PC Gamer named the 100 best PC games: Baldur's Gate 3 tops the list

The top ten games also included the iconic Half-Life 2, the farming simulator Stardew Valley, and the original Doom from 1993.

Each year, the PC Gamer editorial team undertakes a significant effort to compile this ranking. The process involves voting, discussion, and even debates among over 30 editors and writers from around the globe. This year, they reviewed 332 games, from which they selected the top 100.

The game evaluation methodology is based on four key criteria:

1. Quality (60% of the overall score): a personal assessment of the game as a product.
2. Significance (15%): the game's impact on other projects and the industry as a whole.
3. Relevance (15%): the ability of the game to maintain an active and engaged community.
4. Playability (10%): accessibility for contemporary audiences and ease of running on modern systems.

Taking the top spot was Baldur's Gate 3 from Larian Studios, which did not make last year's list due to its late release. Disco Elysium, which topped the list last year, placed second, while Elden Ring rounded out the top three. The top five also included Minecraft and Persona 5 Royal (by the way, Atlus's new game, Metaphor: ReFantazio, has received high praise from critics).

New entries for 2024 in the top 100 include Helldivers 2 (14th place), Animal Well (43rd place), and Ghost of Tsushima (92nd place). Alan Wake 2 (21st place) and Metal Gear Solid 3 (11th place) also made the ranking.

Top 100 PC Games According to PC Gamer

1. Baldur's Gate 3
2. Disco Elysium
3. Elden Ring
4. Minecraft
5. Persona 5 Royal
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
7. Half-Life 2
8. Balatro
9. Stardew Valley
10. Doom (1993)
11. Metal Gear Solid 3
12. Total War: Warhammer III
13. XCOM 2
14. Helldivers 2
15. Red Dead Redemption 2
16. Dwarf Fortress
17. Rimworld
18. Mass Effect Legendary Edition
19. Slay the Spire
20. Hades
21. Alan Wake 2
22. Hollow Knight
23. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
24. Portal
25. Crusader Kings III
26. Pizza Tower
27. Hunt: Showdown 1896
28. Thief Gold
29. Planescape: Torment
30. Halo: The Master Chief Collection
31. StarCraft II
32. Yakuza 0
33. Fallout: New Vegas
34. Final Fantasy XIV
35. Counter-Strike 2
36. Stellaris
37. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
38. World of Warcraft
39. Return of the Obra Dinn
40. Vampire Survivors
41. Divinity: Original Sin 2
42. Prey (2017)
43. Animal Well
44. Deus Ex
45. Grand Theft Auto V
46. Into the Breach
47. Frostpunk
48. DOOM Eternal
49. Citizen Sleeper
50. Hitman World of Assassination
51. Spelunky
52. Wildermyth
53. Control
54. Warhammer: Vermintide 2
55. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
56. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
57. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
58. Fortnite
59. Unavowed
60. System Shock Remake
61. Team Fortress 2
62. NieR: Automata
63. Resident Evil 4 Remake
64. Diablo II
65. Rust
66. Kerbal Space Program
67. Monster Hunter: World
68. Titanfall 2
69. Signalis
70. Strange Horticulture
71. Alien Isolation
72. Cyberpunk 2077
73. Papers, Please
74. Max Payne
75. Chivalry 2
76. Dishonored 2
77. Deep Rock Galactic
78. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
79. Baldur's Gate II
80. Caves of Qud
81. Kentucky Route Zero
82. Hotline Miami
83. Sid Meier's Civilization V
84. Inside
85. Destiny 2
86. Ultrakill
87. The Case of the Golden Idol
88. Pentiment
89. Death Stranding
90. Outer Wilds
91. Dead Cells
92. Ghost of Tsushima
93. Left 4 Dead 2
94. Dragon Age: Origins
95. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2
96. Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines
97. Dave the Diver
98. City of Heroes: Homecoming
99. Guild Wars 2
100. Valheim

Source: PCgamer