The 16 best PC games (November 2023)

PC gaming has all the time been about pushing technological boundaries. It’s the platform video video games had been born on, and it’s performed host to dozens of genres which can be nonetheless widespread at this time — a few of that are nonetheless barely playable with no mouse and keyboard.

Because the world of console gaming has caught up with that of PC video games from a technical perspective, the identification of a “PC sport” has been muddied. It’s helped make extra kinds of video games accessible to extra gamers, which is a internet optimistic. But it surely’s additionally created a burning query: What makes a “PC sport” in 2023?

To reply that query — or fairly, to point out how superfluous that query has grow to be — the Polygon employees has compiled an inventory of the video games that outline the thrilling, amorphous expertise of taking part in video games on PC in 2023. A few of these can be found on different platforms, and a few are simply pretty much as good with a controller as a mouse and keyboard. In the meantime, should you’re one of many fortunate ones who has gotten their palms on Valve’s handheld, we’ve a separate checklist for one of the best video games on Steam Deck.

With out additional ado, listed below are the 16 finest PC video games you may obtain in your PC at this time.

[Ed. note: This list was last updated on Nov. 2. It will be updated as new and noteworthy games come to PC.]

Age of Empires 4

Picture: Relic Leisure/Xbox Recreation Studios

The place to play: Steam, the Microsoft Retailer, and Recreation Go

Age of Empires 4 will probably by no means substitute Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings within the hearts and minds of technique avid gamers. Nonetheless, AOE4 does convey some fascinating wrinkles to the acquainted setting and gameplay, permitting it to face capably by itself, regardless of residing within the shadow of a legend.

Past the reimagined gameplay, creating a brand new sport from entire material gave Relic the chance to imbue AOE4 with a definite type of its personal. Having the native languages of your civilization change as you advance by way of the ages or changing the fog of warfare with a rudimentary map are simply among the stylistic selections that set AOE4 aside.

Whereas the bottom sport solely options 10 civilizations in comparison with AOE2’s 45, every of the playable empires are rather more distinct. Past distinctive items and civ bonuses, as an example, the Mongols can shortly pump out items if they’ve the mandatory sources, whereas the Rus can use looking to spice up their late-game financial system. —Alice Newcome-Beill

Future 2

Picture: Bungie

The place to play: Steam, Epic Video games Retailer

Future 2 combines a typical loot-based shooter with Bungie’s best-in-class gunplay, and the consequence is without doubt one of the best MMOs in the marketplace.

The Future franchise has had some tough patches, and was met with combined reception at its preliminary launch. However within the eight years that it’s existed, Bungie has drastically improved the system through a number of expansions and a whole sequel. Now, the studio has some of the well-supported live-service video games in 2022.

Each few months, Future 2 will get a brand new season or growth, including missions, actions, and endgame content material like raids. Every of those totally different actions then offers its personal distinctive rewards, creating an countless loop of grinding new actions for brand new weapons, which you’ll then use to grind the following season’s content material. What makes that enjoyable and never tedious, nevertheless, is Bungie’s extraordinarily easy gameplay, which may stay enjoyable hundreds of hours and almost a full decade later.

Remarkably, Future 2 is barely getting higher. 2022 not solely noticed the sequence’ finest growth but, however it additionally delivered a wonderful story and added new weapons the likes of which gamers have by no means seen. In a world crammed with pastime video games which you can play for years with out stopping — particularly on PC — Future 2 is price on a regular basis you’re prepared to place into it. —Ryan Gilliam

Dwarf Fortress

Picture: Bay 12 Video games/Kitfox Video games

The place to play: Steam, or through the Bay 12 Video games web site

In case you’re ever within the temper to play god, you are able to do lots worse than taking part in Dwarf Fortress.

Because the title may counsel, it is a simulation/administration sport about constructing, optimizing, overseeing, and, by accident or not, destroying a fortress stuffed with dwarves. What the title doesn’t let you know is that you just’ll have to contemplate the area’s soil kind, elevation, and climate patterns. You’ll additionally must take the attributes of every of your seven beginning dwarves under consideration — their talent units, bodily traits, and psychological inclinations. After starting the development and administration in every new randomly generated world, you set about rising your colony and observing, as any variety of unexpected components can go effectively or very, very unsuitable.

As explored on this wonderful Eurogamer video by Chris Bratt (who went on to discovered Folks Make Video games), Dwarf Fortress is so nuanced and complicated {that a} colony’s cats have been identified to die en masse as a result of that they had walked by way of the puke of drunken dwarves, proceeded to lick their paws clear, and promptly died. The feedback on this video are full of comparable cases of emergent simulation (starting from disturbing to hilarious) they usually showcase how deep, absurd, and fantastic Dwarf Fortress has the potential to get throughout any given playthrough. Taking part in Dwarf Fortress might not flip you into essentially the most benevolent god — the dwarves have free will, in spite of everything — however you’ll virtually by no means get bored. —Mike Mahardy

Elite Harmful

Picture: Frontier Developments

The place to play: Steam, Epic Video games Retailer

Elite Harmful could also be outdated, however she’s bought it the place it counts, child.

The spacefaring MMO has the whole lot you might probably need in a sport of its kind — it’s simply that among the bits are a bit higher than others. The primary-person capturing, as an example, is simply OK. However Elite greater than earns its spot on this checklist for the sense of exploration, discovery, and hazard that comes with each flight.

That’s as a result of this circa-2014 sport contains a lifelike re-creation of all 400 billion star methods in our galaxy, every one with dozens of our bodies which you can go to, and even stroll on, in first individual. It stays among the finest causes to purchase a VR headset — or construct a working cockpit inside your property workplace. —Charlie Corridor

Fortnite

Picture: Epic Video games

The place to play: Epic Video games Retailer

Fortnite is the last word online game playground. Is it a battle royale? Is it a constructing sport the place you can also make customized maps and video games for buddies? Is it nonetheless that bizarre zombie sport that it was initially marketed as? The reply to all of these questions, inexplicably, is sure.

Crucially, Fortnite can also be the one sport the place you may swing round utilizing an official Spider-Man net slinger whereas dressed as Goku earlier than subsequently blowing away Commander Zavala from Future with a shotgun, chopping down a tree with the Workers of Ra from Indiana Jones, after which get sniped by Darth Vader as he rides by on a wolf. It’s chaotic online game nonsense, and there’s nothing else prefer it.

Fortnite is the “it” sport of the previous 5 years partially as a result of it’s the one factor on the market that permits you to dab as Kratos, but in addition as a result of it’s a wonderful shooter that’s a ton of enjoyable to play with buddies. It takes the outdated “enjoyable for the entire household” moniker and actually follows by way of with it — there’s really one thing for everybody. Whether or not you wish to compete on your Victory Royale or simply make silly machinima with Rick Sanchez and a Xenomorph, Fortnite can provide it to you. —RG

Hitman: World of Assassination

Picture: IO Interactive/Sq. Enix

The place to play: Steam, Epic Video games Retailer

The ultimate type of the immersive assassination simulator, Hitman: World of Assassination really fulfills the fantasy of being the best murderer on the planet. Along with all the content material launched for the primary three video games from the reimagined Hitman franchise, World of Assassination additionally contains the roguelike-inspired Freelancer mode, which forces you to remove targets with random gear and mission modifiers.

Every contract is a novel state of affairs that unfolds like a stage play. As you discover every state of affairs, studying extra about every participant and their respective components, you’ll learn the way to successfully attain your goal and remove them utilizing a mix of eager remark and stealth. Past being intricate clockwork with plenty of transferring components, the graphics for every stage are outstanding from a technical standpoint, that includes immaculately rendered crowds and diverse environments that immerse you absolutely within the places of the sport.

Whereas weapons blazing is all the time an possibility, every goal presents a possibility to specific your creativity as a contract killer, turning each mission right into a cleverly designed puzzle with a number of options. Any idiot can shoot somebody, however pummeling your goal with a brick of tremendous cocaine takes an artist. —ANB

League of Legends

Picture: Riot Video games

The place to play: Riot Consumer, Recreation Go

League of Legends is without doubt one of the most essential video video games of the previous decade, and it has helped set an instance for what a steady sport ought to seem like. It’s an unimaginable live-service sport with tons of recent content material added every year. It’s a posh technique sport that by no means performs out the identical means twice. It’s one of many greatest esports on the planet. And it’s fully free to play. Whereas League wasn’t the primary sport to assert any of these accolades, Riot realized classes from League’s predecessors (akin to Starcraft and the unique DOTA mod) to push the envelope of what a prestigious aggressive sport might seem like, and has managed to maintain it related for 13 years.

In true MOBA type, 10 gamers matchmake right into a sport collectively and are break up into two groups. Every participant on every crew is then assigned a job, they usually can select from over 160 totally different characters to help their allies. Through the match, the objective is to achieve the opposite aspect of the sector and destroy the enemy crew’s base. This ends in a tense push and pull between each groups, gathering gold and empowering their heroes.

It’s extraordinarily advanced — virtually like studying a brand new language — however that complexity is what retains the sport fascinating and enjoyable. After hundreds of matches, there’s nonetheless nothing fairly like spending a complete Saturday taking part in League of Legends and getting a brand new expertise virtually each time. —RG

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Picture: Asobo Studio/Xbox Recreation Studios

The place to play: Steam, Microsoft Retailer

Microsoft Flight Simulator is really a contemporary marvel. It pulls greater than two petabytes of Microsoft Bing map knowledge right into a high-quality, VR-compatible flight simulation. Then it feathers in reside air site visitors and real-world climate, simply because it could possibly.

Float planes, ski planes, navy jets, racing planes, even Halo’s Pelican — it’s all there, together with extra when you entry the in-game third-party storefront. And whereas MSFS can also be appropriate on Xbox consoles, it shines on PC, opening up a complete world of tinkering for devoted followers.

Simply plan forward and ensure your {hardware} has sufficient USB ports for the joystick, throttle, pedals, head-tracking peripherals, and multi-function shows. Ohh, I might get a ButtKicker and a cup holder and… —CH

Return of the Obra Dinn

Picture: Lucas Pope/3909 through Polygon

The place to play: Steam

Return of the Obra Dinn is that uncommon sport I want I might overlook. Not as a result of it’s heavy or overly traumatic, however as a result of I wish to expertise it once more with contemporary eyes. Like Outer Wilds, it’s a sport that depends closely on discovery and using newfound data.

The much less identified earlier than taking part in Return of the Obra Dinn the higher, so simply take our phrase for it and go play for your self… Not satisfied? Effective. I’ll spoil that you just get to play as an insurance coverage investigator. If that doesn’t get you to put in, nothing will.

Jokes apart, Return of the Obra Dinn places you within the sneakers of an insurance coverage investigator (that half wasn’t a joke) for the East India Firm in 1807. Armed with a magic pocket watch, it’s your accountability to find what occurred to the great ship Obra Dinn, a service provider ship misplaced at sea 5 years prior.

Every space you examine on the ship will deal with you to a brief vignette and a few dialogue or music. You then use that data to fill out your ledger and decide the destiny and title of every soul aboard.

It’s a tough sport to explain, however I haven’t stopped enthusiastic about it since its launch in 2018. The music and visuals are intoxicating, and the sport manages to shock time and again. Sadly, I’ll by no means be capable to play it as a newcomer once more — as I already know the fates of these aboard — however I can enrich your life by sharing it with you. —RG

Passable

Picture: Espresso Stain Studios

The place to play: Steam, Epic Video games Retailer

Administration and automation video games are outdated staples of PC gaming, and Passable is without doubt one of the trendy finest.

In Passable, you play an worker of an area company who’s dropped onto a hostile and unfamiliar planet. Your job is to make use of the planet’s sources to construct up an unimaginable manufacturing facility on your overlords, producing an increasing number of technologically superior gadgets that you just’ll ultimately ship again to the mothership through an enormous area elevator.

The catch with Passable is that it’s all in first individual, and also you’re only one small worker in what can change into an enormous manufacturing facility. Not solely do it’s a must to visualize how you can lay out your manufacturing facility ground with no god’s-eye view, you’ll want to assemble sources from miles and miles away — areas which can be tough to achieve on foot — and make tough choices. Do you wish to run a thousand-meter pipe crammed with oil to your manufacturing facility? Or do you wish to mine that oil, bundle it into barrels, and construct a prepare that may ship to your manufacturing facility on a set schedule? And the way are you going to deal with the ability scenario while you by accident blow a fuse and your oil manufacturing halts all of your different machines?

There are close to numerous formulae for brand new manufacturing facility setups, and every downside you come throughout turns into more and more tougher to unravel. However these puzzles are additionally extraordinarily rewarding, making certain that each space of your manufacturing facility — the refineries, the ability vegetation, and so forth. — all include their very own recollections and triumphs. —RG

Stellaris

Picture: Paradox Interactive

The place to play: Steam

Stellaris is real-time technique on a very huge scale. Every procedurally generated map of Paradox’s extrasolar grand technique sport is inhabited by a wide range of totally different alien species, every with their very own governments, beliefs, and ambitions that may vastly affect how a person sport performs out.

Each sport of Stellaris begins together with your empire exploring their very own tiny nook of the galaxy, however the scope shortly expands to adjoining star methods, shaking palms with the neighbors, and fascinating with nearly each superior sci-fi trope in existence. In Stellaris, you may terraform planets, uncover area whales, construct planet-sized superweapons, and dealer peace between rival factions in simply your first 100 years on the galactic stage.

Whereas the huge array of interconnected mechanics could be fairly daunting, particularly to gamers unfamiliar with the grand technique style, Stellaris comes outfitted with complete guided tutorials that pop up everytime you’re launched to a brand new mechanic or interface for the primary time.

Since its launch in 2016, Stellaris has accrued over 20 items of particular person DLC that add new alien races, planet varieties, and sport mechanics which have saved the growing old title feeling contemporary. Because of its sturdy modding neighborhood and the way a lot content material is current within the base sport, you’re extra prone to expertise the warmth dying of the universe earlier than you see the top of what Stellaris has to supply. —ANB

Whole Conflict: Warhammer 3/Immortal Empires

Picture: Inventive Meeting/Sega

The place to play: Steam, Epic Video games Retailer, Recreation Go

Generally, video video games simply can’t assist themselves. They develop vertically, with a lot systemic complexity that they destroy any possibilities at stability or class. They develop horizontally, with larger maps, extra characters, or new magical spells, till they’re bloated past restore. Finally, they collapse beneath the large weight of their very own making.

Whole Conflict: Warhammer 3 shouldn’t be a kind of video games.

What started as the primary fantasy installment in a history-oriented franchise has grow to be a trilogy-capping grand technique sport by which armored mammoths, sex-crazed demons, bipedal machine-gunner rats, dragon-mounted excessive elves, and four-headed hydras conflict in huge battles.

Like the primary two installments within the trilogy, Warhammer 3 is half empire-building, half real-time technique. You increase your territory, enhance your cities, construct your armies, and march them off to warfare. Once they encounter an opponent’s military or assault an enemy metropolis (perhaps it has beneficial sources? Possibly it’s a strategic chokepoint? Possibly it simply seems fucking cool?) the digicam zooms in to real-time technique battles on scales that aren’t comparable in some other sport.

Not like its predecessors, nevertheless, Warhammer 3 is an train in extreme scale. It combines the marketing campaign maps and each single faction from all three video games into one huge mode referred to as Immortal Empires, by which you’re simply as prone to see a world warfare play out between ogres, dwarves, vampires, and undead Egyptian pharaohs. Immortal Empires all however redefines sandbox video video games, and it has all of the makings of a desert island title. —MM

Valorant

Picture: Riot Video games

The place to play: Riot Consumer

Valorant is Riot Video games’ tackle tactical shooters. However because it comes from the creators of League of Legends, it infuses its harsh, hyper-accurate gunplay with distinctive heroes in a vibrant, colourful atmosphere. The consequence is without doubt one of the finest and tightest shooters on the market, with hundreds extra persona than its dreary, militaristic friends.

In Valorant, you’ll play on a wide range of maps as each offense and protection. The offense might want to plant a bomb at certainly one of a number of key areas on the map, and the protection might want to defuse that bomb. If the bomb goes off or the defenders are all killed, the offense wins. If the bomb is defused or the offense is all killed, the defenders win. The foundations are easy sufficient, however the characters add an additional layer of complexity.

Every spherical, gamers can purchase weapons and talents — the latter being distinctive to the Agent they chose initially of the match. Some characters can place cameras to spy on opposing gamers, whereas others can resurrect themselves after dying. Some characters can shoot arrows, whereas others can create huge clouds of poison to dam off areas. These characters all work in a different way with each other, permitting coordinated groups to create devastating combos with their skills.

Not like League, the UI is comparatively clear and simple to know. However the talent ceiling is simply as excessive as Riot’s different aggressive video games, and you may be simply outmatched by higher gamers. This makes Valorant daunting, but in addition thrilling. It’s a sport the place you may actually really feel your talent stage improve over time, which helps losses really feel like studying experiences and wins really feel completely unimaginable. —RG

Valorant is accessible through Riot’s shopper.

Warframe

Picture: Digital Extremes

The place to play: Steam, Epic Video games Retailer

What started in 2012 as a sport of ninja fight in slim spaceship corridors has, during the last decade, grow to be one of many strangest, funniest, most breathtaking science fiction worlds in video video games. It’s additionally free.

Warframe is a sport about accumulating the titular cyborg area assassins and mowing by way of tens — and even tons of — of hundreds of enemies on planets, moons, and star bases throughout the photo voltaic system. It has dozens of various crafting methods, customizable dojos and touchdown crafts, three open worlds, every day and weekly occasions, and even a devoted conference yearly in London, Ontario.

Warframe could be a grind, positive — until you spend actual cash in its market — however the fight, which performs like a mashup of third-person shooters and Musou melee encounters, is satisfying sufficient to final you the a number of hours till your subsequent new character, weapon, or improve. Whether or not that new addition to your arsenal be Frost, the defensive ice warrior; the Secura Lecta, a vicious whip that will increase your credit score yield; or Corrosive Projection, a mod that decreases the armor of enemies in your neighborhood, there’s one thing new round each nook. It’s a collector’s dream, and it’s replete with gratuitous sci-fi violence. —MM

World of Warcraft

Picture: Blizzard Leisure

The place to play: Battle.internet

World of Warcraft remains to be the family MMO title, with Closing Fantasy 14 solely catching up in recent times. However not like Closing Fantasy, World of Warcraft has remained unique to the PC with mouse-and-keyboard controls. It’s additionally 18 years outdated and nonetheless going robust.

As you may count on from a sport that’s sufficiently old to vote, World of Warcraft hasn’t all the time been among the finest PC video games on the market. It’s had moments of brilliance and eras of great disappointment. However at the same time as the standard of WoW’s content material has ebbed and flowed, it’s all the time provided an unimaginable world to journey in, peacefully by your self or in a boisterous group of buddies. It’s grow to be a staple within the lives of hundreds of thousands of followers over almost 20 years, and it’s all the time there for gamers who wish to run a fast quest or improve a chunk of substances.

As for 2022, World of Warcraft seems to be exiting its most up-to-date darkish interval with the upcoming Dragonflight growth. Whereas the sport isn’t publicly accessible, I’ve performed a lot of the expertise on the beta, and it already looks as if a wonderful reminder of why I — and others — have liked World of Warcraft for years. It’s a return to pure fantasy and simplistic methods that reward your time, fairly than asking you to grind for days for minuscule however obligatory enhancements. —RG

XCOM 2: Conflict of the Chosen

Picture: Firaxis Video games/2K Video games

The place to play: Steam, Epic Video games Retailer

XCOM 2: Conflict of the Chosen is without doubt one of the finest online game turnaround tales since Closing Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn. What began as a buggy and typically irritating follow-up to Firaxis’ beloved XCOM reboot was rejuvenated with the Conflict of the Chosen growth, and is now among the finest technique video games in current reminiscence.

Like the primary sport, XCOM 2 is all about keeping off aliens from one other world together with your military of troopers. It’s a turn-based tactical sport, so that you’ll transfer every of your characters individually earlier than ending your flip, inflicting the pc to maneuver in response to your actions. It’s like a chess match the place you improve and bond together with your items between matches, after which must say goodbye if the enemy ever takes them. (You possibly can flip the permadeath setting off, however I extremely suggest protecting it on).

Conflict of the Chosen, alternatively, added new enemy varieties and allied factions, which ultimately supply totally new soldier varieties so that you can management. That bonus content material is nice, however it’s the best way that content material flows into the bottom marketing campaign that solved the difficulty of vanilla XCOM 2’s irritating and breakneck tempo. With the growth, gamers have so many extra challenges to beat and avenues to discover that it looks like a completely new expertise — the place you’re consistently doing one thing new. There are difficult new bosses to hunt, a greater variety of mission varieties, and undead enemies which have the flexibility to disrupt your play type.

It’s a brutal sport, and lives as much as the countless memes of high-percentage photographs that inevitably miss on the worst attainable moments. However every encounter — be it a person firefight between two opposing troopers or a complete mission — tells a narrative. Not one written by Firaxis, however one crafted by you and your choices.

In case you love base/useful resource administration, technique video games, or each, you’ll discover a sport which you can play time and again with XCOM 2: Conflict of the Chosen. —RG