Unlike the PS4, the PC platform doesn’t get all those big budget exclusives, but that doesn’t mean there’s a dearth of gems on the oldest gaming platform. In fact, Steam has thousands of exclusive indie titles that are made with a lot of love and attention to detail by talented developers all over the world. Since these indies form the backbone of the PC gaming industry, we’ll mainly focus on them with a few notable AAA games throw into the mix as well:
10 Best PC Games of 2018
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Obsidian is known for making some of the very best RPGs of all time. These include the likes of Knights of the Old Republic II, Neverwinter Nights 2 and Fallout New Vegas. For the past few years, the studio has been developing cRPGs and while the first two games were a bit rough around the edges, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is one of the best cRPGs of our generation, period.
With a rich lore and a riveting plot, the game makes the RTS combat much more enjoyable. The exploration aspect is also pretty well handled and although I think the first Pillars of Eternity had better characters, Deadfire still manages to put together a caste more entertaining than most AAA games.
Hitman 2
The Hitman of 2016 was many things, but it failed to leave its mark. The sequel perhaps not quite a masterpiece, does most things right. It offers all the episodes of the first game as a DLC and as such is a great deal for someone who didn’t buy it. The levels offer plenty of replayability value and the flexible difficulty scaling makes it suitable for beginners and veterans alike
Yakuza 0
One of the latest games from Sega’s treasures to make its way to Steam, Yakuza 0 runs surprisingly well on most setups. The game explores the Japanese underworld, as the player characters climb the hierarchy of one of the most infamous crime groups in Japan.
It’s Grand Theft Auto with a sprinkle of realism and an Eastern setting along with a focus on the narrative and beat ’em up style of combat.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden
Mutant Year Zero is a turn-based strategy game for the most hardcore fans of the genre. Its easiest difficulty matches the second highest of XCOM and the Divinity Original Sin duo. It includes plenty of weapon and armor customization plus a lot of room for strategic ambushes. The post-apocalyptic story and visuals are also fairly well done and help quite a bit with the immersion.
Banner Saga III
The Banner Saga concluded this year with a dark final entry in the trilogy. The game follows the same basic gameplay and narration style as its predecessors, but with multiple endings that rely on decisions made in the previous games as well. Although the combat can be a bit of a drag at times, the story manages to keep the momentum going and player choice has a significant impact on the game’s ending.
The Council
The Council tries to revamp the mystery/point and click genre first started by Frogwares’ Sherlock Holmes series and largely succeeds in doing so. By throwing occult and other supernatural themes into the mix, they manage to create a unique game with a bunch of innovative puzzles and refreshingly well-written dialogs. The skill tree is also rather unorthodox with psychology, occult, and similar themes forming the core pillars.
Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition
Final Fantasy XV is one of the first games from the JRPG franchise to get a dedicated PC version. Developed in partnership with NVIDIA, the game features a slew of PC specific optimizations and effects, from Gameworks like HBAO+, soft-shadows and interactive grass to the new RTX specific DLSS anti-aliasing technique.
Although the ending got quite a bit of hate, it’s still a gorgeous game with a remarkable story and unforgettable characters. Definitely a must-play for every RPG lover.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Pathfinder didn’t get a very warm reception upon release, but don’t let that fool you. It has a skilfully written plotline and the latest iteration of the DnD combat system. The game sees the player take control of a local lord and expand their influence through the course of the adventure with the help of numerous allies. Industry experts like Chris Avellone took part in the development, and it has a loyal cult following who will defend the game with everything they’ve got.
Kingdom Come Deliverance
Warhorse Studio’s first game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance was called many things, but ultimately it was a success. The developers ran into a number of roadblocks like shortage of funds, negative publicity from certain outlets, seemingly exaggerated Kickstarter goals and so on.
The game itself is a real treat
Atom RPG
If Fallout was made by Russians, then it would have been this game. Atom RPG is set in a post-apocalyptic setting with a gameplay similar to the older Fallout games but in a modern interface and improved visuals. The game keeps a track of various factors like player hunger, injury, radiation sickness, etc to heighten the immersion and make the experience more realistic.
Atom RPG has a turn-based combat and survival elements and doesn’t hold the player’s hand. You’re thrown into the wasteland with some clothes and an empty water bottle to figure things out by yourself or eat eaten by some feral creature.
Other Notable PC Games of 2018
- We Happy Few
- Assassins’ Creed: Odyssey
- Life is Strange 2
- Insomnia: The Ark
- Ni no Kuni II
- Legrand Legacy
Further reading:
- The Very Best PS4 Exclusives to Play on Christmas 2018
- Hitman 2: Cutting of Ties With S.Enix Was All it Took to Make the Best Hitman
- Is Smash Bros. Meant to Be Competitive?