GameRevolution's Top 25 PC Games

PC gaming has been around for longer than many gamers have been alive. Within that length of time almost every quality that has made games such an important part of our lives has been introduced by PC developers.

It’s almost 2013, and we here at GameRevolution thought it’d be a great time to look back at the most striking games of PC’s rich history, games that have helped to define the video game industry as we know it. It’s a tough task when you consider there are tens of thousands to choose from, but only a few were able to raise the bar and our expectations.

Note: This list is supported by the GR staff at large. So if you're looking to pick a fight, you better be ready to take on all of us. But be warned, Mr. Severino is known for having a devastating Boston Crab submission.



25. EverQuest

The term “World of Warcraft clone” gets tossed around a lot these days, but the common ancestor for just about every modern MMO is EverQuest. It was one of the first MMORPGs to push into the third dimension, and its audience was instantly hooked. Many call it "EverCrack" due to its addictive nature, and its huge dungeons filled with loot-dropping monsters sure didn’t help. The term dragon kill points (DKP) got its start in EverQuest, so even its terminology has had an impression in today’s MMO climate.




24. Starsiege: Tribes

Video game studio Dynamix grew tired of seeing first-person shooters in narrow corridors and decided that virtualizing the chaos of war was the best remedy. The result was Starsiege: Tribes, the first game to introduce a seamless mixture of indoor and huge outdoor environments filled with dozens of players. In addition to sporting unprecedented map size, it also accentuated its base-centric gameplay style. Players would hover around firing at enemies outside before proceeding into bases where mayhem would follow. These qualities coupled with its audacious introduction of player-driven vehicles explored what first-person shooters could be, and other franchises such as Battlefield and PlanetSide would soon follow.




23. EVE Online

The exuberant galaxy of EVE Online contained over 7,500 star systems, each of which you could visit. While the game’s massive size lent itself to the feeling of existence in outer space, it’s the way you could interact with the world that pushed it to the next level. Alliances of players could inhabit a large portion of the space and battle for territory. Meanwhile, crafty minds could spend hours of playtime building equipment and ships to participate in what is arguably the most fully-realized market system in any game. This, in addition to the beautiful backdrops of space and catchy soundtrack, make EVE Online one of the most unique and rewarding experiences in PC gaming history.




22. Solitaire

Being single-handedly responsible for millions of hours of distraction at work is nothing to take lightly; Solitaire is the ultimate casual game. Everyone has played it at one time or another, and chances are it’s the only game on this list that your Mom and Grandma know about. Interestingly enough, it was an educational game meant to introduce users to Windows 3.0’s revolutionary interface, especially the drag-and-drop feature. It’s not surprising that by year’s end of 1990 nearly every human being with a computer in the United States knew how to navigate menus and drag-and-drop like a pro.




21. Diablo II

Back in 2000 if someone wasn’t busy spending 12 hours a day in EverQuest, chances are they were spending it in the depths of hell in Diablo II. Between fun classes and thousands of items to grind for, PC gamers were enamored. It was backed by the full force of Battle.net which offered chat lobbies, leaderboards, and the opportunity to trade with others. Not even modern games—including Diablo III—feature all of these in one package without a monthly fee. To make the point clear, there are still thousands of players online playing Diablo II a full 12 years after its release. Now that’s undeniably impressive.