Gaming PCs can be anywhere from moderately expensive to just plain unaffordable. However, you can actually get yourself a gaming PC for free, if you play your cards right! Here’s how.

How To Get A Gaming PC For Free

To get a gaming PC for free, you should enter as many legit gaming PC giveaways as possible. Many influencers and content creators give away free PCs and PC parts including Youtubers, TikTokers, Twitter personalities, etc. Some cloud gaming services like GeForce NOW also have free giveaways.

I’ll talk about these opportunities in more detail below so keep reading to see how you can get a gaming PC for free.

Streamer Giveaways

Streamer giveaways are one of the best ways to get a free gaming PC. This takes quite a bit of luck, though, and it requires entering a ton of giveaways.

The good news is that, despite how lucky you need to be, it’s more of a numbers game. Most people don’t actually enter giveaways.

So if you enter one giveaway, your chance to win isn’t high. However, if you enter 1,000 giveaways, your odds go up by quite a bit. Also, it never hurts to try.

Cloud Gaming (GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming, etc)

GeForce NOW is a cloud gaming service that you can sign up for. You’ll need a PC or something to play the games on, but you’ll pretty much be playing on a virtual gaming PC.

GeForce NOW offers a free membership but it limits your sessions to one hour at a time. Xbox Cloud Gaming is not free unless you already have the Xbox Game Pass.

These cloud services are great options for people that can’t afford a gaming PC, but are willing to pay a couple of bucks a month to play via the cloud.

Do note, though, that your internet speed will play a pretty big role in how smooth your experience is when gaming on the cloud.

Online Marketplaces (Offerup, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc)

Offerup, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist are known for their great deals, but did you know you can actually find free stuff on these sites? Including free gaming PCs!

Why would someone just give away a PC on Craigslist? Well, sometimes it’s a parent giving away their kid’s old gaming PC after they’ve grown up and moved out.

Sometimes it’s someone that has built a new PC and doesn’t really care about getting their money back on their old one.

Sometimes it’s someone that just doesn’t have the room for the thing anymore and is tired of seeing it collect dust.

People give away gaming PCs (and other awesome stuff) on these sites much more than you might expect.

You might not find one right now, but I recommend checking weekly (or daily) for PCs and PC parts. It may take a few months, but you may find something eventually.

Youtuber Giveaways

Content creators, in general, host a ton of giveaways. You should subscribe to as many tech / PC gaming Youtube channels as you can and cross your fingers for a giveaway.

You usually won’t have to wait very long. A pro tip here is to look for Youtube channels that do not have a lot of subscribers.

They probably won’t give away top-of-the-line gaming rigs, but you’re more likely to win with less competition.

Social Media Giveaways (Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)

There are a ton of awesome Subreddits, Facebook groups, and Twitter accounts that post about deals constantly. If you want a gaming PC for free, these are great places to look.

You may have to get your parts slowly (i.e. enter a free GPU giveaway, then CPU, etc.), but in time you can end up with awesome parts that you never paid for.

Wario64 on Twitter is one example of an account to follow if you want to keep your eyes on deals:

Tweets by Wario64

If there’s a notable gaming PC giveaway, Wario64 will have it. He’s one of the more popular accounts, but there are hundreds, if not thousands out there for those that want to dig.

I’m also a little biased because I’ve won one of the giveaways he posted in the past and got a free copy of Pokémon Shield on the Switch!

Discord Groups

There are tons of Discord groups dedicated to PC gaming. Some groups are huge, some are small, but many of them actually host giveaways as well as alert their members about giveaways.

One of the largest PC focused Discord servers is buildapc. In this server the members often share giveaways you can enter to win a free PC or PC parts.

Get Free Parts Then Build A PC

I’m borrowing this tip from Johnny Cash and his song One Piece at a Time. Johnny was able to build an entire Cadillac “borrowing” parts from the cars in his factory.

He took one piece at a time over the course of literal decades and by the end, he had a car! Now, I’m not saying go and steal PC parts one at a time until you have a PC.

However, keep an eye on Craigslist, join Facebook groups, Discord servers, etc. and pay attention to your friends. When someone gets rid of an old PC part, tell them you’ll take it off their hands!

This is a great way to slowly stockpile parts until you have enough for your own gaming PC, and most people won’t have any problem just giving away a 5 – 10+ year old PC component.

Friends Getting Rid Of Old PCs/PC Parts

This is actually how I got my very first gaming PC. My friend had a ton of issues with his computer. He tried replacing the Power Supply Unit (PSU), the CPU, and who knows what else before finally giving up and getting something new.

Well, I loved PC gaming too and was sick of my laptop so I asked what he planned on doing with it and he practically told me to take it.

Depending on how “old” your friends’ computers are and how close you are to your friends, they may not want to give up an entire PC (especially if it’s worth a couple thousand dollars).

However, over the years I have given away plenty of old parts including RAM sticks, a CPU, an old GPU, etc., and I know I’m not alone.

PC gamers love helping other gamers build their first PC, and if that means parting with a $50 – $100 part they were never going to use anyways, then so be it!

Although getting a gaming PC for free may not be the easiest thing to do, it is possible. I hope the tips above were able to help you discover ways to get a gaming PC for free.