With the rise of gaming as a competitive medium, multiplayer games have only increased in popularity. In the last decade, we have seen multiplayer games of different genres pop up, be it MOBA, first-person shooters, strategy, or action RPGs. With all of these exciting multiplayer games being released, some games that generally go overlooked are single-player games.
Single-player games are the lifeblood of the gaming industry. With humble beginnings in the mid-’70s, single-player games went through several iterations. DOS games were all the rage in the mid-’70s to the early ’80s, then the Nintendo masterpieces in the mid-’80s to the early ’90s. The early PlayStation era from Sony picked it up from there from the mid-’90s to the early 2000s, heading into their eventual rivalry with Microsoft’s Xbox series.
And now, we are finally in the modern era of gaming. One consistent medium of gaming that has persisted throughout the decades is PC gaming. With a massive library of single-player games to choose from, it can get quite overwhelming. Fortunately, we have compiled a list of all of the best single-player games that you can sink your teeth into immediately.
Best single-player PC games
The games we have curated span across several genres and are the best of every category in the modern era. All of these games are fairly recent so you would have probably heard of them already if you haven’t decided to play them yet.
Dead Space
Dead Space is a third-person, atmospheric horror game that puts you in the shoes of an engineer named Isaac Clarke. The events of the game take place in a fictional 26th-century where Isaac has to establish contact with the USG Ishimura, a space vessel that has gone dark and the fate of its inhabitants is unknown. Once Isaac reaches there, what awaits him are horrors never seen before.
Every twist and turn brings forth more malformed alien abominations that Isaac has to cut through to survive and help any survivors that he can find. The game was so popular that most of its player base has called it one of the best games of all time. The series even got a remake, with the first game released on Jan. 27, 2023. Pick this up if you want an unforgettable horror experience.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is FromSoftware’s latest masterpiece and its first venture into the open-world genre. As notorious as any of the Soulsborne games in terms of difficulty, Elden Ring ramps it up with a bigger map and over 100 bosses to defeat in your quest to become the Elden Lord. The game also features a plethora of builds to take those bosses down and several characters with their own stories that may help or hinder you on your journey.
Practically any of FromSoftware’s games could have made it to this list but Elden Ring is definitely considered by many to be the peak of its game design. FromSoftware’s games have inspired several other similar games, creating the Soulsborne genre. Elden Ring also won Game of the Year and several other awards in 2022, with a massive update titled Shadow of the Erdtree being planned for a late 2023 or early 2024 release.
God of War (2018)
God of War (2018) is the only entry in the long-running God of War franchise to make it to PC. From humble beginnings as a soldier in the Greek god of war Ares’ army, Kratos rose through the ranks to become the god of war himself after taking down his mentor. He then proceeded to cut down the Greek pantheon in his quest for revenge before surviving and making it to the Norse lands.
Now a family man with his son Atreus, Kratos has to survive the onslaught of the Norse gods across six of the nine Norse realms while fulfilling his deceased wife’s final wish. The game was considered widely by fans to be the best iteration of the God of War series upon its release and this is a great time to pick up the game if you haven’t already.
Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy is the latest game in the Wizarding World series of games and media. It is also the first mainstream PC game set in the Wizarding World to not feature Harry Potter. The game takes place over 150 years before the events of Harry Potter, back in the early 1800s. The protagonist is thrown into the midst of a goblin rebellion while learning about the resurgence of an unknown type of ancient magic.
The game was praised by many for being a true open-world game set in the Wizarding World along with the realistic portrayal of Hogwarts itself. There are several quests that make it a long, engaging story that you can lose yourself into. If you are a fan of the franchise and are into fantasy open-world RPGs involving lots of battling and spell-casting, this is the game for you.
Mass Effect
The Mass Effect series is Bioware’s magnum opus, widely considered by fans of the series as one of the best RPGs of all time. The three original games take place in a fictional 22nd century, where humanity has discovered the existence of alien species and is now part of a galactic federation of planets, living in harmony with other species.
A dark plot unfolds when an ancient species of machines wake up after several millennia to start an apocalypse on a galactic level. The original trilogy was so beloved by fans that a remastered edition containing all three games called Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was released in 2021. So if you feel inclined to try out this masterpiece of a series, this is where you can begin.
Nier: Automata
Nier: Automata is the sequel to the 2010 cult classic Nier. While the first game did get a remake of its own titled Nier: Replicant, Nier: Automata is considered by many to be the superior game of the two. The setting of the game pits humanity with their androids against aliens with their technology. Three androids in particular, combat android 2B, scanner android 9S, and rogue prototype A2 fight against the alien threat together.
The gameplay of Nier: Automata is quite unique since it encompasses several genres together. While hack-and-slash is its primary genre, the game also includes elements of classic RPGs, bullet-hell games, and even text adventure games. Nier: Automata is available on all online platforms on PC if you want to be a part of this unique experience.
Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5 Royal is the latest entry in the highly-popular Persona franchise. While its progenitor series, Shin Megami Tensei, is more popular in Japan, the Persona franchise reached a bigger global audience. After the success of Persona 4 Golden on PC, Atlus released its most popular entry, Persona 5 Royal on PC as well in 2022.
The game falls under a unique brand of RPG called Calendar RPG, a type of game where you have to play through the events of a year, planning each day as the plot unfolds around you. The plot itself involves a group of teenagers coming together to take down corruption in their society by using their Persona, which is a manifestation of their heart.
They do this by means of “stealing their hearts,” a technique where they change the cognition of their targets by navigating through a corrupted dungeon of their twisted psyche. Persona 5 Royal is widely considered to be the best game in the series and you can never go wrong by picking this up.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar Games’ sequel to its standout wild-west GTA-themed game, Red Dead Redemption. The game puts you in the shoes of Arthur Morgan, an outlaw who is part of the Van der Linde gang, struggling to survive in 1899 against the forces of the government, rival gangs, and technological progress as a whole.
Even though the game is a sequel, Red Dead Redemption 2 is chronologically a prequel to the original. If you have played the first Red Dead Redemption, you probably would notice familiar faces, although not as ragged as you remember them. The game has one of the best stories ever told, a tragic tale of a man struggling with his morality until his untimely end. How that happens is up to you and your decisions made throughout the game.
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4 is considered by many to be the best Resident Evil game in the long-running series. Following the events of the first three games till the eventual annihilation of Raccoon City, Resident Evil 4 switches gears with a familiar protagonist, Leon Kennedy. He is tasked to rescue the President of the United States’ daughter Ashley Graham from a violent cult.
A new virus similar to the original T-virus in the first three games makes its appearance here, complicating the rescue operation. The game recently received a total remake, enhancing some older features while adding new ones. If you want to be a part of the franchise, this is a great starting point to get you hooked on the series.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the final entry in The Witcher series developed by CD Projekt Red. The story of Geralt of Rivia, legendary Witcher and monster slayer, comes to a conclusion in this game. Geralt and his fellow Witchers have to repel the forces of the Wild Hunt, harbingers of doom that signal disaster wherever they go.
Geralt reunites with old faces like Triss and Yennefer while training his adoptive daughter Ciri to follow in the footsteps of a Witcher (without turning her into one). The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt got a free remaster at the end of 2022, making now the best time to play it if you have ever felt like you wanted to lose yourself in the world of The Witcher.
