Do you Play PC Games? The PC gaming scene has recently altered due to technological breakthroughs in graphics cards and gaming monitors. Except for a few true classics, our list of the best recent PC games is somewhat different from previous years.
This list does not seek to identify the “greatest” or “most impactful” PC games ever created. It is also not a list of the most popular games or a list that attempts to represent the best games across all genres. No, this is a list of the ten games that we, as a group, recommend the most, based on our individual preferences, and all from the last decade.
1- Grand Theft Auto V / GTA Online
Grand Theft Auto V’s expansive yet carefully detailed map continues to set the standard for open-world games. Not only is it enormous, but it’s packed to the brim with excellent content – not just the driving and shooting and three-protagonist story that make up its campaign and not limited to the numerous side activities, but all the sights, sounds, and bustling activity you’d expect from a city teeming with people, including the seedy underbelly. With so much to do, explore, and play with, both as a single-player PC games and Grand Theft Auto Online, as well as wonderful creative tools and mods, it is incredible on several levels.
With so much to do, explore, and play with, both as a single-player PC game and Grand Theft Auto Online, as well as wonderful creative tools and mods, it is incredible on several levels. Plus, the new Cayo Perico update adds a new solo heist and island to the map, and the game is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X, so there’s no indication that GTA V will be put out to pasture any time soon.
2- Apex Legends
Apex Legends was unexpectedly released in February 2019 and has since raised the bar for battle royale games. Inspired by the gunplay and movement of Respawn’s blockbuster Titanfall 2, Apex also added Overwatch-style character abilities, setting it apart from the genre’s other big participants. While Apex is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and mobile devices, the PC version seems the most fluid and natural, allowing us to maximize the game’s range of mobility.
It also adds Apex Arenas, an endless mode that emulates Valorant-style round-based encounters with 3v3 matchups and the ability to purchase abilities and weapons before each round. So even if battle royales aren’t your thing, you can still participate in the action. Apex Legends is one of the top free-to-play PC games yearly due to its regular updates every three to four months.
3- Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 starts with Arthur Morgan’s epic narrative of loyalty, conviction, and the cost of infamy. Rockstar’s most current open-world action-adventure was reworked and revamped for the PC version, adding even more activities, unlockables, and unbelievably minute features to its huge landscape. It is one of the largest and best single-player PC games of all time, and it also features a comprehensive multiplayer option.
The PC Games edition adds extra missions, treasures, equipment, and more to the 60+ hours of story content already included in the original game. That doesn’t even include all the multiplayer bells and whistles featured in Red Dead Online, let alone the option to expand and modify the game with mods. RDR2 on PC is a must-play for anyone with a system capable of running it.
4- Dota 2
MOBAs have developed a reputation for being complex and difficult to understand, but they can be incredibly strategic for those willing to put in the effort. Spend some time with Dota 2, and you will realize why. While all battles occur in a single area with a single objective, the 100+ characters and millions of equipment combinations make each match feel distinct.
Because every second matters, even slow-moving matches are always thrilling. Are you farming gold? Are you scouting the opposition? Or traversing the map to aid a teammate? Or returning to base to heal? Its difficulty may discourage gamers, but those who persevere will be rewarded with some of the most strategic gaming available.
5- Crusader Kings 3
Although historical strategy games are perhaps most known for their almost incomprehensibly complicated systems, they are also about the human stories that arise when great figures intersect. Crusader Kings 3 allows you a variety of ways to tell these tales, whether through overwhelming military force, the diplomacy of a well-placed wedding, or a cloak-and-dagger plot to eliminate your adversaries.
CK3 also makes these complicated systems more approachable than ever, with a powerful nested tooltip system that allows even novice strategy players to appreciate the game’s depth. In addition to issuing realm-wide decrees, the most recent expansion, Royal Court, offers a tangible space where your monarch can look their subjects in the eye and pass individual judgments.
The expansion also reworks the game’s culture system, allowing you more possibilities to make your empire feel distinct, with all the associated rewards and drawbacks.
6- Elden Ring
Elden Ring’s fame had only grown in the few short months since its release, which is inconceivable considering that it was already one of the best-reviewed games when it was first released. All of the acclaim are merited, as Elden Ring is certainly a landmark effort in the open world genre.
Its environment is a wonder to explore, with memorable encounters, important treasures, and challenging boss battles spanning practically every square inch of its vast globe. The only thing holding it back on our list is its PC performance is still lacking. However, this does not prevent it from being one of our top five PC games of all time.
7- Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium utilized ancient CRPG mechanics to create something altogether new. In addition to transplanting the dice rolls and in-depth dialogue options from Dungeons and Dragons into a lesser-seen noir-detective setting, it offers entirely original ways to play, such as debating against 24 different sections of your brain, each of which represents a different skill or trait.
Your down-and-out detective is thrust into a situation where he must solve a murder. Still, as with all great stories, it is not the conclusion alone that is satisfying.
Still, the journey you took to get there, as the game’s ludicrously detailed world and a cast of characters propel it forward, supported by some of the best writing ever seen in a video game. Playing Disco Elysium is completely new and unlike anything else you’ve played on PC, regardless of era, let alone in this one.
The acclaimed role-playing game was made even better after the release of Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, which has all-new adventures and full voice acting. IGN rated it a 10/10, stating, “The Final Cut transforms an already outstanding RPG into a must-play masterpiece.”
8- XCOM 2
XCOM 2 expands upon XCOM: Enemy Unknown’s superb, high-stakes tactical warfare, and its War of the Chosen expansion makes it even better. It has the same intensity of transforming from a technologically inferior underdog to a powerful war machine, with the continual prospect of irreversible death lurking over every choice.
It boldly recasts XCOM as a guerilla army fighting to liberate the world from alien occupation, making the situation direr. This larger, more complicated sequel adds not only additional and more powerful army classes, equipment, and aliens but also a significant emphasis on replayability. In tactical missions, procedurally created landscapes prevent you from sliding into a rut. At the same time, regular random events on the strategic map shake up your construction and research orders, and of course, there are mods galore.
9- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Deep, lengthy RPGs are a trademark of PC gaming, but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is one of the few games to present a greater quantity of sophisticated content. Its huge sandbox open-world sections are impressive in scale and density; they are densely populated with formidable foes to slaughter, enticing mysteries to unravel, and personal tales to unfold.
It is also one of the most stunning productions in the history of video games. It has reams of superbly written dialogue delivered by a brilliant voice cast, incredible original music, and graphics that are both technological and creative achievements.
The Witcher 3’s “visually and technically improved” version will be released in the fourth quarter of 2022. CD Projekt Red’s epic role-playing game has sold 40 million copies. The developer has stated it is now developing a new Witcher game utilizing Unreal Engine 5.
10- Half-Life
Valve’s first Half-Life game in thirteen years reminded us of the remarkable ingenuity that has made this series so unique and why its return was so eagerly awaited. Half-Life: Alyx has set a new standard for polish in virtual reality shooters and is a truly unique experience.
In the same way that the first Half-Life proved it was possible to tell a compelling story in a first-person game without removing control of the camera, and Half-Life 2 pioneered physics-based puzzles and combat, Half-Life: Alyx has set a new standard for polish in virtual reality shooters.
It’s so impressive that we believe it justifies purchasing a VR headset for your PC if you haven’t already (especially now that a Meta Quest 2 can be purchased for $300 and wirelessly connects to your PC via Air Link).
In Alyx’s extensive campaign, the simple process of reloading your weapon becomes a harrowing life-or-death struggle as headcrabs jump toward your face. Even after more than a year, no VR game has achieved Valve’s level of detail. Other VR games offer amazing shooting, but nothing has surpassed Valve’s degree of detail.
Clever three-dimensional puzzles and frequently hilarious performances from its actors break up the action. A great conclusion makes the decade-plus wait for the third installment of Half-Life almost worthwhile.
