What to play: 20 Iconic Projects for PC
To find a fascinating game, you do not need to buy a console.
For some time, it was believed that sooner or later computers as a gaming platform would retire, and consoles would take their place. Nevertheless, consoles still can not boast of the power and ease of management that are available to PC owners. We talk about the games that are the last to try out in the first place.
Doom (2016)
Before people knew about first-person shooters, Doom was born. The game was released in 1993, and for a very long time all other projects in this genre were considered its clones. One of the best shooters of the last decade is the reboot of the franchise, which is also called Doom.
This is a game with a very high tempo, liters of blood and countless severed limbs. The main character simply rushes forward and kills the natives of hell in all sorts of ways.
In Doom there is not only a bunch of all sorts of weapons, but also the ability to do with monsters various obscenities in close combat. All this is under the energetic metal, which creates the perfect mood for the extermination of everything and everything.
Overwatch
Shooters have long ceased to be exclusively single. Overwatch is a perfect example of a multiplayer action movie with a first-person view.
Players fight each other in small groups in different modes – from a simple capture of the flag to seasonal events like football. The developers are trying to make the world of the project as alive and interesting as possible: they release expensive short films about characters, comics and so on.
Overwatch is not only the perfect option for those who want to get an idea of esports, but also allows you to play in completely different styles. Whether you want to shoot enemies with a sniper rifle or protect your teammates while in the thick of things, there is a suitable class for everyone.
Fortnite
Initially, Fortnite was a paid game about building bases and protecting against zombies. It still has this, but millions of people loved it thanks to the free battle royale mode.
About a hundred players find themselves on a big island and begin to fight with each other for the palm of primacy. Weapons, supplies and other useful things are scattered around the map. The danger is carried not only by enemies, but also by the constantly narrowing ring of death, beyond which you will not live long.
Fortnite is more than the successor to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. This is a game with an ever-changing world, ample opportunities for the construction of defensive structures and a generous set of content.
Minecraft
It is largely thanks to Minecraft that games with early access have become popular – when the developer releases an unfinished version of the project, and users try it and offer all sorts of improvements. But it’s also one of the first survival games.
You find yourself in a randomly generated world that is eight times larger than the real Earth. You need to grow food, hunt and build yourself a home, defending yourself from local threats in the face of zombies, skeletons and exploding creepers.
The creative capabilities of the project helped many video bloggers to gain millions of views. There are modifications that turn the game into a shooter or puzzle.
Since 2009, when the alpha version was released, Minecraft has had so much content that you can easily create a huge world unlike any other. The project is available on almost all modern platforms, but it is most comfortable to play it still on the PC.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
The game, known as PUBG, grew out of a modification for the military shooter ArmA 2. The idea of battle royale, implemented in it, became so popular that it quickly eclipsed a large number of modern multiplayer fighters.
Unlike Fortnite, pubg can’t build anything, and there’s not a trace of cartoonishness left in it. It’s a pretty serious action movie with believable weapon models and a bunch of ground vehicles. And in addition to the narrowing ring of death, periodically there are dangerous zones in which it is easy to die from bombing.
Despite the fact that Fortnite and PUBG are in a highly competitive environment, each game has unique features that attract its audience.
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft was released almost 15 years ago, but the developers are still introducing new content into the project. Thanks to this, many old players not only do not leave the MMORPG, but also new ones appear.
Seven expansions have already been released for the game, the last one is quite recent. The Battle for Azeroth add-on is dedicated to a grand war between the Alliance and the Horde, the two main factions. In World of Warcraft, the world is not only constantly growing, but also changing.
And there’s a vibrant community here. You can not be afraid that you will have to perform tasks and walk through the dungeons alone. There will always be like-minded people or just those who are not averse to helping to get another rare weapon or armor.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The third game about the monster slayer and the favorite of the sorceress Geralt was released more than three years ago, but is still a great example of high-end game design. It is available on modern consoles, but it is on the PC that it appears in all its glory.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt can be safely called a benchmark in terms of what tasks in role-playing games should be and how the user’s choice should affect the world around him. But it is on the computer of the third “Witcher” that you need to run because on no other platform does it look so good.
On the PC, you can set a longer drawing distance and a higher resolution of the picture. Thanks to this, everything in the project – from landscapes to characters – looks delightful. Of course, if there is enough power of iron.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
One of the advantages of a PC is the ability to do whatever your heart desires with game files. Almost nowhere is this possibility revealed more than in The Elder Scrolls series.
For Skyrim, there are a huge number of custom modifications. They add new quests, items, characters, and other content.
Thanks to the integration with the Steam workshop, modifications are very easy to install. You do not need to download files from third-party sites and manually upload them to a special folder. Just select the mod, press the button, and it is in the game.
If your enthusiasm knows no bounds, try The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind , probably the best game in the series. With mods for it will have to deal with, because you will need to do everything manually.
But it’s worth it: you can transform an old project beyond recognition and make it many times more interesting. For example, the Tamriel Rebuilt mod, which has been constantly improving for 17 years, adds a huge piece of land to Morrowind with a considerable set of exciting tasks, high-quality voice acting and full support for the fast movement system.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind → Buy
Buy The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim →
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the most fascinating modern representatives of the classic RPG genre. The game has a deep storyline – it is not a sin to go through it several times. Everything is worked out to the smallest detail, so that almost any task can be performed in different ways.
The world of Divinity: Original Sin 2 will seem to fans of high fantasy at the same time very familiar and completely alien, and this makes the game even more attractive. The project was released not only on the PC, but also on modern consoles, but it is most convenient to play it with a mouse and keyboard.
Kentucky Route Zero
A bizarre narrative in the genre of magical realism, the action of which takes place in the rural corners of America. This is the story of a truck driver at an antique store looking for a track not marked on any map.
Kentucky Route Zero has been released on episodes for the past five years – the release of the final part should take place this year. Also, the studio has released a series of “interludes” to the project, which are available for free.
Total War: Warhammer 2
The Total War series has turned the real-time strategy genre on its head. The tactical component of the games belonging to it is characterized by increased realism. Total War: Warhammer 2 best demonstrates this.
The events take place in the popular fantasy world, where there is a place for both high elves and rat-like skavens. In single player mode, battles can be slowed down and even stopped so that you can think through each action.
There are constant additions coming out for the game. The largest is Mortal Empires. It contains a huge story campaign, the action of which takes place on the maps total War: Warhammer and Total War: Warhammer 2. The add-on has 117 factions and 35 playable characters. And all this is free if you bought one of the two mentioned games.
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak
The spiritual heir to homeworld’s iconic space strategy. Deserts of Kharak is a prequel in which you land on the surface of a barren planet and fight for control of it.
The main thing in the gameplay is a ground aircraft carrier: it collects resources, new fighters come out of it and research is conducted on it. There is also transport that acts as a support. Particular attention is paid to the characters.
The game was released by a team of people who worked on the original Homeworld. The project looks cool and has a number of features that are not found in other representatives of the genre. And it has one of the best introductory videos in the history of video games.
ArmA 3
ArmA 3 is not just a shooter, but a combat simulator. This is a project with a lot of nuances, because of which it would be impossible to play comfortably on the console.
For example, not only can you sit down or lie down on the ground, but you can also tiptoe to see the enemy from behind cover, then stick your head out on the right, focus on your leg, and fall on your shoulder. All in order not to catch a single bullet, which may be enough to die.
In addition, you will find a lot of ground and air transport with complex aiming and control systems. Therefore, you can not do without a keyboard and a mouse.
ArmA 3 has a single player campaign, but the real value is multiplayer. A large number of clans have formed around the game, many of which have been fighting together for more than 12 years. Well, you should not forget about the heap of modifications of various genres.
War Thunder
Shareware game from the largest Russian developer Gaijin Entertainment, which is a flight simulator for everyone – even for those who have no idea about the structure of the cockpit. The project has different levels of difficulty – from a hardcore historical simulation to an arcade mode.
You can fight, however, not only on airplanes, but also on tanks and ships. This makes War Thunder one of the most intense war games.
Elite: Dangerous
This multiplayer space simulator recreates the Milky Way galaxy with 400 billion star systems. You start playing for a practically poor mercenary, and what to do next – you decide for yourself.
You can help other users, participate in large-scale battles or just go to the edge of the Galaxy, admiring the cosmic beauties. Everyone can find something to their liking.
League of Legends
League of Legends is a well-known representative of the MOBA genre. This is a hybrid of real-time strategy and RPG, in which it is important to be able to use the abilities of the heroes, think strategically and work smoothly. There are many options to win: fortunately, more than 140 characters are given a choice.
And this is an important eSports discipline: a number of international tournaments with impressive prize pools are held on the game. The attitude to League of Legends among the participants is as serious as possible, so the fights turn out to be very spectacular.
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
Turn-based tactical strategies are another genre that was created specifically for the PC. In XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, all the best is taken from him.
Since the release of X-COM: UFO Defense – the first part of the series – not much has changed: you take control of a small group of fighters and perform a clearly defined goal in a certain location. You have to think through every step.
But War of the Chosen catches not only tactical capabilities, but also a well-developed world, plot and characters. Despite the fact that this is an addition, it is more interesting to play it than the original.
Crusader Kings 2
In this strategy, you are trying nothing less than to conquer the whole world. The game begins with a historically accurate fact, but what happens next, you decide.
Your sovereign will grow old, he will have children who will eventually take over the board – unless, of course, they are killed. Such randomly generated events, of which there are a lot in the project, can captivate no worse than “Game of Thrones”.
Crusader Kings 2 was released in 2012, but the developer still supports it. The latest expansion , Jade Dragon – appeared in November last year and added a lot of content on the topic of China.
Civilization 6
Civilization is a true long-lived PC: the first game in the strategy series was released in 1991. In the sixth part, the essence remains the same: you act as a famous historical figure who leads his nation to prosperity. You will start in ancient times, but if you are lucky, you will have time to conquer space.
Many believe that the heyday of the franchise fell on Civilization 4: it appeared full 3D, and the gameplay has become much more modern. But now there is no point in buying it, since the sixth “Civilization” just successfully develops the ideas of its predecessor. At the same time, it is not devoid of anything for which the project is loved and appreciated.
