Latest must play pc games

Clearly influenced by games such as The Legend of Zelda, developer Ember Labs' stunning title still manages to stand on its own two feet with its satisfying puzzles, adorable Rot minions, and challenging combat. See our Kena: Bridge of Spirits review.

League of Legends is one of the most popular competitive games for a reason. From its strategic combat and mechanical depth to its colorful characters, it's hard not to get sucked into game after game of this MOBA. While there's a lot to learn, it's not as mechanically dense or difficult to master as Dota 2, providing a more welcoming experience to those wanting to get into the MOBA world. See our League of Legends review. One of the most original indie games of the year, Loop Hero can't be defined by any single genre.

A creatively clever mix of RPG staples, deck-building charm, and brutal strategy, Loop Hero merges all of these elements together to create a bold and fresh adventure that'll keep you occupied for hours on end.

See our Loop Hero review. If soaring through the air and flying around the world is a dream of yours, there's no better game than Microsoft Flight Simulator. You can fly out of almost any airport in the world, including smaller airports in quieter towns, and go literally anywhere on Earth--though landing may be difficult in places like the Grand Canyon and Mount Everest.

Microsoft used satellite imagery to recreate the world in-game, and it's improving both the game and map all the time. If there was ever a reason to invest in a flight stick or yoke system , it's Microsoft Flight Simulator. See our Microsoft Flight Simulator review. Minecraft is a global phenomenon for a reason. Its crafting, base building, and survival-lite mechanics are unmatched, providing both an engaging and accessible experience to people of all ages and walks of life.

Crafting huge castles, cozy homes, or monuments to your favorite video game character is a joyful time, while venturing toward the Nether is a tense experience that you're not sure you'll return from. Whether you're building up a huge tower or exploring the depths of the perilous mines, Minecraft remains an exciting time that can be enjoyed with friends or by yourself.

Just make those Creepers don't get too close to your house. See our Minecraft review. Overwatch quickly became a household name in the realm of competitive shooters. With the expert design philosophies of Blizzard and a familiar foundation from the likes of Team Fortress 2, Overwatch provides a deep and intense team-based multiplayer experience.

The nuances of their abilities leads to tactical considerations that deepen the experience beyond simply being an FPS. Overwatch's presentation will draw you in with colorful, detailed maps and heroes you'll grow to love just from playing them. Like any ongoing multiplayer game, balance is always shifting, but Overwatch always seems to strike it extremely well while fostering a sharp focus on the team.

It has a rich history of seasonal content and special events that keep it fresh, and even after five years, it's going strong. See our Overwatch review. Portal 2 remains one of the funniest and most inventive puzzlers in games. It successfully built on the mind-bending multidimensional ideas of the first game and somehow elevated its storytelling and characterization to become incredibly fun and memorable.

Those things alone would make Portal 2 worthy of your attention, but there's additional content that comes with playing the game on PC. Not only is there online and local co-op that extend the game beyond its single-player offering, but there's a huge amount of user-created content that includes whole story campaigns.

Portal 2 is great fun no matter where you play it, but with modding and puzzles built by other players, you get a superior experience on PC--and a ton more Portal to play for free. See our Portal 2 review. After years of development, developer Double Fine's sequel to its cult-classic mind-warping adventure Psychonauts was finally ready to be unleashed.

An absolute triumph of imaginative visual design and emotional storytelling, Psychonauts 2 confronts topics of mental wellbeing, regret, and grief in a way that is both heartfelt and touching, but never disrespectful to anyone who can relate to the issues being discussed.

Fun and emotionally educational. See our Psychonauts 2 review. Rainbow Six Siege is an adept mix of first-person shooting, strategic planning, and tactical teamwork. Two teams of five vie for control of a building, where the goal is to capture an objective, defuse a bomb, or secure a hostage.

The brilliance of Siege comes in learning these buildings in and out and knowing how to work with your teammates to get in and out most effectively. Map knowledge can trump twitch shooting in the most dire of situations, rewarding its players for smart thinking and careful play. Siege is available on consoles, but the definitive way to play it is on PC with a keyboard and mouse. See our Rainbow Six Siege review. A prequel to the original game, the story delivers some eye-opening revelations about the wider Red Dead universe.

The gameplay and world-building are incredible, with lots of freedom available for players to do whatever they want as they set out onto the frontier as Arthur Morgan. The game is also gorgeous , especially on PC for those with a capable enough rig. The sweeping mountain visits and bubbling rivers shine on PC, making Red Dead Redemption 2 one of the best games we can recommend on PC. See our Red Dead Redemption 2 review. See our Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review.

It starts with an old broken-down farm and a handful of seeds. You clear out the weeds and rocks until you get tired, and then you do it again. You get into the rhythm of daily life--visiting friends, watering crops, occasional light spelunking.

A sequel that's just as good as the original, Little Nightmares II once again puts you in the shoes of a vulnerable kid trying to escape the clutches of monstrous adults. This time you're not alone though. You play as Mono, the boy wearing a paper bag, but you're joined by Six, the girl with the yellow jacket who starred in the original game. As you'd expect, there are enemies to avoid or fight, plus lots of environmental hazards and traps to work your way around.

The visual design and sound design are as atmospheric as ever, which helps create a baseline sense of unease as you traverse the Pale City. It's on the shorter sides of these best PC games, but it's still all too memorable. The sequel to 's Nioh keeps the already challenging core of the action RPG intact, but adds new fun elements on top of that.

Set in an early-modern Japan inhabit by numerous good and evil spirits, you play a half-spirit, half-human. Adventuring across the islands you will meet key historical figures from the Sengoku Era, as well as taking on the yokai that stand in your way.

The most obvious comparison point for this game is the Dark Souls series. Combat is quick and deadly for both you and your opponents, but you can augment your abilities with new items you discover and craft, which will help you reach the next checkpoint.

It doesn't just involve traditional weapons and switching battle stances any more though, as your new Yokai Shift powers let you take the form of foes you've defeated. The lethality of battle and the number of complex mechanics means this game will take some serious dedication to complete.

After hiding on the Epic Games Store as an exclusive early access title since late , Hades has now finally launched as a full product on other platforms, and quickly became recognized as one of the best PC games around. This is a rare combination of a roguelike game with a comprehensive, branching story.

You, playing as Hades' son Zagreus, have to continually fight your way through Hades the place, not your father over and over until you make it to Mount Olympus. The other famous gods of the Greek pantheon are also there for you to interact with. They serve as both characters in the story and as your method of upgrading your character with powers and abilities that reflect their place in the pantheon.

Each run means trying out a new combination of these gifts, and every failure still moves you forward. Available from Steam and the Epic Games Store. None of the other best PC games on this list offer you the whole world to play with, but the latest flight sim from Microsoft gives you exactly that, with both a mind-boggling scale and a meticulously detailed hangar of aircraft to pilot.

You have the choice of both light aircraft or huge passenger jets, letting you play as a lone amateur aviator or the captain of a commercial flight. The game promises to model their flight characteristics accurately, which are affected by real-time weather and daylight effects, so it'll be difficult to get a better idea of flying one of these machines without actually stepping into the cockpit in real life.

While you can nerd out over every single setting and control of your plane, you can also let the game take care of the tricky stuff while you enjoy flying around, seeing landmarks from across the globe or touching down at one of the game's many detailed airports.

Chances are you've not played this unless you own a PS4 also , and since this version comes with all the DLC packed in, there's no better way to experience this open-world adventure.

Somewhere in the US after an unknown apocalyptic event, tribes of humans try to live quietly in amongst the hordes of animalistic robots that roam the lands. As the outcast Aloy however, you are bound for greater things. While your human enemies are armed with the same array of spears, bows and slings as you are, taking on the machines, particularly the larger varieties, requires a lot more tactical thinking.

There is a story to play through, one which helps explain the world and how it came to be this way, and that's quite enjoyable on its own. But it's exploring the beautiful but desolate urban areas reclaimed by trees and plants, hunting down your metal prey via traps and frontal attacks, and finally bringing it down after a long tense battle that secures H:ZD a spot on the best PC games list.

As a high school student, you spend a year living in the town of Inaba, and fighting in an alternate dimension, where you must fight against the Shadows alongside your friends, using 'Personas', manifestations of your inner selves that contain immense power, as your weapons.

Since this is an RPG, a lot of your time will be spent finding new Personas to wield and levelling up your stats, which involves completing various activities with your Investigation Team, meaning you become more powerful and more invested in the characters and world at the same time. The combat takes a turn-based format, meaning that while fighting against the forces of evil can be stressful, you don't need immense mechanical skill or reactions to succeed.

With a lengthy campaign to complete, this is the slow-burner of our best PC games list, and one that'll leave a positive impression on you for a long time. Taking up the mantle of the classic s Sega franchise after decades of silence, Streets of Rage 4 is a beat-em-up for up to four players to fight their way through an army of thugs to take down a pair of evil twins who want to enslave Wood Oak City.

Valheim The big Hearth and Home update has us getting into Valheim again like it's Outside of reviewing it again, we are literally out of ways to recommend detective RPG Disco Elysium more highly. Forza Horizon 5 Microsoft's racing series goes to Mexico. Otherwise, it's not all that different from Forza Horizon 4.

That means it's still really good. Hard to go wrong there. Consistently fun. Tied for highest score of Wildermyth is the game for you. Go have a Viking adventure—it's worth it. A "stupendously intricate mechanical cake," as we put it in our review. Portal - a pioneering type of single player action game that rewrites the rules for how players approach and manipulate their environment — much like how Half-Life 2's Gravity Gun reinvented the way gamers interact with objects in the game. Team Fortress 2 - an all-new version of the legendary title that spawned team based multiplayer action games.

The game's daring new art style features the most advanced graphics of any Source-based game released to date. Half-Life combines great storytelling in the tradition of Stephen King with intense action and advanced technology to create a frighteningly realistic world where players need to think smart to survive.

Going beyond "run and gun corridors," "monster-closet AIs" and static worlds, BioShock creates a living, unique and unpredictable FPS experience. After your plane crashes into icy uncharted waters, you discover a rusted bathysphere and descend into Rapture, a city hidden beneath the sea. Constructed as an idealistic society for a hand picked group of scientists, artists and industrialists, the idealism is no more. Now the city is littered with corpses, wildly powerful guardians roam the corridors as little girls loot the dead, and genetically mutated citizens ambush you at every turn.

Take control of your world by hacking mechanical devices, commandeering security turrets and crafting unique items critical to your very survival.

Upgrade your weapons with ionic gels, explosives and toxins to customize them to the enemy and environment. Genetically modify your body through dozens of Plasmid Stations scattered throughout the city, empowering you with fantastic and often grotesque abilities. Explore a living world powered by Ecological A. Experience truly next generation graphics that vividly illustrate the forlorn art deco city, highlighted by the most detailed and realistic water effects ever developed in a video game.

Make meaningful choices and mature decisions, ultimately culminating in the grand question: do you exploit the innocent survivors of Rapture An epic continuation of the story that began in "Baldur's Gate," this RPG is set along the southern portion of the Sword Coast, a detailed and rich area of the Forgotten Realms called Amn. It features spells and plus monster types compared to only spells and 60 monster types in Baldur's Gate. Valve is working on a full-length sequel to its award-winning, mind-bending puzzle action game for the Xbox and PC.

Skyrim reimagines the open-world fantasy epic, bringing to life a complete virtual world open for you to explore any way you choose. Play any type of character you can imagine, and do whatever you want; the legendary freedom of choice, storytelling, and adventure of The Elder Scrolls is realized like never before.

Skyrim's new game engine brings to life a complete virtual world with rolling clouds, rugged mountains, bustling cities, lush fields, and ancient dungeons. Choose from hundreds of weapons, spells, and abilities. The new character system allows you to play any way you want and define yourself through your actions. Battle ancient dragons like you've never seen. As Dragonborn, learn their secrets and harness their power for yourself.

The Mass Effect trilogy is a science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life forms and mysterious uncharted planets. Welcome to the s. They were understandably nervous about his re-appearance in Liberty City, so a trip down south seemed like a good idea. But all does not go smoothly upon his arrival in the glamorous, hedonistic metropolis of Vice City.

He's set up and is left with no money and no merchandise. Sonny wants his money back, but the biker gangs, Cuban gangsters, and corrupt politicians stand in his way. Most of Vice City seems to want Tommy dead. His only answer is to fight back and take over the city himself.

Vice City offers vehicular pleasures to suit every taste. For the speed enthusiast, there's high-performance cars and motorbikes. For the sportsman, a powerboat or a golf buggy lets you enjoy the great outdoors. For those that need that sense of freedom and escape, why not charter a helicopter and see the beauty of Vice City from the air? An empire-building turn-based strategy game. Your tribe begins with a Settlers unit and has no knowledge about the surrounding area.

As you found new cities and explore the surroundings, you may find hostile barbarians, villages, and other competing cultures.

Rage through 32 single player levels and 6 deathmatch levels of sheer terror and fully immersive sound and lighting. Arm yourself against the cannibalistic Ogre, fiendish Vore and indestructible Schambler using letal nails, fierce Thunderbolts and abominable Rocket and Grenade Launchers.

Initially conceived as a floating symbol of American ideals at a time when the United States was emerging as a world power, Columbia is sent to distant shores with great fanfare by a captivated public.

What begins as a fresh new endeavor of hope turns drastically wrong as the city soon disappears into the clouds to whereabouts unknown. The player takes on the role of former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt, sent to the lost city to rescue Elizabeth, a young lady imprisoned there since her childhood. He develops a relationship with Elizabeth, enhancing his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt has to learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of a myriad of new weapons and abilities.

Oblivion is a single-player game that takes place in Tamriel's capital province, Cyrodiil. You are given the task of finding the hidden heir to a throne that sits empty, the previous emperor having been killed by an unknown assassin.

With no true Emperor, the gates to Oblivion the equivalent of hell in the world of Tamriel open, and demons begin to invade Cyrodiil and attack its people and towns. It's up to you to find the lost heir to the throne and unravel the sinister plot that threatens to destroy all of Tamriel.

In keeping with the Elder Scrolls tradition, players have the option to experience the main quest at their own pace, and there are plenty of opportunities to explore the vast world and make your own way. Numerous factions can be joined, such as the thieves or mages guilds, and each contains its own complete storyline and the chance to rise to the head of the faction and reap further rewards.

Oblivion features a groundbreaking new AI system, called Radiant AI, which gives non-player characters NPCs the ability to make their own choices based on the world around them. They decide where to eat or who to talk to and what they say. They sleep, go to church, and even steal items, all based on their individual characteristics.

Full facial animations and lip-synching, combined with full speech for all dialog, allows NPCs to come to life like never before. Something's rotten in the Land of Dead and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death.

He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation. The kingdom of Khandaras has fallen into chaos. An unknown force of evil has swept across the land. Plunging it nto civil war and terrorizing the populace. A mad king, his missing son, and a mysterious archbishop are all pieces to the puzzle that faces you.

You have journeyed to the source of the evil. The town of Tristram. Now inhabited by only a handful of survivors. The catherdal there is buildt over the ruins of an ancient monastary, and now eerie lights and sounds are heard echoing through its abandoned halls. Perhaps the answer lies withing the remains of a forgotten past Diablo invites you to enter a world of dark gothic fantasy.

Play as a brave warrior, cunning rogue or mysterious sorceror. As you venture deeper into the labyrinth, you'll discover weapons, armor, and magical treasures, and develop your character's skills and abilities. Faster-Paced Fun - Gameplay has been streamlined for a tighter, faster, and more compelling experience. Greater Accessibility and Ease of Play - An easy-to-use interface will be immediately familiar to RTS and action game players, and newcomers to the series will be able to jump in and play.

Tech Tree - Flexible Tech tree allows players more strategic choices for developing their civilizations along unique paths. More Civs, Units, and Improvements to enhance and grow your empire. Team Play - Whether playing multiplayer or single player, team play offers a new way of setting locked alliances that result in shared wonder effects, visibility, unit trading, and shared territory that delivers a plethora of new strategic and tactical options.

Civ IV comes to life! Cities and wonders will appear on the map. Wonder movies are back! With the Empire attacking the Kingdoms of the North and the Wild Hunt, a cavalcade of ghastly riders, breathing down your neck, the only way to survive is to fight back. As Geralt of Rivia, a master swordsman and monster hunter, leave none of your enemies standing.

Explore a gigantic open world, slay beasts and decide the fates of whole communities with your actions, all in a genuine next generation format. A real-time strategy game set in World War II, Company of Heroes brings to life, in full cinematic detail, the greatest war mankind has ever known.

Company of Heroes is built on Relic's next-generation Essence Engine and also utilizes the Havok Physics engine, delivering cinematic visual detail in a world completely driven by realistic physics. Gamers will experience the journey of the brave men of Able Company in a deep single-player campaign that begins with the invasion of Normandy through their fight across Europe, all set against the most dynamic battlefield ever seen in a game.

Company of Heroes' completely destructable environment means no two battles ever play out in the same way. Advanced squad AI delivers startling new realism and responsiveness, bringing soldiers to life as they interact with the environment and execute advanced squad tactics to eliminate the opposition forces.

It's the story of an impossible fight against a vicious alien race known as the Combine, set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Playing as Alyx Vance, you are humanity's only chance for survival. The Combine's control of the planet since the Black Mesa incident has only strengthened as they corral the remaining population in cities. Among them are some of Earth's greatest scientists: you and your father, Dr.

Eli Vance. As founders of a fledgling resistance, you've continued your clandestine scientific activityperforming critical research, and building invaluable tools for the few humans brave enough to defy the Combine.

Every day, you learn more about your enemy, and every day you work toward finding a weakness. VR was built to enable the gameplay that sits at the heart of Half-Life. Immerse yourself in deep environmental interactions, puzzle solving, world exploration, and visceral combat.

Lean to aim around a broken wall and under a Barnacle to make an impossible shot. Rummage through shelves to find a healing syringe and some shotgun shells. Manipulate tools to hack alien interfaces. Toss a bottle through a window to distract an enemy. Rip a Headcrab off your face and throw it at a Combine soldier. Hammer, Valve's level authoring tool, has been updated with all of the game's virtual reality gameplay tools and components.

Master deep, tactical combat. Join up to 3 other players - but know that only one of you will have the chance to become a God. Reload, rev up and ride out. The new Tournament is faster, higher and meaner. Land and air based vehicles take combat to a new level; while an arsenal of new weaponry, daunting arenas and battlefields and the challenge of the Assault and Onslaught modes make the gladiator blood sport of the future a brand new experience.

Buckle up; it? The God of War has changed A difficult and unfamiliar road awaits as you explore a stunning retelling of a classic story. Join Kratos as he adventures through a deep and reflective journey of growth, violence and the desire to become a better man for the sake of his son. In a world of monsters, dragons and gods, the weight of responsibility rests heavy on your shoulders -- and when your life is filled with blood and chaos, how can you prevent the mistakes of the past in order to protect your future?

User Score: tbd. These three distinct and powerful races clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival.

Featuring a unique single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II presents a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in an edgy sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard again offers unparalleled online play through Battle. Features fast-paced, hard-hitting, tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy gameplay that recaptures and improves on the magic of the original game.