Key Takeaways
- PC gaming has been varied since PCs first entered our homes, and this list of the best PC games of all time contains entries from multiple genres so that there’s something for every gamer!
- Metrics like age, legacy, commercial sales, critical reception on launch, and more have been considered when making our picks for the best PC games of all time.
- Each entry includes links to each game’s individual pages on TheGamer’s site to help you find more info about each title we’ve named as the best PC games of all time.
We’ve come a really long way since the dawn of PC gaming. What began as a simple pixelated shooter with Space War in 1962 has evolved rapidly into the heavy-hitting fan-favorite series we’ve come to know and love.
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The Best PC Games Of The Early 2000s
The early 2000s was the golden age of PC gaming as the industry began to boom, and these games played had a major part in it.
And naturally, in 60 years’ time, some games have risen above the rest, more than earning their spot as some of the best games ever made for PC. Between graphic improvements, interesting gameplay, good story-telling, and more, here’s our list of some of the best PC games of all time.
Updated on October 30, 2024: In this week’s update to our list of the best PC games of all time, we’re double-checking to make sure we’ve brought you the most up-to-date info about the games and series listed below, as well as making sure the alt-text on our photos is helpful for anyone using text-to-speech readers!
15
Undertale
Multiple Endings, Multiple Existential Crises
Who’d have thought that a pixelated indie RPG would develop such an imposing, lasting presence? Undertale puts you into the shoes of a child exploring The Underground, solving puzzles and potentially making friends along the way as you decide exactly what to do with all those monsters you’re facing.
With a branching story path and multiple endings to experience, your decisions in The Underground really do matter. The game quickly earned a following on release and sealed its place on the top PC games lists forever.
14
BioShock
Underwater And Under Pressure
Would you kindly give this iconic horror FPS the respect it’s more than earned? Heavy on the Ayn Rand references, Bioshock launched in 2007 as a smash success that launched a long-running and much-adored series. In the first of three Bioshock games, you’ll make your way through Rapture, a once-idyllic underwater metropolis.
By the time you find it, though, it’s overrun with genetic mutants, oddly creepy little girls running around, and their enormous protectors known as Big Daddies. Between eerie visuals, a tenseness in the air that carries throughout, ample chances for challenges, and a well-executed plot twist, this game definitely deserves the praise it’s gotten.
There’s also been news of an upcoming fourth game in the Bioshock series, so stay tuned for more as we keep seeing more news for it! We’re eager to see where the series will go after the long hiatus following Bioshock Infinite, especially with Infinite being such a change from the core of the series itself.
13
Apex Legends
The Titanfall Battle Royale
Set in the same in-game sci-fi universe as the Titanfall series and featuring several characters from it, you take control over Legend characters as you break into teams to compete in battle royale deathmatches while playing as your favorite Legends.
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Despite the game releasing as a surprise to fans who thought a direct Titanfall sequel was in the works, Apex Legends still remains one of the most-played games of all time, with 25 million people jumping aboard in the first week and reaching its 100 million player mark in April 2021.
12
Sid Meier’s Civilization II
Just Watch Out For Gandhi…
This staple PC game might not have been the first in the Civilization series, but it is the title that first gave the Civilization games their legacy after honing the greatness of the debut title. Your goal in them is simple: oversee your empire through time as you compete with other civilizations to complete your victory conditions.
Scout the map, raise an army, settle a capital city, and race to be the first to win by getting to space, defeating everyone else, or surviving until the year 2020 (which probably sounded like it was going to be a way cooler year in the mid-90’s than it ended up being in real life).
11
Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn
Go Back To Your Baldur’s Gate Roots
BioWare makes our list once again with this huge RPG sequel, and for good reason – not only is Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn great, but it’s jam-packed with 200–300 hours of content. As if you aren’t getting enough of that from 2023’s Baldur’s Gate 3, right?
That was unheard of when the prequel game was first released in 2000, but between the main story and all its dozens of side-quests, fans more than got their money’s worth with this game. Even two decades ago, the series had a passionate fanbase, but if you’re looking for a little more of the same Baldur’s Gate flavor, no harm doubling back to the second game!
If you loved Baldur’s Gate 3 and want more of that iconic flavor, going back to Baldur’s Gate 2 might be your best bet, since Larian said they have no estimate on when their next game will launch, other than just “when it’s ready.”
10
Persona 5 Royal
“You’ll Never See It Coming!”
5.0/5
Persona 5 Royal
- Released
-
March 31, 2020
- Developer(s)
-
Atlus
, P-Studio - ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Multiplayer
-
Online Multiplayer
- Engine
-
Proprietary Engine
- How Long To Beat
-
100 Hours
- Metascore
-
95
- PS Plus Availability
-
N/A
While the original Persona 5 launched in 2016 exclusively for PlayStation and was a contender for several Game of the Year awards (narrowly losing to Breath of the Wild that year), Persona 5 Royal, the enhanced re-release with additional content, came out in 2020 and took the fandom by storm, becoming Metacritic’s top game for the year.
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P5R was the first Persona game to port the series to consoles other than Sony’s. In it, you follow Joker, a wrongfully convicted teenager serving his sentence in Tokyo (which is a detailed overworld map modeled after the real-life metropolis), as he and his rag-tag group of friends navigate the Metaverse to change the hearts of the entire country of Japan – for real.
9
Minecraft
The Sandbox Sim That Started It All
The vice-grip the virtual block-building sandbox, Minecraft, had on the online gaming world when it first launched can’t ever truly be forgotten if you were there for it. The game was released in beta back in 2009, and it received a steady stream of developer updates until Mojang released the final version in late 2011.
The game sold over a million copies in its first month alone, a number that’s only grown as the years progress and consistent updates keep it feeling fresh even more than a decade on. It was one of the earliest games to develop a large Let’s Play following on YouTube, helping massively to popularize a genre of content that remains immensely beloved today.
One of the earliest examples of an indie game that ended up seeing massive success with triple-A backing, Minecraft’s legacy in the sandbox game genre can’t be understated. News has been quieter about it lately, but we’ve seen plenty of trailers for the upcoming Minecraft movie all the time. The game also just recently launched on the PS5!
8
World of Warcraft
A Longstanding MMO Classic
- Released
-
November 23, 2004
- Multiplayer
-
Online Multiplayer
- ESRB
-
T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence (online interactions not rated)
- Expansions
-
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic
- Engine
-
Unreal Engine
- Steam Deck Compatibility
-
yes
- Cross Save
-
yes
- Cross-Platform Play
-
pc, ps
- X|S Optimized
-
yes
Almost two decades on from release, World of Warcraft is still going strong with just shy of 10 million people still playing at the time of writing. Events of the game follow what occurred in 2003’s Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, bringing players back into Azeroth once again and encouraging teamwork to bring down the monsters of the world, or even the other players.
The game is easily one of the biggest and longest-lasting MMORPG titles, still boasting an impressive and loyal fanbase even almost two decades on as one of the long-standing best PC games of all time, and it’s still receiving updates and new content. Fans don’t stay playing the same game that long unless you’re doing something right!
7
Grand Theft Auto V
The Biggest (Yet) In The Larger-Than-Life Series
When you blend absurdly wacky protagonists, fast luxury cars, expensive bank heists, and the ability to totally troll people online, it’s no wonder at all that Grand Theft Auto V remains the most enduring title in this long-running series, remaining one of the best PC games of all time even this long after its launch.
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In this installment, you follow three protagonists: retired (and presumed dead) thief Michael, street gangster Franklin, and all-around maniac Trevor through a completely open world that’s both beautiful and studded with dozens of activities to do as you wreak all kinds of havoc on the LA-inspired city of Los Santos.
Memes, Magic, And Mods
Long home to one of the most active modding communities online, Skyrim (as it’s most often shortened to) has spent over a decade now as one of the most prominent PC games for some. Despite how many platforms the game has come out on becoming a meme by now, the game has more than made a name for itself in its genre.
Lauded with praise for its versatile, engaging, and well-rounded approach to a classic genre, Skyrim remains one of the most beloved RPGs even today. Fans are still finding new ways to enjoy the game!
5
Mass Effect 2
If Your Feelings Can Take It A Second Time
In Mass Effect 2, you continue on with Commander Shepard’s mission from the first game to save the human race – after you watch him die in the first ten minutes of the game, that is…
The sequel to BioWare’s also-impressive and much-beloved 2007 release, Mass Effect 2 vastly improved on the series’ combat system and added complex and well-written characters to the series that would quickly become fan favorites. It’s impossible not to get invested in the characters and their stories as you play through the game.
Have you checked out Mass Effect: The Board Game – Priority: Hagalaz yet? It’s heavy on the rules, but whether that’s a good thing is up to you – editor Tessa Kaur called their experience trying it as being “as mechanically brilliant as it is frustrating.”
4
Portal 2
Glad(os) To See You Again
Sure, the cake may (or may not) have been a lie, but Portal taking such a high spot on our list definitely isn’t. Guiding voice and classic video game antagonist, GLaDOS, returns once again, and she’s a little pissed you killed her in the prequel.
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This 2011 follow-up to the smash-hit original Portal game followed the puzzle-platformer format, but added new elements including tractor beams, light bridges, and lasers. Just try not to get the ending credits song, “Still Alive” stuck in your mind like we do anytime we play the games…
3
Half-Life 2
Waiting For That Final Half-Life 3 Confirmed Message!
Released in 2004 to continue the success of its predecessor, Half-Life 2 puts fans back into the mind of Gordon Freeman once again. You’re joined by Alyx Vance as you fight through the campaign to help the Combine for the sake of freeing the human race (and man is it a long campaign).
The game’s reception has remained positive throughout the years, earning a total of 39 Game of the Year awards with additional nominations for things like stellar voice acting and sound effects. Still no Half-Life 3 confirmation (at least officially that is, though plenty of people have been datamining looking for answers), but we remain hopeful.
2
The Sims
Sul-Sul!
The Sims
- Released
-
February 4, 2000
- Developer(s)
-
Maxis
- How Long To Beat
-
35 Hours
- Engine
-
SmartSim
- ESRB
-
t
Will Wright had a hit with Sim City in the late 1990s, so he took a magnifying glass to his PC game and let you play a sort of digital dollhouse with the citizens, too. Throughout the years since its release, The Sims has taken on a life of its own, long since eclipsing Sim City and going on to spawn several sequels, spin-offs, and add-ons.
The game is fun and easy enough to bring casual gamers in, promising fantastical ideas like friendships, romances, careers, and home-ownership. It was even inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame in Rochester, NY in 2016, cementing its legacy as one of the best PC games of all time. It’s even the next video game movie, with Margot Robbie’s studio producing the film.
Later entries in the series have received mixed reviews after EA bought out Maxis and made the most recent entry, The Sims 4, free to play on PC. EA just announced that it’ll be continuing support for The Sims 4 for the foreseeable future, with fans generally unhappy with the Project Rene leaks. Doubling down on TS4 begins with an expansion, Life and Death, releasing on Halloween 2024 to bring all sorts of spooky new ways to play.
1
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
The Unlikely Victor That Sticks With You
You go through most of Disco Elysium as a cop with amnesia, trying to solve a murder case through dialogue with citizens of a city destroyed by war. Though the game was already great on its initial 2019 release, it was enhanced significantly and re-released with a free update in 2021.
Written and designed by Estonian novelist Robert Kurvitz, the independent developer ZA/UM didn’t know what a hit he had until the Game of the Year awards began to pour in, and an Amazon television series adaptation was announced for the game as well. Three successors have recently been announced, one of which comes from former Disco Elysium developers, so we’ll see where the game goes from here.
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