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So how do you categorize a beast like gaming on the PC? With decades of titles to pluck from (and the first port of call for most indie titles, too), there's so much to choose from. Playing on your PC or gaming laptop adds the benefits of (nearly always flawless) backward compatibility and console-beating graphical performance — if you've got the coin for it. The whole idea of what a gaming PC is and where you can play it is shifting, too, with the rise of handheld “consolized” PCs like the Steam Deck. We've tried to be broad with our recommendations here on purpose – there are so many great new titles out there for PC gamers to play, consider these some starting points.
Best PC games to play right now
Rollerdrome
Rollerdrome is lush. It’s incredibly stylish, taking cues from 1970s Hollywood sci-fi but with an attractive cel-shaded filter over every scene. Even better than its stunning visuals, Rollerdrome has smooth, precise mechanics that allow players to fall into a flow in every level. The game is all about gliding through the environments on rollerblades, picking up speed and doing tricks while dodging and shooting enemies, managing weapons and controlling time – and it all comes together in a thrilling dystopian bloodsport. It’s a joy to dodge, dodge, dodge and then leap into the air, slow down time and take out the people shooting at you, refilling ammo and collecting health in the process. Meanwhile, an unsettling story of corporate greed unfolds naturally beneath the rollerblading bloodshed, keeping the stakes high. Rollerdrome was a sleeper hit of 2022, so if you’ve been napping on this one, now’s the time to wake up and play.
- Single-player or multiplayer: Single-player
- Free to play: No
Stray
Stray a perfectly contained adventure game that has you embodying a cat in a post-apocalyptic world humans have left behind. It has plenty of fresh ideas, each one pared down to its purest form. Plenty of actions in Stray exist simply because they make sense for a cat protagonist (and probably because they’re cute as hell). There’s a discrete button to meow, and the robots the cat shares its world with react with shock and frustration when you cut across their board game, throwing pieces to the floor. It’s possible to curl up and sleep basically any time, anywhere – even directly on top of a robot stranger. When the cat gets pets and cuddles from the robots, it purrs and the DualSense’s haptics fire up in response. The environmental puzzles take advantage of this cat-level perspective, inviting players to look at the world with different, light-reflective eyes.
As well as puzzle-solving, ledge-leaping and blob-dodging, Stray introduces a world of lighthearted dystopia, where robots don’t hate the humans that came before them. Instead, they attempt to cultivate plants that can survive in the dark, just because people would have liked that. Compared with most dystopian cyberpunk games, Stray is downright joyful.
- Single-player or multiplayer: Single-player
- Free to play: No
Overwatch 2
Even though Activision Blizzard has improved the onramp for new players this time around, Overwatch 2 still has a steep learning curve. Stick with it, though, and you’ll get to indulge in perhaps the best team shooter around. Overwatch 2 has a deceptively simple goal — stand on or near an objective and keep the other team away long enough to win. It’s much more complex in practice. To the untrained eye, matches may seem like colorful chaos, but Overwatch 2 has a deceptively simple goal — stand on or near an objective and keep the other team away long enough to win.
It’s much more complex in practice. Blizzard reduced the number of players on each team from six to five. That, along with across-the-board new character tweaks, has made gameplay faster-paced and more enjoyable compared with the original Overwatch. There's a greater emphasis on individual impact, but you'll still need to work well with your teammates to secure a victory.
Now featuring a cast of more than 30 heroes, each with distinct abilities and playstyles, you’ll surely find a few Overwatch 2 characters that you can connect with. The first batch of new heroes are all a blast to play. There are many great (though often fairly expensive) new skins to kit them out with too. The game looks and sounds terrific too, thanks to Blizzard’s trademark level of polish. At least until you figure out how to play Overwatch 2, you can marvel at how good it looks.
- Single-player or multiplayer: Multiplayer
- Free to play: Yes
Elden Ring
Did you think this list would not include Elden Ring? The strengths of FromSoftware’s latest action-RPG are many, but what’s most impressive about the game is how hand-crafted it feels despite its scale. Elden Ring is big, but it never feels like it’s wasting your time. Far from it; FromSoftware has created a rich open world, with something surprising, delightful or utterly terrifying around every corner. I’ll never forget the moment I found a chest that teleported my character to a cave full of Eldritch monsters. Elden Ring is full of those kinds of discoveries.
And if you’re worried about hitting a brick wall with Elden Ring’s difficulty, don’t be. Sure, it can be tough as nails, but it’s also From’s most accessible game to date as well. If you find combat overly punishing, go for a mage build and blast your enemies from afar. And if all else fails, one of the rewards for exploring Elden Ring’s world is experience that you can use to make your character stronger.
- Single-player or multiplayer: Single-player with co-operative
- Free to play: No
Apex Legends
You can find everything compelling about the battle royale genre in a round of Apex Legends. Every move you and your 59 fellow combatants make depends on your collective actions just beforehand. You’re always reacting to one another, whether you see it or not. Each game becomes an intricate web of choices, all stemming back to that initial, seemingly harmless drop onto the map. As with other battles royale, Apex demands you think ahead, assess risks and actually pay attention to your surroundings rather than charge into combat recklessly. And it’s still a thrill when the end is near.
Where Apex stands out compared to rivals like Fortnite, PUBG and Warzone – which are still good times in their own ways – is its character and game feel. Its roster of playable characters is Overwatch-like in its diversity of abilities and styles of movement. Likewise, each gun and attachment has a different impact on how you play. All of it remains exceptionally smooth to control, as expected from the team behind the Titanfall series.
Fortnite may still be the most accessible battle royale shooter, but Apex will feel right at home to anyone familiar with FPS games, and its ping system still makes it possible to work with your teammates without saying a word. It’s still receiving regular updates four years into its life, and it remains a free-to-play game that doesn’t require a dime for you to be competitive.
- Single-player or multiplayer: Multiplayer
- Free to play: Yes
In the ever-evolving world of PC gaming, one thing remains constant: our love for extraordinary gameplay, captivating stories, and shared experiences. As we eagerly await what the future holds, remember, it's not just about the games we play but the friendships we forge and the adventures we embark upon together. Until next time, happy gaming! Hope you enjoyed this post about the best pc games of 2023, checkout next time for games that might interest you, thanks.
What are your favorite games of 2023? Share your thoughts in the comments below and let's keep the conversation going!
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