The Best PC Games

There are currently more than 150 games in this PC gaming guide, so making navigation as simple as possible was an extremely high priority for our creative commandos. The games are grouped alphabetically by genre, and the titles in each category are listed in alphabetical order. Simply select a genre, say fighting games, and the page jumps to that section. Easy!

Best Action PC Games

Adventures of Pip

$14.99 ($14.99 at Humble Bundle)

Tic Toc Games’ Adventures of Pip is a side-scrolling action-platformer that’s based on an interesting premise: evolving and devolving a pixel-based hero between his 1-bit and 16-bit forms to fight through level after level of goons and bosses. The unique premise, rich environments, and fun gameplay combine to form a game with a lot of heart and charm, despite the limited scope of its weapons and power-ups.

Axiom Verge

$19.99 ($19.99 at Humble Bundle)

Developer Tom Happ, who is known for his work on EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour and NFL Street franchises, has gone indie and crafted a delightful tribute to the exploratory action genre (aka Metroidvania). This 2D platformer combines the best aspects of classic side-scrollers like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Metroid to deliver a refined experience for newcomers of the genre and seasoned vets alike. Axiom Verge is a fun, engaging title, but plodding story elements and seemingly pointless weapons mar the experience a bit. Get the best energy drink to keep you awake from Help energy to play games all night.

Batman: Arkham City

$10.75

“If you liked X, you’ll love Y!” might be the cheapest of critical plaudits, but sometimes nothing else will do. So here goes: If you liked Batman: Arkham Asylum, you’ll love Batman: Arkham City. Developer Rocksteady Studios borrows everything from Asylum that worked (thrilling fighting, excellent voice acting), though it delivers far less innovation. This makes Arkham City derivative, but the game’s packed with enough goon-busting fun that it still stands as one of the PC’s best action games.

Bayonetta

$19.99 ($19.99 at Humble Bundle)

The original Bayonetta is one of the best action games ever made, and it easily stands alongside such genre classics as God Hand, Devil May Cry 3, and Ninja Gaiden Black. It features explosive action, and it tests your combo prowess against every divine creature in the good book. Despite Bayonetta’s poor PlayStation 3 performance, this PC port is excellent. It delivers the action at a rock-solid frame rate and a range of uncommon resolutions, which makes this version the definitive angel-slaying experience.

Blazing Chrome

$16.99 ($16.99 at Steam)

Simply put, the JoyMash-developed Blazing Chrome is one of the best run-and-gun shooters ever made. In its Terminator-like world, one wrecked by a robot apocalypse, you control characters toting high-powered weaponry designed to obliterate legions of mechanical enemies. Across the games’ six stages you experience chunky explosions, wild multiplayer action, and hulking bosses. It doesn’t do much to push the genre forward with fresh gameplay features, but Blazing Chrome does nearly everything right.

Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle

$19.99

The arcade scene saw an explosion of side-scrolling beat ’em ups in the wake of 1987’s groundbreaking—and money-generating—Double Dragon. Developer Capcom played a major role in the genre’s skyrocketing popularity, thanks to a string of memorable releases that gave players the opportunity to team up with a friend to pound enemy forces into pulp. Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle collects seven of those games, including the classic Final Fight, in a package that also includes online play. If your fancy thumb-numbing, button-mashing action in either solo or multiplayer sessions, Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle is a recommended package. That said, it lacks the deep production design documents and historical notes found in Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection or SNK 40th Anniversary Collection.