The Top 100 PC Games of All Time

If you’re a PC gamer, then you know that there are some games that you can play for hours without getting bored. Here are our picks of the top 100 PC games of all time, from epic space opera to a pixelated indie RPG that quickly became one of gaming’s most beloved titles.

1. Dark Souls

Dark Souls is a challenging, hardcore role-playing adventure with a unique take on difficulty. Taking its cues from 2009’s Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls combines deadly environments, unflinching difficulty, and ultimately a thrilling and satisfying game experience that’s a true challenge to players’ minds and mettle.

From Software’s unique take on dodging, coupled with a world filled with cryptic lore and a challenging but rewarding combat system, makes Dark Souls a remarkably compelling experience for players of all skill levels. It also enables players to serve as silent, inadvertent guides to others through the game’s hauntingly dangerous environments.

There are plenty of games that can deliver a few cheap scares, but only Dark Souls can truly terrify. Its incredibly vast world is full of fire demons and homicidal lizardmen that all have one goal in mind: to kill you.

2. Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings

Age of Empires 2 is one of the greatest real-time strategy games of all time, and its recent remaster on Microsoft Windows has seen massive acclaim. This Windows remaster was released in 2019, featuring improved visuals, resolution and audio as well as additional free content and a new campaign.

AoE2 is a real-time strategy game in which players control a single civilization throughout history. Unlike other RTS titles, players build their empire from the ground up by advancing through various Ages of Development and gaining access to various units and technologies.

Civilizations are modeled after real-world historical cultures and have their own unique units, technologies and personalities. These traits affect how they play, as players gain advantages or disadvantages depending on their specific mix of units and technology.

The Cumans, for example, are the most powerful civilization in AoE2, thanks to their ability to sack entire kingdoms with sixteen men-at-arms and two battering rams. They also enjoy extra town center speed in the Feudal Age, allowing them to build Siege Workshops and additional Town Centers for 75 less wood.

3. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is an atmospheric RPG with a rich setting. Despite its clumsy combat, it still manages to capture the essence of being a vampire in modern Los Angeles.

Set in White Wolf Publishing’s World of Darkness, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines follows a fledgling vampire’s journey through Los Angeles. You’ll be tasked with uncovering the truth behind a relic that heralds the end of all vampires.

The game also explores questions of whether or not vampires can truly retain their humanity all while keeping the beast inside them at bay. The game is also a dialogue-heavy affair with a strong commitment to role playing.

4. Death Stranding

If you’re looking for something a little bit different, then Death Stranding is definitely worth checking out. The game is an ambitious sci-fi adventure developed by Hideo Kojima, and it has one of the most unique gameplay styles in history.

Essentially, you’re a deliveryman in a world gone wrong. As such, you’ll acquire multiple orders, each of which requires you to travel to a designated location and collect cargo.

While the premise of travelling across a broken America may seem boring on the surface, the game surprisingly makes it more fun than it seems. You’ll plan a route, gather supplies, and take them to their destination before dealing with the various enemies in your way.

The game’s thematic core is unsurprisingly hopeless, but it also has a profoundly optimistic message that goes beyond scathing critiques of the United States to an in-depth appreciation of human connection. It is this that really separates it from its peers, and we can’t recommend the Director’s Cut version enough.

5. God of War

The rebooted God of War series is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. It spawned nine installments across multiple platforms, and is now available on PC.

The game’s stunning visuals are a major highlight, with every mythical landscape and character featuring impressive attention to detail and beautiful flourishes. It also offers a range of graphical options that make the game look even better, including 4k resolution and unlocked framerates.

This reboot takes the combat ideas of the original and evolves them for a new era. It’s a great approach, as it keeps the series fun and recognizable for long-time fans while giving them something fresh to sink their teeth into.

6. Portal 2

The original Portal was an enthralling and memorable puzzle game that became a huge hit with gamers. Its innovative game-play and memorable cast captivated players and made it a runaway success.

After a long wait, Portal 2 is finally here, and it’s bigger and better than ever before. It’s a massively ambitious game that delivers a mind-blowing plummet through Aperture Science’s perplexing laboratory, punctuated by dazzling, kinetic, mind-expanding puzzles.

While the first game largely centered on the use of your portal gun, Portal 2 brings in a wide variety of new mechanics to keep things fresh. You’ll quickly be introduced to everything from gels and laser-bending cubes to hard light bridges, tractor beams, and more.

The game also features co-op, where you team up with two Aperture Science robots armed with their own portal guns and a host of challenging puzzles. It’s an intensely engaging experience, and it’s rare for a game to bring together two players in such a dynamic way.

7. Myst

Myst is one of the most important games ever made, and its quiet puzzle-solving and slow exploration are a perfect fit for virtual reality. The original game is still considered by many to be one of the best in the genre, and its reimagining gives it renewed life.

This iteration of Myst also adds VR support, and while it doesn’t offer a complete immersion, it’s a great way to get a feel for the worlds. However, the game’s control method still relies on the same point-and-click mechanic, which can be awkward for people who aren’t familiar with it.

Some of the more notable changes include the ability to take snapshots, which can be useful for figuring out where to solve a puzzle later on. In addition, the game has an optional Randomizer mode for veteran Myst players who want to challenge themselves without resorting to strategy guides.

8. Doom

Doom is one of the most iconic first-person shooters of all time. The original game launched a whole new generation of gamers, and it spawned an entire subculture that still thrives to this day.

Among the game’s many innovations, Doom pioneered the use of mods, a system that allows players to modify and customize the game’s weapons, objects, and environments. It also pioneered a host of other modern first-person shooter trends, including the inclusion of multiplayer modes and immersive 3D graphics.

The main single-player campaign puts you in the shoes of an unnamed marine, who wakes up on a lab table on Mars. He then must fight his way through hordes of demons while closing the portal that brings them to Earth.

The action in Doom is fast and brutal, with your unnamed protagonist sprinting through open multi-floor spaces full of shambling enemies. Health, armour and ammo pickups litter the floor around you, encouraging movement as you blast your way through the levels.

9. Elden Ring

ELDEN RING invites you to roam the Lands Between, a vast world teeming with monsters and magic. Riding on an ephemeral steed, you gallope through vast fields, scuttle across suffocating swamps, and rise to the top of rocky crags in breathtaking settings reminiscent of Scotland’s vast landscapes.

It’s this expansive setting that makes FromSoftware’s latest open-world action-RPG one of the most visually striking titles to date. Its teeming environments evoke grandiose spectacle, but they also balance it with tranquility and familiarity.

It’s difficult not to fall in love with Elden Ring. From Software’s previous games have been praised for their incredible scale, roleplaying, and storytelling, but the developer pushed those elements even further with Elden Ring. It’s a game that rewards players who explore, but its challenging combat still leaves them with a sense of accomplishment when they’re successful.

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