These are the best computer games we’ll be playing in 2022: recent single – player hits, thriving e-sports and modern classics that will enhance any library. We will continue to update this list with the release of new games, we will remove older favorites and replace them with the games that the PC gamer team is currently playing. Instead of an ever-expanding list that goes deep into the past, we are looking for a practical answer to the question: ‘What new computer game should I play now?’
Games of 2022: Launches this year
The best computer games: Favorites of all time
The best free computer games: Free holiday
The best laptop games: Low specification
If you’re looking for a more comprehensive list of great past and present computer games, check out our top 100 annual games or our list of our most important computer games. For the upcoming games, we have compiled a guide to the new games of 2022.
Need a new computer to play these games? You can build an entry-level gaming computer for around $ 750 if you can find a graphics card at a list price (not easy), or our recommended mid-range computer for $ 1,000. If you want something that works out of the box, we also recommend some pre-built computers, which are the best way to get a new GPU without spending a fortune during the shortage of chips.
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 many of our favorite games do not require a meaty fix: the 💻 icon indicates games that we think are best suited for lower-end desktops and laptops. Check the recommended system specifications of each game against your own to be sure.
Icon Key
💻 = Suitable for low computers
🧍♂️ = For single player only
💬 = MMO
🎮 = We prefer cattle
🧛♀️ = Contains dracules
🐴 = horse content
What we play
These are the games that the PC Gamer team and contributors are currently working on.
Elden Ring (90%) 🎮🐴
Surprise, Surprise: The latest fantasy glove from the creator of Dark Souls FromSoftware is brilliant. The transition to the open world is not entirely successful, says our reviewer, but it’s still a huge and exciting new game from a studio that is second to none in the action genre RPG genre it has established – despite a great many imitators.
Lost Enmity (78%)💬🐴
The new and hot thing on Steam: a free-to-play Korean MMO that has just been released widely. “Ambitious to the point of failure, it offers a huge and spectacular fantasy adventure elevated by an amazing combat system and an incredible sense of scale,” Rick said in our review.
Total War: Warhammer 3 (90%) 🐴
The latest set of the Fantasy Strategy series is full of delightful quirks: “It goes in some weird directions, but always goes big, completely committing to Warhammer’s marvelous fantasy brand.”
Hunting: Conflict (74%) 🐴
Over the past few years, Hunt: Showdown has quietly become one of the best PC multiplayer games. Together with Escape from Tarkov, we think this is the best evolution of the Battle Royale genre.
Sifu (85%) 🧍♂️🎮
A challenging single-player battle from Absolver’s classic cult makers recently. The structure is strange but convincing, and the dream world is a bit shallow, but often looks spectacular.
Wordle (80%) 🧍♂️💻
Like everyone else, we started the morning with the word game phenomenon that NYT spent more than a million dollars to hold.
Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker (89%)💬🐴
A 10-year-old story culminates in this huge expansion for one of the best MMOs available today; We called it a “fantastic delivery” that “leaves the door wide open for new adventures.”
To the war (90%)🧍♂️🎮
The former exclusive PlayStation on Parenting and God drama is now on the PC, and it’s the best version of a fantastic game; “If you skipped God of War 2018 or did not touch the series at all, it’s God of War to play.”
Halo Infinite (78%)
The campaign is fun (needs the co-op update as soon as possible) and “frustratingly approaching greatness,” Net said in her review. Meanwhile, free multiplayer for a full game in our favorite Halo moments.
Other games we played recently:
- Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (89%)
- Sin of death (81%) 🧍♂️
- Far: highs and lows (86%) 🧍♂️
- Dying Light 2: Stay Human (84%)
- OlliOlli World (87%) 🧍♂️💻
- Not for broadcast (85%) 🧍♂️💻
- Back 4 blood (88%)
- And be 💻
- Age of Empires 4 (77%) 🐴💻
- Agricultural Simulator 22 (75%) 🐴💻
- Old world (87%) 🐴💻
- Psychonauts 2 (89%) 🧍♂️
- Townscaper (80%) 🧍♂️💻
- Chernobyl (78%) 🧍♂️
- Resident Evil Village (85%) 🧍♂️🧛♀️
- Iron harvest (82%)
90% or more
A selection of recent editions that have received one of our highest honors: a review score of 90% or higher.
- Elden Ring (90%) 🎮🐴: Open-world RPG action reaches new heights, but spends too much time in familiar territory of FromSoftware.
- Total War: Warhammer 3 (90%) 🐴: A brilliant last game with the most creative and unusual factions of the series so far.
- Strange Horticulture (90%) 🧍♂️💻: A beautiful and immersive detective game laden with mysteries, riddles and intrigue.
- To the war (90%) 🧍♂️🎮: The best game on PS4 is now one of the best games on PC.
- Monster Hunter: Rise (90%)💻: Undoubtedly the greatest value in Capcom’s flagship series, and a game that just keeps giving.
- Forza Horizon 5 (90%) 🎮: Even a marginal improvement in the best racing series around is worth celebrating.
- Sable (93%) 🧍♂️💻: Sable’s lonely and heartfelt journey of self-discovery will stay with me for a lifetime.
- Knights 2 (91%): A brilliant combination of high skill and low comedy, and the best medieval fighting game there is.
- Cruelty Squad (93%) 🧍♂️💻: A cruelty squad celebrates a bad feeling in surprising ways, all fun.
- Wildermyth (90%) 💻: Narrative design as genetic engineering, it will live in your head like an imaginary friend.
- Crusader Kings 3 (94%) 🐴💻: The king is dead, long live the king!
- Disco Elysium (92%) 🧍♂️💻: Our game of the year for 2019 and the best first computer game for two years in a row.
The best of the best
Every year, we release a new version of PC Gamer Top 100, a list of the best PC games of all time that we think you’ll enjoy right now. The last list was published in September 2021. Here are the top ten games in this list.
- Disco Elysium – The Final Cut 🧍♂️💻
- Hitman 3 🧍♂️
- Crusader Kings 3🐴💻
- Apex Legends
- Red Dead Redemption 2🐴
- Death Stranding 🧍♂️
- Kill the turret 🧍♂️💻
- Minecraft💻
- The Witcher 3 🧍♂️🧛♀️🐴
- And become💻
Competitive multiplayer games
Apex Legends (93%)
One of our favorite current battle games Royal. The map is fantastic, the ‘ping’ communication system is something every FPS should get from now on, the guns and movement are great fun (no wall running, but sliding down hills feels great).
Hunting: Conflict
Quietly Quietly one of the best multiplayer games you can play right now. Morgan detailed why last year: “When having fun with friends, Hunt is one of those games that seems to magically produce special moments.”
Call of Duty: Warzone (82%)
One of the most popular Royal Fighting games you can play right now, but not our favorite right now. The new map was a bit of a disappointment. But we heard that Warzone 2 is on its way.
Rainbow Six Siege (90%)
Sege may not have the sharp hit detection and purity of CS: GO, but it’s a more accessible and modern FPS that rewards smart timing and coordinated teamwork as a goal.
More competitive games we love:
- League of Legends
- Dota 2
- Enlightenment stone
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
- Died in broad daylight
- Rocket League
The grip bag
A selection of PC Gamer games, new and old, from all genres: action, adventure, RPG, simulation, puzzle, platform and more. If you still can not decide what to play, close your eyes and click on a random link in this list. That would be a good thing.
- Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
- Guardians of the Marvel Galaxy
- Encryption
- the good life
- Cube Legacy
- the climb
- Valley of the Stars
- Nir: Automatic
- Deity: Ancient Sin 2
- Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
- Review: Shadows die twice
- Dark Souls 3
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- The pillars of eternity
- Battle Brothers
- Western for abomination
- Path of Exile
- Warframe
- Super Mega Baseball 3
- Cities: Skylines
- Planet Coaster
- Car Project 2
- Frostpunk
- Total War: Warhammer 2
- XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
- FTL: Light fast
- Into the loophole
- Kill the turret
- Proteus
- Caravel Space Program
- Subnautica
- Starlis: Utopia
- BattleTech
- Elite is dangerous
- Forza Horizon 4
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Tacoma
- The return of Ubera Dean
- Earth pillars
- 80 days
- Dominates: Her Majesty
- Butterfly soup
- N ++
- SpaceChem
- Infinifactory
- Opus Magnum
- Portals 1 and 2
- Stefan’s sausage roll
- Satisfactory
- Celeste
- Uri and the Blind Forest
- A hollow knight
- The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Man
- Nidhogg 2
- Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn
- Disrespectful 2
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Beyoncé
- Stalker: A call from Pripyat
- prey
- dimness
- Resident Evil 2