Top PC Games 2023

You can almost imagine the meeting: the bigwigs from EA and the guys at DICE getting together to discuss how to follow up Battlefield 2. “Hey”, says one of the money men, “Let’s make this the most controversial Battlefield ever.” “How?” replies a DICE dude, “Do you want us to get edgy? Have the troops shooting up with performance-enhancing drugs, or blowing up civilians willy-nilly? Shall we up the overt political content? Set it in North Korea? Have the US troops sticking it to Kim Jong-Il?” “Nope” the suit replies, “That’s not the sort of controversy we have in mind. We were thinking spyware, in-game advertising, poor security practice, patches and a game that has the hardcore fans practically screaming ‘glorified mod’.” “Great!”, says a DICE designer “we’ve got plenty of ideas in that direction.”

Total War: Three Kingdoms should serve as the example for all games of its breed going forward. The campaign design is brilliant, full of character, and tells a cohesive, historical-feeling story with satisfying act breaks and unexpected turns of fortune. The improvements to performance and optimization over its predecessors almost make me want to just lean back in my chair and hum contentedly while I watch hundreds of peasant militia hack each other to pieces. Its relentless ability to constantly provide challenging battles can almost seem like too much of a good thing sometimes, but it’s still a huge improvement over what came before. Just remember when you’re going over resumes to decide who to bring on to lead your next, big offensive: Do not pursue Lu Bu.

The Oculus Rift is a powerful, PC-tethered VR headset that's even more appealing now thanks a lower price and the inclusion of Oculus Touch motion controllers.

There’s a lot packed into F1 23 for fans of the motorsport, as well as more casual sim racing fans. This year’s release brings back the surprisingly compelling Braking Point campaign alongside immersive, highly customizable career modes full of decision-making and driver and team development. Throw in the all-encompassing F1 World mode and you’ve got a feature-rich package that’s sure to please most racing fans.

Wild Hearts is a refreshing take on monster hunting that features huge creatures, cool weapons, and highly useful support systems.

Need for Speed Heat brings the 25-year-old racing franchise back to relevancy by combining the best mechanics from previous entries with a few new ones.

Red Dead Redemption 2 impresses on PC with exciting action and stunning, photo-realistic graphics. As with its console counterparts, this is one of the must-own games of the generation.

Sekiro is an excellent action game that combines stealth, intense melee combat, and well-designed defensive options into an entertaining package. There are a few hiccups, but Sekiro is a title worth picking up if you're hungry for a challenge.

Boasting thrilling game play and some decidedly non-MOBA elements, Smite is the MOBA for those who don't like MOBA. The developers need to address the recent server issues, though.

Just Cause 3 is a playground where you get to be a physics-defying force of destruction, and its loop of liberating dozens of towns across this enormous scenic world would’ve gotten old much quicker if the combat wasn’t so full of options for free-form mayhem. Getting the most out of it requires some creativity and tolerance for performance bugs on your part, so come expecting to make at least some of your own fun.