15 of the Best Single Player PC Games to Ever Come out
Every PC gamer loves a good single player experience. Great stories, in-depth strategy, and exciting action are found in all of these amazing titles. Single player is a lost art on the consoles that have mostly focused on multiplayer experience, so the PC is the last great refuge of single player gaming. We are excited to show the top 15 single player games that we enjoyed the most on the PC.
#15: Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3 is the holy grail of story based gameplay. The player takes over as a witcher, which is a monster hunter infused with magical powers in order to go toe to toe with and hunt down fantastical beasts. This game has a vast open world that is truly breathtaking to experience. Trees sway in the wind on the hills over massive farming landscapes that lead up to a lord’s castle. Many games lose their attention to detail in trying to create large games, but this one has not. Every part of the world comes to life with interesting dialogue and quests at all corners. Many hours can be wasted before even starting the fantastic main story.
Combat becomes very intense when ambushed by multiple creatures
The Witcher has a rich and vibrant world full of detail
#14: Xcom 2
Xcom 2 is about fending off the alien invasion with a top secret high-tech government agency specifically built for this situation. Fights are done in a turn-based tactical battle mode with players strategizing moves and firing shots with each turn. Xcom has done a superb job to make the combat feel intense and quick even with its turn-based structure. Moves like overwatch allow units to fire on enemies that move into their line of sight or suppression that has units fire a continuous volley of bullets at their enemy to reduce aim and ability to move. Xcom 2 is a fun experience with exciting turn-based action that keeps players on their toes and thinking and excited at the same time.
Grenades are effective for killing, but destroy valuable loot from the enemy’s bodies
The first moves of the match are the most critical
#13: Divinity: Original Sin 2
This game takes place in the magical world of Rivellon where sorcerers can harness the world’s power, called source, to cast devasting spells of life and destruction. Much fear came of this power, thus the empire banished anyone with this ability to the dangerous and isolated island of Fort Joy to be purged. You are set to be purged at this island until a mysterious Kraken sinks the ship and gives you the opportunity for freedom. You can choose several pre-built characters or build one from the ground up starting at an origin story. What makes this game so much fun is building up the party of companions. You are allowed to select up to three from the many diverse types of companions to travel with your character. These companions are fully playable and have different skills that allow them to interact with the world differently than the main character would be able to. The ability to control all characters or let the NPC run with them creates a great experience for any RPG lover.
There is tons of inventory options in the game to choose from to keep things interesting
Battles feel like the classic Diablo II with an isotropic view.
#12: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Resident Evil 7 returns to its tactical survival horror roots after a deviation into a more action shooter role. This game takes place in Louisiana at a plantation the player goes to after receiving a message from his dead wife. The reason this game makes it on the list is the truly horrifying game experience that focuses more on exploration and survival rather than fighting. Certain portions of the game are about hiding from enemies that are impossible to take downor running away from them if uncovered. This gives players a feeling of vulnerability in the game that stimulates the haunting experience that Resident Evil 7: Biohazard gives.
More often than not you will find yourself running instead of fighting
These definitely are not the nicest folk in town
#11: Dark Souls III
Dark Souls 3 is the grizzly RPG all hardcore fans dream of. The game is about the undead who must pilgrimage to the kingdom of Lothric where the First Flame is dying out. Each of the great lords must be defeated and sacrificed to the fire to keep it going. What makes this game fun is its brutal difficulty that always keeps the game challenging. It may take 5 to 10 tries to beat a boss making the satisfaction of success that much greater. The RPG elements of the game are also stellar with an interesting set of classes to choose from like the warrior or outcast. Some of the interesting RPG elements include choosing between leveling up the amount of armor that can be worn or the endurance to move and attack faster and longer.
Some of the monsters you must defeat will be 10 times your size
The lords will not go down without a fight
#10: Darkest Dungeon
Darkest Dungeon is a game where you manage a group of heroes to explore a dungeon below a gothic mansion that the player has inherited. Players find a portal that releases evil creatures into the world upon investigation of the mansion. Heroes then must be recruited to destroy these foes. A key feature that makes this game fun to play is players get to recruit heroes and have to manage each hero’s stress level. The stress level rises from a combination of factors including intense combat, certain curses, and damage to the hero. Higher stress for the heroes will lower their stats and make them weak. Players must be meticulous in how they use their hero because once the hero is dead they are gone for good. This game is great for adding a unique twist on a tactical turn-based game.
A look at the game’s unique art style
Combat is done in a Final Fantasy turn-based style
#9: BioShock Infinite
Bioshock: Infinite is a game placed is a dystopia universe of an ultra-nationalistic country that broke from the US to become its own country in the skies with futuristic flying machines. The game has a remarkable story with many twists and turns that never quite lets players figure it out, even after it is over. It will take several playthroughs to fully grasp all the detail left in the story. We won’t ruin the plot by talking about it, but do note that it might just be the best story implementation in a game ever. What makes this game worth a play is a story that keeps you up till 3 A.M. just to see what happens next and really exciting combat to follow in between the story. Flying through the city on zipline hooks while shooting at combatants is an experience that never gets old in this action adventure game.
A look at the truly beautiful city of Columbia
Elizabeth is one of the most realistic feeling characters in video game history
#8: Civilization 5
Civilizations V is one of the most popular 4x games to ever come out. Civ V expanded and improved everything from its predecessors such as AI functionality and removing the overpowered army stacking. In this game players will rule over their own civilization that they get to choose the path for. You can lead Rome to win the space race or the Aztecs to harness world peace. The choice is yours. It is important to balance military might, technology research, economy, culture, and diplomacy to win. The satisfaction and challenge of balancing all these tasks is what makes the game fun. Each match provides its own set of challenges as the AI moves and feels different each time.
Civ 5’s great user interface makes the game approachable for anyone
Only one military unit is allowed per square now making combat much more tactful.
#7: Baldur's Gate 2
Baldur’s Gate is a classic that paved the way for games like Diablo II. This game energized the role-playing game market with its isotropic camera style and nice class setup. There are 11 classes to choose from such as a monk or druid. There is 50 hours of gameplay to be found just in the main story and that is what makes this game fun. There is just so much to do and fight. It will take multiple playthroughs to finally find all of the quests to complete in the game.
The isotropic artstyle has aged well in this classic
Players come across many places in the country of Amn on their quest
#6: Spec Ops: The Line
Spec Ops is about a Dubai in a scenario in which the lands have been ripped apart by sandstorms. The chaos breed a perfect opportunity for insurgents to attack. The veteran, Captain Martin Walker, is leading his team out of Afghanistan when a massive sandstorm hits, leaving them stuck in the fray. What makes this first person shooter fun apart from the challenging squad based tactical warfare is that Martin had his sanity beaten down from the war and is slowly losing his mind to PTSD as the game progresses. This realistic portrayal brings the grittiness that made this game famous. As you play through you will slowly start to hallucinate and make erroneous decisions for your squad’s health based on those hallucinations. You never know what to trust when playing the game. The amount that you can use sand is another key tribute to what makes this game fun. Things can be buried to ambush the enemy and line of sight can be used to your advantage or your demise in this grizzly shooter.
Intense firefights are the norm in this thrilling game
Working with your team is essential to long term survival
#5: Mass Effect 2
The Mass Effect series is a futuristic RPG adventure game where humans found a relic on Mars that allows for hyperspace travel. This technology jumpstarted space exploration where humans came in contact with numerous alien races of all differenct cultures and ideologies that worked together to create an alliance. In Mass Effect 2 the player must take on a race called the Collectors and their fleet destroying vessels called Reapers. What makes this game so fun is the dialogue and moral decision making. Players encounter numerous situations where they must choose between right and wrong with rewards and consequences for each. The harder decisions though are the ones that don't have a clear answer on what is right to do. Players will have to trust their gut and do what they feel is right. This makes the game feel very real and you will often find yourself attached to characters whose lives depend on the choices made. Action and leveling up features keep anyone entertained in between these dialogues with plenty of ways to fight from using weapons to using bionic powers.
The unique characters met along the journey all have interesting tales to tell and special quest lines to play
A journey across the galaxy is necessary in order to save it
#4: Skyrim
Skyrim is the last release in the famous Elder Scrolls series. This genre is renowned for its lore and world design. Skyrim lives up to the hype with great implementation of a Nordic looking mountainous terrain where dragons have come back to create havoc on an already distraught land stuck in a battle between the Empire and rebels. Players are the dragonborn, who are capable of taking on the dragon’s power after defeating them. What makes this game so fun is the beautiful atmosphere and much improved combat style over its predecessors. Combat moves much faster and allows for combo moves to spice up a regular attack. Combining magic and fighting elements for example can create a powerful fighting machine.
Dragons can appear out of nowhere in the wild
Many mysterious creatures can be found in the wilds of Skyrim
#3: METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN
Metal Gear Solid V is set in 1984 inside of a soviet occupied Afghanistan. Punished Venom Snake is on a quest of revenge to those who almost killed him in the previous title for this release, Ground Zero. Metal Gear stays true to its skills in previous games by being centering its gameplay around stealth and only using combat when it is absolutely needed. What makes the game fun is its great story that always presents itself in a bold manner with cut scenes that can last what feels like a movie length and its continuous exploration of stealth features to add into a game. While many stealth games follow a linear path to cover bad AI, Metal Gear Solid gives players freedom to explore the mountainous and rugged terrain in the world to find a way to sneak around on their own. This game also has day and night cycles to add to the immersion of the world. Another feature that is really fun is that Snake can build a base to hold an armory and recruit imprisoned enemy soldiers. This feature was in Peace Walker, but has been expanded since with defenses to fend off attacks and money generation. Metal Gear Solid is a game series that always produces quality content and continues to strive for innovation.
Snake has aged quite a bit since the Ground Zero
Stealth is the key to success in any Metal Gear Solid game
#2: Medieval II: Total War
Medieval II: Total war is a game that lets you take over as a king over one of the many great empires of the medieval era. From England to the Turks, all of the major factions can be found in this historic filled game. There is two parts of the game. One is where you must manage the diplomacy, wars, public unrest, and economy of the empire in a 4x turn-based view and the other initiates once two armies go into battle. Then the battle come to live action with thousands of troops under your control. It will require a diligent mind to keep all of the troops in order as combat can wear down their stamina and casualties may cause them to eventually flee for their lives. Tactical decisions must be made quickly as the enemy won’t wait for you to prepare. Each faction has its own units tailored to be representative to the true historical look of the faction. You will learn much about the rich history of the medieval world while having one of the greatest strategy game experiences of your life.
Battles are massive in scale with thousands of soldiers fighting on the battlefield
In addition to epic battlefields, players must also keep a lookout on their empire in the strategic map
#1: Mount & Blade: Warband
Mount and Blade: Warband is one of the greatest hidden gems in the PC world. This game puts characters into a medieval world and lets them do pretty much anything they want. Become a lord and eventually a king? Check. Become a sell-sword? Check. Become a bandit? Check. Become a trader? Check. Become a hero of the arena? Also check. This game gives absolute freedom to roam many different cities and become a lord over many of them in which you can profit from taxes and buy upgrades for. You can also become a hero level soldier in an army to slaughter anyone who opposes you or become the strategist commanding hundreds of troops to do the fighting for you. That is as long as you have the money and food to sustain them. Freedom is the biggest draw to this game.
Sieges must be performed before taking over a rival’s castle
Each of the six factions have their own look with their own strengths and weaknesses
