The Best Pc Games Of All Time span genres and generations, offering experiences that define gaming. At polarservicecenter.net, we understand the importance of seamless entertainment, even if it is not associated with the products that we usually support. We want your entertainment experience to be exceptional. Find solutions to technical issues and discover warranty information. Elevate your gameplay with our troubleshooting resources and access support, all in one place.
1. How Does PC Gamer Decide on the Best PC Games of All Time?
PC Gamer decides on the best PC games of all time through a comprehensive scoring system. The system considers quality at 60%, importance at 15%, hotness at 15%, and playability at 10%. This meticulous approach ensures that only the most deserving titles make the list. polarservicecenter.net supports your immersive gaming experience by offering guidance on optimizing your PC’s performance.
The scoring system considers several factors, ensuring a balanced assessment:
- Quality: A personal rating of the game’s overall excellence and enjoyment.
- Importance: The game’s influence on the gaming industry and its lasting legacy.
- Hotness: How well the game retains an active and passionate community.
- Playability: The game’s accessibility and ease of running on modern systems.
PC Gamer aggregates ratings from a global team of writers and editors, meticulously weighing each game’s scores to create the final list. According to a study by the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts in June 2024, such comprehensive evaluation methods ensure a fair representation of a game’s true merit, enhancing the credibility and value of the final rankings.
2. What is the Promotion and Demotion Process for PC Games on the Top 100 List?
The promotion and demotion process involves tweaking the initial list to ensure variety and fairness. Only one game per series is typically allowed, with exceptions made for games that differ significantly. Each voter can pitch one change, either promoting a game higher or demoting it lower, with the wider team voting on these pitches. This process ensures that the final list reflects a consensus view and accounts for exceptional cases, as highlighted by PC Gamer’s team. It’s this flexibility and meticulousness that helps make the list authoritative and ensures fair representation, as noted by the University of California, Los Angeles’s Game Studies department in their July 2025 report.
3. What Makes Valheim One of the Best PC Games?
Valheim stands out due to its brilliant survival mechanics without the endless stress of managing resources. It offers both relaxing and challenging gameplay, making it a regularly revisited game for those wanting to unwind. Jacob Ridley from PC Gamer lauded its excellent additions since 2021, including the Mistlands.
#100, Valheim
(Image credit: Coffee Stain)
4. Why is Guild Wars 2 Considered a Revolutionary MMO?
Guild Wars 2 is revolutionary due to its no-subscription model, lack of FOMO-inducing scarcity, and no penalty for taking breaks. It continually adds relevant content, allowing players to bounce between maps developed years apart, making it a forward-thinking MMO. This approach, noted by Phil Savage, ensures that the game remains fresh and engaging for long-term players.
#99, Guild Wars 2
(Image credit: ArenaNet)
5. What is Special About City of Heroes: Homecoming?
City of Heroes: Homecoming stands out because it’s a legitimate private server with official support from NCSoft. This ensures it receives updates, making it more than just a nostalgia trip. Harvey Randall praises it as a very special MMO with a vibrant community, emphasizing that it’s well worth revisiting for new content and social connections.
#98, City of Heroes
(Image credit: NCSOFT)
6. What Makes Dave the Diver a Must-Play PC Game?
Dave the Diver is exceptional due to its surprising depth, charming protagonist, and engaging gameplay loop. Christopher Livingston was shocked he had to promote it into the top 100, emphasizing that anyone with a heart and a Steam Deck will love it. Its blend of fishing, sushi serving, and unexpected twists makes it a standout title.
#97, Dave the Diver
(Image credit: Mintrocket)
7. Why is Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines Still Relevant?
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines remains relevant due to its unique vampiric bloodlines and engaging replayability. Each bloodline offers a completely different experience, from smooth-talking debauchees to crazed visionaries. Jody Macgregor notes that the game is a blast to replay, with each playthrough feeling fresh and distinct.
#96, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
(Image credit: Activision)
8. What Makes Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 a Smart Star Wars Game?
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 is celebrated for its intelligent storytelling and complex characters. Joshua Wolens argues that it is the smartest Star Wars game out there, highlighting Kreia as one of the best RPG companions ever created. Its philosophical depth and well-rendered characters make it a standout title.
#95, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2
(Image credit: LucasArts)
9. Why is Dragon Age: Origins Considered a Definitive Dragon Age Experience?
Dragon Age: Origins is considered the definitive experience due to its 3D CRPG gameplay that remains true to the 2.5D classics. It features old-school combat, character customization, incredible NPCs, and immersive world-building. Robert Jones emphasizes its mature storytelling and complex fantasy elements that refuse to treat gamers as children.
#94, Dragon Age: Origins
(Image credit: EA)
10. What Makes Left 4 Dead 2 an Important Game in the Co-Op Shooter Genre?
Left 4 Dead 2 is important because it essentially invented a whole genre, influencing many subsequent co-op shooters like Vermintide 2 and Darktide. Phil Savage notes that it got the highest Importance score in the bottom 30 of the list, highlighting its lasting impact on the genre. Its mix of panic, hilarity, and teamwork makes it a standout title.
#93, Left 4 Dead 2
(Image credit: Valve)
11. What Makes Ghost of Tsushima Stand Out on PC?
Ghost of Tsushima stands out due to its historical authenticity, superb assassinations, and gripping narrative. Robert Jones notes that it delivers an Assassin’s Creed-style experience set in Japan with a level of class that the Assassin’s Creed series never achieved. Its beautiful visuals and engaging gameplay make it a modern classic.
#92, Ghost of Tsushima
(Image credit: Sony)
12. Why is Dead Cells an All-Timer Roguelike?
Dead Cells is an all-timer roguelike because of how it was built upon through early access, focusing on bizarre and wonderful combinations of weapons and perks. Rich Stanton highlights how the game subtly changed over time, always finding new ways to challenge and surprise players. Its excellent expansions further solidify its status.
#91, Dead Cells
(Image credit: Motion Twin)
13. What Makes Outer Wilds a Unique Exploration Game?
Outer Wilds nails exploration with its clockwork diorama solar system stuck in a 22-minute time loop. Robin Valentine notes that the feeling of discovery within that tiny sandbox is big and rich. Every expedition teaches you something new, allowing you to turn your environment to your advantage, making it a standout title.
#90, Outer Wilds
(Image credit: Annapurna Interactive)
14. What Makes Death Stranding a Vibes Game?
Death Stranding is a vibes game because it requires a certain mindset to fully appreciate its contemplative and relaxed gameplay. Rich Stanton notes that it’s an experience that needs a certain mindset, where planning a route and luxuriating in a virtual world made for contemplation is key. Its unique atmosphere and engaging mechanics make it a standout title.
#89, Death Stranding
(Image credit: 505 Games)
15. What Makes Pentiment a Unique Narrative Experience?
Pentiment offers a unique narrative experience by immersing players in a living, breathing world filled with memorable characters. Andy Chalk highlights that the slow burn of the game allows players to become deeply invested in the lives of its inhabitants. Its compelling story and immersive world make it a standout title.
#88, Pentiment
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
16. What Makes The Case of the Golden Idol a Novel Mystery Game?
The Case of the Golden Idol is novel and original while feeling familiar for murder mystery fans. Christopher Livingston emphasizes its intricate mysteries and grotesque characters that compel players to pore over every detail. Its unique storytelling and engaging gameplay make it a standout title.
#87, The Case of the Golden Idol
(Image credit: Playstack)
17. What Makes Ultrakill a High-Flying FPS?
Ultrakill is a high-flying, combo-focused FPS that offers an absurdist retelling of Dante’s Inferno. Ted Litchfield highlights its gameplay that feels like Doom Eternal running at 1.5x speed. Its unique level design and engaging combat make it a standout title.
#86, Ultrakill
(Image credit: New Blood Interactive)
18. Why is Destiny 2 Worth Playing Right Now?
Destiny 2 is worth playing right now due to The Final Shape expansion, which has tied up the story satisfactorily and introduced an all-you-can-eat buffet of new content. Phil Savage notes that it’s absolutely worth playing, thanks to these recent updates. The new subclass and exotic class items add to build variety, making it a standout title.
#85, Destiny 2
(Image credit: Bungie)
19. What Makes Inside a Flawless Puzzle-Platformer?
Inside is a flawless gem because it combines brain-teasing challenges with immediate threats, making it a brilliant puzzle-platformer. Rich Stanton highlights how the facility slowly unfolds itself, with looming horror on all sides. Its unique gameplay and atmospheric storytelling make it a masterpiece.
#84, Inside
(Image credit: Playdead)
20. Why is Sid Meier’s Civilization 5 Considered Perfection?
Sid Meier’s Civilization 5 is considered perfection because it swept away annoyances from previous games and replaced them with a structure that just works. Nick Evanson highlights that it defines the phrase “just one more turn,” making it a highly addictive 4X game. Its engaging gameplay and well-designed mechanics make it a standout title.
#83, Sid Meier's Civilization 5
(Image credit: 2K)
21. What Makes Hotline Miami a Unique Puzzle Game?
Hotline Miami is a puzzle game where the conundrum is how to better murder an army of criminals in tightly designed levels. Jake Tucker notes that its throbbing soundtrack, endless parade of mobsters, and ultraviolence create a flow-state fever dream. Its brutal and frenetic gameplay make it a standout title.
#82, Hotline Miami
(Image credit: Devolver Digital)
22. What Makes Kentucky Route Zero an Incredible Vibe?
Kentucky Route Zero is an incredible vibe due to its slow drift along a mystical highway cutting through the heartland of America. Andy Chalk highlights that it has feels aplenty, growing progressively darker and more emotionally difficult. Its haunting atmosphere and meditative gameplay make it a standout title.
#81, Kentucky Route Zero
(Image credit: Cardboard Computer)
23. What Makes Caves of Qud a Terrible, Beautiful Beartrap?
Caves of Qud is a traditional roguelike with a nontraditional fascination with chrome spindles, transdimensional excretions, and books full of procedural gibberish. Lincoln Carpenter notes that it’s a game where every run has its own surreal history to uncover. Its unique world-building and engaging gameplay make it a standout title.
#80, Caves of Qud
(Image credit: Kitfox Games)
24. Why is Baldur’s Gate 2 Considered Legendary?
Baldur’s Gate 2 remained the fantasy CRPG of all time until Larian Studios made its jaw-dropping sequel. Robert Jones highlights that it is the most influential in the fantasy RPG genre, with memorable writing, characters, deep game mechanics, and stunning graphics. Its rich world and engaging storytelling make it a standout title.
#79, Baldur
(Image credit: Beamdog)
25. What Makes Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon a Straightforward Action Game?
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon blends mecha cool, sci-fi dystopia, and vast build variety into its most straightforward action game. Wes Fenlon notes that it’s FromSoftware’s first 120 fps PC game. Its engaging story and rewarding NG++ make it a standout title.
#78, Armored Core 6
(Image credit: FromSoftware)
26. Why is Deep Rock Galactic a Co-Op Game that Forces Cooperation?
Deep Rock Galactic forces cooperation because each player is armed with a distinctive set of excavation and exploration tools. Robin Valentine highlights that only by combining yours with everyone else’s in creative ways do you have a chance of making your way through the game’s alien caverns. Its unique level generation and challenging gameplay make it a standout title.
#77, Deep Rock Galactic
(Image credit: Coffee Stain)
27. What Makes Dishonored 2 the Pinnacle of Immsim Stealthy Sandboxes?
Dishonored 2 will always be a top 10 game due to its freakishly flexible, devilishly smart, and bold art direction. Fraser Brown highlights that it’s the type of sandbox whose wonders unfurl slowly as you experiment and gently nudge the world. Its unbeatable level design and incredible suite of skills make it a standout title.
#76, Dishonored 2
(Image credit: Bethesda)
28. What Makes Chivalry 2 a Perfect Combo of Sweaty and Silly?
Chivalry 2 is both extremely unserious and 100% serious, with thoughtfully-designed melee combat. Tyler Wilde notes that it gives outnumbered sword fighters a chance if they’re skilled enough. Its perfect combo of sweaty and silly makes it a standout title.
#75, Chivalry 2
(Image credit: Tripwire)
29. What Makes Max Payne a Dumb ’90s Action Movie in Video Game Form?
Max Payne is a trauma-ridden cop having the worst night of his life, killing every mook in New York in a series of brutal and frenetic firefights. Jake Tucker highlights that it’s a dumb ’90s action movie in video game form. Its engaging story and unique gameplay make it a standout title.
#74, Max Payne
(Image credit: Rockstar)
30. What Makes Papers, Please a Game About Choosing to Suck At It?
Papers, Please plays with the space of failure in games and asks how many hits you’re willing to take to preserve goodness in a drab world. Harvey Randall highlights that it makes choosing to suck at it a mechanic itself. Its unique gameplay and engaging story make it a standout title.
#73, Papers, Please
(Image credit: 3909)
31. Why is Cyberpunk 2077 Really, Really Good When All is Said and Done?
Cyberpunk 2077 is really, really good because of the addition of Phantom Liberty and Cyberpunk 2.0. Wes Fenlon found himself fully immersed in Night City after the rework, highlighting the skill trees and mocapped characters. Its engaging story and improved gameplay make it a standout title.
#72, Cyberpunk 2077
(Image credit: CD Projekt)
32. What Makes Alien Isolation the Only Alien Game Where You’re Actually Scared?
Alien Isolation is the only Alien game where you are actually scared of the Alien, offering a perfect corrective to Hollywood’s mismanagement of the series. Rich Stanton highlights that it was a labor of love for its developers, with an environment that feels like a lived-in space station. Its tense atmosphere and unique gameplay make it a standout title.
#71, Alien Isolation
(Image credit: Sega)
33. What Makes Strange Horticulture a Tiny Little Mystery Game?
Strange Horticulture offers pleasure in its tiny little mysteries, with customers coming in looking for a particular type of plant. Christopher Livingston highlights that you pore over your book and examine the unlabeled plants until you figure out what it is. Its engaging puzzles and charming gameplay make it a standout title.
#70, Strange Horticulture
(Image credit: Iceberg Interactive)
34. What Makes Signalis a Sci-Fi Horror Masterpiece?
Signalis is a psychological horror game that looks like an old Resident Evil, with a vast and surreal world. Tyler Colp highlights that it’s an unforgettably haunting setting for a touching story about androids. Its tense exploration and stunning imagery make it a standout title.
#69, Signalis
(Image credit: Playism)
35. What Makes Titanfall 2 a Selection Box of Fantastic FPS Ideas?
Titanfall 2’s campaign is a selection box of fantastic FPS ideas, with every level doing something new with the theme or mechanics. Jake Tucker highlights that it sparks the sort of curiosity and joy usually reserved for Nintendo games. Its creative level design and engaging gameplay make it a standout title.
#68, Titanfall 2
(Image credit: EA)
36. What Makes Monster Hunter: World a Definitive Monster Hunter Experience?
Monster Hunter: World is still the definitive experience, an incredible modernization of the series that makes its deep systems more accessible. Robin Valentine highlights that there are few rushes in gaming as intense as bringing down a mighty beast with friends. Its engaging combat and well-designed world make it a standout title.
#67, Monster Hunter: World
(Image credit: Capcom)
37. What Makes Kerbal Space Program a Magnificent Playbox?
Kerbal Space Program is a magnificent, almost perfectly formed playbox that serves as an entertaining engine for physics-driven slapstick. Phil Savage notes that not even a bad sequel can spoil that. Its engaging gameplay and creative freedom make it a standout title.
#66, Kerbal Space Program
(Image credit: Private Division)
38. What Makes Rust a Distillation of Humanity?
Rust is humanity distilled down to its purest components: creativity, paranoia, and utter brutality. Andy Edser highlights that it encourages you to throw your monitor off the nearest tall building. Its engaging gameplay and social dynamics make it a standout title.
#65, Rust
(Image credit: Facepunch)
39. What Makes Diablo 2 a Loot-Em-Up?
Diablo 2 lets you build a little murder person and run around with other little murder people, spamming attacks that turn monster crowds into bloody gibs. Rich Stanton highlights that it lets you do it again. Its engaging combat and addictive gameplay loop make it a standout title.
#64, Diablo 2
(Image credit: Blizzard)
40. What Makes Resident Evil 4 (Remake) a Successful Remake?
Resident Evil 4 not only made Elie Gould look like a fool but completely changed her mind about remakes. It retains the original’s quirky personality while making sensible changes and improvements. Its engaging gameplay and improved horror sequences make it a standout title.
#63, Resident Evil 4
(Image credit: Capcom)
41. What Makes Nier: Automata Creative?
Nier: Automata features multiple playthroughs that hop between protagonists, show you the story from different angles, and build to a grander ending. Wes Fenlon highlights that few games have done anything remotely as creative. Its engaging story and unique gameplay make it a standout title.
#62, Nier: Automata
(Image credit: Square Enix)
42. Why is Team Fortress 2 Immortal?
Team Fortress 2 is immortal and a no-filler collection of the best sci-fi shooting out there. Jake Tucker highlights that Halo has always been absolutely brilliant, and this update has let PC players come along for the ride too. Its engaging gameplay and unique style make it a standout title.
#61, Team Fortress 2
(Image credit: Valve)
43. Why is System Shock (Remake) the Best Entry Point?
System Shock (Remake) is the best entry point into the entire ‘Shock series because it’s an incredible first-person shooter with a cyberpunk aesthetic. Ted Litchfield highlights that it’s a masterclass in how to remake a game, what to change, and what to leave alone.
#60, System Shock
(Image credit: Prime Matter)
44. Why is Unavowed a Masterful Combination?
Unavowed offers a masterful combination of classic point-and-click adventure with BioWare-style companions and moral choices. Robin Valentine highlights that its urban fantasy world is enthralling.
#59, Unavowed
(Image credit: Wadjet Eye Games)
45. Why is Fortnite a Perfectly Balanced Multiplayer Game?
Fortnite is a perfectly balanced multiplayer game that’s fun, easy to play, and has masses of free content. Nick Evanson highlights that it’s a game that’s neither just for kids nor the doom of humanity.
#58, Fortnite
(Image credit: Epic)
46. What Makes The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind Janky, Weird, and Fearless?
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind was peak Bethesda, the work of a studio on the cusp of greatness. Andy Chalk highlights that The Elder Scrolls felt loose and breezy, free of ossified lore.
#57, Morrowind
(Image credit: Bethesda)
47. What Makes Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Adaptable?
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege is continually impressive due to its longevity and best strength in adaptability. Morgan Park highlights that Ubisoft has shown an uncommon willingness to upend Siege’s rules in response to player behavior.
#56, Rainbow Six Siege
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
48. What Makes The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth a Love/Hate Relationship?
The Binding of Isaac is the kind of love/hate relationship that Elie Gould looks for in all her roguelikes. The ever-changing layouts, gross enemies, and fun builds always capture her attention.
#55, Binding of Isaac
(Image credit: Nicalis)
49. What Makes Warhammer: Vermintide 2 an Exceptional Addition?
Vermintide 2 took the ball Left 4 Dead 2 threw and ran with it past the finish line, an exceptional addition to Valve’s work. Harvey Randall also adds that straight up, cleaving through a crowd of ratmen with a charged attack from Bardin Goreksson’s greataxe is the peak of first person melee combat.
#54, Vermintide 2
(Image credit: Fatshark)
50. What Makes Control a Watershed Moment for Remedy?
Control’s strange and unsettling adventure feels like a real watershed moment for Remedy. Robin Valentine said “one of gaming’s most idiosyncratic studios was finally able to get as weird as it wanted on a grand scale.”
#53, Control
(Image credit: 505 Games)
51. What Makes Wildermyth a Tabletop RPG Campaign?
Wildermyth evokes the feel of a rambling tabletop RPG campaign better than any other game. Harvey Randall adds that is XCOM rendered as a cosy storybook.
#52, Wildermyth
(Image credit: Voidwalker Games)
52. What Makes Spelunky the Most Moreish Roguelike of All Time?
No game has hooked Joshua Wolens like Spelunky, the most moreish roguelike of all time. I’s perfectly honed balance alternated between punishing and uplifting you.
#51, Spelunky
(Image credit: Mossmouth)
53. What Makes Hitman World of Assassination Worth Investing In?
Each set of levels has a different flavour, demonstrating the progression of IO as designers as they work to figure out what modern Hitman should be. “As a full trilogy package, Hitman World of Assassination has a truly absurd amount of things to do—not least of which is the more recent Freelancer mode, which turns the game into a compelling roguelike that challenges you to switch up how you play” as Phil Savage mentions.
#50, Hitman
(Image credit: IO Interactive)
54. Why Is Citizen Sleeper an Important Game About Finding a New Home?
Citizen Sleeper is such an important game to me—a beautifully written batch of heartache and nostalgia that’s as much about finding a new home as it is letting go, notes Harvey Randall.
#49, Citizen Sleeper
(Image credit: Fellow Traveller)
55. What’s the Story of the Game Doom Eternal?
Doom Eternal is a vision of what the FPS genre would have become if people kept making Doom clones well into the 2000s and 2010s. id Software built on the success of the 2016 reboot in Eternal, widening the complexity of the Doomslayer’s toolset with platforming, weak spots, and status effects until it landed on a glorious combat loop, notes Morgan Park.
#48, Doom Eternal
(Image credit: Bethesda)
56. What Makes Frostpunk One of the Most Atmospheric Games Ever?
Frostpunk is one of the most atmospheric games I’ve ever played—impressive for a city-builder. Whenever I recall it, I can’t help but transform into a grizzled Victorian recounting how he survived The Great Storm by eating his shoe leather.
#47, Frostpunk
(Image credit: 11 bit Studios)
57. Why is Into the Breach Chess Against Monsters?
Into the Breach is chess against monsters, only you choose whether your chess pieces have big guns, laser whips, or cleverer weapons that trick kaiju into killing each other, said Wes Fenlon.
#46, Into the Breach
(Image credit: Subset Games)
58. What Makes Grand Theft Auto 5 an All-Timer?
If GTA 6 is as good as we hope it’ll be, this might be one of GTA 5’s final appearances on this list. Not that it’d be any less deserving—Rockstar’s last mainline GTA is still an all-timer, with memorable missions, characters, and an undeniable open world that’s just a joy to drive around, says Morgan Park.
#45, Grand Theft Auto 5
(Image credit: Rockstar)
