The 32 Best PC Games

The 32 Best PC Games

#10: Company of Heroes
Why It's Great: We love, we love, we love Company of Heroes. We can even forgive it for being yet another World War II title, because it's got the best RTS action in modern gaming. Relic took everything they learned from Dawn of War and made it better, and the result is a tactician's dream come explosively true. The king-of-the-hill resource system meshes perfectly with the setting, and cover is so well integrated that you'll wonder what's taken RTS games so long to get the hint. And for you graphics whores out there? It's just about the prettiest strategy game ever made. Hitch a ride with Able Company. You won't regret a single minute.



The 32 Best PC Games

#9: Unreal Tournament 2004
Why It's Great: Even though it never quite perfected free-for-all, UT2K4 has some of the best team-based gameplay in the genre, and it's thanks to Onslaught: a pioneering gametype of linked nodes, base assault, and vehicular manslaughter. Success in Onslaught necessitates teamwork, and UT2K4 is ready to provide, with vehicles and link guns bringing gamers together like pizza and Bawls. Sure, Unreal Tournament 3 has normal mapping and a hoverboard, but it also has a Malcolm that's gone absurdly urban. We'll take our Unreal sans MC Hammer, Epic. Thanks, though.



The 32 Best PC Games

#8: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Why It's Great: BioWare has crafted some winners in its day, but Knights of the Old Republic is among the very best of them. The first Star Wars RPG ever made, KotOR took us to a time in Star Wars we'd never seen before, much less dreamed was there, and yet it told the same classic tale of betrayal, redemption, and self-discovery that makes made us all geeky fanboys. KotOR was such a big deal, in fact, that BioWare is currently working on an MMO version of the game. We say: awesome. Just don't forget HK-47, meatbags.



The 32 Best PC Games

#7: Starcraft
Why It's Great: It's the only computer game that's ever become a national sport. By itself, that lands Starcraft squarely in the halls of gaming history, but there's so much more behind its success. Starcraft was the first RTS to have three asymmetric sides, and it did so with phenomenal balance. The game became a ruler that's been used to measure every other RTS since. Even its lingo has gone down in the history books: we all know what it means to Zerg an enemy. Starcraft is still played fanatically by gamers all over the world, and it's still as brilliant an experience as it was ten years ago.



The 32 Best PC Games

#6: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Why It's Great: Didn't get the memo? That's okay, there's plenty of time to play catch-up. Thanks to its living AI, breathing environment, and some nifty voice acting by Sean Bean and Patrick Stuart, Oblivion ranks among the very best RPGs ever made. It's got a gargantuan world, multiple parallel storylines, and yes, even downloadable armor for your horse. Its only failing point is a ramping difficulty level, which means bandits mysteriously graduate from wearing linen to plate mail as you progress through the game. It's hardly a sticking point, but that doesn't stop us from scratching our heads over the glass armor. Come now, glass?



The 32 Best PC Games

#5: Peggle
Why It's Great: It's Peggle. You've played Peggle, haven't you? It has to be the most excruciatingly addictive game PopCap ever came up with, and it all boils down to shooting a ball at pegs, watching the ball bounce off of the pegs, and then getting rainbows, fireworks, and Ode to Joy played to you for your efforts. Just lost your job? Got a C in calculus? Girlfriend dumped you for another woman? No sweat! Go play some Peggle. It's guaranteed to make you feel amazing.



The 32 Best PC Games

#4: The Orange Box
Why It's Great: Well, we've said it before, and it's as true for the PC as it is for the consoles: the Orange Box is the best compilation of gaming goodness ever made. Let's put aside the fact that Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 were part of the bundle, because most of us already owned them before plugging our credit cards into Steam. We're still left with three astounding games. Episode 2, the continuation of one of the finest single-player romps in history. Team Fortress 2, a multiplayer masterpiece with a great look to boot. And then there's Portal: the game that, honest to goodness, actually captured our imaginations, only to literally turn us on our heads. Yes, we say. Yes, times three.



The 32 Best PC Games

#3: Civilization IV
Why It's Great: Start with a colonist, build an empire, and conquer the world. Civilization was the original king of 4X gameplay, and its successor continues to rule the genre with an iron fist. The franchise turned Sid Meier into a Game God and the industry's equivalent of a household name, and since the first game's release 17 years ago, it has grown from its humble origins to gloriously chronicle 6,000 years of player-guided evolution. Civ4's gameplay comprises combat, diplomacy, trade, construction, religion, spaceflight, and the occasional Wonder of the World. Not bad for $30 at the local GameStop.



The 32 Best PC Games

#2: Quake 3 Arena
Why It's Great: Has there ever been a finer example of the speed, the glory, and the unbridled bloodletting of pure deathmatch? Hell no. Quake 3 Arena was, is, and will continue to be the single best avenue to free-for-all carnage. It's smooth as a baby's behind, quick as a bird of prey-and quad damage has to be the sweetest powerup ever invented. It's been modded to kingdom come. It's been copied again and again. id is even turning it into a browser-based game called Quake Live, because they know it, too: no game since has done it better. Q3A is multiplayer deathmatch.



The 32 Best PC Games

#1: World of Warcraft
Why It's Great: Hundreds of servers, thousands of guilds, millions of subscribers. It's the most popular MMO in history, and it ranks among the most recognizable brands in the world. Why is World of Warcraft today's best computer game? Oh, let us count the ways. Because it's accessible, a game that anyone can pick up and play. Because it has a depth and replayability that will keep veterans raiding for years on end. Because every facet of its experience has been polished to a sparkling sheen, from its moody, orchestral music, to its rich and epic storyline, to its unforgettable vistas and boundless customizability. We throw the word "redefine" around a lot as games journalists, but when it comes to WoW, it just fits. World of Warcraft has truly redefined online gaming.

Comments [75]

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MikeTheGreat

Of course WOW is Number one. Guess you can't blame it for being the number one online game. I would have actually liked to see another game besides WOW get the number one spot, like Half life 2, but that got 13 instead.

iamkid

i knew tf2/the orange box would be in here somewhere. such a great thing that is. valve is one amazing company...

Foaster

Hm... I'd say too much "new" games... there are lots of games from DOS and Win 3.11-95 times that are missing...
But Q3 at 2 is a good choice, there'll never be a better shooter, except another pure Deathmatch-Quake gets released

greensabre

Maestro wrote:

Did I miss Doom?

I didn't even think of that one. I'm also a little surprised that Starcraft isn't #2 right behind WoW, since people still play that 10 years later. Same with Diablo II.

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