Here's what the PC Gamer forum got excited about this week

(Image credit: Playground Games)

This week on the PCG forums, there's talk about which racing games are the best at emulating driving, a discussion on games we love but have never finished, tips from one of our best Folding@Home team members, the games that have gotten better since their launch, and whether anyone has used this time in isolation to go through their gaming backlog?

We also have an on-going competition for PC Gamer's best PC builds. We love interesting and unique PC builds and wanted to share our love with the community, which is why we are challenging members to submit your best performing builds for the lowest price. If your build makes it into the list of winners, you'll be featured on the PC Gamer homepage. The competition is open right now and will close April 27th. For more information read the description over on the competition's forum post.

Here's what's been happening in the forums this week:

Which is the best game at teaching race driving?

There are plenty of driving and racing games on PC, but which one is the best for actually teaching you how to drive? User Majorix doesn't have a driver's license and has never driven in real life, and so asks which game is the best at emulating the experience. If you can think of a driving sim or racing game, help them out and leave a comment in the thread. 

Well, what you are looking for is probably Gran Turismo but of course, that's on PlayStation. You can grab some of the newer Forza's on the Microsoft Store. I picked up Forza Motorsport 7, don't regret it. Any of the F1 20XX are good picks too. The F1 titles are a little more challenging however due to the speed and how low the automobile is to the ground, not much vision.zSCHIZOz

I would recommend Forza Horizon 4. You got a lot of settings when it comes to how realistic you want your car to behave. From the getgo, a lot is automated, which makes it quite relaxing to drive around. There are different difficulties in tracks, so you can start with easy ones and move from there.Frindis

Check out the full thread here.

(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Most time spent with an uncompleted game

With gaming worlds getting bigger every year, what game have you spent a whole heap of hours in but are yet to finish? Kaamos_Llama starts this thread saying that they have put close to 140 hours into both the original and remaster of Divinity Original Sin, has started the game three times only to get halfway and stop. For me, I've played the Witcher 3 on three separate platforms and have never finished it. If you have a game in mind, pop it in the thread.

Excluding open-ended games like MMOs the first thing that comes to my mind is Hitman 2. 146 hours in and I still have at least two levels (the bank and the resort) that I haven't even started yet.I also have 72 hours in Kingdoms of Amalur and haven't gotten very far into it. I started it several times and even played through a lot of one of its DLCs, but haven't come close to finishing it.I Will Haunt You

Path of exile I have over 900hrs and I have never completed all the end game content or completed all the maps in the atlas. In this league, I didn't complete all the maps or fully defeat the conquerers or even faced sirius once before i stopped. I collected my cloak as a prize and promptly stopped playing.Johnway

Here's a link to the thread.

Folding@Home

(Image credit: Folding@Home)

9 things I wish I new before I started Folding@Home

Oussebon has written this amazing blog about what he has learnt from taking part in the Folding@Home initiative. Comparing the project to the worlds fastest-growing MMO, Oussebon says that taking part in the initiative is an addictive grind and that the community has been super-welcoming. In their forum post, they list nine things that they wish they knew before taking part so head on over to read more. 

Folding isn’t just for idle PCs. The general idea with Folding@Home is that it uses your PC’s resources while the system is idle to run its protein simulations. However, many users find they can actually fold while doing light office tasks, web browsing, and watching videos with no problems. YMMV, but give it a try.Oussebon

You can play games while folding. Top scientists on the PCG forum went a step further and ran games while folding. Older titles ran with no difference, and some AAA titles ran smoothly too. Your results may vary depending on your system, but don’t let fear of losing time for (other) gaming put you off folding.Oussebon

Here's the forum thread.

Fallout 76 Wastelanders

(Image credit: Bethesda)

What on-going game has improved the most since launch?

For this mid-week question, Chris asks what ongoing game has improved the most since its launch and why? With Fallout 76 adding human NPCs and Sea of Thieves getting a new update, what game can you think of that has gotten better with updates? Leave your comment in the thread and check out what the PCG staff said. 

Without a doubt that would be Path of Exile. I mean really, they keep adding new content and storyline, updating their engines and just constantly improving. Really has to be the best in this regard.—Vexxxus

Squad. It's amazing how much progress has been made in this game. Granted, it's still technically "early access", and has been since 2015, but I've felt since late 2016/2017 that this game has been plenty stable, with plenty of content. I have a feeling soon there will be several very well-received mods coming out as well. You know it's pretty stable when going prone doesn't shoot you dozens of feet up into the air. Great game that I keep coming back to!Croaker

Here's the forum thread.

(Image credit: Owlcat)

Have you made a dent in your backlog?

With all the extra time on our hands for isolation, Jodie asks if anyone has tried to use the time to make a dent in their gaming backlog. I've managed to play a few games in my personal backlog, but I've barely made any sort of dent. Have you spent time playing games you've been meaning to get around to? Let us know in the thread, or just let us know what you've been playing recently. 

I have a huge RPG backlog. I'm a fan of this genre and there was a lot of noteworthy RPGs in the past year which I didn't have time to play. This includes Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Divinity Original Sin 2 unfortunately. These are still waiting for its time. Right now I'm playing Shadowrun: Hong Kong. During these hard times I've already managed to finish my biggest shame from the pile - Icewind Dale 2.—Sarafan

My backlog is so full that when I reach inside, it bites my hand! On a more serious note, I have been playing mostly Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Diablo 3, and Warzone for the last week. Oh, and a tiny bit of surviv.io while waiting in the Warzone lobby for next match to start. I also just reinstalled Lord of The Rings Online and will be participating in the upcoming 13th-anniversary event.Frindis

Here's a link to the thread.  

Here's a quick list of the forum's top threads:

What was the first video game you remember playing?
Can real-time strategy come back from the brink of death?
Help, I can't finish RPGs anymore
Weekend Question: Which RTS series deserves a comeback?
What was the specs of your very first gaming PC?
What's your favourite cRPG?

Rachel Watts

Rachel had been bouncing around different gaming websites as a freelancer and staff writer for three years before settling at PC Gamer back in 2019. She mainly writes reviews, previews, and features, but on rare occasions will switch it up with news and guides. When she's not taking hundreds of screenshots of the latest indie darling, you can find her nurturing her parsnip empire in Stardew Valley and planning an axolotl uprising in Minecraft. She loves 'stop and smell the roses' games—her proudest gaming moment being the one time she kept her virtual potted plants alive for over a year.