Thousands of games release on Steam alone each year, beckoning to you from algorithmic recommendation engines, the bottom halves of TikTok videos, and the review sections of websites like PC Gamer. So how the heck do you decide which are the best PC games to play right now?
We figure the best way to help is to tell you what we're playing. Chances are, if PC Gamer's staff of 30+ videogame enthusiasts and network of contributors is putting hundreds of hours into a new game, it's something you might enjoy, too.
We also hope to expose you to indie gems that might only have captured the attention of one or two of us, but have really captured it.
November 2026: It's GTA 6 month, but sadly, no PC release has yet been announced. It'll come to our shores, eventually. In the meantime, there's plenty of cool new stuff on PC to play. We're particularly smitten with Queen's Domain right now.
Staff picks
Queen's Domain
Queen's Domain's brilliant level design might leave it the best first-person metroidvania anyone's made since the first Metroid Prime. (Steam) —Ted Litchfield, Associate Editor
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Plays like an Arkham game, but one that fully embraces camp 1960s Batman, in Lego form. (Steam) —Jody Macgregor, Weekend/AU Editor
Quake
MachineGames' new Dawn of the Machine chapter is big, clever, and makes the venerable shooter feel wonderfully fresh. (Steam) —Andy Chalk, NA News Lead
Recent high scores
Enshrouded (90)
Released: September 2026 | Steam
"The fog of war clears around Embervale, revealing a survival crafting masterpiece."
Penguin Colony (80)
Released: October 2026 | Steam
"A little uneven, but Penguin Colony is too weird, wonderful, and surprising to miss."
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (85)
Released: October 2026 | Steam
"Modern Warfare 4 is the bar that this series should regularly aspire to, and a reminder that Call of Duty benefits when it actually tries to change."
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (92)
Released: September 2026 | Steam
"Arcade flight action and anime melodrama refined to the highest possible level—a must play for aviation fans."
The Blood of Dawnwalker (83)
Released: September 2026 | Steam
"The Blood of Dawnwalker is a resolutely miserable horror RPG with some great ideas of its own, though it doesn’t always have the courage to follow them through."
Onimusha: Way of the Sword (83)
Released: September 2026 | Steam
"A sublime mix of classic Capcom action and weighty physical swordfighting. The only enemy it can't overcome is its own pacing."
Star Wars Zero Company (90)
Released: August 2026 | Steam
"A new all-timer Star Wars game and a stunning debut for Bit Reactor."
Big Walk (90)
Released: August 2026 | Steam
"A joyous jaunt through a gentle world full of thoughtfully-designed puzzles."
More games we've been playing
- Fields of Mistria: The best-written cast we've seen in a farm sim (Steam)
- Esoteric Ebb: One of the best RPGs of the year (Steam)
- Slay the Spire 2: More deckbuilding brilliance (Steam)
- Paralives: Finally a new life sim we like! (It is buggy, though.) (Steam)
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33: The most acclaimed RPG of 2025 (Steam)
- Baby Steps: Bleak and hilarious (Steam)
- Abiotic Factor: Half-Life, but a survival game. Excellent. (Steam)
High scores: 90% and up
If we score a game 90% or higher in our review, we think it's stupendously good. Here are the games that joined the 90-and-up club in 2025. (There are none so far in 2026.)
- Caves of Qud: 94 (Review | Steam/GOG)
- Promise Mascot Agency: 94 (Review | Steam)
- Blue Prince: 92 (Review | Steam)
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2: 90 (Review | Steam/GOG)
- Keep Driving: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Monster Train 2: 91 (Review | Steam)
- The Alters: 90 (Review | Steam/GOG)
- Abiotic Factor: 92 (Review | Steam)
- Hollow Knight: Silksong: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Silent Hill f: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles: 91 (Review | Steam)
- Escape from Tarkov: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Cairn: 91 (Review | Steam)
- Nioh 3: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Mewgenics: 92 (Review | Steam)
- Resident Evil Requiem: 92 (Review | Steam)
- Esoteric Ebb: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Marathon: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Xenonauts 2: 91 (Review | Steam)
- Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Mina the Hollower: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Derelict Star: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Big Walk: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Star Wars Zero Company: 90 (Review | Steam)
- Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve: 92 (Review | Steam)
- Enshrouded: 90 (Review | Steam)
All-time greats
Below are the top 10 games from the latest edition of PC Gamer's yearly Top 100 list, which was published in November 2026.
Whereas the list on this page is entirely focused on what to play right now and mainly features newer games, our Top 100 also considers historical significance.
The selection changes year-to-year not just because there are new games we want to include, but also because our collective tastes change as people join or leave the team, or because we've reevaluated a classic since the last vote.
The games that fell out of the top 10 this year are: Dwarf Fortress, Caves of Qud, Balatro, and Red Dead Redemption 2. Returning to the top 10 this year are: Doom (1993), Half-Life 2, and XCOM 2.
- Baldur's Gate 3: Our 2023 Game of the Year and a brilliant RPG (Steam/GOG)
- Disco Elysium: Our 2019 Game of the Year and former #1 game (Steam/GOG)
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: Set a high bar for open world RPGs (Steam/GOG)
- Elden Ring: Another day, another FromSoftware masterpiece (Steam)
- Minecraft: The classic block building survival game (Official site)
- Stardew Valley: Still our favorite farming/life sim (Steam/GOG)
- XCOM 2: The gold standard for tactical turn-based combat (Steam)
- Crusader Kings 3: There's nothing quite like this historical sim series (Steam)
- Doom (1993): The classic FPS is still a great game today (Steam)
- Half-Life 2: Still the best shooter campaign you can play on PC. (Steam)
More resources and lists
Looking for more recommendations? We've got you covered.
- Steam Curator page: See our recommendations directly on Steam
- 2025 Game of the Year awards: Our favorite games of last year
- New games of 2026: What's ahead in PC gaming
- Gaming PC build guides: You'll need some hardware for all these games
- Steam sale dates: Find out when these games will be cheapest
- The best Steam Deck games: Great games for handhelds
- The best laptop games: Great games for laphelds
- The best free games on Steam: Can't beat the price
- The best indie games on PC: Also many of the best games period
- 14 underappreciated recent games: Great games you might've missed
Best games by genre
Find our selection of the best PC games just a bit too broad? Our genre lists have curated recommendations for RPGs, racing, strategy, and more.
