Highlights
- PC gaming is rather varied, and the list contains games from multiple genres.
- Metrics like age, legacy, sales, critical reception, 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 for each.
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.
Video Game Release Dates 2024
From indies to triple-A giants, TheGamer's release dates calendar covers all games coming out in 2024.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 for some of the best PC games of all time.
Updated on April 9, 2024: We're back to update our list of the best PC games of all time to include even more information and current publishing formatting that before.
15 Undertale
Multiple Endings, Multiple Existential Crises
Who would have thought that a pixelated indie RPG would develop such a lasting presence in the gaming scene? Undertale puts you into the shoes of a child exploring The Underground, a world beneath the surface of the earth, solving puzzles and making friends as you decide exactly what to do with all the monsters you’re facing.
With a branching story path and multiple endings, your decisions in The Underground really matter. The game quickly earned a cult following and sealed its place on top PC games lists forever.
14 BioShock
Just One More Plasmid
Would you kindly give this iconic horror FPS the respect that it’s more than earned? Extremely heavy in its Ayn Rand references, in Bioshock, the 2007 smash success that launched a long-running and much-adored franchise, you make your way through Rapture, a once-idyllic underwater metropolis.
By the time you find it, it’s overrun with genetic mutants and enormous protectors known as Big Daddies, and between eerie visuals, a tenseness that carries throughout, and a well-executed plot twist, this game definitely deserves all the praise it’s gotten.
13 Apex Legends
The Titanfall Battle Royale
Apex Legends
- Released
- February 4, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Battle Royale , First-Person Shooter
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Violence
Set in the same in-game sci-fi universe as the Titanfall series and featuring several characters from it, you take control over control of Legend characters as you break into teams to compete in battle royale deathmatches.
The Best PC Games For Kids
Where there's a way to play video games, video games will be played. Find the best ones for kids on PC.Despite the game releasing as a surprise to fans who thought a direct Titanfall sequel was in the works, Apex Legends 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 in April 2021.
12 Sid Meier’s Civilization II
Just Watch Out For Gandhi
Sid Meier's Civilization
- Released
- September 1, 1998
- Developer(s)
- MicroProse
- Genre(s)
- Strategy
- Franchise
- Civilization
- Publisher(s)
- MicroProse
This staple PC game might not have been the first in the enduring Civilization series, nor the most recent, but it is the title that first gave the Civilization games their legacy. 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 a way cooler year in the mid-90’s than it ended up being).
11 Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Go Back To Your BG Roots
Baldur's Gate 2
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 didn't get enough from Baldur's Gate 3, right?
That was unheard of when the 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. Critics even offered high praise when the game came out as well, calling it, “captivating,” “polished,” and even “exemplary.”
10 Persona 5 Royal
You'll Never See It Coming
While the vanilla version of Persona 5 launched in 2016 for PlayStation and was a contender for several Game of the Year awards, Persona 5 Royal, the enhanced re-release with additional content first came out in 2020 and took the fandom by storm, becoming Metacritic’s top game for the year.
JRPGs For Beginners
Turn-based JRPGs include some of the most beloved titles in all video game history. These are the best JRPGs for newcomers to the genre.In it, you follow Joker, a wrongfully convicted teenager serving his sentence in Tokyo, as he and his rag-tag group of friends navigate the Metaverse to change the hearts of the entire country of Japan.
9 Minecraft
The Sandbox Sim That Started It All
The vice-grip that virtual block-building sandbox, Minecraft, had on the online gaming community when it first launched can’t ever truly be forgotten. The game 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.
8 World of Warcraft
A Longstanding MMO Classic
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
- Franchise
- Warcraft
- Publisher(s)
- Blizzard
- 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
Almost two decades on from its release, World of Warcraft is still going strong with just shy of 10 million people still playing at the time of writing this list. 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.
7 Grand Theft Auto V
The Biggest In A Larger-Than-Life Series
Grand Theft Auto 5
- Released
- September 17, 2013
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar North
- Genre(s)
- Open-World , Action
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Platform(s)
- PS5 , PS4 , PS3 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One , Xbox 360 , PC
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
When you blend wacky and iconic 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 the long-running series.
18 Best PC Games With Ultra-Widescreen Support
When you have an ultra-wide monitor, you'll want to know the best games to start testing it out with.In this installment, you follow 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 city of Los Santos.
6 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Memes, Magic, And Mods
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- Released
- November 11, 2011
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Genre(s)
- RPG , Action , Adventure
- Franchise
- The Elder Scrolls
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol
- How Long To Beat
- 35 Hours
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 game for some. While how many platforms the game’s come out on becoming a meme itself 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.
5 Mass Effect 2
If Your Feelings Can Take It A Second Time
- Released
- November 20, 2007
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG , Third-Person Shooter
- Franchise
- Mass Effect
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence
In Mass Effect 2, you continue on with Commander Shepard’s mission 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.
4 The Sims
Sul-Sul!
Will Wright had a hit with Sim City, so he took a magnifying glass to it and let you play dolls with the citizens, too. Throughout the years since its release, The Sims has taken on a life of its own, eclipsing Sim City and going on to spawn sequels, spin-offs, and add-ons.
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.The game is fun and easy enough to bring casual gamers in, promising friendships, romances, careers, and homeownership. It was even inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame in Rochester, NY in 2016.
3 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.
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. Teachers have even reported using the game to help their students learn physics at school, too.
2 Half-Life 2
Maybe We'll Change This Out For Half-Life 3 Someday
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 sake of freeing the human race. 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.
When a game is referenced in the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records as the Highest Rated Shooter, you know it’s gotta be good.
1 Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
The Unlikely Victor That Sticks With You
Disco Elysium
- Released
- October 15, 2019
- Developer(s)
- ZA/UM
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Publisher(s)
- ZA/UM
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence
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, 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.