Nailing down any one aspect of PC gaming is challenging, but it’s that diversity that really makes it shine. Let’s check out the 30 best PC games that have stood out through the decades.

Sons of the Forest

The first rule of playing Sons of the Forest is to experience the original if only to appreciate its story-telling and how things work. Then dive into the sequel and really start to grasp all the different tools that Endnight Games has offered, from solar-powered golf karts and hang-gliders (with launch pads) to an extensive range of firearms, new melee weapons, and mechanics, like AI helpers and a revamped building system. Though its narrative won’t quite hook you, the sheer amount of stuff to do on the island – inhumane and otherwise – provides hours of fun.

For starters, there’s Dark Math Games, which currently has a team of about 20 people, roughly half of whom worked on Disco Elysium. The studio is currently working on a detective RPG titled XXX Nightshift, which is currently in development for PC. 

Set in an off-season holiday resort in Antarctica, XXX Nightshit will place an emphasis on choice and consequence mechanics, a dynamic companion system, and unique detective systems and mechanics. Check out the game’s announcement trailer below, which showcases dialogue-focused gameplay glimpses.

“Additionally to innovating the traditional RPG mechanics, we’ll bring something fresh to the table,” says Dark Math Games co-founder, art director, and tactical lead Timo Albert. “You will see. And of course, a few less words. And a few more bullets, perhaps. In total: lot more fun.”

Then there’s Longdue, a new studio formed by former Disco Elysium developers, as well as industry veterans who have previously worked at Bungie, Rockstar Games, and more. The studio says it has secured funding with which it will develop its debut project, which it describes as a “psychogeographic RPG with narrative depth”.

“At Longdue, we’re inspired by decades of classic RPGs, from Ultima and Wizardry, through Fallout and Planescape, to the justifiably adored Disco Elysium,” says narrative director Grant Roberts. “We’re excited to continue that legacy with another narrative-first, psychological RPG, where the interplay between inner worlds and external landscapes is the beating heart of the experience. We’re building a world-class team for a world-class game that will tell a world-class story, and we can’t wait to show you more.”

Last but not least, there’s Summer Eternal, another new independent studio that’s described as both an “art collective” and “RPG studio”. The studio is founded by a number of former Disco Elysium developers, including writers Argo Tuulik, Dora Klindzic, and Olga Moskvina, concept artist Anastasia Ivanova, voice actor Lenval Brown, and graphic designer Michael Oswell.

Co-founder Argo Tuulik says, “I believe that the last time around, we made something genre-breaking. Discipline-transcending. Something completely new. I am not ready to give up on that. The lessons learned, skills developed, experience forged—for five fucking years I’ve been waiting to put them to use. So we went back to the drawing board with one goal in mind—let’s do it fresh from the start, but this time let’s not fuck each other the moment the checkered flag drops. It makes the entire mankind look bad.”

Before we move ahead, do keep in mind that calling a game AA or AAA isn’t a measure of its popularity or quality so much as it is a measure of the scope of its production and its development budget, which means we might also talk about AA experiences made by companies that usually operate in the AAA sphere. With that out of the way, let’s dive right in.

DISCO ELYSIUM

You could call Disco Elysium a CRPG, and on paper, technically, you would be correct, but that would also be an incredibly reductive way to describe this masterpiece. From its surreal setting to its heavily flavoured and thematically dense writing, from its complete lack of combat to how bizarrely yet ingeniously it uses its RPG mechanics in conjunction with its storytelling, Disco Elysium is a singular game that’s unlike anything else out there.

Please note that we will only be including single-player games on this list.

With that out of the way, let’s begin.

Hitman 2

IO Interactive has done a fabulous job with its new brand of Hitman games, which features some of the best maps the series has seen to date. Not only are these maps large in size, but also dense with opportunities to murder your targets in some of the most creative ways possible. Beating a level for the first time is just the start in Hitman, and the fun comes from knowing the ins and outs of the level to a point where you can essentially become a ghost within these labyrinthian environments. Completing the many Mission Stories and additional challenges of each level nets you rewards in the form of new costumes and alternate starting locations for future playthroughs, which also makes replaying these levels a much more convenient task. We picked Hitman 2 for this list simply because maps like Florida, Mumbai, and Ark Society are some of the most replayable ones in the entire trilogy.

ZA/UM art director Kaspar Tamsalu said, “Collage Mode is an incredible tool that puts the characters, environments, and visual effects from Disco Elysium into the hands of all the players to create original art.

“It also allows you to examine our brush strokes up close and lets you pose and twirl the character models as if they were toys in the palm of your hand. You can really see up close how the artists came together to create the game’s distinctive look, which extends to brand new art we made specifically for this mode.”

Lead developer Chris Priestman added, “This latest update offers a completely new way to explore the world of Disco Elysium as it’s simultaneously a doll house, a blank canvas, and a storytelling machine.

“We made this for our hugely talented fans as we’ve spent years admiring everything they create, from luscious paintings to memorable short stories and amazing cosplay – now we hope there will be much more! We only ask that they please go easy on Kim Kitsuragi, he can only take so much love.”

Along with placing characters in different poses, they can also be resized and rotated. You can apply filters, enable environmental effects like fog, snow and rain, or change the time of day. Various items and clothing are available to place on characters, and you can even insert custom text. Top it off with a themed frame like “Kim Catsuragi” and “Building Communism.”

Interestingly, new scenes can be discovered with new voiceovers from the narrator. Collage Mode will be available in the coming days for PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. In the meantime, check out our Disco Elysium: The Final Cut review.

According to the post, the duo owned a minority stake in Zaum Studio, with the majority originally being owned by investor and businessman Margus Linnamäe. Some time in 2021, Linnamäe’s shares were bought out by Estonian company Tütreke, which in turn is owned by Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel.

The post goes on to state that, with Linnamäe owning the majority of the stakes, the duo was comfortable with how the company’s financials were being handled. Once ownership transferred over to Tütreke, however, things seem to have started going wrong.

“As soon as they became majority shareholders, we were quickly excluded from daily operations, our employment was terminated and our access to the company’s information was shut off,” says the duo. “Our firing came weeks after we started asking for documents and financial data, which is still being kept from us.”

Haavel’s past conviction for defrauding investors has played a role in the current controversy.

“We believe the money used by Tütreke OÜ to buy the majority stake was taken illegally from Zaum Studio OÜ itself, money that belonged to the studio and all shareholders but was used for the benefit of one,” says the post. “Money that should have gone towards making the sequel. We believe that these actions — which in our view, and the view of our lawyers, amount to criminal wrongdoing punishable by up to three years imprisonment — were perpetrated by Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel with support from Kaur Kender, another minority shareholder.”

“This is hardly surprising given that Tõnis Haavel,” the duo continues, “who we believe to be the ringleader, has been convicted for defrauding investors on a different matter in 2007.”

This puts into new light Kurvitz’s recently-revealed lawsuit against ZA/UM, which was at the time revealed to be in its early stages.

According to the court website, the lawsuit is currently in early stages, and will “obtain information and review documents” from ZA/UM. No other details about the lawsuit have been revealed so far.

ZA/UM recently saw the departure of writers and the art director behind Disco Elysium. Editor Martin Luiga revealed in a statement that Kurvitz, alongside Helen Hindpere and Aleksandr Rostov’s departure from ZA/UM was “involuntary”.

Further details were revealed by Luiga himself, who said that the departures happened “on false premises”.

“It happened late last year,” said Luiga in the interview. “They were fired on false premises and the entire ordeal has been very traumatizing for both them and people close to them.”

ZA/UM hasn’t yet made any statement about the departures or the lawsuit.

All three had key roles in the RPG’s success. While acting as the sole designer, Kurvitz worked as a writer along with Helen Hindpere. Aleksander Rostov was the art director and confirmed on Twitter that all three were no longer at the studio.

As for the ZA/UM Cultural Association’s end, Luiga said, “I find that the organization was successful overall, and most of the mistakes that were made were contingent, determined by the sociocultural conditions we were thrown into. I still encourage people to organize, and I would say that one of the qualities that the ZA/UM cultural organization sorely lacked was pretty much any formal structure.”

As for the future of Disco Elysium’s sequel, Luiga addressed concerns on Twitter, stating that things “are actually sweet enough” and that “you might even get it the way it was meant.” He notes that it may take a “s**t ton of time” but adds that “RPG fans are sorta accustomed to waiting, ain’t they.”

Neither the trio nor Luiga has shared details on the former’s departure from the studio. Time will ultimately tell how the sequel turns out, so stay tuned. Disco Elysium is currently available for PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia. Check out our review for The Final Cut version here. It also seems that ZA/UM is working on a sci-fi title developed on Unreal Engine 5.

Nah I think that things with the sequel are actually sweet enough, you might even get it the way it was meant, it might take a shit ton of time but RPG fans are sorta accustomed to waiting, ain't they

— • | NORMAL SIULS||•• . (@verekuningas) October 1, 2022

We confirm that we are no longer at the studio.

— Aleksander Rostov, Robert Kurvitz, Helen Hindpere

— Aleksander Rostov (@artofrostov) October 2, 2022

One of the key details to emerge is a potential sci-fi setting, with a listing for the position of Environment Concept Artist stating that one of the roles of the applicant will be to “create and visualise new worlds and have a love for sci-fi and space”, while the listings requirements section also mentions “creation of non-earth environments.”

A Lead Environment Artist listing, meanwhile, seems to confirm that the game is being built using Unreal Engine 5. Interestingly, ZA/UM also has a listing up for the position of Sales and Monetization Specialist, though it’s unclear whether this is specifically in relation to in-game monetization. It does, however, mention that one of the position’s responsibilities is to “maximise and diversify revenue streams for full game, add-on and live services content.”

Of course, job listings for game studios don’t necessarily always end up representing the final product, as plans can always change mid-development, but this does offer an early glimpse into what ZA/UM may have planned.

The developer has previously said that it plans to do more with the Disco Elysium IP in the future, though what shape that takes and if that ends up being its next project remains to be seen.

UNCHARTED: THE LOST LEGACY

In the early years of the Uncharted series, Naughty Dog tried to cram boss fights into the games, and the results were mixed- decent at best, atrocious at worst, but always unnecessary. As time has gone on, Uncharted has stopped feeling the need to have any boss fights at all, and its last entry, The Lost Legacy, relegated its final confrontation against the villain to a glorified interactive cutscene. And you know what? That was absolutely the right choice. Uncharted has always been about its cinematicism, storytelling, and blockbuster action more than anything else, and The Lost Legacy was a better game for its decision to focus on that rather than ticking the boss fights box.