When you say “the best PC games of all time” a huge list comes to mind. We all have our favorites, but we can’t objectively say that it’s the best and it managed to turn the industry on its heels, changing the way we play and spawning forth new and innovative ideas. With that said, there are only a select few that managed to do this and revolutionize the entire industry. We’ve
compiled a few games that we think are among the best and most influential titles of all time.

Crysis

Undoubtedly, Crysis is one of the best and most influential games of all time? Why?

Originally released in 2007, this first-person shooter became a huge sensation, mainly because of what it achieved technically. Despite being a game from a decade ago, it could easily pass off as one made in 2020. It has aged like fine wine and plus, it looks better than some of the state-of-the-art and newly-released first-person shooters today.

Here, you’ll play as an American operative wearing a nano suit which gives your character, Nomad, superhuman abilities. You’ll not only fight human enemies in the form of North Korean soldiers, but also aliens. This sounds like a standard plot in an FPS, but it differentiates itself from other games with its outstanding graphics, lighting, and destructible world.

The phrase “but can it run Crysis?” became a huge internet meme since the game is a benchmark of how powerful a PC is. Sure, it may not be as popular as other FPS titles you can mention from the top of your mind, but it was truly ahead of its time.

Minecraft

Was Minecraft the first of its kind? Maybe not, but we can safely say it’s the best of its kind.

Originally released in 2009, this block-building game by Mojang enabled players around the world to explore the vast recesses of their creativity, enabling them to build whatever came to mind. Ranging from castles, artificial islands, beautiful landscapes, or even digital versions of real-life structures and places, you can do it all in this game. In a decade, it has evolved and grown substantially, introducing new content once in a while and brought in more than 126 million players. In turn, it managed to create a thriving and outstanding community.

Minecraft influenced many other developers to create building-sandbox-RPG titles. For example, we can assume Ark, Conan Exiles, and Terraria have been greatly influenced by Minecraft.

Starcraft

Starcraft (and its successor) is undoubtedly the greatest and most influential RTS titles of all time. It was one of the first that had a huge eSports scene which made superhuman South Korean players a global sensation. It managed to excel in a crowded space shared by games like Warcraft, Command and Conquer, and Total War.

Here, you’ll get to pick from three factions which are Terran (who are essentially humans), Protoss (advanced humanoid aliens), and the Zerg (insectoid aliens). You can go through their stories in the campaign mode, as well as play multiplayer with your friends and random players.

Warcraft III DOTA (and DOTA 2)

DOTA or Defense of the Ancients was a modification in Warcraft III and the best and most influential MOBA title. The mod was initially released in 2002 but after seven years, it gradually turned into a franchise. We still don’t know why Blizzard didn’t acquire the rights which in turn made Valve step in and create DOTA 2, now a global sensation with over 11 million active players.

Its influence cannot be understated since it’s the inspiration for games like League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, and even Mobile Legends. It singlehandedly revolutionized a genre that brought forth a billion-dollar eSports scene. In turn, these games then became major events in international sports meets and could even become an Olympic event in the near future.

Counter-Strike

The iconic lines “bomb has been planted” and “terrorists win” has been ingrained in the minds of many Counter-Strike players. In a way, CS managed to perfect the multiplayer FPS formula which set the standard for many titles in the future. Although we can safely say it has been left behind by games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Rainbow Six Siege, it’s still going strong today. It is undoubtedly, the most influential shooter of all time.

Special mentions

Other titles that warrant a mention and could easily replace any of the titles mentioned above are:

- Warcraft
- The Elder Scrolls - Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim
- Doom
- Half-Life
- World of Warcraft
- Ragnarok Online
- Runescape
- All GTA games
- Overwatch
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert
- Diablo
- Overwatch

So, do you think we should change the games on our list? Which games belong to YOUR list? Regardless, you definitely have to agree that these games had a profound effect on the entire industry.