The best PC games right now

By published

Looking for a great new game? Here's what we're playing in 2022.

(Image credit: Finji)
Jump to:

These are the best PC games we're playing in 2022: recent singleplayer hits, thriving esports, and modern classics that would improve any library. (Such as Elden Ring. If we're being honest, we're mostly playing Elden Ring.)

Rather than an ever-expanding list that reaches deep into the past, we're shooting for a practical answer to the question: 'What new PC game should I play right now?' We'll continue to update this list as new games release, removing older favorites and replacing them with the games the PC Gamer team is currently playing.

Crusader Kings 3

(Image credit: Paradox)

2022 games: This year's launches
Best PC games: All-time favorites
Best free PC games: Freebie fest
Best laptop games: Low-specs 

If you're looking for a more comprehensive list of great PC games past and present, check out our yearly Top 100 or our list of the most important PC games. For upcoming games, we've assembled a guide to the new games of 2022. 

Need a new PC? You can build an entry-level gaming PC for around $750 if you can find a graphics card at list price (not easy), or our recommended mid-range PC for $1,000. If you want something that works out of the box, we also recommend some pre-built PCs, which are the best way to get a new GPU without spending a fortune during the chip shortage. The Steam Deck is an interesting new option, too.

We've heard that GPU prices may start to normalize soon, although we'll believe it when we see it at this point. The good news is that a lot of our favorite games don't require a beefy rig: The 💻 icon indicates games we think are best suited for lower-end desktops and laptops. Check each game's recommended system specs against your own to be sure. 

Icon key

💻 = Suitable for low-end PCs
☝ = Singleplayer only
💬 = MMO
🎮 = We prefer a controller
🧛‍♀️ = Contains draculas
🐴 = Horse content

What we're playing

These are the games PC Gamer's staff and contributors are into right now.

Elden Ring (90%)

Elden Ring (90%) 🎮🐴
Surprise, surprise: The latest fantasy gauntlet from Dark Souls creator FromSoftware is brilliant. The shift to an open world isn't entirely successful, says our reviewer, but this is still an enormous, exciting new game from a studio that's peerless in the branch of the action RPG genre it established—despite many, many imitators.

Norco (94%)

Norco (94%) ☝
A "profoundly somber and bitingly funny" point-and-click adventure game set in a sci-fi dystopia known as South Louisiana. "A must-play for anyone interested in narrative-driven games," we said in our review.

Tunic (86%)

Tunic (86%) ☝
The charming style of a classic Zelda game, but with sharper teeth: "difficult combat and meaningful exploration make Tunic a retro-inspired modern marvel," our reviewer said.

Lost Ark (78%)

Lost Ark (78%)💬🐴
The hot new thing on Steam: A free-to-play Korean MMO that just got a wide release. "Ambitious to a fault, it offers a vast and spectacular fantasy adventure elevated by a stunning combat system and an astonishing sense of scale," Rick said in our review.

Total War: Warhammer 3 (90%)

Total War: Warhammer 3 (90%) 🐴
The final act of the fantasy strategy series is full of delightful oddities: "It goes in some strange directions, but always goes big, fully committing to Warhammer's wonderfully over-the-top brand of fantasy."

Hunt: Showdown (74%)

Hunt: Showdown (74%) 🐴
Over the past few years, Hunt: Showdown has quietly become one of the PC's best multiplayer games. Along with Escape from Tarkov, we think it's the best evolution of the battle royale genre.

Sifu (85%)

Sifu (85%) ☝🎮
A challenging singleplayer brawler from the creators of recent cult classic Absolver. The structure is strange but compelling, and the dreamlike world is somewhat shallow, but frequently looks spectacular.

Wordle (80%)

Wordle (80%) ☝💻
Like everyone else, we've been starting our mornings with the word game phenomenon that NYT spent over a million bucks to own.

Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker (89%)

Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker (89%)💬🐴
A 10-year-long story culminates in this enormous expansion for one of the best MMOs available today; we called it "a fantastic send-off" which "leaves the door wide open for new adventures."

God of War (90%)

God of War (90%)☝🎮
The former PlayStation exclusive about parenting and god drama is now on PC, and it's the best version of a fantastic game; "If you skipped God of War 2018 or haven't touched the series at all, this is the God of War to play."

More games we've been playing recently: 

90% and up

Strange Horticulture

(Image credit: Bad Viking)

A selection of recent releases that received one of our highest honors: A review score of 90% or higher. 

Best of the best

Disco Elysium

(Image credit: ZA/UM)

Every year, we publish a new version of the PC Gamer Top 100, a list of the best PC games from throughout time that we think you'll enjoy right now. The latest list was published September 2021. Here are the top ten games on that list.

  1. Disco Elysium - The Final Cut ☝💻
  2. Hitman 3 ☝
  3. Crusader Kings 3🐴💻
  4. Apex Legends
  5. Red Dead Redemption 2🐴
  6. Death Stranding ☝
  7. Slay the Spire ☝💻
  8. Minecraft💻
  9. The Witcher 3 ☝🧛‍♀️🐴
  10. Valheim💻

Competitive multiplayer games

Apex Legends (93%)

Apex Legends (93%)
One of our favorite current battle royale games. The map is fantastic, the 'ping' communication system is something every FPS should have from here on, the guns and movement are great fun (no wallrunning, but sliding down hills feels great).

Hunt: Showdown

Hunt: Showdown
Quietly one of the best multiplayer games you can play right now. Morgan elaborated on why last year: "When enjoyed with friends, Hunt is one of those games that seems to magically manufacture special moments."

Call of Duty: Warzone (82%)

Call of Duty: Warzone (82%)
One of the most popular battle royale games you can play right now, but not our current favorite. The new map was a bit of a letdown. We've heard that Warzone 2 is on the way, though.

Rainbow Six Siege (90%)

Rainbow Six Siege (90%)
Siege might lack the sharp hit detection and purity of CS:GO, but it's a more accessible and modern FPS that rewards clever timing and coordinated teamwork as much as aim. 

More competitive games we like:

The grab bag

A selection of PC Gamer's favorite games, new and old, from across genres: action, adventure, RPG, simulation, puzzle, platformer, and more. If you still can't decide what to play, close your eyes and click on a random link in this list. It'll be something good.  

Tyler Wilde
Tyler Wilde

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley alongside Apple and Microsoft, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on the early personal computers his parents brought home. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, Bushido Blade (yeah, he had Bleem!), and all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now. In 2006, Tyler wrote his first professional review of a videogame: Super Dragon Ball Z for the PS2. He thought it was OK. In 2011, he joined PC Gamer, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. After work, he practices boxing and adds to his 1,200 hours in Rocket League.
See comments