Tower of Fantasy'

This action-RPG title is still very new, so there's a lot left to discover. Reminiscent of "Phantasy Star Online 2," this game lets you explore the world alongside a bunch of other players, and team up with a small group to take on bigger challenges.

It's not quite the ground floor, but here's a great opportunity to get going before the entire community has exhausted every last drop of new content.

[Image: PlayStation, Fortnite, Genshin Impact]