Even though new games are released all the time, some games are just timeless. What makes them that way? In this article we will examine the 10 most played PC games of all time and see what it is that makes them so popular.
10. Guild Wars 2
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Roar, baby dragon is hungry!
Starting off our list of the most popular PC games is Guild Wars 2. This game is one of the few MMORPGs on the market that is maintaining a steady playerbase and consistently pushing out new content. It is impressive that this game has managed to be successful when you consider its competition. The game is set 250 years after the first one and the world is once again in danger. 5 Elder Dragons have awakened and it is up to you to create a hero that can save the world.
So what make Guild Wars so incredibly popular? It is the way that Guild Wars 2 treats the leveling process. When you create your character you are immediately sucked into a huge dynamic world that you have the power to change. As you run from quest to quest you'll discover events taking place on the map. These events could range from a farm being infested by spiders, or evil cultists stealing all the bear cubs from a holy shrine, or even a big city being under siege by centaurs. These are not quest objectives given to you by some random NPC who has nothing better to do than to ask adventurer's for bear hides all day, they are live action events. After you successfully manage to repel the centaur invasion, or whatever the event was, the world changes. The city is no longer under siege and the residents thank you for your help.
So the reason you totally need to play this game is because you have the power to change the world. Your character quickly becomes a hero, not at level 80, but already at level 1. Also, did I mention that you can pick up all crafting professions? If you want to reach max level through cooking, mining, and gathering herbs, then you can do that. It might take a bit longer but your inner pacifist will be satisfied.
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Freaking centaurs, no one likes them!
9. Diablo 3
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Diablo has one of the best looking interpretations of angels
The wait for Diablo 3 was long, and the wait for the expansion felt even longer, but now the game is complete. Diablo 3 is the King of dungeon crawlers and one of the most played PC games of 2015. It is very popular and has an active community.
The events of the game take place 20 years after the destruction of the World Stone in Diablo II. Two of the lesser Lords of Hell have come out to play, and don’t be surprised if the big guy Diablo himself makes an appearance as well. It is once again up to you to save the world of Sanctuary.
Diablo did not invent the dungeon crawler genre, but it certainly improved on it. Blizzard has figured out the perfect formula to reward players and keep them interested in the game. While playing as a mighty hero that battles the hordes of Hell is exciting, the real reason you need to play this game is because of the loot. The game rewards you for murdering as many hellish minions as fast as possible by dropping tons of loot at your feet. Isn't that what we all want? More loot equals more upgrades for your character which equals better and faster slaughtering of your enemies, which equals more power. If you're lucky you'll even run into a few Treasure Goblins. They are little shiny creatures that make the screen explode with gold and magic items when you kill them, but if you don't kill them fast enough they'll disappear.
Diablo is easy to play and doesn't require you to devote hours upon hours grinding up to get raid ready. Just get together with some friends, or play alone, and go punch the devil in the face.
8. Counter strike: Global Offensive
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If anyone was in that house, I'm pretty sure they're dead now
Remember the awesome Half Life mod that unintentionally became the world’s most popular FPS? Of course you do because it is still around. Counter Strike: Global Offensive is just a remake of the game. It adds more content like maps and weapons, and updates some of the older stuff in the game.
Why do people play Counterstrike? There are certainly better FPS games out there with improved graphics, better controls, less hackers, and just more content. The answer to that is another question: Why do things go viral? When CS first launched it became a huge hit. Everyone who was tired of Quake 2 just emigrated over and fell in love. Anyone can play CS:GO because it can be run on any hamster wheel of a computer. The game is based on the same engine as Half-Life 2, and even though it has recieved upgrades over the years, it comes nowhere close to the gorgeous framerate killers out there like Battlefield or Call of Duty. Also, the matchmaking system is fantastic and will always place you against players of your own skill level, this way you'll always have a challenging but fun fight.
After Valve acquired the game rights, they made sure to release constant updates in order to keep the game relevant. To this day they are still doing things right because CS is as big as ever!
7. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
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No other game has as many 12 year olds screaming over voice chat
This next Call of Duty game sees you take control of Private Jack Mitchell as he becomes intertwined with a large scale military organization called Atlas, and eventually he is called on to stop another World War from erupting. The story isn’t why this Call of Duty game is on a list of the most popular pc games, it is because of its exciting new features and multiple game modes.
This Call of Duty game comes with some interesting changes including the ability to select weapon type at the start of each campaign mission. You can choose between conventional firearms, laser, or even energy weapons. The player interface has also been redesigned to look like a hologram emerging from your weapon.
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This is the shooter by choice for all casual gamers
Call of Duty is a game that will be found in the game collection of almost every teen in America. Why is that? Perhaps it has something to do with the current generation having grown up in a time in which conflict against strange extremists and terrorists have always been known. This game gives you a weapon and allows you to shoot the "bad guys" in a flashy, realistic, and gorgeous looking virtual reality.
Then there is the competative side of it. Competition is everything, and Call of Duty delivers. There are multiple game modes and different maps to duke it out with your friends. The online mode also allows you to compete against strangers from all over the world. All of this combined makes Call of Duty a favorite amongst the younger gaming generation.
6. Grand Theft Auto 5
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"Hi?", "Yes this is life screwing you"
So you’ve retired from crime and live under a witness protection program. Then you find out that your wife has a man on the side, so you do the only sensible thing which is to go and burn that guy’s house down. Then you find out that the house you burned down belongs to the girlfriend of a Mexican drug cartel leader… and now you’re in deep do-do. This is the story of Michael in GTA V.
In this huge sequel in the GTA series you can control up to three different characters and watch as their lives spiral completely out of control. You don’t have to play just the story though. This is the biggest and best open world game on the market. You can go and do absolutely anything you want.
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You've got this whole world to explore!
The story in this game is amazing. Rockstar believes so firmly in the characters they've created that all else comes second. However, due to the nature of the game you'll be able to put in hundreds of hours of gameplay in after you've finished the main storyline. What has really made the GTA franchise so popular is the high bar they've set for sandbox open world gaming.
Perhaps you've never experienced the thrill of paragliding, the exhilaration of sky diving, or the adredaline rush of hijacking a vehicle (don't attempt this please), but in GTA V you can do all those things. If you can imagine doing it, then you probably can no matter how dangerous or illegal it is. While the story delivers an exciting plot that involves extortion, heists and plenty of criminal activities, the open world sandbox nature of the game allows you to do so much more!
5. World of Warcraft
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No sweat, just murdered a massive demon
World of Warcraft is in the early stages of its 5th expansion, Warlords of Draenor. There is no other game on the market that can compete with the longevity and popularity of this game, except for maybe Counter Strike. When it comes to MMORPG’s though, there simply isn’t a better game to play.
In this expansion you have to venture into Draenor in an alternate timeline and stop Garrosh Hellscream and his newly created Iron Horde. Lots of new features were added to this expansion that made the game better. All character models received graphic updates, heirlooms and toys were placed in account wide toy-boxes that don’t take up inventory space, and you also get to control your own garrison.
World of Warcraft has been the King of the MMO industry for over 10 years now. The reason being is that Blizzard revolutionized the industry back in 2004 and have now become the golden standard for all games that have followed. Prior to WoW, MMOs often required countless hours of grinding and dedication in order to participate in the in game content. WoW introduced a model that allowed casual gamers to play by removing harsh penalties for dying and putting tons of quests in close proximity of each other. Killing 20 boars for experience sucks! Killing 20 boars for experience points and hides for three different quests is better.
Not only did those quests break up the grind, they also embellished the lore that was already established in the Warcraft universe. The lore is one of the biggest reasons why people love WoW. Many players cant leave because they've been involved for way too long. They were there when the orcs first invaded, they were there when the dark portal was sealed and when it was opened back up, they were there when Illidan betrayed Malfurion, they were there when Arthas became the Lich King, and they were there when the Destroyer broke the world. Leaving WoW would be like giving up a second home.
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The leaders of the Alliance approve this message
4. Hearthstone
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So much hype over a card game
When Blizzard announced Hearthstone it raised a lot of eyebrows. The developers behind the Kings of three different game genres were releasing a card game… a card game! But it was a hit. The characters on the cards are all from various Blizzard games, and it is surprisingly addictive to sign in and battle it out with strangers from across the world. Another really fun feature is the banter that you can hear between the characters on the cards in your deck.
Hearthstone feels like a continuation of the Warcraft universe. I remember the moment I pulled out the legendary Thaddius card from my Curse of Naxxramas set. I felt confused. I've been a lifelong fan of the Warcraft universe, but I couldn't remember who this character was. That one instance in Hearthstone led to me spend hours pouring over lore and refreshing my memory.
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Thaddius as he appears on the Hearthstone cards
On top of seeing many familiar faces from Warcraft, Hearthstone is probably the most polished and user friendly online card game out there. The turns are fast unlike some others (looking at you Magic), and the cards themselves are straightforward and easily understood. There are no convoluted rules or complicated features. My Thaddius card said 11 damage on it, so it hits with 11 points. It's just that easy. Finally, the game is free to play. This game will cost you hundreds of hours as you get pulled into a genre you didn't even know you cared about!
3. Minecraft
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Have you ever read the Diary of Wimpy Steve?
Who among us have not played Minecraft? You take control of the pixelated game character and set about the wide open world to create wonders. Your imagination is your only limit in this sandbox giant among awesome PC games. You can build anything you want to, you can train animals and breed them, and you can craft weapons and fight the monsters of the night. You could even build a portal to Hell if you felt so inclined.
While other games like GTA or Saints Row boasts of open worlds, only Minecraft has truly embraced this principle. The endless world of Minecraft, and I mean endless because it is constantly generating random blocks, is completely destructible. If you had the time and motivation, you could level the entire world down to the studs. Of course that would be stupid and is a waste of time, but you could do it if you really wanted to.
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All the living things in the world of Minecraft`
The game isn't just a big "build whatever you want" game though. There are living things in this world, and some of them want you dead. At night the zombies and evil skeleton archers come out to play. You better have a shelter ready unless you want to die.
The game is a true masterpiece for allowing you to destruct and construct the world however you see fit. The game has only one purpose and that is as a medium for your imagination to grow.
2. Dota 2
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Dota 2 has a day/night cycle that changes the effectiveness of some heroes
Dota is another example of a mod that took the world by storm. The original game was just a mod for Warcraft III, but it became so popular that the mod creator entered into an agreement to let Valve design Dota 2, you know the guys who are making Half-Life 3? Just kidding, that won’t happen.
Dota was the moba that laid the groundwork that all other mobas have built upon. There are two teams of five players on the map. There are three lanes, and you need to push down the objectives in each lane and destroy the opponent’s base. As Dota evolved, several key features were added that made the game more complex and added depth to the gameplay. The ability to kill your own creep meant that you could deny your opponent farm, and a night and day cycle meant that you needed to be aware of the time because certain heroes were stronger at night.
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Are you prepared to fight?
If you remember back in the day when Warcraft III battle.net was the biggest thing to play, then you might gain an understanding as to why this game became so popular. Much like how Half-Life led into CS, Warcraft became Dota. There was already a huge player base that loved Warcraft III, but the battle.net play was rapidly switching from RTS style games to custom adventure style maps or tower defense games. Out of all this came Dota, and thus the moba genre became mainstream and popular.
Dota 2 offers some of the most nuanced and complex team based combat in video games. While the game has a steep learning curve, it is also very rewarding to play. It will be difficult to return to many of the simpler mobas out there after playing this game. It is an adrenaline rush which price tag is deceiving, the game will cost you hundreds of hours.
1. League of Legends
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The best team game on the market
While it might be true that League of Legends lacks some of the game depth that Dota 2 has, it is still the King of mobas. No other game in the entire industry can compete with the kind of numbers that League is putting out. There are over 10 million players that log in on a daily basis.That is insane!
Among the list of most played PC games, League of Legends probably takes the number 1 spot of all time simply because of how fun it is. The game is very beginner friendly, but doesn’t lose its charm once you’re actually competing in the ranked queues.
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League is popular because it is lighthearted, fun, and has awesome skins like this for their champions!
League of Legends came around during a time when mobas were still the flavor of the month. Dota was having massive success and Riot wanted in, and they got in big time! The big difference maker that really helped elevate League of Legends above its competitors was how easy and beginner friendly the game is. There is no denying, no night and day cycle, no steep learning curve. There are several champions in the game designed for new players, and then the player can increase the complexity from there. So the game has both great content for beginners, and great content for professionals. League has everything you could want in a moba, and it manages to cater to both the casual and hardcore gaming communities.
Which of the most popular PC games is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
