Best PC Games Of All Time
In the same way that there are timeless classics in cinema or music that are continued to be enjoyed today as much or more than when they appeared, the brief but intense history of video games already offers works that manages to penetrate the general culture enough to transcend concepts such as technological limitations or market trends.
However, the first persistent generation of players has managed to extend the life cycle of several specific games far beyond what was expected at the time they were developed. And in today’s generation where games with Online functions are a fashion, players not only have forgotten them but prefers to play them in front of the current proposals.
Full List of Best PC Games Of All Time
Best PC Games Of All Time
Current video games come to market with a “life cycle” controlled by post-launch content and online support services.
The first thing to keep in mind is that while designing a game today, a life cycle is calculated. It may seem logical that if we are going to make a new annual release of ‘ Call of Duty ‘ or ‘ Assassin’s Creed ‘ we will stop giving continuity to the titles of the same IP that came out two or three years ago, since they extend excessively the support of the annual sagas that would condition the sales of future deliveries.
This does not mean that the latest games and those that have adopted the new market models do not have the capacity to become new classics capable of resisting the passage of time. As we saw earlier in areas such as the viability of remakes or the continuity of game crackers, again the key is again in the user community itself.
Top Games all time
Minecraft –
Minecraft is one of the greatest PC games of all time and the most commercially-successful PC game present in the market which sits behind Tetris. It has been purchased over 100 million times since it got released in 2009.
Creative Players can build with a variety of different blocks in a 3D environment on Minecraft, a sandbox video game.
This innovative game include resource gathering, exploration, combat and crafting. You can either restrict yourself to the many resources and blocks provided by the creator, Mojang, in Minecraft, or you can install mods to truly capitalize on your investment.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt :
This is still one of the topmost impressive open-world games, while it has been released many years ago. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is such a jam-packed game, that is why it is the best PC game of all time. Staggering, beautiful and a complete sink in time – in a good way – The Witcher Wild Hunt is not just 2019’s best PC title. Perhaps it’s just one of the best video games ever.
Grand Theft Auto V:
Grand Theft Auto V was one of the most awaited console ports ever to hit PC gaming if you won’t be stumbling back into the incredibly detailed and immersive world of Los Santos with any arm-twisting.
Grand Theft Auto V is 10 times more exciting with the richest graphics and smooth like butter 60 fps gameplay. The more interesting thing about this game is that the fun doesn’t end even after a 30-hour campaign has been finished by you, as there’s an explosion of post-game content to enjoy so the mayhem will start.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the most popular role-playing video game. Players can fully immerse themselves to play their favorite fantasy for hours and hours.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim became the standard for this style of a role-playing game, boasting beautiful worlds, thrilling dungeons, and a character growth addictive process in which you can lose yourself fully.
The main story of this amazing game revolves around the quest of the player character to kill the World-Eater Alduin, a dragon prophesied to demolish the world.
The best thing about this game is that it’s not characterized by a storyline that you complete from beginning to end.
World of Warcraft :
Blizzard’s World of Warcraft (WoW) is one of the best pc games of all time. It is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG)that was released in 2004. It is the fourth game published in the fantasy universe of Warcraft. It is the most popular MMORPG with almost 10 million players in 2009.
World of Warcraft allows the player to use a credit or debit card, prepaid Blizzard game cards, or a WoW Token bought in-game to pay for a subscription. Players can use a trial account without a subscription that enables the character of the player to reach level 20 but is locked in many features.
Overwatch :
It is one of the best first-person shooters of all-time that is developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Overwatch has also established itself as a legitimate gaming phenomenon by spawning the Overwatch League.
The Overwatch League, supported by sports moguls like Robert Kraft, Jeff Wilpon, and Andy Miller and it has both financial support and fans to become a cultural force in the years to come. No doubt it’s all thanks to the accessibility and appealing online experience of this game, complemented by a colorful roster of characters that immediately made the audience love the game.
Fortnite :
Fortnite is one of the best pc games of all time that was developed by Epic Games. It is available in three different versions that share the same general gameplay and game engine which includes Fortnite: Save the World, Fortnite Battle Royale and Fortnite Creative.
In 2017, the first two-game modes were launched as early access games and on December 6, 2018, Creative was released.
The best thing about Fortnite: Save the World is that it is a cooperative shooter-survival game for up to four players to battle against zombie-like monsters and protect objects with fortifications they can build. And this has been designed as a player-versus-environment game.
Fortnite Battle Royale is a player-versus-player and a free-to-play battle royale game for up to 100 players, allowing one to play individually, in a duo, or in a squad (usually consisting of three or four players). And Fortnite Creative, where players have total freedom to create worlds and arenas of war.
Portal 2 :
Portal 2 is a puzzle game for Xbox 360, OS X, Windows, Linux, and PlayStation 3 released in April 2011.
The cooperative mode of Portal 2 has been praised for being simply a fun way to spend some time with a friend, making it hard to compete for a social experience.
Players can solve puzzles like the original Portal (2007)by placing portals and teleporting among them.
Besides this, the puzzle-platform game, Portal 2 also adds features tractor beams, light bridges, lasers, and paint-like gels that alter the movement of the player or allow portals to be placed on any surface.
Destiny 2
Destiny 2 is also included in the list of best pc games of all time. It is an online-only multiplayer first-person shooter video game. On September 6, 2017, it was launched on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Bungie’s Destiny 2 is the sequel to 2014’s Destiny and its subsequent expansions. This game has been designed in such a way that it features a multiplayer “shared-world” environment with role-playing elements.
Like the original, Destiny 2 events are split between the forms of games player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) that makes up the majority of the game.
Dota 2
Dota 2 is the most popular PC game that was produced by Valve Corporation. It’s a sequel to Defense of the Ancients (DotA). Dota 2 is categorized as an action real-time strategy video game.
In July 2013, the digital distribution service Steam launched a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game, Dota 2 for OS X, Microsoft Windows, and Linux-based personal computers.
The best thing about this game is that it is completely free to play with no heroes or any other aspect of gameplay to be purchased or otherwise unlocked.
Half-Life2
“Half-Life 2 is the best single-player shooter video sequel game that has been ever released for the PC and it is one of the top pc games of all time that was developed by Valve Corporation.
The puzzles, mechanics, and game environment provided innovative and immersive gameplay, complemented by simulations of mind-bending physics and the iconic Gravity Gun.
Meanwhile, players are fascinated with protagonist Gordon Freeman’s nerdy charm, which has since become one of the most popular characters in video game history.
It was released after Five years of the original Half-Life and it is proved that it was well worth the wait. The game stands alone as the biggest PC game ever over a decade after its release.
League of Legends
League of Legends is one of the fast-paced action strategy game. It is a Multiplayer online battle arena video game that was developed by Riot Games.
This amazing game follows a freemium system and is sponsored by microtransactions. It is also the most popular PC game with over 100 million active players each month.
The game is made up of three current game modes: Rift Summoner, Twisted Treeline, and Abyss Howling. Teams work together for a winning state in each game mode, usually destroying the main building (called the Nexus) at the base of the enemy team after bypassing a line of defensive structures called towers.
BioShock
It is the most popular first-person shooter video game. Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 consoles were unveiled in August 2007; Irrational, 2 K Marin, 2 K Australia, and Digital Extremes released a PlayStation 3 port in October 2008 and Feral Interactive released an OS X version in October 2009.
Irrational’s creative lead, Ken Levine developed the amazing concept of this creative game. The game is considered a spiritual sequel to the System Shock franchise that had previously been worked on by many of Irrational’s staff, including Levine.
Apex Legends :
Apex Legends is one of the most innovative games that was produced was Respawn Entertainment.
The best thing about this game is that it is user-friendly and is free to play. Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 launched on February 4, 2019.
Apex Legends ‘ gameplay combines elements from several video games including battle-royal games, Respawn’s Titanfall series, class-based shooters, and those with evolving stories.
Divinity: Original Sin II
Divinity: Original Sin II is also added to the list of all-time pc games. It is the sequel to 2014’s Divinity: Original Sin, which was produced by Larian Studios.
Divinity: Original Sin II has received universal acclaim, with many reviewers praising its difficulty and interactivity as one of the best role-playing games ever. Apart from this It was also a commercial success, selling in two months over a million copies.
Portal (video game)
Portal is one of the best puzzle-platform video game ever. The Valve Corporation produced this incredible game. Portal consists mainly of a collection of puzzles to be solved by teleporting the character of the player and basic objects using the “Aperture Science Handheld Portal System”, a system capable of creating inter-spatial portals between two flat planes.
Despite critics of its short duration and brief plot, Portal was regarded as one of the most original games of 2007. The game was lauded with a humorous sequence of dialog for its originality, innovative and gameplay, and dark plot as well.
Half-Life
Half-Life is the best single-player shooter video game that has been ever released for the PC and it is one of the top pc games of all time that was developed by Valve Corporation.
In this incredible game, Players assume the role of Gordon Freeman, a scientist who has to find his way out of the Black Mesa Research Facility after a foreign material experiment goes wrong.
The core gameplay mainly consists of the battle against aliens and human enemies with several weapons and puzzles. The best thing about this game is that the player has almost complete uninterrupted control of Freeman, Unlike several other games at the time, And most of the story is told through orchestrated scenes seen through his eyes.
mass effect 2
It is one of the best role-playing video game that was produced by BioWare. It is the sequel to the original Mass Effect and the second installment of the Mass Effect series.
In this innovative game, the player guesses the role of Commander Shepard, that is an elite human soldier who must develop a diverse team loyalty and prevent the enemy in a suicide mission. Using its predecessor’s completed saved game, the player can affect the game story in many ways.
Metal Gear
It is one of the best video games that has been ever released for the PC. This is a series of stealth video games for action-adventure that was developed by Konami Holdings Corporation. For MSX home computers, the first title, Metal Gear, was produced in 1987.
Numerous sequels were released for various platforms which extended the story of the original game, adding characters that oppose and help Snake, while there were also a few prequels exploring Metal Gear’s history and recurring characters.
DOOM (1993 video game)
First-person shooter video game Doom was a genre created by Id Software for PC gamers in the 1990s. On December 10, 1993, it was released on MS-DOS.
It is one of the most popular games in the history of video games and is often cited as one of the greatest games of all time.
Doom was provided with early 3D graphics, networked multiplayer games, and packaged files (WADs)support for personalized improvements. In the First-person shooter video game Doom, Players take on the role of a space marine, popularly referred to as “Doomguy,” battling its way through hordes of invading Hell’s demons.
DOOM (2016 video game)
First-person video game Doom was a genre developed in 2016 by Id Software for PC gamers. In May 2016, It was released throughout the world on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft.
It is the fourth major series title and the first new sequel after Doom 3 in 2004. Players take the role of an unidentified marine space as they fight Hell’s demonic forces unleashed on a future-set colonized planet Mars by the Union Aerospace Corporation.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
This is one of Hidden Path Entertainment and Valve Corporation’s best first-person shooter multiplayer video game. In the Counter-Strike series, It is the fourth popular and an objective-based game.
On August 21, 2012, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, OS X, and Xbox 360 launched this amazing game. The Global Offensive competitive scene is made up of tournaments hosted by third-party organizations and Valve-organized and co-sponsored tournaments, called Majors.
Ghost recon breakpoint
An online tactical shooter video game, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint was created by Ubisoft Paris. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One worldwide on 4 October 2019 and will be released for Google Stadia in November 2019.
The game is the 11th installment in the Ghost Recon franchise of Tom Clancy and is a narrative sequel to the Ghost Recon Wildlands of the 2017 video game of Tom Clancy.
Hearthstone
This is one of the best free online digital multiplayer collectible card game created by Blizzard Entertainment. Hearthstone, originally called Warcraft Heroes, uses the same mechanics, characters, and artifacts to expand on the established continuity of the Warcraft series.
This turn-based card video game was first released in March 2014 for Microsoft Windows and macOS, with later that year introducing ports for iOS and Android.
The game features cross-platform play which allows players to compete with each other on any compatible computer, restricted only by geographic area account limits.
The game features cross-platform play that allows players to compete on any compatible device, restricted only by the limitations of the geographic area account.
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
This is all-time favorite video game that was created by Blizzard Entertainment. in July 2010, it was released globally for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.
This imaginative game is a sequel to the 1998 StarCraft video game and the Brood War expansion packIn reality, The game is divided into three parts: the main title is Wings of Liberty, an expansion pack, next subtitle is Heart of the Swarm, and the last one is a stand-alone expansion pack, Legacy of the Void. A campaign pack titled StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops was released in March 2016.
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG)
This is the most popular online multiplayer battle royale game that was created by PUBG Corporation. The game is based on previous mods developed for other players by Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene, influenced by the 2000 Japanese movie Battle Royale, and expanded under Greene’s creative direction into a standalone title.
Up to one hundred players in the game can play on an island and scavenge for weapons and equipment to destroy others while preventing self-murder.
Battlegrounds were first released for Microsoft Windows on March 2017, with a full release in December 2017, via Steam’s early access beta program.
The game was also released for Xbox One by Microsoft Studios in the same month through its Xbox Game Preview program, and released in September 2018 officially. In addition to a port for the PlayStation 4, a free-to-play mobile version for Android and iOS was launched in 2018.
Battlegrounds is one of the most successful and best-selling video games ever.
Monster Hunter: World
An action role-playing game, Monster Hunter is one of the greatest gaming series that you haven’t heard of for years.
It is developed by Capcom. In January 2018, This amazing video game was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and was released in a Windows version by Microsoft in August 2018. With Monster Hunter: World, the series broke into the mainstream and came to the PC (to a great deal of relief from many gamers) and now it’s one of the best PC games you can play so far.
Monster Hunter: World places you in a monster hunter’s boots, and you’re going to hunt ever larger and meaner creatures, strip them for pieces, and craft bigger, badder armor. It’s a gameplay loop that turns out to be one of the most convincing and satisfying PC games you can play right now.
There’s no doubt it’s an addictive, immersive and most importantly, fun game that you can play on your own or with all your closest friends.
Team Fortress 2
This is the one of the best team-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game and the sequel to the 1996 mod Team Fortress for Quake. It was produced by Valve Corporation.
In Team Fortress 2, players join one of two groups of nine character classes, battling in various game modes including capturing the ill’s flag and king.
This amazing game was critically praised for its art direction, gameplay, irony, and use of the character in a multiplayer-only game.
Baldur’s Gate
Baldur’s Gate is always at the top of the list when it comes to a role-playing video game for PC. This amazing game was produced by BioWare.
It is the first game in the Baldur’s Gate series and is played in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using a modified version of the 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). It was the first title to graphically use the Infinity Engine.
Top Laptop games
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
This is one of the best video games for PC. which was produced by Kojima Productions. Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One launched it worldwide on September 1, 2015.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is the ninth installment in the Metal Gear series, The story follows mercenary leader Punished “Venom” Snake as he went to Soviet-occupied Afghanistan and the border region of Angola and Zaire to take revenge on the people who defeated his forces and nearly killed him during the climax of Ground Zeroes
Spelunky
It is the most popular video game that was designed by Derek Yu. In this game they have control over a spelunker who explores a number of caves as they collect treasure, save damsels, battle monsters, and avoid traps.
Spelunky is one of the first examples of a rogue-lite, incorporating genre tropes while not falling under that term, and affecting several early games of “rogue-lite”
Undertale
Undertale is always at the top of the list when it comes to a role-playing video game for PC. It was designed by American indie developer Toby Fox. In this game, the player has control in an underground child: a huge, secluded area under the Earth’s surface, separated by a magic barrier.
Many sources influenced the play. These include the role-playing games of Mother and Mario & Luigi, the Touhou Project bullet hell shooter series, and Mr. Bean’s British comedy show.
Civilization VI
It is one of the best turn-based strategy 4X video game that was developed by Firaxis Games. In October 2016, macOS and Microsoft Windows launched it. And the game’s only console update, Nintendo Switch, in November 2018.
In November 2019, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One ports are planned. This game is created in such a way which one or more players compete alongside computer-controlled AI opponents to grow their individual civilization from a small tribe to control the whole planet over several developmental periods.
Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn
This is one of BioWare’s best role-playing video game ever. This is the sequel to Baldur’s Gate. Like Baldur’s Gate, the game takes place in Forgotten Realms — a fantasy campaign environment that is fully based on the rules of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition game.
The player controls a group of up to six players in this real-time gameplay, one of whom is the protagonist generated by the player, while the others are other characters recruited from the game world.
The game’s main quest is about 50-60 hours of play, while the entire game, including all side quests, is expected to be between 200-300 hours.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
It’s one of the best video game action-adventure ever. It’s Rockstar North’s all-time favorite player.
Microsoft Windows and Xbox has launched this game on June 2005 while it was published by Playstation 2 in October 2004. It is the seventh title in the Grand Theft Auto series, and the first major entry in the Grand Theft Auto since 2002: Vice City.
It was released on the same day as the mobile game Grand Theft Auto Advance from Game Boy Advance. On June 8, 2018, the game was added to the Xbox One Backward Compatible list.
XCOM 2
This is one of the amazing turn-based tactics video game ever that is created by Firaxis Games.
This all-time favorite PC game is the sequel to the 2012 series reboot, XCOM: Enemy Unknown. XCOM 2 casts the player as the commander of the eponymous military organization, as with previous games in the series.
Planescape: Torment
This is one of Black Isle Studios ‘ best role-playing video game designed. Microsoft Windows launched this game on December 12, 1999.
The game takes place at the multiverse locations of Planescape, a fantasy campaign environment for Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Absolutely, this game wasn’t a commercial success, but it was praised, and since then it has become a cult favorite.
Claimed as the best role-playing game by video game journalists in 1999, it was lauded for its intense dialogue, Planescape’s dark and relatively obscure setting, and the protagonist’s unique personality, which shirked many features of traditional role-playing games.
GRIM FANDANGO
Grim Fandango is one of the games with the greatest adventure ever. It’s always a favorite PC game built for Windows by LucasArts.
The game is designed in such a way that pre-rendered static backgrounds use overlaid 3D computer graphics. In order to solve puzzles, the player has to converse with characters and search, catch and use objects, as with other LucasArts adventure games.
Dark Souls
It is one of the best action role-playing game that was created by FromSoftware. A spiritual successor to the Demon Souls of FromSoftware, the game is the second installment in the series of Souls.
It was released on September 2011 by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Japan and the following month by Namco Bandai Games worldwide.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
It is one of the best role-playing video game set in the Star Wars universe that was developed by BioWare.
The game was released on July 15, 2003, for Xbox, and on November 19, 2003, for Microsoft Windows. The game was later ported by Aspyr to Mac OS X, iOS, and Android, and can be played via their respective backward compatibility features on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Rocket League
It is one of the best soccer video game that was created by Psyonix. The game was first released in July 2015 for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4, with later releases of ports for Xbox One, macOS, Linux, and Nintendo Switch.
Rocket League is a sequel to Psyonix’s 2008 PlayStation 3 video game Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars. Battle-Cars received mixed reviews and was not a great success, but a strong group of fans.
Spore
Spore is one of the best life simulation real-time strategy God game that was created by Maxis Emeryville,Covering many genres including action, real-time strategy, and role-playing games, Spore allows a player to monitor the growth of a species from its origins as a microscopic organism to interstellar colonization as a spacefaring civilization through creation as an intelligent and social animal.
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is one of the best PC games ever developed for the players. It is a video game that was developed by Ion Storm and was published by Eidos Interactive in 2000.
The game was set in a dystopian world with a cyberpunk theme in 2052. The developer released the game for Microsoft Windows in June 2000. Following the release of the game, a Mac OS port came up the next month.
A revised version of the game for PlayStation 2 was released in 2002. Deus Ex received additional updates and content from its fan community in the years following its release.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is also one of the top PC games available in the market. Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone created the game and it is a farming simulation role-playing video game.
The game was initially released in February 2016 for Microsoft Windows, with later versions released for macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation Vita, iOS, and Android.
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942 is one of the best PC games available in the market. The game is a first-person shooter video game which has been created by Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment and Electronic Arts published the game for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.
Players can either play the game in single-player mode or they can even play against video game AI, Besides this, there is a multiplayer option also in which more than one players can play at a time.
Diablo III
Diablo III sits at a good position in the list of top PC games of all time. The game received critical acclaim, despite being criticized for its always-on DRM functionality.
By selling over 3.5 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release, the game set a new record for “fastest-selling PC game” and became the best-selling PC game of 2012 by selling over 12 million copies. The number of sales had risen to over 30 million as of August 2015.
John Wick Hex:
John Wick Hex is a timeline strategy game with resource management elements where the player maneuvers the titular character through a hex-based grid level, using different movements and actions to defeat enemies and avoid being hitting by his enemies.
The game is based on the John Wick franchise and it was released on 8 October 2019 for Microsoft Windows and macOS
Heroes of the Storm: Player plays one of the 87 playable characters in all game modes (as of September 2019), dubbed “heroes,” each of which has a unique design, strengths, and weaknesses.
Heroes are divided into six separate roles: tank, bruiser, attacker, healer, and aid. Originally, no heroes are eligible for use on a permanent basis; however, players can choose from a list of heroes free to use from a weekly rotation. We can obtain permanent access to a hero by using the in-game currency called “Gold” or through micro transactions.
Counter-Strike: It is a first-person shooter based on goals and has a multiplayer mode too. Two opposing teams— the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists — compete in game modes to achieve goals such as capturing a position for planting or defusing a bomb or retrieving or defending hostages.
At the end of each round, players are rewarded for spending on more powerful weapons in subsequent rounds based on their individual success with in-game currency.
Winning rounds leads to more money than losing, and achieving goals such as killing enemy players brings cash bonuses. Uncooperative acts such as killing teammates lead to a penalty.
Grand Theft Auto III: It is a video game developed by DMA Design and released by Rockstar Games and is an action-adventure video game. It was released for PlayStation 2, for Microsoft Windows in May 2002, and for Xbox in October 2003.
In 2011. For the tenth anniversary of the game, an improved version of the game was released on mobile platforms. It is the fifth title in the Grand Theft Auto series as well as the first major entry since the Grand Theft Auto 2 in 1999.
More top PC games all time
The first persistent generation of players
Unlike other new artistic or cultural expressions during the early years of the video game industry, these had been focused as a product aimed at younger players, in a way as a modern and fun claim, and in another as a Substitute much more to be elaborated than the toys of a lifetime.
However, it was from the late 80s and especially during the second half of the 90s that users continued their fondness for video games after their teenage years.
Interestingly today it is normal to see people of all ages and social classes enjoying their favorite games on the tablet or mobile, but we must bear in mind that the video game consoles that were permanently connected to the main television were not something that was very extended 20 or 30 years ago and much less than the concept of home or portable digital entertainment device was in practically every home.
People of all ages and social classes enjoying their favorite games on the tablet or mobile.
The current persistent generation of video games demands new experiences and that is what conditions the industry itself and makes it reinvent itself year after year, changing its monetization systems, exploring the limits of software and hardware and even looking for new systems of immersion and entertainment constantly.
However, and independently of all the above, there are a huge number of players who continue to play today the games that they used to play in the past and were fond of them. Does that mean that certain titles or genres hit the roof 20 years ago?
The nostalgia factor, an essential element
We are not going to cheat at this point. Despite the fact that pixel art is on the rise and minimalist polygonal designs increasingly take on a greater role, if we are willing to return to the technical finishes of 20 or 30 years ago it is because of the charisma or nostalgia that comes from games whose graphics were still far from the standards of high definition and the 60fps that they like so much nowadays.
In some cases, we relate these graphs with concrete stages of our past in the case of players who are more veteran, or we have internalized them as part of popular iconography, as is the case among younger users. What was I doing when I started playing the first ‘Age of Empires’? Is this the legendary ‘Blue Pokémon’ that has been talked about so much on the internet? Will Counter-Strike still be as addictive as those afternoons that I spent in the “cyber” with my group of friends?
The gamers of “Generation X” knew perfectly what it was to take advantage of each game.
Nowadays it is very common that we get used to accumulating huge amounts of games in our digital libraries, thanks to promotions of premium subscriptions on consoles or the legendary offers of platforms like Steam, GOG or Humble Bundle, but the gamers of generation X know perfectly how to take advantage of each game.
It’s not that they were better or worse, they were more demanding, more limited, strange and simpler. In other languages, they were other times. And although the games that are held today edited then do so by competitive bidding, it is undeniable that there is an added intangible element that gives it a special charm, offsetting the limitations of the time.
A huge learning curve
Many times the industry evolves too fast and other times it does it without our noticing and in a subtle way. However, there is a pattern that persists in all titles that have survived the passage of time regardless of their technical section or their shortcomings with respect to the new batch of games: its competitive element.
It is not only about competing against other players, but about overcoming oneself. In classic arcade games it is true that there was a ranking table that recorded our score, and that made a difference, but players who currently spend their time to ‘Donkey Kong’, ‘Street Fighter II’ or ‘Age of Empires’they seek to perfect a very simple premise of these games: they are relatively simple to understand but mastering them requires a huge amount of time .
That’s where between the exploration component of the rules and possibilities of the game, and possibly there is no better system to test them than competing with other users who have spent years to find an entertaining but efficient game system. The competitive that ‘Counter-Strike’ or ‘Warcraft 3’ can offer has evolved drastically since it started.
The continuity of a game is bounded by two segments that are basically the fundamental agents of the industry: players and developers.
With the arrival of updates, adjustments, expansions, and balance, an increasing perfectionist and demanding system are created. In this way, ‘League of Legends’ introduces new characters and readjusts the system of their game every 20 days or monthly, according to their own professional players. This means that if we want to compete at a professional level we should dedicate a total dedication and transform our game system to these rebalances. That, precisely, is what does not happen with the classics.
In other cases, like ‘Pokémon’ or the series ‘Super Mario’, we compete against our acquaintances or against ourselves based on achievements or ways to get the most out of a game. Precisely that last premise has been the key of the last game of the popular Nintendo plumber with ‘Super Mario Maker’: graphics with a retro look, but offering the possibility of making everyone to face the challenge.
But, in the end, the life of the games themselves is bounded by two segments that are basically the fundamental agents of the industry: the players and the developers.
Top PC Games Of All Time
Who keeps these games alive and how does he do it?
A couple of years ago when the titles of EVO 2016, the most prestigious fighting games event, were announced, it was announced that ‘ Street Fighter V ‘ would take over from ‘Street Fighter IV’ in the face of the inscriptions. As a result, there was a huge discontent on the part of thousands of fans who wanted to measure their skills, polished and perfected with the fourth installment since 2008, but on the other hand, they broke the record of inscriptions in the same game. This is not a product of chance.
In 4 days, ‘Street Fighter V’ has surpassed the record of more entries for the same game in the history of the EVO. This is going to be a year of madness!
Two years later, with the EVO 2018 game selection, the picture is set in a very different way: all the games – except the two ‘Smash Brothers’ from Nintendo – are recent, and even the most recognizable faces of Arc System Works ( including its president ) will participate in the event. But it’s not by chance that the sagas are practically the same as they were 10 years ago.
It is true that the support offered by the developers and publishers to each game is essential, and we have seen how Blizzard has recently updated games that it edited several generations ago and even reissued some of its key licenses so that they can continue playing today.
In fact, today the popularity of the original ‘StarCraft’ of 1998 is still more than enviable in Asia despite the fact that the genre of strategy games is still one of the most recurrent today. As expected, Blizzard celebrated its 20th anniversary in style with events in all its games.
It is difficult to understand the impact of games like ‘Counter-Strike’ nowadays if we do not do a retrospective of the enormous hook that title supposed in cybercafés and booths long before the Steam era, but we must not forget that its first version, appeared in 1999 was born of a modification of the first ‘Half-Life’, and gradually it has been updated to become one of the biggest references in the actuality of eSports.
However, not everything is a question of support by the developer itself. It is necessary an equivalent demand on the part of the users that insufle life to the titles and that, like the fact that a game, a song or a film are a success that resists in time, is a question closer to the context social and generational than the corporate, in which of course the quality of the product and the impact from the time of its release are essential for a good settlement.
It is not just a matter of support from the developer itself. An equivalent demand is required from the users as well.
Of course, positioning a commercial brand and preventing valuable licenses from falling into the limbo of abandonware are priorities of the large software companies.
Thanks to the reissues of classic games, adding competitive elements or updates that can be used in a greater number of devices with possible improvements, and especially thanks to the magic of digital distribution , you can extend the useful life of some legendary titles or directly rescue them from an unjust oblivion, as with ‘Simon the Sorcerer’
But the games of more pull always get a hole thanks to the dedication of the savviest users, able to apply their knowledge of programming so that a license or a certain game does not pass into oblivion.
It is in the publishers and developers to take advantage with better or worse fortune very lucrative opportunities over quite acceptable costs like giving away a previous delivery as an incentive of launching, as it happens with ‘Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection’ or the seasonal pass of ‘Far Cry 5 ‘
Sometimes it’s something as simple as including a game of the size of the original ‘Doom’ with the reservation of the reboot saga that will come from the hands of iD Software next May which will be possible, thanks to the backward compatibility of Xbox One with Xbox 360.
Other times, offer remakes with online multiplayer options and support for current operating systems.
But the idea behind these new adaptations is the same: to extend the coverage of the brand and to continue serving as an ambassador for the company itself.
Best Computer Games Of All Time
Some top gamesters favorite selected game and review
Some very active classics today
Fortunately, if we were to make an exhaustive list it would be very difficult to finish it. This very short selection of titles represents some of the games that continue to offer joys and challenges to players after approximately decades since its debut.
Counter-Strike
For millions of users ‘Counter-Strike’ is still the undisputed reference in terms of First Person Shooters, which began as a humble project based on the use of ‘Half-Life’ resources and became a success on its own merits, being acquired by Valve itself.
The last update of the original version made a couple of years ago, corrected problems that occurred in their dedicated servers. As a curiosity, at the time of writing these lines is offering games for tens of thousands of players around the world.
Starcraft
The fantastic reference of Blizzard in a matter of strategy is still one of the most played games in Asia, almost putting in a compromise the success of its most recent sequel during its launch and counting on a unique special edition focused on the format of the competition. In fact, in addition to the remastering of the original – at a price more than suggestive – Blizzard opted to offer the classic for free, a double masterful move that would serve both as a prelude for the celebration of its 20th anniversary and as an ambassador of the remaster.
Pokémon Red, Green and Blue Edition
On the occasion of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Pokémon saga, Nintendo itself made a reissue of the first version that appeared together with the special edition Pikachu, which have crowned the sales of the eShop recently. Although in the eastern versions the Red and Green versions debuted, among the western changes we were offered the Blue version, although we could also choose any of the three initial Pokémon.
Pokémon never went out of fashion, but the phenomenon of ‘Pokémon Go’ further expanded its legacy and its announced edition for Switch is expected to be one of the key vendeconsolas of the Nintendo system. The reason? Today, Pikachu continues to have a huge impact on the global culture.
Final Fantasy VII
The classic Squaresoft was one of the titles that marked the difference of the first PlayStation and the announcement of its long-awaited remake was acclaimed during E3 2015. However, Cloud and the rest of AVALANCHE continue giving the opportunity to know their adventure in more and more systems, thanks to their continuous adaptations.
The most recent, at the end of last year and for iOS devices, although thanks to the interventions of its protagonists in projects such as ‘DISSIDIA Final Fantasy NT’ fans can meet again with these legends of the game.
Super Mario World
For many, ‘Super Mario World’ is the best Mario game, and its exclusive arrival to the digital stores of the New 3DS did not sit well with the users of the first models of the current Nintendo laptops. Anyway, Thanks to the Virtual Console, the game was available on Wii, as well as for Game Boy Advance in a very special edition known as ‘Super Mario Advance 2’.
Age of Empires
The classic of the RTS is living a second youth, thanks to its very recent ‘Definitive Edition’, a remake in which the essence of the original was maintained with an absolutely renewed aspect and interesting incentives for classic and new players.
But before this return, passionate about the Wololo continued to enjoy the Ensemble Studios classic through a careful reissue in HD that appeared over Steam in 2013. But of course, and despite the fact that the series has a third, which we were caught more by surprise was the arrival of an expansion at the end of 2015 in which African civilizations were added. And the legend does not end here: ‘Age of Empires II’ and ‘Age of Empires III’ are on the way.
Street Fighter II
Being one of the most sold games in the history of the Capcom – surpassed very recently by ‘Monster Hunter – and the flagship of a genre is a huge weight that Ryu, Chun Li, and company have managed to withstand. Although the fifth numbered chapter of the saga has been expanded with its Arcade Edition (for free, it has to be said), the true cross-generational boom is found in ‘Street Fighter II’, which has appeared in virtually all known systems through compilations, remixes or adapted versions. The last appeared on Switch almost a year ago and its next return will be next month with ‘Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection’.
Diablo and Diablo II
Not too many years ago that ‘Diablo III’ came to the shelves, but Blizzard is still betting on its playable legacy updating the sequel to this saga that reached the shelves no less than 16 years ago, but the most curious thing is that patch 1.14a no. It is an exceptional case since the previous one received it five years ago. A detail for the active community of players in this game.
However, Blizzard has not forgotten the original Devil: taking advantage of the 30th anniversary of the saga, the California company edited a very special event, ‘The Fall of Tristan’, which temporarily recovered the essence of the 1996 title within the third installment.
The fever for the Mini consoles
While it is true that systems such as NES or classic games of recreation never went too far, thanks to the clone tablecloths, the compilations and the Nintendo Virtual Console, for a while now we have a new way of retaking our games to ‘Mario Bros.’, ‘Sonic’ or ‘Street Fighter’ keeping the essence of the originals: the mini versions of the 8 and 16 bit consoles of Nintendo and SEGA.
The Nintendo Classic Mini was the first to appear and the idea, in fact, was very simple: to offer a replica that fits in the palm of a legendary NES hand for its 30th anniversary with 30 pre-installed games, HDMI output and some interesting additions technicians The result?, a success caught by surprise to the Great N itself, which was unable to meet the demand, to the delight of the speculators.
A year later the formula would be repeated with the SNES Classic Mini, fewer games, more novelties, a completely new game and this time with two controls in the same box. That returned to be a smash and the perfect gift of Christmas The secret? Pure nostalgia and, logically, a selection of games to which it is difficult to resist.
Of course, SEGA did not take too long to indicate that they also wanted their piece of cake with their Mega Drive Mini, although it is also fair to say that both the 16-bit SEGA and Atari itself have been on the shelves for years through replicas licensed by third parties. Of course, with a quality well below that offered by Nintendo.
But it must also be said that it is not necessary to have a mini-console to enjoy classics: console collectors refuse to unplug those consoles with which they enjoyed two decades ago. Some that, paradoxically, have a useful life that the current ones would like, as we could see on Engadget with the iconic Game Boy.
Starcraft
The fantastic reference of Blizzard in a matter of strategy is still one of the most played games in Asia, especially in the “mecca of e-sports” South Korea, almost putting in a compromise the success of its most recent sequel during its launch and counting on a unique special edition focused on the format of the competition.
In fact, in addition to the remastering of the original – at a price more than suggestive – Blizzard opted to offer the classic for free, a double masterful move that would serve both as a prelude for the celebration of its 20th anniversary and as an ambassador of the remaster.
Best PC Games Of All Time
What will the 2038 classics be like?
Not even Shigeru Miyamoto himself could make any guesses about what he will play and even how it will be played in 20 years. However, today there are genres that are increasingly strong as the MOBAs (Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas), while other sagas are gradually adapting to the mechanics of the Shooter as ‘Resident Evil’ in ‘Umbrella Corps’ or the recent deliveries of ‘Fallout’.
If we do cases of sales figures, the format Activision-Blizzard games with sagas as ‘Call of Duty’ or expansions of ‘Warcraft’ continue to offer dizzying benefits, however, right now the reference is ‘ League of Legends’, and its 70 million registered users endorse it.
Betting on the long-term for virtual reality is complicated considering that this year this new format will only be in the hands of the Early Adopters, but right now there are two concepts that are making their way with enormous force in the industry: the free-to-play and the mid-core games.
In both cases we are talking about a new element in the equation that add two additional components: the ability to reach many more players more effectively and they can start to take advantage of them instantly. Surely that will make ‘Candy Crush’, when the time comes, suffer the same fate as the ‘Angry Birds’, basically because a new generation of players and users want new and deeper experiences.
In fact, the best example of this is ‘ Fortnite’, a title for PC and consoles that has become a platform between systems through cross-game. It’s an entry into mobile phones with the same content and constant updates mean that sequels are no longer necessary as they just add a digital store in your pocket.
Does that mean that the future of video games goes through mobile? Well, two examples to consider: to be able to have voice chat in Switch you need an application and ‘Fortnite’ that raised 15 million dollars in less than a month worldwide, being a manual example of what a free-to-play and at the same time a mid-core game.
There are two concepts that are making their way with enormous force in the industry: free-to-play and mid-core games.
Anyway, possibly neither John Romero and John Carmack would have bet that ‘Doom’ would continue to be played in the distant year 2016; nor Ensemble Studios would have calculated that their saga of ‘Age of Empires’ would end up receiving patches to improve the gaming experience to users who are surrounded by free games with impressive graphics product of cutting-edge graphics engines, prefer to wear it once again to Joan of Arc or Genghis Khan to the battle and more recently to Francisco de Almeida.
But – as a personal bet – it is quite likely that, through avant-garde systems, with a look that is renewed but true to the original, and either from the publishers or the fans themselves, these characters are already part of Our culture and will not stop fighting new battles within two decades at the hands of a new generation of players and some older users.
More Best PC Games Of All Time list will update soon…
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