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Best Strategy Games for PC in 2024

By admin January 15, 2024

Best Strategy Games for PC in 2024, Strategy games come in a few different shapes and sizes, but what makes the following special is their unrivaled base-building features.Strategy games often involve micromanagement of various things that the player must master, ranging from logistics planning to providing optimal resources, to building a strong base that can serve as a foundation of the player’s winning move in the game. Most strategy games, be they real-time, simulation, or turn-based, have the element of base-building in their core gameplay loop.

The base building aspect of the game will usually involve the player having to gather resources and construct buildings as a starting point. This base will evolve to adapt to the game’s situation, although it has a heavier resource usage. The evolution of the base can also unlock a new gameplay loop for the player, keeping the game consistently fresh.

Factorio

The Factory Must Expand

Factorio is one of the best examples of how a strategy game can be centered around base building, as it becomes necessary for the player to have a well-built and well-defended fortress in order to ‘win’ the game. The real-time strategy game is also focused on resource gathering, making it necessary for the player to micromanage their resources optimally while defending the base from hostile invasion from the planet’s fauna.

From the importance of the Alt key to the value of construction bots, here are some valuable pointers for players who are new to Factorio.

With the game’s blueprint system, the base-building aspect of the game becomes more intense as the player will be able to build numerous unique building structures and customize their base, making each playthrough unique.

Best Strategy Games for PC in 2024

Cult Of The Lamb

Build A Base For An Upstart Cult

Creating a cult has never been more intense than while playing Cult of the Lamb, as the player will be controlling the role of a lamb that owes its life to a demon, and as a payment, tasked with creating a cult in the demon’s name. As part of the cult creation, the player is also tasked with building a proper base for the cult to thrive, and also act as a place of worship for its followers.

Farm layout is important in Cult of the Lamb, and these tips can help players keep things running smoothly.

Followers can be tasked with gathering resources to build up the base, and a plethora of other activities, including getting sacrificed to appease the demon. The survival aspect of the game makes it necessary for the player to build a well-balanced base without sacrificing an aspect, as it can lead to an early game over.

Base Of Operation Is Necessary Against Alien Invasion

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Fighting against an alien invasion that is overwhelmingly more advanced technologically can be insurmountable, but also fun to challenge in XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Aside from undertaking missions to repel alien invasions, the player is tasked with creating a proper base for the organization to build up their soldiers in many aspects, including technological advancement and logistics.

The base-building aspect of the game can become intense once the player is faced with the problem of facing multiple problems that require priority above the others. For example, having a country with a huge amount of funds pull out of the organization’s funding can negatively impact the base’s performance as upgrades become scarce.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2

Balance Resources To Achieve The Perfect Foundation For An Assault

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2

Although the game’s age is over two decades, the gameplay loop of both micromanagement and base building still holds fresh against most modern strategy games due to its simple design, but hard-to-master concept. At the start of every game, the player will be tasked to gather enough resources to build up a base that is capable of training units to assault the enemy’s base.

Moreover, these bases can also hold unique, powerful buildings that acts as a high-risk, high-reward structure that enables the player to unleash superweapons, such as a nuclear silo.

Evil Genius 2: World Domination

Build A Proper Staging Base To Dominate Earth

World domination is not an easy feat to do, and it usually requires a genius leader at the head of an evil organization that is willing to do anything, including building a super-secret base as the foundation of their evil plan. Players of the game will need to have a well-optimized base layout to have a chance of winning the game.

Evil Genius 2 can seem daunting for players new to the strategy genre. Here’s how to start the journey towards world domination.

Moreover, having the proper base layout is crucial, as the different rooms inside the base enable the player to take more missions to grow their organization. A less-optimized layout of the base will have repercussions, especially towards the later stages of the game, as the Forces of Justice’s interference grows more intense.

Age Of Empires 2

The Best Base Is A Foundation For Good Offense

The classic real-time-strategy game Age of Empires 2 is still widely played to this day due to its timeless gameplay loop, which includes intense micromanagement of units, resource management, and proper base-building to enable the smooth development of an army. The base-building phase of the game is crucial enough to have a set of patterns on which building to build first, and technologies to research first, to keep up with the enemy’s development.

Moreover, building a well-connected network of walls with gates is also important, as a well-defended base will mean the player has a chance to mount a comeback after a failed assault on the enemy’s base.

Starcraft

The Staple For Both Base Building And Micromanagement

Veterans of Starcraft will know how crucial it is to have the right sequence of buildings made in their base, as less optimal buildings will hinder their development and rapidly lower their chances of victory. Combined with three unique factions, each with its unique buildings, Starcraft can be categorized as one of the best games that have base building as one of the core gameplay loops.

The base-building aspect of the game ranges from creating an optimal supply chain to build an army, to identifying a satellite base that is dedicated to resource gathering.

Total War: Warhammer 3

Total War: Warhammer 3, the conclusion to Creative Assembly’s Warhammer trilogy, is also its strangest and most experimental, letting players leave the traditional Total War sandbox every 30 or so turns to journey through the Realm of Chaos, where the domains of the Chaos gods exist, culminating in huge survival battles that draw from tower defence games, with fortifications, in-battle recruitment and waves of enemies.

The campaign proved to be divisive, but for those more interested in a proper sandbox, there’s always Immortal Empires. Available as free DLC for anyone who owns all three games, this mega-campaign pits every faction and legendary lord in the entire trilogy against each other in a gargantuan map. So that’s 278 factions and 86 playable legendary lords. It’s incredible. Total War at its most, well, total war.

Crusader Kings 3

Crusader Kings 3, the best strategy game of 2020, has usurped its predecessor’s spot on the list, unsurprisingly. It’s a huge grand strategy RPG, more polished and cohesive than the venerable CK2, and quite a bit easier on the eyes, too. At first glance it might seem a bit too familiar, but an even greater focus on roleplaying and simulating the lifestyles of medieval nobles, along with a big bag of new and reconsidered features, makes it well worth jumping ship to the latest iteration.

CK3 is a ceaseless storyteller supported by countless complex systems that demand to be mucked around with and tweaked. Getting to grips with it is thankfully considerably easier this time around, thanks to a helpful nested tooltip system and plenty of guidance. And all this soapy dynastic drama just has a brilliant flow to it, carrying you along with it. You can meander through life without any great plan and still find yourself embroiled in countless intrigues, wars and trysts.

Total War: Three Kingdoms

Total War: Three Kingdoms, the latest historical entry in the series, takes a few nods from Warhammer, which you’ll find elsewhere in this list, giving us a sprawling Chinese civil war that’s fuelled by its distinct characters, both off and on the battlefield. Each is part of a complicated web of relationships that affects everything from diplomacy to performance in battle, and like their Warhammer counterparts they’re all superhuman warriors.

It feels like a leap for the series in the same way the first Rome did, bringing with it some fundemental changes to how diplomacy, trade and combat works. The fight over China also makes for a compelling campaign, blessed with a kind of dynamism that we’ve not seen in a Total War before. Since launch, it’s also benefited from some great DLC, including a new format that introduces historical bookmarks that expand on different events from the era.

Europa Universalis 4

Paradox’s long-running, flagship strategy romp is the ultimate grand strategy game, putting you in charge of a nation from the end of the Middle Ages all the way up to the 1800s. As head honcho, you determine its political strategy, meddle with its economy, command its armies and craft an empire.

Right from the get-go, Europa Universalis 4 lets you start changing history. Maybe England crushes France in the 100 Years War and builds a massive continental empire. Maybe the Iroquois defeat European colonists, build ships and invade the Old World. It’s huge, complex, and through years of expansions has just kept growing. The simulation can sometimes be tough to wrap one’s head around, but it’s worth diving in and just seeing where alt-history takes you.

4X Old World

Few 4X games try to challenge Civ, but Old World already had a leg up thanks designer Soren Johnson’s previous relationship with the series. He was the lead designer on Civ 4, and that legacy is very apparent. But Old World is more than another take on Civ. For one, it’s set exclusively in antiquity rather than charting the course of human history, but that change in scope also allows it to focus on people as well as empires.

Instead of playing an immortal ruler, you play one who really lives, getting married, having kids and eventually dying. Then you play their heir. You have courtiers, spouses, children and rivals to worry about, and with this exploration of the human side of empire-building also comes a bounty of events, plots and surprises. You might even find yourself assassinated by a family member. There’s more than a hint of Crusader Kings here.

Civilization 6

You can’t have a best strategy games list without a bit of Civ. Civilization 6 is our game of choice in the series right now, especially now that it’s seen a couple of expansions. The biggest change this time around is the district system, which unstacks cities in the way that its predecessor unstacked armies. Cities are now these sprawling things full of specialised areas that force you to really think about the future when you developing tiles.

The expansions added some more novel wrinkles that are very welcome but do stop short of revolutionising the venerable series. They introduce the concept of Golden Ages and Dark Ages, giving you bonuses and debuffs depending on your civilisation’s development across the years, as well as climate change and environmental disasters. It’s a forward-thinking, modern Civ.

Sins of a Solar Empire

Sins of a Solar Empire captures some of the scope of a 4X strategy game but makes it work within an RTS framework. This is a game about star-spanning empires that rise, stabilise and fall in the space of an afternoon: and, particularly, about the moment when the vast capital ships of those empires emerge from hyperspace above half-burning worlds. Diplomacy is an option too, of course, but also: giant spaceships. Play the Rebellion expansion to enlarge said spaceships to ridiculous proportions.

After years of waiting, a sequel is finally on the horizon, thankfully. Sins of a Solar Empire 2 can already be played in early access for those who preorder it.

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The best old games PC 2024

By admin January 12, 2024

The best old games PC 2024, Classic games are the rare ones that stand the test of time, so we’ve rounded up the very best old games that are still worth playing on PC today. Looking for the best old PC games? There are many perks to being a PC gamer, but we will save extolling them all for a day when we are feeling particularly inflammatory. For now, we will focus on just one: the best old games remain forever playable. Sometimes it takes a little more work, but it’s a lot easier than digging through your parent’s attic for an ancient console you think they still have.

Yes, even on the highest-end multi-cored rigs with the latest X-Titan Turbo Hydra Fulcrum Mk.III GPU, you can still boot up veteran strategy games, majestic ancient RPG games, trusty ol’ point-and-clicks, and other legendary games of yore. Below you will find a testament to those PC stalwarts like Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition that prove the best old games are truly timeless and deserve space on your SSD even to this day.

X-COM: UFO Defense

Strategy gaming meets turn-based tactics. The first X-COM game is still one of the best strategy games ever released on PC. This excellent old PC game inspired the team that went on to make Fallout, birthed several spin-offs and sequels, and was officially remade in 2012 as XCOM: Enemy Unknown – which is itself a classic. That’s some legacy.

In X-COM: UFO Defense, much like the remake, players must defend Earth from an alien invasion. In doing so, players must manage the clandestine X-COM group, choosing where to position bases and what technologies to research in order to effectively combat the extraterrestrial threat. Players must also win battles on the ground using a squad of X-COM soldiers in turn-based tactical combat.

The game itself has aged brilliantly where gameplay is concerned, though it is nowhere near as pretty as its modern-day remake. Assuming total control of mankind’s final barrier against the alien menace is still a joy: progressing through the research tree, turning your operatives into psionic super-soldiers, and then deploying them in the field to kick xeno-butt never gets old. Fancy some modern XCOM instead? Check out our XCOM: Chimera Squad review.

The best old games PC 2024

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee

A 2D platformer where absolutely everything can kill you in an instant: long falls, any enemy attack, grazing past an obstacle, overcooking a grenade… the list goes on. Its puzzles are complex, its gaps between saves overly long, and its enemies nearly impossible to avoid. Frustrating? Rewarding is the word you are looking for. Probably.

At the center of all this struggle is the titular Abe, an enslaved Mudokon who discovers the meat processing factory where he works is soon to be the slaughterhouse of his entire race. Abe breaks free and begins a quest for emancipation that the player can either go along with (making their journey much more difficult) or ignore. Choosing to steer a group of your own people into a volley of gunfire as a means of distracting an enemy is never an easy decision to make.

If you are not keen on jumping too far back in time in order to play this, one of the best old games available, check out the official HD remaster with the hilarious Oddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty.

Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri

Like any Civ game, Alpha Centauri is all about colonizing a world, growing an empire, and competing and cooperating as you see fit with other factions vying for power. The twist? Set on a distant planet in the future, this old PC game is far more story-driven, forcing you to interact with mysterious alien lifeforms and races that previously inhabited the planet.

Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri fits the 4X games formula of empire-building, research, war, and diplomacy with an excellent story. Featuring fascinating factions and complex leaders, Alpha Centauri offers a more focused experience than the ‘blank canvas’ of the main series. The smaller scope of the game emphasizes everything that is great about this old game’s narrative, helping Alpha Centauri remain as memorable as always.

Baldur’s Gate II

There is something about that beautiful, seemingly hand-drawn aesthetic of the Infinity Engine that is completely timeless, and Baldur’s Gate II uses that to deliver one of the best role-playing games of all time. Sure, you might still be working through Baldur’s Gate 3 right now, but it’s never a bad time to go back to the next best game in the series.

Gamers brought up on modern role-players may have trouble adapting to the tactical Dungeons & Dragons combat and plethora of dialogue, but it is precisely these traits that make Baldur’s Gate II endure as one of the best old PC games. The dark fantasy setting of Amn is a joy to explore with your party of companions, who are unforgettable for their excellent writing and catchy soundbites (“Go for the eyes, Boo!”). From its pretty pre-rendered backgrounds to its rich, mysterious world brimming with character, Baldur’s Gate II is truly ageless.

Planescape: Torment

This list will not turn into an ode to the great CRPGs of the ‘90s, we promise, but… just… one… more…

In contrast to Baldur’s Gate II’s classic, companion heroics, Planescape: Torment is a lonely, personal journey to uncover the lost memories of a person who has lived and died untold lives with no recollection of them. Set in a surreal otherworld of multiple planes and bizarre creatures that defy conventional fantasy tropes, Torment is one of the oddest and greatest videogame stories ever told. Focused more on dialogue and choices than combat, Torment encourages you to uncover its world through exploration, conversations, and clever, choice-filled questing.

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

When we first assembled this list Morrowind was still relatively young, but now it’s nearly old enough to buy itself a beer we think it’s finally earned ‘classic PC game’ status. No doubt this will upset the PC gaming elders, who are probably lost in some procedurally generated Daggerfall township.

Morrowind doesn’t just represent the Elder Scrolls series’ arrival on the 3D scene, it’s also the game that cemented the layout for Oblivion and Skyrim, two of the most popular videogames of all time. There are dozens of all-timer questlines and the foundations of Skyrim’s character builds, and it’s all wrapped up in what’s probably the most interesting and immersive open-world games to date.

Half-Life

Back in 1998, Half-Life’s storytelling and the conviction of its fictional world were far beyond anything else in the genre. Indeed, they were beyond anything else in gaming.

The opening in which you fly through the Black Mesa Research Facility is magnificent. Radioactive waste passes by, witty comments sound out from speakers overhead, and doors open and close all around. Valve crafted a world full of minutiae and intricacies that you could pore over in between all the alien fighting and physics-based puzzling. Seamless level transitions and a narrative that never broke away from the first-person perspective make this game not only one of the best old games but one of the finest games ever made.

We’ve spent years waiting for the mythical Half-Life 3, but with the release of Half-Life: Alyx, our hunger for new Half-Life has only gotten more ravenous. Sounds like the perfect excuse to revisit – or begin – the series. If aging visuals really aren’t for you then the fan-made Black Mesa remake is officially out and receiving just as positive reviews as the original.

Deus Ex

Visually, Deus Ex has not aged as gracefully as some of the pixel-era games on this list, but its deep RPG systems, dense hub worlds, and intriguing conspiracy crackpot plot make it proper ‘PC games bucket list’ fodder.

The number of ways in which you can tackle the game’s missions still holds up today: You have countless means of molding JC Denton to your play style. Your choices about how you interact with the world all feel significant and, as a result, Deus Ex continues to be the gold standard that immersive sims, stealth games, and RPGs strive for, and remains one of the best old games on PC. If you want to see how the Deus Ex series has modernized over the years, check out our Deus Ex Mankind Divided review.

Outlaws

The lack of tribute to this gunslinging wild-western shooter is no less criminal than the exploits of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Outlaws was among the PC’s best first-person shooters, sprite-based or not.

Several gameplay innovations helped Outlaws stand out, including a manual reload system, and the first-ever sniper scope used in a shooter. The orchestrated Sergio Leone-inspired soundtrack is spine-tingling, and the animated cutscenes have that lovely LucasArts touch that provides context to the tough, rootin’ tootin’ gunfights taking place across trains, frontier towns, and other environs of the Old West. Outlaws is a goldmine of excellent stylistic and gameplay features in a classic FPS package and an exceptional old PC game at that.

The Longest Journey

Coming in the twilight years of point-and-click adventure games, The Longest Journey is a poignant swansong for the genre. You are April, an 18-year-old student who shifts between two contrasting realms to restore the mysterious force that allows them to exist harmoniously.

The contrasting realms of the magical Arcadia and gritty urban Stark realm are evocatively presented, and in both, you will meet characters as strange and well-rounded as your strong, troubled protagonist. Yes, it suffers from the point-and-click pitfall of absurdly cryptic puzzles, but they are worth toughing through to experience this beautiful interdimensional adventure. The Longest Journey’s sequel Dreamfall is also worth playing, though it is not quite on par with Funcom’s original.

Diablo II

The continuation of online support and the fact that Blizzard released patches for Diablo II up to the release of the official remake attest to the game’s enduring appeal as one of the finest old PC games.

The high-intensity action RPG mechanics, which have been emulated but rarely topped by other games over the years, and its grungy, well-animated pixel art set Diablo II apart. Its loot-‘em-up gameplay is so appealing that it does not need to move with the times. Blizzard’s perfection of this formula has allowed Diablo II to completely defy the typical videogame life cycle. You don’t have to track down an old copy of this either as Blizzard released a solid remaster in the form of Diablo 2: Resurrected. Check out our Diablo 2: Resurrected review for our complete verdict.

Fallout 2

Looking at the image above, it is easy to say that Fallout has come a long way since the isometric days. But that would ignore the tremendous narrative and mechanical depth hiding amidst those pixels and pre-rendered backdrops. Fallout 2 is on Steam and, in high-res and with cloud saves, this fantastic old game is all the more appealing to revisit.

Fallout 2 is not forgiving, and bad decisions or character development can essentially ruin your experience. But ride the wave of its deep systems and you have one of the greatest RPGs of all time. The range of factions, side-quests, and characters paint a rich picture of a post-apocalyptic world that is a grim joy to explore. It is harsh, bleak, and kind of ugly, but Fallout 2’s wild wasteland came to define the series. Take a look at our Fallout 4 review to find out what the series has transformed into.

Theme Hospital

Still one of the funniest and most whimsical building sims on PC, Theme Hospital is a unique gem that no developer has even dared try to emulate. Its sense of humour ranges from excellent soundbites of the receptionists urging patients not to die in the corridors, to the emergent chaos of a mass vomit breakout in the waiting areas. AI prodigy Demis Hassabis was even involved in the project as a young boy, making this literally the work of a genius.

The cutesy visual style, so great at conveying fictitious illnesses like Bloaty Head and Hairyitis, conceals a relentless and challenging sim. Up there with the best old PC games, Theme Hospital stands in a league of its own… unless you count spiritual successor Two Point Hospital.

System Shock 2

You never forget the confused fear you feel when a mutant is apologizing to you while battering your head in with a wrench. It is harrowing, deeply unsettling, and captures the dark spirit of this lonesome story in which you are hounded by a murderous AI aboard a spaceship.

Yes, System Shock 2 was sort of succeeded by BioShock, but it is a tonally different beast – a psychological horror that drips with a cold, claustrophobic atmosphere. Grab one of the mods that updates the graphics and lighting to revive that intense technophobia you felt all those years ago.

Quake

It is hard to imagine anything dislodging Doom’s place in the pantheon of PC gaming greats (don’t worry, it’s listed here). However, it is Quake that sees id’s vision of demonic corridor-shooting executed most successfully. Of the two forefathers of those great franchises, Quake proves most affecting to revisit today. Doom’s cacodemons and hell knight sprites look kitsch now, but Quake’s roster of far less recognizable abominations – all lipless mouths and faceless horrors – still manages to unsettle. They are helped along by flawless sound design created in collaboration with Trent Reznor, and a medieval occult aesthetic that falls somewhere between Doom and Hexen.

The culmination of those elements – not forgetting its excellent arsenal of high-impact, heavy weapons – feels like id’s best attempt to pull together the elements they experimented with throughout the ’90s. Quake and its many sequels are all available with an Xbox Game Pass subscription, and we’ve found that they run superbly on modern PC setups – no frustrating compatibility modes are needed here.

Doom

Sure, we’ve already got Quake on this list, but where would modern PC gaming be without its sci-fi horror-based FPS sibling, Doom? Every boomer shooter fan has their preference between the two, so in the interest of pleasing everyone, we’ve included both.

Doom’s certainly the more colorful of the two and so is generally a lot easier to navigate, and you can also move a lot faster and more freely thanks to its slightly more open levels. Monsters take a bit less effort to kill and the levels are much less stingy when it comes to handing out ammo – it’s the better pick for cheap, run-and-gun thrills, while Quake offers a little more mastery and pure horror. This is also handily available via an Xbox Game Pass subscription and runs well on modern systems.

Starcraft

Starcraft may have been somewhat left behind by its shinier sequel, but even those not looking for a competitive experience could do a lot worse than revisiting one of the finest narrative RTS campaigns ever. Along with Warcraft 3, the original Starcraft represents pre-Activision Blizzard at its creative pinnacle.

Okay, so, in the same way that Warcraft owes a lot to Tolkien, this story of space marines, space bugs, and ethereal elder beings may owe a lot to Warhammer 40k, Aliens, and Starship Troopers. Everything owes a lot to Aliens, though, and that doesn’t stop this genre classic from holding up today. Come for the pitch-perfect execution of archetypal RTS games scaffolding, and stay for the character-focused sci-fi epic stuffed with juicy plot reveals.

The Curse of Monkey Island

While the first two Monkey Island titles are genre-defining adventure games, produced at the peak of LucasArt’s heyday, that doesn’t stop them from being a daunting proposition for modern gamers curious to see what all the fuss was about. Monkey Island 3: The Curse of Monkey Island may not have the best puzzles, the best story, or the best jokes, but it is the easiest to slip into for new players, and it’s still an excellent adventure game in its own right.

Featuring singing pirate barbers, a lactose-intolerant volcano god, and a giant chicken demon among its less ridiculous elements, The Curse of Monkey Island continues the adventures of Guybrush Threepwood, the world’s most useless pirate. A colorful cartoon aesthetic and a jaunty, moreish soundtrack top off this hearty mug of adventure game grog.

Now that you’ve taken a historical tour of our most cherished classic videogame memories, you know what to do: turn those old games, into ‘sold’ games. Okay, we’ll stick to writing, writing more list features, that is. And, if you want the cream of the crop both new and old, here are the best PC games of all time, or if you don’t want to splash the cash, here are all the best free PC games. For now, though, we’ll be going back to embracing the sweet, sweet nostalgia of our misspent youth.

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The Best PC Games 2023

By admin December 5, 2023

The Best PC Games 2023, The PC gaming ecosystem is easily the largest in the industry, with tens of thousands of games available to play and no real generational divide. Rather than a comprehensive list of the best PC games of all time, we placed our focus on the best PC games to play right now.

Some of these, like Elden Ring and Baldur’s Gate 3, are recently released gems, while others are multiplayer or live service games that have stood the test of time, such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Minecraft. Our list of the best PC games spans across a wide variety of genres, so we imagine at least a few of these games will pique your interest.

PC gaming is quite different from consoles, as your mileage with each game on this list will vary based on your rig. That said, many of the games on this list don’t require the latest and greatest graphic cards–they merely help these great games look even better. And if you happen to have a Steam Deck, a lot of these games are playable on Valve’s impressive handheld PC.

We’ve linked to Steam listings where possible for these games, but it’s worth noting that you can often find better deals on storefronts such as Fanatical and GOG. We’ve included links to those stores, too. Also, some of our picks are available on PC Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service.

If you’re thinking about upgrading your PC or starting a new build to play some of these games at higher settings, make sure to check out our step-by-step guide for building a gaming PC. We also have a dedicated list focused on the best Steam Deck games to play right now. If you’re looking for accessories for your rig, check out our roundups of the best gaming keyboards, gaming mice, and PC gaming headsets.

Alan Wake 2

Another chapter in the mind-bending Remedy universe, Alan Wake 2 picks up right where the cult classic left off more than a decade ago. Alan is trapped in the Dark Place and his only way out is to write his own story. His campaign takes place alongside a concurrent one with FBI agent Saga Anderson, and the two complimentary campaigns can be played together in any order. The lightly spooky elements of the first game turn much darker here, for a horror experience full of unforgettable moments.

The Best PC Games 2023

Apex Legends

We’ve called Apex Legends the champion of battle royales in the past, and two years into its lifespan, that’s something we stand by. Respawn Entertainment took its strong FPS foundation (namely Titanfall) and created a competitive shooter that refines all the core tenets necessary for a good battle royale. Its roster of characters adds a strategic layer and diversity of playstyle, gunplay is sharp and engaging, and quality-of-life features like the ping system and inventory management keep you focused on executing in combat.

Over the many seasons of content for Apex Legends, we’ve had multiple maps and game modes cycle into the experience. It has surprisingly deep lore that gets you invested in the world of Apex Legends, too. And because it’s free-to-play, you have nothing to lose by giving it a shot.

Baldur’s Gate 3

The triumphant return of a legacy CRPG series is also one of the best games of 2023. While Baldur’s Gate 3 is also available to play on PS5, the PC version is the clear leader thanks to its intuitive keyboard-and-mouse controls–and it’s a welcome return to form for longtime Baldur’s Gate fans. This fantasy tale is set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, but the most incredible part is how it approximates actually playing a game of D&D, with all the freedom that entails. You can tackle problems and navigate the world with an almost overwhelming amount of choice and agency, making it easy to get lost for hours and then start all over again with a new character.

Before Your Eyes

One of the most original games of recent memory, Before Your Eyes has a simple premise that hinges on your ocular organs controlling the entire experience through a webcam. It’s a short jaunt of a game that chronicles the life of a recently deceased person that you play as, but the catch here is that every time you blink, time moves forward. It’s a terrific idea, incredibly well-implemented, and ties in perfectly with themes of memories, life, and storing those precious moments within ourselves. Unusual but packing a heavyweight emotional punch, you won’t want to take your eyes off of this game for a single instant.

Factorio

The Factory Must Expand

Best Strategy Games for PC in 2024

Build A Base For An Upstart Cult

Base Of Operation Is Necessary Against Alien Invasion

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2

Balance Resources To Achieve The Perfect Foundation For An Assault

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2

Evil Genius 2: World Domination

Build A Proper Staging Base To Dominate Earth

The Best Base Is A Foundation For Good Offense

The Staple For Both Base Building And Micromanagement

Total War: Warhammer 3

Total War: Three Kingdoms

Europa Universalis 4

4X Old World

Civilization 6

Sins of a Solar Empire

The best old games PC 2024

Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee

Planescape: Torment

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Half-Life

Deus Ex

Outlaws

The Longest Journey

Diablo II

Fallout 2

Theme Hospital

System Shock 2

Quake

Doom

Starcraft

The Curse of Monkey Island

Alan Wake 2

The Best PC Games 2023

Apex Legends

Baldur’s Gate 3

Before Your Eyes

The Case of the Golden Idol

Civilization VI

Cocoon

Control Ultimate Edition

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Cyberpunk 2077

Deathloop

Destiny 2

Disco Elysium

Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition

Dota 2

Elden Ring

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy 14 Online

Forza Horizon 5

God of War

Hades

Halo Infinite

Inscryption

League of Legends

Loop Hero

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Minecraft

Monster Hunter Rise

Pizza Tower

Portal 2

Project Zomboid

Rainbow Six Siege

Red Dead Redemption 2

Return of the Obra Dinn

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe

Stardew Valley

Starfield

The Talos Principle 2

Tunic