List of best PC games in past 5 years?

harmattan

harmattan

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I've been pretty busy with life stuff these past 5 years and have missed out on quite a few stellar games. Is there a place where I can see the best-rated PC games over the past 5 years?

Most of the sites I've been too will list the top 10-20 by year alone; Metacritic used to have a feature where you could sort by year, but this has now been removed (likely to push you towards new releases).
 
The most acclaimed games of the past 5 years are The Witcher 3 and Bloodborne.
Buy The Witcher 3 gold edition and start from there, it's probably the most highly regarded game of the past decade (and arguably one of the best games ever made).

The most influential game developer of the past decade had to be From Software - so many other developers pulled ideas straight from their games. Not all their titles are on PC, the ones that are like DarkSouls/DarkSouls3 are worth playing through (and if you have a PS4 Bloodborne is a masterpiece)
 
Not sure if such lists exist, I know pc gamer has lots of best of lists, it also depends on what oyu like to play.

RPG's I would say witcher 3, divinity original sin 1 & 2, fallout 4
Shooters, DOOM 2016, Titanfall 2, Crysis 3 for singleplayer, PUBG, fortnite, for multi
TBS, Civ V & VI, wasteland 2, x-com 2
not so up to speed on other genres
if you have a ps4, Horizon zero dawn , God of war 4 and uncharted 4 and the lost legacy
but as tastes differ, hard to say.
 
Metro Last light

Kingdom come Deliverance

Dirty Bomb

Battlefield 1

Star Wars Battlefront

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3

Divinity Original Sin 1& 2

Pillars of Eternity 2

Hitman

Vermintide 2

Prey

Hunt: Showdown

Fallout 4

Dark Souls 3

Black Desert Online

Mad Max

Dues EX: Mankind Divided

Sniper Elite 4

Destiny 2 cough cough =)

The Witcher 3

The Division

Ghost Recon Wildlands

Far Cry 5

Tom Clancy Rainbow team six seige

Assassins Creed Origins

Planetside 2

Rift Trion Worlds

Thief

Dishonored

Styx

Five Nights at Freddy's series

Grim Dawn

DOOM

Call of Duty WWII

Warface

Evolve stage 2

Gothum City Impostors

Wolfenstein series

Dragon Age Inquisition

Max Payne 3

The Evil Within 1&2

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Killing Floor 2

That is what I would like to do just screw PC gaming for about 5 years don't play or buy anything then come back. It would be better to be in a vacuum or time machines and let the good stuff come out and be suprised by the progress other devlopers worked hard at. I didn't play some of the games listed above maybe 10 or so.
 
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Comixbooks said:
Metro Last light

Kingdom come Deliverance

Dirty Bomb

Battlefield 1

Star Wars Battlefront

Sniper Ghost Warrior 3

Divinity Original Sin 1& 2

Pillars of Eternity 2

Hitman

Vermintide 2

Prey

Hunt: Showdown

Fallout 4

Dark Souls 3

Black Desert Online

Mad Max

Dues EX: Mankind Divided

Sniper Elite 4

Destiny 2 cough cough =)

The Witcher 3

The Division

Ghost Recon Wildlands

Far Cry 5

Tom Clancy Rainbow team six

Assassins Creed Origins

Planetside 2

Rift Trion Worlds

Thief

Dishonored

Styx

Five Nights at Freddy's series

Grim Dawn

DOOM

Call of Duty WWII




That is what I would like to do just screw PC gaming for about 5 years don't play or buy anything then come back. It would be better to be in a vacuum or time machines and let the good stuff come out and be suprised by the progress other devlopers worked hard at. I didn't play some of the games listed above maybe 6 or so.
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Well many of those would appear on my list of worst games of the past 5 years.
 
Plants vs. Zombies (the first game)
Orcs must die
Assasin Creed Origins
 
Some that haven't been noted:

No one has mentioned GTA V campaign. Multiplayer is a mess and was only fun when the gentle giant hackers would Gatling gun money bags on you and you had a crew of buddies that were active.

Don't think I saw MGS V. Just damn good old fashioned metal gear fun.

Wasteland 2 for old school RPG fans in the theme of the original fallout's with a ton of 90's humor mixed in. (edit - didn't see Denpepe had listed this, but worth a second shout out)

Kerbal Space Program for nerds in us, although can be extremely frustrating.

Just Cause 3 if you want an open world to blow stuff up in

Forza and Forza Horizon games for racing now that they are ported over and stable. Much better with a wheel (and Forza 7 is much better on the One X with a good 4k TV and HDR than the PC in my sig). Dirt and Grid series (Codemasters) are fun as well. Project Cars was very good, but brings sim past Forza - then you step up to the Asetto Corsa's of the world eventually to iRacing. Forza into Pcars is more my pace, but if you are looking for a challenge and willing to invest at least a few hundred into a wheel setup, racing gaming is by far the most satisfying for me after flight sim's dying off a decade ago (which hopefully VR/AR can revive).

There are a ton of fun and inexpensive little co-op indie games like Monaco and Overcooked.


And for Comixbook's list above, it seems to list out the AAA products and I've tried a number of them which are terrible and most are FPS. Destiny 2 was actually pretty fun playing with a buddy, but they totally shit the bed with content and lost it's luster quickly.
 
best for 1 person can be worst for another, really depends on individual like/dislike

Also very much depends on the users hardware because there is an absolute bias depending on this as well.
something that plays and looks awesome with AMD CPU and Radeon
looks like trash and plays like it via Intel-Nvidia hardware and vice versa

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Skyrim (2011...loads of dlc-mods etc completely makinga different experience in the thousands of hours play time)
Dragon Age: Origins..II..Inquisition (2009-2011-2014)
Grey Goo (2015)
Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017)
Castlevania Lords of Shadow- Ultimate Edition...Mirror of Fate HD...of Shadow 2 (2010-2013-2014)
Middle-earth: Shadow of War..of Mordor (2014-2017)
Wolfenstein: The New Order..The Old Blood..Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2014-2015-2017)
Tyranny (2016)
The Bard's Tale (2004) The Mage's Tale (2017) The Bard's Tale IV (2018 not released yet)
Battletech (April 2018)
Witcher 3 Game of the year edition (with Enhanced Edition mod) many will <3 this game, others will not pure and simple..2016)

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then of course there is the "ability" to get/use emulators to play many thousands of other games from ages past
some of which may not have the raw "so pretty" factor, but they make up for it in storytelling/systems ^.^
 
haste. said:
GTA V campaign...
Just Cause 3...
Click to expand...

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Ghost Recon Wildlands
Fishing Planet
Far Cry 1

The Witcher - ALL
Tomb Raider - ALL
Sniper Elite - ALL
Sniper Ghost Warrior - ALL
Max Payne - ALL

Homefront
Homefront - The Revolution

Rebel Galaxy

iRacing
Project Cars
Dirt Rally
Assetto Corsa
Spintires + MODS (maps & trucks)
Monster Energy Supercross
 
dragonstongue said:
something that plays and looks awesome with AMD CPU and Radeon
looks like trash and plays like it via Intel-Nvidia hardware and vice versa
Click to expand...
I don't know that it's that extreme... yes some perform better on various platforms, but all will be playable and pretty on a capable system no matter the hardware vendor...
 
So the best games I finished in the past 5 years in alphabetic order are:
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (2016 PC) 9/10
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016 PC) 8/10
Fallout 4 (2015 PC) 8/10
Grand Theft Auto V (2013 PS3 / 2015 PC) 7/10 (only marginally made it on the list)
Mad Max (2015 PC) 8/10
Mass Effect III The Citadel DLC (2013 PC) 7/10
Mass Effect Andromeda (2017 PC) 7/10 - Yes stone me. It is better than DA:I.
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands (2017 PC) 8/10
Tomb Raider (2013 PC) 7/10
XCOM 2 (2016 PC) 9/10 and XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (2017 PC) 7/10 Got about 680 hours in the game, and my interest is still as strong as ever.
 
Just gonna mention those that haven't been said yet.

Hollow Knight
Xcom: enemy unknown/within
Xcom 2
Tales of Berseria
Neir Automata

Edit: well, mostly unsaid, damn M76 posting 4 minutes before me.
 
Great lists, thanks for the suggestions. I've played some of these (Divinity series, Witcher, Fallout 4) already, but many I haven't.

Went on a recommendation here ane I picked up Titanfall 2 earlier today and it's the best single player FPS I've played in a good while. Totally unexpected for what I thought was going to be another half-assed single player campaign in a multiplayer shooter. Also, picked up Prey (enjoyed the first one). Neir Automata is next on my list.
 
My top 5 of the past 5.

Witcher 3
Metro Last Light
Stasis
Far Cry 5
DOOM
 
haste. said:
I don't know that it's that extreme... yes some perform better on various platforms, but all will be playable and pretty on a capable system no matter the hardware vendor...
Click to expand...

I gave an "opinion" which is valid (according to my own personal experience as well as having many friends over the years who share similar sentiments)

some games are absolute terrible performance or feel in regards to given quality BECAUSE of the hardware vendor your system is using, Not everyone has a multi thousand $ system to backup this claim do they or is that not factual haste.? LMFAO (the way they look, the way they perform, the lack of lag/stutter etc)

have a "capable system" really is a loose standing to say "all will be playable and pretty no matter the hardware vendor"

Granted NO this is not ALWAYS the case, but often is more than it should be IMHO.

GTA V, Witcher, Oblivion, Skyrim, Mass Effect: A, BF3-4-1, Batman Arkham etc, Tomb Raider (newest ones), METRO and many many other example I forget (new and old games).

Specific vendor/part makes a load of difference between plays well or plays crap even though the hardware you are using is "ample" because there is a "ton" of bias against certain vendors (often enough by the hardware maker/devs forcing to not run well as they should be...ahem Nvidia-Ngreedia)

anyways......lots of games through this thread, some I forgot about ^.^
 
Mad Max: great couch game.

DOOM 2016: probably the best single player shooter this decade.

The Witcher 3: don't worry about playing the first two, this game is in another league.

MGS V: play if you love stealth, action, and f**KED up Japanese stories.

Deus Ex HR and MD: HR is longer with a better story, and MD has much more refined gameplay, but both are fantastic and worthy of the legendary name.

Far Cry Blood Dragon: the only Far Cry game I've ever cared about, and honestly the most interesting one.
 
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talk2troy said:
While W3 is in another league, W1 & W2 are totally worth playing (STEAM bundles then with W3 all the time)
Click to expand...

I tried playing #1, put about 20 hours into it, I just simply couldn't get into it. The gameplay is so tedious and stressful, I simply couldn't continue playing, even though I really enjoyed the story.
 
Witcher 3.
Divinity original sin 1 & 2
Pillars of eternity 2
Vermintide 2
Deep Rock Galactic
Battletech
Kingdom come deliverence
Fortnite
The Forest
Wolfenstiens
Doom
Tomb raider rise and the sequel
Watchdogs 2
Far Cry (really anyone is enjoyable)
Assassin's Creed Origin

Add:
Bastard Bonds
Subnautica
Factorio
Shadow Tactics: Blade of the Shogun
Total Warhammer 1&2
Prey
X-Com 2
Shadow Warrior 2
Rocket League
Duck Game
Lovers In a Dangerous Spacetime
Wargame Red Dragon
Dying Light
Dues Ex: MD
The Aquatic Adventures of the Last Human
 
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Path of Exile: Free to play Action RPG. Very fun if you enjoy the genre. Has a moderate learning curve that will slow down your character progression if you mess up on your character build. Use trial and error or watch/read some guides to help out. Can be played solo or with people, internet connection required.
 
My top 5 of the last 5:

Civilization VI
Divinity: Original Sin
Grim Dawn
GTA V
Shadow Warrior 2
 
All y'all play lots of video games :)

Not a huge fan of GTA, never understood why theyvwere so popular, but will give V a shot.
 
Aireoth said:
Subnautica
Click to expand...

Another vote for Subnautica. It looked kinda basic from the screenshots, but I'm so glad I tried it. If you're tired of the typical game settings but enjoy open world exploration, this is a must play. Be warned though, it can be hard to put down, there's always one quick thing to do... aaaand it's 2 am.
 
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The absolute best for me were (in order of release):

2013 - Dead Space 3
2013 - Crysis 3
2013 - Tomb Raider
2013 - Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
2013 - Rogue Legacy
2013 - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
2013 - F1 2013
2013 - Path of Exile
2013 - Battlefield 4

2014 - Resident Evil 4: Ultimate HD Edition
2014 - Titanfall
2014 - Diablo III: Reaper of Souls
2014 - Wolfenstein: The New Order

2015 - Resident Evil HD Remaster
2015 - Dying Light
2015 - Grand Theft Auto V
2015 - Axiom Verge
2015 - The Witcher 3
2015 - Mad Max

2016 - Resident Evil Zero HD Remaster
2016 - Rise of the Tomb Raider
2016 - Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
2016 - Dark Souls III
2016 - DOOM
2016 - Forza Horizon 3
2016 - Gears of War 4

2017 - Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
2017 - Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
2017 - F1 2017
2017 - Project CARS 2

2018 - Kingodom Come: Deliverance
2018 - Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
2018 - Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition
2018 - Far Cry 5

EDIT: Got the FF game releases in 2018 mixed up.
 
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dragonstongue said:
I gave an "opinion" which is valid (according to my own personal experience as well as having many friends over the years who share similar sentiments)

some games are absolute terrible performance or feel in regards to given quality BECAUSE of the hardware vendor your system is using, Not everyone has a multi thousand $ system to backup this claim do they or is that not factual haste.? LMFAO (the way they look, the way they perform, the lack of lag/stutter etc)

have a "capable system" really is a loose standing to say "all will be playable and pretty no matter the hardware vendor"

Granted NO this is not ALWAYS the case, but often is more than it should be IMHO.

GTA V, Witcher, Oblivion, Skyrim, Mass Effect: A, BF3-4-1, Batman Arkham etc, Tomb Raider (newest ones), METRO and many many other example I forget (new and old games).

Specific vendor/part makes a load of difference between plays well or plays crap even though the hardware you are using is "ample" because there is a "ton" of bias against certain vendors (often enough by the hardware maker/devs forcing to not run well as they should be...ahem Nvidia-Ngreedia)

anyways......lots of games through this thread, some I forgot about ^.^
Click to expand...
Whoa man. Touched a nerve. In the last 2 decades I've had many different AMD, Intel and Nvidia builds. Never at one point did I think to myself that the choice of vendor effected my performance. Usually if I didn't get an intended result I looked into OC or optimizing the hardware I had, or shrugged it off and turned down the settings. I understand some features are vendor specific and I also live with it.

And making the elitist attack (you have an obvious bias from this response and your historic posts) - My PC is aging and not anything like the high end guys these days. It's tweaked to push out it's highest performance possible, but you can do that with any build. The cost to entry for PC gaming is high right now, but for a capable desktop you still are in that 700-800 range. If you can't afford that and want to game get a xbox one s or vanilla PS4 for 150.
 
I'm going to assume you meant SP games, because playing 2-5 year old MP games in general probably isn't viable. :p

Deus Ex Mankind Divided
Just Cause 3
Tomb Raider 2013
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Mass Effect Andromeda
Far Cry 4
Watch Dogs
Watch Dogs 2 <--- people preferred this over the 1st for some reason
Dishonored 2 + Death of the Outsider
Mad Max
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Wolfentsein II
Nier Automata <-- I really didn't like the flaws in it up front, but I still think it is fairly memorable even if over rated
Fallout 4


Okay a number of these annoyed me in a number of ways (FO4 forced some base building crap in some DLCs, some other crap) but overall I enjoyed them.
 
The obvious answers like the Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 are the cream of the crop, but there are some AAA games that got forgotten, too.

I'd definitely include GTA5. Dragon Age Inquisition should be there as well. If you enjoy that game, give the free-to-play MMO'ish Neverwinter a shot, too. All things Dark Souls are worth playing. The knock-off Lords of the Fallen included.
Sleeping Dogs barely misses the cutoff (2012), but I'd give it an honorable mention.
 
I honestly don't get the love for Fall Out and ES games. They are the most buggy ugly and boring pile of shit games out there.
 
Path of Exile (Action RPG)
Wolfenstein New Order (FPS)
Witcher 3 (RPG)
Shadow of Mordor (3rd person Adventure)
Defense Grid (Tower Defense)
 
Apart from Witcher 3 it looks like I missed most of 2015...

Started playing Prey. It reminds me of an anecdote. I was in my barbershop a few years back for my usual, monthly cut. The guy in the seat next to me was taking an excruciatingly long time trying to describe what he wanted. "Slight fade at the bottom, longer at the top, but longer in the front. Then, bangs slicked back with pomade with a defined part..." And it went on. The barber was getting visibly annoyed, then barked: "Dude, if you want a Ryan Gosling harcut just say you want a Ryan Gosling haircut!"

If they wanted to make Bioshock 4 (with some tinges of Portal), they should have made Bioshock 4. It's an ok game, but really finding difficult getring past it's overtly derivitive nature and obvious start-stop development (some levels look straight out of 2010).
 
Just wanted to add "stardew valley" and "brothers a tale of two sons" to the mix. Brothers is best played with a controller though.
 
Civilization VI + Rise & Fall (expansion pack)
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (Human Revolution is also worth a play, although it is from 2011, I think)
 
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