Best PC Games 2021: 12 titles you need to experience on your gaming rig

Even though the PS5 and Xbox Series X are finally out in the wild, PC gaming still reigns supreme when it comes to visuals, performance and the overall diversity of its library. You’ll need to do the groundwork to make such things possible, but the end result is definitely worth it. 
With the right combination of graphics cards, motherboards, processors and other components, you can achieve a gaming experience that is genuinely unparalleled, and with console exclusives becoming less commonplace each and every day, you seldom need to even leave the platform. 
However, building your battle station is only half the story, and you’ll need to know all of the very best games to play on your rig to truly enjoy it. Whether that’s major blockbusters or indie darlings, Trusted Reviews is here to enjoy your library is in top shape with our list of Best PC Games.

1. Doom Eternal
Pros:

Rhythmic gameplay at a breakneck pace
A few breathtakingly epic cutscenes
Delivers on Doom Slayer power fantasy
Awe-inducing world design
Story offers neat mix of humour and nostalgia

Cons:

Momentum-sapping early tutorials
Demoralising first few hours of gameplay
Some bothersome platforming

Doom Eternal is everything we wanted from a sequel to id Software’s fantastic reboot, building upon the fast, frantic and absurdly satisfying shooting of the original with larger, more ambitious locations and a greater focus on campy world-building. It’s simply joyous, and one of the best action games to arrive in this console generation. 
Its multiplayer remains underwhelming, but everyone is here for the campaign, which takes you from the hellish surface of Planet Earth to locations scattered throughout the solar system. Id Software is also leaning into the game’s campy identity with a greater emphasis on storytelling and exploring the past of the titular marine. It’s a blast, and looks marvellous on PC. 
Read our full DOOM Eternal review

2. Yakuza 0
Pros:

So much variety
Snappy, genuinely funny writing
Great sidequests 
Good story and main characters

Cons:

Basic combat
Can be a bit cringy

Yakuza 0 is a wonderful, daring and truly unexpected experience. Previously exclusive to PlayStation platforms, it comes to PC with what is arguably the best entry for newcomers wanting to jump in. You play as Kazuma Kiryu, a young member of the Yakuza who finds himself framed for a murder he didn’t commit.
This sets the stage for an epic adventure set across Kamurocho and Sotenbori, two fictionalised versions based on real-life locations in Tokyo and Osaka. The authenticity is striking, and exploring the brightly-lit streets of these absurdly detailed places is as close as we can get without booking a flight to Japan ourselves.
Alongside a great sense of place, Yakuza 0 presents a fast, satisfying combat system with two playable characters. The world is filled with shops, locations and side quests to complete alongside the massive main story.
Read our full Yakuza 0 review

3. Cyberpunk 2077

Pros:

Night City is a living, breathing world that is truly breathtaking
V is an excellent lead character with so much potential depth
All of the gameplay systems are nuanced and rewarding
Dialogue and storytelling are strong and impactfu

Cons:

Braindance mechanic is underutilized
Female character writing feels misogynistic at times
Bugs

CD Projekt Red has created a triumphant RPG experience with Cyberpunk 2077, but it often falters under the weight of its own ambition. However, on PC – it is a visual marvel with the right specs in your gaming rig.
Exploring Night City is an unparalleled joy, depicting a dystopian world with an unmatched level of detail in the genre. I lost myself for hours, but such immersion also unveiled a number of deeper issues with its lacklustre themes and problematic writing.
Of all the games out there, this one should have something to say, but it too often doesn’t. Putting this aside, the combination of freeform exploration, frantic combat and stellar storytelling combine to craft an RPG that is a new watermark for the genre.
Read our full Cyberpunk 2077 review

4. Apex Legends
Pros:

Fast, frantic combat
Best in class movement
Three dimensional characters
Gorgeous artstyle

Cons:

Everyone is a bullet sponge
Limited ammo to loot

Respawn Entertainment has taken the battle royale genre by storm with Apex Legends, a free-to-play shooter that takes the wonderful gunplay from Titanfall 2 and combines it with an assortment of brave, innovative changes to the formula.
Apex Legends is all about teamwork as a squad of three players select from a variety of classes before dropping into a vast, uncompromising map. It’s brilliantly tense, with threats waiting around every corner as you scavenge for weapons and items.
Having already surpassed 25 million players, Respawn has confirmed that new maps, modes, characters and skins are on the way for Apex Legends. So, the party is just getting started.
Read our full Apex Legends review

5. Horizon Zero Dawn
Pros:

A stunning port of a fantastic open-world adventure
Visuals and performance are vastly improved with the right hardware
Aloy’s adventure remains an inventive and compelling outing
Plenty of content across the main game and expansion

Cons:

Lack of DLSS and ray tracing is unfortunate

This is the definitive way to experience Horizon Zero Dawn and the Frozen Wilds expansion if you’re in possession of a PC to take advantage of its highest settings.
While the PS4 version is still a stellar achievement in its own right, this port pushes the envelope further in terms visuals and performance that it’s simply more enjoyable to play.
Much like Death Stranding before it, this is yet another console exclusive finding a second home on PC.
Read our full Horizon Zero Dawn review

6. Divinity: Original Sin 2
Pros:

Well written
Wicked sense of humour
Incredibly deep RPG systems
Lots of replayability value

Cons:

Progression system relies on random cosmetics
Bad team composition can be frustrating

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a spectacular RPG positively brimming with new races, locations, quests and more just waiting to be uncovered by the player.
Twenty hours in, you’ll still be discovering new mechanics you never knew existed. In this respect, Original Sin 2 is a little daunting for newcomers, requiring a bit of persistence to penetrate.
That being said, the quality of writing and world-building here is almost unmatched in terms of its sheer scope and detail. An experience not to be missed.
Read our full Divinity: Original Sin 2 review

7. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
Pros:

Good shooting
Good way to show dominance over 99 other players through firepower
Each of the three maps in the game brings a totally unique playstyle
Proper support means new items, maps and vehicles on the regular

Cons:

Can be intimidating to learn
Sometimes you get shot in the head from a mile away without a chance to react

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is the latest Early Access title to become a phenomenon. Like DayZ, Minecraft and others before it, this game has spread like wildfire, with thousands upon thousands of players picking it up and diving into its Battle Royale-style world.
Players jump into a huge map and simply have to fight to the last man standing. Up to 100 players dueling to the death on a remote island is as intense and thrilling as you’d expect, as players fight for dominance and the inevitable chicken dinner.
Read our full PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds review

8. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
Pros:

Quality Jedi sim
Large-scale cinematic fights
Breathtaking traversal sequences
Pulse-raising boss fights

Cons:

Underpopulated worlds
Frustrating first few hours
Baffling performance issues

Respawn Entertainment has delivered what is arguably the best Star Wars gaming experience in decades, surpassing a benchmark many passionate fans were afraid the franchise would never reach again. Turns out, all it needed was the creators of Titanfall and Apex Legends to waltz in and show Electronic Arts how it’s done.
Taking place between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, you play as Cal Kestis. This young Jedi is on the run from The Empire, forced to hide his powers and live a life of solitude in order to survive. Soon enough, events force him to come out of hiding and confront the menace determined to silence his kind once and for all.
These circumstances take you on a deadly, galaxy-spanning adventure across various planets where you’ll do battle with hideous monsters, solve puzzles and get to the bottom of a central mystery – all while The Empire is right on your tail. Fans of the franchise or action blockbusters in general will find so much to love with The Fallen Order.
Read our full Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order review

9. Gears Tactics
Pros:

Tactical gameplay is accessible for genre newcomers
Decent narrative that’ll please fans of the franchise

Cons:

Not enough depth for hardcore fans of the genre’

Gears Tactics isn’t subtle with the inspiration it takes from XCOM 2, adopting the exact same formula and adjusting it in a way that makes it far more accessible for genre newcomers. Developed by The Coalition, this is a prequel to the main series that plays exactly like XCOM 2 or Phoenix Point, albeit with a smaller focus on unforgiving strategy and the consequences that come with failing to consider your actions.
While this lack of challenge may turn off hardcore fans, it’s a lovely surprise that you can only play on PC right now (the console version is coming soon). Featuring a new cast of characters and a wonderfully over-the-top narrative, this is everything Gears of War fans adore thrown into a brave strategy experience. Here’s hoping it introduces the genre to a number of new and passionate players.
Read our full Gears Tactics review

10. Dead Cells
Pros:

Fun combat
Environmental storytelling that conveys the game’s lore
Wide range of items that enable different playstyles

Cons:

Confusing progression system
It’s a bit grindy

If there’s one rogue-like with Metroidvania elements you play in 2018, make it Dead Cells. The game boasts some of the best 2D combat around, and a compelling cycle of life and death that has a chance of sucking away all of your free time.
A standard run of Dead Cells will only take you 20 to 40 minutes and during that time you could find yourself cowering from giant worms behind a huge shield, freezing zombies with an ice bow and trapping zombie pirate fishermen with wolf traps before leathering them with a broadsword.
This variety is exciting, and as soon as you die you’re dropped back at the start to do it again. Sure, it’s going to eat your life, but you’ll enjoy it every step of the way.
Read our full Dead Cells review

11. Monster Hunter World
Pros:

Incredibly deep and rewarding gameplay
Beautiful and varied worlds
So much depth to its systems
Each monster is a new challenge
Story is actually engaging

Cons:

Multiplayer matches can be fiddly to set up

When it launched back at the start of 2018, team Trusted was blown away by Monster Hunter World. Now, with it’s launch on Steam, PC players are allowed to join the hunt. It’s a great port, and the game is every bit as impressive on the PC as it was on the other consoles at launch, and if you want to cut off a monsters tail and make it into a cloak, this is as good as it gets.
If you’ve previously bounced off of Monster Hunter titles, this fixes nearly all of the flaws that the series has previously had with accessibility and difficulty, allowing rookie hunters to come in and start fighting giant monsters. In many games, this would get old fast, but each of the giant beasts you hunt and slay has their own quirks and intricacies, making the game constantly compelling.
Read our full Monster Hunter World review

12. Death Stranding
Pros:

One of the most original games of this generation
A scary, melancholic and inviting world to explore
The characters are strange, layered and interesting
Mechanics all compliment each other brilliantly
Social interaction system is genuinely innovative

Cons:

Boss battles can be somewhat frustrating
A few plot threads remain unanswered

Death Stranding is unlike anything else out there in the gaming landscape right now. It’s huge, innovative and utterly unashamed in what it wants to be. Kojima Productions is heavy-handed in its implementation of modern political themes, but they tie into the narrative and involve the player in ways that feel beautifully compelling- resulting in one of the strongest final acts I’ve seen in some time.
It’s going to be polarizing, glacial in its pacing during the opening hours as it expects players to delve into its mechanics, finding out what makes it tick while bonding with other couriers through a personal network of massive significance. I laughed, I cried and I grinned like a stupid idiot at the absurdity of it all. But by the end, I was left wanting more. Death Stranding is one of a kind, cementing itself as a weird, wonderful masterpiece.
Read our full Death Stranding review
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