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You’re faced with many purchasing options upon booting Epic Games Store, Steam, Xbox Game Pass, or any of the other digital marketplaces for PC games. Do you feel like shredding enemies with big weapons? Check out Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Want to plot maneuvers as a team? Give League of Legends a try. Ready to go on a haunting, RPG adventure? Download Elden Ring. Don’t get frozen by choice, though; use our recommendations to help you make a swift and wise purchasing decision.Note that this is not a historical examination of the most groundbreaking PC games. Simply put, this is an ever-changing collection of entertaining titles you should buy if you own a gaming desktop, gaming laptop, or Steam Deck OLED (or other handheld gaming PCs). To clarify, games don’t need to have been released within the calendar year to qualify for this roundup. Any release that’s still available and considered entertaining is eligible.This page has a top pick for each of our 17 genre categories, from action games to stealth games. These top picks will change as exciting new titles get released. But what about the rest? You can explore more than 250 PC games by deep diving into our standalone, genre-based lists that are linked below each entry. And if you’re a console gamer who thinks that we’re biased toward PC gaming because we’re PCMag—you’re right! Still, our staff has assembled their top picks for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Switch. In addition, don’t forget to visit The Best Video Games Coming Out in 2024 to know what’s on the horizon.We now present the best PC games. Grab your keyboard, mouse, gamepad, flight stick, or fight stick, and enjoy.
Why You Should Game on a PC
Action
Armored Core VI: Fire of Rubicon
Hungry for mecha battles? FromSoftware’s Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon reinvigorates the genre, as well as the long-dormant series, via highly customizable war machines, mission-based challenges, and tough-as-nails boss battles. A few missions come off as padding between lengthier scenarios, but the overall package will satisfy fans of bulky, humanoid (and semi-humanoid) combat vehicles. For more, check out The Best PC Action Games.
MSRP $59.99
Adventure
For nearly three decades, atmospheric point-and-click game Myst has stood as one of the best, most successful, and most influential PC release of all time. This latest update enhances the beautiful visuals, adds virtual reality support, and randomizes puzzles to make each playthrough unique. Get lost on the island all over again.For more, check out The Best PC Adventure Games.
MSRP $29.99
Battle Royale
Fortnite is the super-popular, mainstream face of the battle royale genre, but that doesn’t mean that the title is without merit. Fortnite has a lot going for it, including approachable gameplay modes, bright and zany graphics, and an excellent construction system. The heavy reliance on microtransactions detracts from the experience a bit, but fans of PUBG and other genre releases should still give this free-to-play game a shot.For more, check out The Best Battle Royale Games.
Beat ‘Em Up
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
A love letter to TMNT fans, Shredder’s Revenge sees developer Tribute Games pull from past games, comics, and TV shows to create what may be the definitive Turtles title. Featuring six-player action in local and online co-op, Shredder’s Revenge has all the humor and wonderful animation that you’d expect from a property that pits mutated reptiles (and a rat) vs. ninjas (and an alien brain). Like Streets of Rage 4, it incorporates fighting game elements to keep the combos flowing.For more, check out The Best Beat ‘Em Up Games.
MSRP $24.99
Fighting
Street Fighter is back! With the sixth mainline entry, Capcom delivers a fighting game masterpiece. Loaded with content, this title introduces several gameplay mechanics tied to the new Drive Gauge that lets you fight with more freedom than any Street Fighter in the series’ history. This creative, fluid combat features newcomer-friendly counters, parries, and aggressive gameplay via its optional, simplified control schemes. Plus, the World Tour mode lets you build an avatar and go on a schlocky martial arts adventure that sees you test your skill in semi-open-world environments.For more, check out The Best PC Fighting Games.
MSRP $59.99
Horror
How does a company remake what many people consider a perfect game? Capcom found a way by updating the graphics, modernizing the control scheme (Leon’s can parry attacks with his knife!), and streamlining the overall experience. Although this new Resident Evil doesn’t redefine shooters as the original did way back in 2005, it’s just as fun to play, if not more.For more, check out The Best PC Horror Games.
MSRP $59.99
MMO
Blizzard’s World of Warcraft is a MMORPG that has evolved into a cultural icon over the past 12 years. The list of accolades that WoW has accumulated since its release is simply staggering. While it is certainly not the first or only entry in this particular genre, WoW is the standard by which all other MMOs are judged. The game, bolstered by many expansions and a recent visual makeover, is a rich and rewarding experience that boasts a large selection of customizable races and classes battling in a fantasy world.For more, check out The Best PC MMO Games.
MSRP Free
MOBA
League of Legends, Riot Games’ free-to-play, multiplayer online battle arena title is, simply put, the best MOBA game you can buy. Its gameplay incorporates elements of role playing, tower defense, and real-time strategy—a combination that differentiates it from the many cookie-cutter MOBAs flooding the market. More importantly, the playable characters (known as Champions) show a deep level of variation, and each match’s competition level increases as the game sinks you deeper and deeper into addiction.For more, check out The Best PC MOBA Games.
MSRP Free
Puzzle
The original Portal was noteworthy for its witty dialogue and a creative blend of the previously incompatible puzzle and first-person-shooter genres. With Portal 2, Valve created a worthy sequel by updating the characteristics that made the first title a distinctive success. Limited multiplayer and post-campaign options slightly diminish the replay factor, but Portal 2 is just as amusing and exhilarating as its predecessor in almost every way.For more, check out The Best PC Puzzle Games.
MSRP $59.99
Racing
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Collection
2010’s Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing was an enjoyable racing game that placed Sega’s many iconic characters in a kart competition. Its sequel, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, expanded the game with new characters and unlockables, and introduced transformable vehicles that took to the land, sea, and air. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Collection, the series’ final form, adds free, PC-centric characters from Sega and Valve’s libraries, and bundles all the previous DLC goodies.For more, check out The Best PC Racing Games.
MSRP $19.99
RPG & Roguelike
Baldur’s Gate 3 represents a new peak for tabletop-inspired CRPGs. The game’s extensive flexibility in the face of countless potential player choices makes it the truest adaptation of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign we’ve ever seen, and its gorgeous presentation brings Faerun to life. It’s the kind of game you can put 60 hours into, beat, and then play again with a different character and have an almost completely different experience.For more, check out The Best PC RPG & Rouguelike Games.
MSRP $59.99
Shmup
On the surface, Vampire Survivors looks like shovelware, but this roguelite-shmup is a ridiculously addictive game, thanks to its simple concept and deceptively deep mechanics. Even in its Steam Early Access state, Vampire Survivors can take a big bite out of your day as you collect weapons and items and optimize your runs.For more, check out The Best PC Shmups.
MSRP $2.99
Shooter
With Doom (2016), developer Id Software successfully resurrected one of the foundational first-person shooter franchises. Given the game’s critical and commercial success, it’s no surprise to see a follow-up. Doom Eternal takes everything that made its predecessor a wonderful, demon-slaying shooter and bumps it all up by several notches courtesy of ridiculous weapons, fresh navigation options, and a new multiplayer mode. It is almost too over-the-top at times, but that’s precisely what makes Doom Eternal one of the best shooters ever made.For more, check out The Best PC Shooters.
MSRP $49.99
Sim & World-Building
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of PC gaming’s most beloved series, a franchise cherished and supported by aviation enthusiasts. The 2020 edition, crafted by developer Asobo Studio in tandem with Microsoft, is a delight. Improved graphics aside, the near-magic addition of a fully recreated and explorable Earth, built and populated with Microsoft’s Bing satellite imagery and real-time weather conditions, elevates the franchise to new heights.For more, check out The Best PC Simulation Games.
Starts at $59.99
Sports
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
The odd thing about aging is just how often it makes you look to the past, perhaps as a way to cope with an ever-shrinking future. The resulting nostalgia can sometimes soften the rough edges of the things we love, making them seem better than they truly were when we first experienced them. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2—a bundle that remasters two iconic late-1990s and early-2000s skateboarding games—doesn’t fall into that trap. In fact, it proves that, yes, those brash and exciting action-sports titles are as good as our memories recall, but they now exist with a beautiful visual overhaul and new, bountiful options that make them even better than what we remember.For more, check out The Best PC Sports Games.
MSRP $39.99
Stealth
Back in 2016, IO Interactive established a new era for its cult-favorite Hitman franchise with Hitman: Season One. While the episodic release model didn’t stick on PC or consoles, that game’s grand levels and inventive murder carried over to 2018’s Hitman 2. Now, the studio has delivered Hitman 3, the capstone to the World of Assassination trilogy. Featuring expansive levels, new ways to kill, and graphical improvements, this excellent stealth title makes it easy for anyone to become a bald, bar-coded assassin.For more, check out The Best PC Stealth Games.
MSRP $59.99
Strategy
StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void
The third and final StarCraft II expansion is a fantastic conclusion to Blizzard’s five-year saga and a great entry point into one of the most complex, but satisfying, strategy games ever made. Unlike the previous StarCraft II expansion, Legacy of the Void doesn’t require you to buy any previous versions of the game to play this package. It’s completely standalone. Factor in a varied single-player campaign, gorgeous cinematics, and new noob-friendly co-op modes, and you’ll see that Legacy of the Void is one of the best PC games of all time.For more, check out The Best Strategy & Tactics Games.
MSRP $39.99
