Deciding on a list of the best PC games of all time is like publicly declaring a favourite child. Strangely compelling, yet highly controversial. Still, we don’t care about offending anyone around here, so let’s get the hell on with it.
My criteria for the 10 best PC games is fairly broad. I’m only going back about 20 years (any further than that, and we’re in proper retro territory), and the games I’ve picked are not exclusive to the platform.
I’ve selected based on the combination of gameplay, reviews, cultural impact, longevity and the PC-centric qualities each title offers.
Oh, and before you lose it in the comments, I’ve not put these in order of merit; it’s just my top 10 games.
Table of Contents
How I chose my best PC games of all time
I could have picked so many other games for this list. I could have categorised them by genre. I could have gone back 30+ years. There are many things that I did not do.
It’s basically an impossible task to define the best PC games of all time and whether the PC version is the absolute best way to play. Especially when you’re comparing games across decades of PC gaming. But alas, I have tried to create a credible list worthy of your judgment. One that seems (mostly) relevant to 2023.
Got it? Good. Let’s get into my largely subjective list of the 10 best PC games of all time. Don’t like what I’ve picked? Write your own damn list in the comments, pilgrim.
1. The Orange Box
There’s never been a game like The Orange Box, and I doubt there will be again.
Valve used to actually make games, brilliant games, and in 2007, released a collection consisting of Half-Life 2, two Half-Life 2 expansions (Episode One & Episode Two), Team Fortress 2 and Portal. All for the standard RRP of a single release. If that’s not one of the best PC games of all time, I don’t know what is!
It would take a lot of paragraphs to describe each of these classic titles in detail, so I’m not going to. Each game here is an out-and-out classic in its own right. To get all three games (plus two expansions) on a single disc was downright ridiculous.
To summarise, Half-Life 2 revolutionised the FPS genre with its extensive use of real-time physics while thrilling players with an exciting story, novel puzzles and exceptional level design.
To say that we’re sad that Half-Life 3 has never emerged (Half-Life: Alyx doesn’t count, nerd) is to understate our collective sorrow, given how amazing it was to experience Half-Life 2 at the time.
But that is the point: Half-Life games were designed to showcase new frontiers of gameplay (OK, in that sense, Half-Life: Alyx does sort of count), so we’ll have to wait for the ‘next big thing’ in PC gaming, whatever that may be, before we’re likely to see a 3rd entry in the series. If ever.
Team Fortress 2 became a must-play multiplayer shooter classic. With its iconic cell-shaded cartoon appearance and a litany of ridiculously cool weapons and builds, it perfectly balances the easy-to-learn, hard-to-master game style while being incredibly fun to run around in.
Last but not least, Portal is that quirky game of ‘in one magic hole in the wall and out another’ (that old chestnut) that fries your brain and makes you laugh simultaneously.
Under the ever-watchful eye of the hilariously batshit AI GLaDOS, it’s a short but challenging tour of bleak industrial test chambers that became a massive cult hit. Portal 2 is better, but this one gets the nod on my list due to its esteemed company.
The Lord Gabeth Newell giveth something truly special here. We, his humble servants, are eternally grateful. Easily one of the best PC games.
2. CS:GO (now Counter-Strike 2)
Dating back to 2012, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (now superseded by Counter-Strike 2) is a phenomenally successful eSports title that is super easy to start playing and straightforward and fun to spectate. The balance is on point, and individual skill is well-rewarded.
It’s extremely light on hardware, so it can pretty much run on anything, and is incredibly well supported by Steam Workshop mods that continually produce new maps and game modes. Therefore, if you’re planning to get ahead in the game, it might be wise to invest in CS2 accounts to enhance your gameplay experience.
The setup is really simple. Two teams – terrorists and counter-terrorists – shoot the shit out of each other in objective-based rounds.
It’s all about strategic decision-making and teamwork, like any good team shooter. But CS:GO brings it all together with its excellent maps, decent weapon variety, and strong competitive focus. Oh and it’s free to play, so that helps!
It has an insane number of concurrent players on Steam, frequently topping the Steam charts year after year. If there’s a game that defines the value of the PC gaming space over the past decade, it’s Counter-Strike.
3. Skyrim
If there’s a best PC game that refuses to die, it’s Skyrim. Like another of my picks, the Elder Scrolls V has aged like a fine wine, straddling multiple console generations in an ever-evolving state due to its incredible mod support and enthusiastic player community.
This was a tough one for me, as I actually prefer the setting of its predecessor, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. But that’s a personal thing. Skyrim is undoubtedly the superior experience when it comes to combat, and its more advanced game engine has afforded it much greater longevity from a graphics and simulation standpoint.
Skyrim captures the imagination, with its majestic misty mountains towering over an ancient and magical landscape filled with all kinds of creatures and creeds.
Follow the story and become the ‘Dragon-Born’ hero you were destined to be or piss about stealing spoons from unsuspecting cretinous peasants; it’s up to you.
Mods are, of course, the heart and soul of any Bethesda RPG, and Skyrim has it all. 69,000 on community site Nexus Mods and counting, they can be useful and ridiculous in equal measure.
You can add entire quest lines, massively improve the visuals and squash bugs that Bethesda could never be bothered to fix. Or, you can turn all the dragons into Thomas The Tank Engine. You pick what works for you.
4. Minecraft
If there’s a case to be made for the greatest virtual sandbox ever created, it has to be Minecraft.
A game built by one guy and later sold to Microsoft for $2.5 billion has got to go down as an epic fucking achievement.
If in Skyrim you can play in any way you wish, in Minecraft you can exist in any world you can imagine. Built from the ground up, enthusiasts have recreated entire cities and made mad fantasy worlds in this game.
Its oh-so-retro blocky style might not be pleasing to the eye, but the lego-like format the design affords makes for endless creative possibilities.
You’ve got four game modes: creative, survival, adventure and hardcore. The first two are the traditional modes; creative is pure uninterrupted block-building, whereas survival makes you forage for all your supplies as you dodge random enemy spawns, mostly at night. Adventure mode lets you create your own story quests, and hardcore is like survival but much more brutal.
Over 10 years after the Microsoft acquisition, the game has over 140 million active monthly players. So whatever creator Markus Persson did is nothing short of mind-blowing.
He fully deserves whatever wench-drenched palace he undoubtedly now lives in.
5. World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft, The realm of the super nerds that got its own brilliant South Park episode, still has a healthy player community aeons after its initial release in 2004. It is the definitive MMORPG.
WoW was one of the first online games to feature genuinely deep and engaging lore utilising a complex narrative, diverse factions, and memorable characters, making players feel part of a living, breathing fantasy world.
Despite the visuals being as dated as an early noughties neon puffer jacket, the game is still a great play due to a series of excellent expansions, all of which tweaked and rebalanced the game to keep it fresh and one of the best multiplayer experiences you can shake your carpal tunnel wrist at.
Its PvE and PvP modes are equally fun, and you can even acquire exotic animals as pets and mounts.
People lived in this world and even met their real-life spouses here (trust me, I know one such couple). It’s probably the closest thing to a second life online that millions of gamers have ever experienced. WoW’s not just a game. It’s a nerd institution.
A brilliantly balanced world of magical creatures, each with near-endless and entertaining builds, play styles and rewarding quests to complete and loot to plunder. Excelsior!
6. Fortnite or PUBG (you decide)
Fortnite is not a game I love, but it has to be on this list due to its insane popularity. As does its slightly less popular but far more grown-up blood rival PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG).
And yes, I’m lumping these two together as they have so much in common regarding gameplay, player numbers and cultural influence. So sue me.
They’re both free-to-play battle royale simulations, the only major differences being Fortnite’s unique crafting elements and playful aesthetic.
Fortnite continually evolves to keep it on the cultural bleeding edge. So, if you want to dress like a 70s disco space pimp with a rainbow afro, as you know, it’s the ‘in thing’, then you can bet there’s a skin you purchase on the Fortnite store to scratch that peculiar itch.
PUBG is the proper OG in the battle royale genre, though. Pissed at the competition, the Korean company behind PUBG sued Epic for copying their game. The lawsuit was eventually dropped.
It may have been overtaken in player count, but PUBG has its place with more mature audiences. Its gameplay is just as engaging as Fortnite, if not more so, as it has a more intense atmosphere.
I reckon sound design is particularly good in PUBG, as listening out for where your enemies are can be the difference-maker in those claustrophobic battles between burnt-out buildings. It’s full of bugs, though, and doesn’t have the same crafting elements that add an extra layer of gameplay to Fortnite.
Which game you choose will likely depend on your age and what mood you’re in. The bottom line is that they can each claim to be one of the best PC games of all time, with huge communities that will be around for many more years.
7. Civilisation VI
Just. One. More. Turn. Need I say more?
If a game could be confused with crack, it would be Civ. The epitome of the RTS genre, Civilisation VI builds upon its fine lineage of previous titles and coalesces into an endlessly addictive whole. I personally have lost hundreds of hours to it.
Tasked with forging a great civilisation from ancient times to a giant robot killer-infested future, Civilisation VI challenges you to make smart decisions every single turn to succeed in achieving global domination as your chosen historic national leader.
Narrated by everyone’s favourite Northerner (Sean Bean), the game sucks you into an endless quest for advancement, improvement and strategic dominance. Scientific, cultural, diplomatic, religious and militaristic strategies are all routes to victory.
On easier difficulties, the game allows you the space to make broad strokes in all areas of your nation’s advancement. At higher difficulties, a single and dedicated strategic path is vital.
It’s a charming, beautiful and endlessly challenging game that has sucked me back in time after time.
Just watch out for Ghandi; he’s a nuke-wielding maniac.
NOTE: Civilisation IV makes a strong case for the best of the series, but I’m giving it to VI by a whisker due to its prettier art style and greater emphasis on diplomacy and research. In truth, IV, V and VI are all great games in their own right. Just play any of them and thank me later.
8. Baldur’s Gate 3
This might seem a controversial pick for my best PC games of all time as it’s such a new game, but hear me out.
Based on the 5th edition D&D ruleset, Baldur’s Gate 3 does almost everything right regarding what a video game representation of Dungeons & Dragons should be. It’s an incredibly polished experience honed over several years of early access, and it shows.
Baldur’s Gate 3 manages to translate the flexibility of a tabletop RPG, with all the nuances of character builds, quest choices, relationships and interactions to near perfection. For anyone who loves the mathematical madness of a D&D build, it’s nerd-nirvana.
The character writing and complex narrative structures are first-class, as is the companion system. No matter which class of character you pick, companions balance your party with the skills needed to cover a range of challenges in the 100+ hours of quests and turn-based combat the game offers. You can even team up with fellow fantasy fetishists in online co-op.
Great storytelling, world-design, near-endless builds and play styles that closely match D&D. If you’re into this kind of gaming, it doesn’t get any better.
9. Grand Theft Auto V
You can’t talk about the cultural impact of video games and not mention Grand Theft Auto.
The series has become synonymous with satirical cultural commentary. Lampooning celebrities, gang warfare, politicians, the wealthy, filthy street folk and the media establishment (so basically everybody) is the cornerstone of the GTA’s appeal.
Underpinning the sharp social commentary is a meticulously designed open-world experience that in GTA V is taken to greater heights of interaction, detail and realism.
Grand Theft Auto Vs story mode, with its three excellent protagonists (Trevor, Michael and Franklin), is one of the best-designed single-player experiences made to date for my money.
GTA V generated over a billion dollars in its first three days of release(!) and has since cultivated a rabid bro culture of players in its multiplayer component GTA Online. It’s a crazy competitive sandbox where you can take on special quests, heists, physics-defying street races and all-out warfare with rival crews.
Despite the delayed PC release, GTA V is best experienced on the PC, with access to better graphics and useful mods to enrich an already genre-defining experience.
10. Elden Ring
If you combine the game design talents of FromSoftware, the creators of the critically acclaimed Dark Souls games, with the world-building expertise of Game Of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin, you’ll get something truly special.
Elden Ring is a harrowing action role-playing game filled with diverse environments, each with its own lore, challenges, and secrets to uncover. The “Lands Between” offer exploration and immersion never before seen in a Souls game.
Not only is the storytelling rich and deeply steeped in compelling lore and intrigue, but as you’d expect, the gameplay is immensely challenging. The words casual and Souls games don’t mix, as there’s no more rewarding challenge than what FromSoftware demands of its players.
Get your head down, practise and hone your approach to each enemy type, and Elden Ring will reward you.
The transition to an open-world design is pulled off to perfection here, with an incredibly vast and intimidating landscape waiting to be conquered.
Adventuring with friends is even more rewarding despite the slightly finicky nature of the multiplayer system. When a rogue player decides to invade and spoil your progression, it adds a sinister sense of dread to an already thick and intoxicating atmosphere.
The game still suffers from a few technical issues, such as a limited frame rate and lack of ultra-wide support, but it’s not enough of an issue that should deter anyone from playing this incredible title.
Summary
There can never be a list of the 10 best PC games of all time that could possibly do the platform justice. There have been so many genre and era-defining moments in PC gaming history that I’d need to do a list three times as long to get close.
That’s the glorious thing about PC gaming. Through all the profound technological and cultural changes of the past 30+ years, the platform has and will continue to give us gems across every conceivable genre. Living on through online stores, archives and emulation.
I hope this list has inspired you to try something new or revisit an old favourite. But what are your picks? Let me know in the comments below.
