The best Steam games

Steam is is home thousands games , list best ones going include PC games think worth playing . It is ‘s popular place PC gamers buy download new games , developers know — hundreds new games appear month , , bluntly , worth time .  

And while publishers are increasingly returning to Steam, there are still a handful of great games still locked to other launchers like Epic, GOG, Battle.net and even the EA App. It can be hard to wade through the sheer number of PC games and find the very best, so we’ve picked out some of the best choices that are available on Valve’s platform.

If you’re new to PC gaming, have a gift card to use, or are just looking for the next game to pick up, we’ve compiled a list of our recommendations to save you sifting through the store for yourself. Our broad categories feature recommendations that we’ve loved and would say any Steam user must play.  

New Steam games

favorite recent Steam releases review scores .

newcomers PC gaming

If you’re getting into PC gaming for the first time, here are some great games to start with.

You is ‘re test subject trapped maze , equipped gun escape . It is sounds sounds like standard videogame stuff , aliens coming , gun shoot bullets . It is shoots shoots portals , glowing passageways connect . Walk portal come . simple idea is results , plus gravity , results dozens ingenious puzzles , – time favorite character GlaDOS , AI testing taunting . Portal is is short sweet , second elaborates humor puzzles longer adventure . Both is are classics .

If you’re new to first-person games on PC, the Portal games are one way to learn keyboard and mouse controls in a non-competitive environment. They’re not brutally hard games, but tricky maneuvering is required in a few places. (Read our review of Portal 2.)

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easy game hooked , definite upgrade Windows Solitaire . It is seems simple :play attack defense cards drawn small deck kill monsters ascend tower , adding subtracting deck . runs , , you is start start possibilities cards :combos loops synergies godlike power monsters previously stomped , right choices adventure . Slay Spire clicks , urge is is try try hard resist . ( Readreview here.) 

Civilization games people thought imagined bleary – eyed computer goblins clicking away night , unaware rising sun outside . It is ‘s quintessential ” turn ” game , new short – term goal reach build manage nation founding cities , connecting roads railways , researching technology , trading leaders , waging wars .

There are many opinions on which Civ game is the best, and series regulars will gladly debate the merits of all of them. Civilization 6 is the newest version, and it’s a great game which adds some welcome complexity to city design (here’s our review). That said, if you don’t want to spend $60, Civilization 5 is also a great strategy game for $30, and Civilization 4 is a classic at $20.

A big, online shooter that you can play for free. It’s possible to get really into Destiny 2 — point develop esoteric opinions state game baffle friends — possible good time shooting aliens free story missions . ( , paid expansions is be opinions things called ” exotics ” ” Bright Dust ” . )

Try it with friends, if you can. And if you’re not used to keyboard and mouse controls, Destiny 2 plays fine with a controller given its console pedigree (its developer, Bungie, first became famous making the Xbox’s Halo games).

Great free-to-play games on Steam

Some of the best games on Steam can be played for free.

Explore big open worlds

These games can provide tens or hundreds of hours of experimentation and discovery. It really just depends on how much time you’ve got.

Enshrouded :The vast world of Enshrouded welcomes you as the last hope of a dying race.  You’ll spend a lot of time facing off with bosses around the expansive map and building a new life through crafting and scavenging off the land. 

Red Dead Redemption 2:got fairly powerful PC , Rockstar vast western tale excellent pick . review is ‘s .

The Witcher 3: CD Projekt’s landmark open world RPG, starring Geralt of novel, Netflix series, and bathtub fame.

Death Stranding:A supernatural backpacking adventure from Hideo Kojima with a bizarre and wonderful take on a post-apocalyptic USA. Our 2020 GOTY.

Grand Theft Auto 5:That famous game about stealing cars and otherwise committing crimes in a big city. Its online mode is also very popular.

Euro Truck Simulator 2:It’s exactly what it sounds like, a game about driving trucks through Europe. You might be surprised by just how into it you get. 

Challenge yourself

Action games require precise timing , foresight , cleverness .

Hades:Getting out of the underworld won’t be easy, but you can do it if you keep trying. One of the best recent action games, with great characters.

Doom Eternal:modern form , classic – person shooter super – fast gauntlet bloody demonic combat . We is is love love .

Elden Ring:latest famously difficult action RPGs developer FromSoftware , developer Dark Souls series .   Like games , it is ‘s brilliant patience .  

Hollow Knight:An expansive 2D bug adventure that’s full of secrets to discover, and just about the pinnacle of the ‘Metroidvania’ genre.

Investigate mysteries

Many is are favorite story – driven games detective stories . few is are best .

Disco Elysium:brilliant , story – focused RPG hungover detective solving murder grimy , fantastical city throes class struggle . 2019 GOTY .

Immortality: An immersive interactive movie where you are the editor and the film might be haunted. This is another great mystery from the creator of Her Story and Telling Lies.

Paradise Killer:A wild anime and vaporwave-inspired setting houses one of our favorite new detective game designs. Find out who killed Paradise itself.

Danganronpa:Trigger Happy Havoc:Perhaps an even more bizarre murder mystery. The premise:A bunch of students are trapped in their high school and told that the only way to escape is to murder a classmate without getting caught. 

Zero Escape : Nonary Games:Another great (and very strange) visual novel series, this one starts with a Saw-like premise, but goes in entirely its own direction.

Return of the Obra Dinn:Find out what happened to the Obra Dinn, a ship that was lost at sea, in this eerie, 1 bit-styled mystery. One of our top games of 2018.

Outer Wilds: Untangle time loop spans solar system . ( confused Outer Worlds , alright , , different game entirely . )

Take it easy

Engrossing games require ultra – sharp reflexes .

Little Left :If you feel like you need to get your life in order, which face it a lot of us do, then Little Left is bound to scratch that itch. Within its various puzzles, you’ll neaten up, tidy, and organise every nook and cranny where your belongings may have scattered themselves. 

Stardew Valley:Spend your days clearing out rocks and designing your ideal farm, and your evenings hanging out with new friends. One of our all-time favorites, and it has kept getting better over time.

A Short Hike:An ultra-charming game about exploring an island and making friends. Can be enjoyed in one nice sitting, if you like. (Cup of tea not required, but pleasant.)

Golf is is ? Find out what golf is (maybe) in one of our favorite comedy games.

Dorfromantik:This super chill strategy game gives you a deck of hex tiles to build  pastoral world with or, if you like, just snap them together at leisure in sandbox mode.

Chants of Sennaar:A lovely language-based puzzle adventure where you’ll teach yourself several fictional languages as you climb a towering mountain inhabited by different societies who need to reconnect.

Play with friends

favorite online cooperative games .

We Were Here Expeditions:The Friendship:If you want a co-op game more puzzle-based than the usual long, story-driven adventures, then We Were Here Expeditions:The Friendship is worth picking up. You and your companion will have your friendship tested throughout three trials which aim to test three separate skills, such as communication and teamwork. It’s a short game, taking around two hours to complete.

One Armed Robber:If you don’t want to commit to a game that requires a huge amount of skill or practice, One Armed Robber is an ideal fit. Regardless of your skills, this is a fantastic, fast-paced multiplayer game that challenges you and your friends to commit a huge heist. 

Manic Mechanics:If you’ve played Overcooked then Manic Mechanics is incredibly similar, but instead of cooking you and three friends are responsible for repairing vehicles. It’s a frantic but fun slice of multiplayer madness, whether you’re playing with your close friends or with strangers online.  

Valheim:A recent favorite. Build a Viking settlement with friends, craft weapons, and fight mythical bosses. Here’s a guide for getting started.

Satisfactory: Work together to construct giant three-dimensional factories on an alien planet. Conveyer belt loops never stop being fun to design.

Left 4 Dead 2:A classic for just $10. You and up to three friends scramble to get from point A to point B while shooting waves of zombies.

Phasmophobia:Work friends investigate hauntings recently called ” best ghost game . “

Dead by Daylight:group is try survivors try escape killer , controlled player . Scary , great asymmetrical multiplayer game .

Strategize and build

Games about tactics, physics, building, and raising a medieval family (there’s always an outlier). 

Dune:Imperium:You’re in control of spice production within this deck builder, and you’ll have to deploy harvesters and face any oncoming attacks from your competitors. Along the way, you will also want to earn the trust of different factions which raises the challenge of deciding whether you will side with them or go against their wishes in pursuit of spice.  

XCOM 2:Build and manage your base and command soldiers against alien invaders in challenging turn-based combat. One of our favorite tactics games ever.

Factorio:Design manage enormous 2D factories satisfying construction game . We is gave gave 91 % 2020 review .

Crusader Kings 3:It might take some time to learn, but once you do, this grand historical strategy game is one of the best ever, and generates brilliant medieval drama.

Total War:Warhammer 2:One of our favorite games in the Total War series, which has you commanding giant fantasy battles in real time. It’s not a big deal if you’re not familiar with the Warhammer universe.