Steam is considered to be the largest digital distribution platform for PC gaming. As such, it has amassed a large library of games over the years. To help you sift through its hundreds of options, we’ve compiled a list of 30 of the best games on Steam of all time.
30. Football Manager 2023
Image via Sports Interactive
Football Manager 2023’s gameplay is all about giving the player complete control over their team. You’re in charge of every aspect of your team’s success, from training and tactics to transfers and contract negotiations. The game features a stunningly realistic match engine, which captures all the drama and excitement of football matches. You can also create your own teams or play as one of over 800 real-world clubs.
29. Warframe
Image via Digital Extremes
Warframe is a cooperative free-to-play online action game set in an evolving sci-fi world. Join your friends in player-vs-enemy raids across the solar system and master the power of the Warframes. Warframe’s cooperative gameplay encourages teamwork and communication, while its unique player-powered ecosystem creates endless opportunities for social interaction. Stand alone or fight together against enemies that threaten your world!
28. The Sims 4
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Sims are the digital avatars that players control in The Sims games. In Sims 4, players create a Sim character and control their lives to explore different personalities that affect how they interact with other Sims in the game. Sims 4 introduces new elements to the series, such as Sim emotions and multitasking. The game also features an open-world environment, which is a first for the series.
27. Stardew Valley
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Stardew Valley is a game about restoring a farm to its former glory, with players taking on the role of its farmer. The game includes twelve playable Farm Maps which offer different advantages and disadvantages, depending on the layout and climate of the map. There are also five main characters, each with their own unique backstories and skill sets. Romantic relationships can be pursued with these characters as well, characters can be married, and even have children!
26. RimWorld
Image via Ludeon Studios
In RimWorld, you will play the role of space colonists who crash land on a planet far away from their home. Initially, players select a scenario in which they can choose how many colonists they want to manage, what type of environment they will face, and even what type of items they have available. It is the player’s responsibility to help the colonists survive and escape the planet as best as they can. Known for its complex and deep gameplay, as well as its art style that is unique to this game, it has been praised by many.
25. Valheim
Image via Iron Gate AB
Valheim is a Viking-themed survival game that has taken the gaming world by storm. You start off as a lone Viking warrior who has been tasked with defeating Odin’s ancient enemies and restoring balance to the Nine Realms. The game is set in a procedurally generated Norse world filled with deadly creatures and treacherous terrain. To succeed, you will need to master the art of combat, crafting, and building. Valheim is an incredibly addicting game that will keep you coming back for more.
24. Cyberpunk 2077
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There are a lot of fascinating characters and stories contained within Cyberpunk 2077‘s incredible world, and you can use your imagination to explore it in whatever way you choose. One of its notable features is that it takes place in a dystopian future, where the world has been ravaged by global warming and technological advancements have made cybernetics commonplace. In essence, this is an RPG, so you’ll be able to make choices that will affect the world in the game, as well as build a unique character with the attributes point system available to you.
23. Payday 2
Image via OVERKILL – a Starbreeze Studio
Payday 2 is a cooperative first-person shooter video game developed by Overkill Software and published by 505 Games. The game is a sequel to 2011’s Payday: The Heist. In the game, the player takes control of one of the four members of the PAYDAY gang: Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf, and Chains. Payday 2 features a large number of firearms, melee weapons, and explosives. Players can purchase weapon modifications through in-game microtransactions.
22. Red Dead Redemption 2
Image via Rockstar Games
Red Dead Redemption 2 follows Arthur Morgan, an outlaw, and member of the Van der Linde gang during 1899. It is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective, featuring both single-player and online multiplayer components. Its events take place in the American heartland, with players taking control of Arthur throughout the majority of the game. As the gang is forced out of their traditional hideout by federal agents, they are pushed further westward into a harsh land with no laws or rules. Its highly praised story and open world design have garnered it numerous awards, including several games of the year accolades.
21. Dead by Daylight
Image via Behaviour Interactive Inc.
If you’re looking for a truly terrifying horror game, look no further than Dead by Daylight. This multiplayer game pits four survivors against one player who takes on the role of a powerful killer. The goal for the survivors is to escape the map before the killer can catch them, and it’s up to the killer to stop them. With intense gameplay and plenty of jump scares, Dead by Daylight is sure to keep you on your toes.
20. War Thunder
Image via Gaijin Entertainment
With War Thunder, players have the chance to take control of more than 1,000 aircraft from a variety of nations during World War II, but most notably the United States, the Soviet Union, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, and Italy. Various modes of combat are available in the game, including single player modes, multiplayer modes, and cooperative modes that allow players to engage in air-to-air, ground-to-air, and sea-to-air combat. Its graphics and sound are top-notch and the flight controls are incredibly realistic, allowing players to truly immerse themselves in the experience. The game also features a huge number of customization options that allow players to customize their aircraft with more than 50,000 interchangeable parts and upgrades.
19. Destiny 2
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The goal of Destiny 2 is to immerse the player in a cinematic, epic single-player campaign set within an ever-evolving, persistent online environment. In addition, it features as its central activity exploration, cooperative and competitive multiplayer action, and public events that take place around the world. The game also features the Crucible which is an arena where players can battle each other in various competitive activities. By creating and customizing their characters, players are able to adjust how powerful their characters become as they advance through the game.
18. Terraria
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In Terraria, players will explore, build, and fight their way through hordes of enemies in a procedurally generated world where a complex system of enemies will be generated on a regular basis. Throughout the game, players can use hundreds of different items and weapons to customize their character according to their liking. As well as the single player mode, Terraria also features a robust multiplayer mode which allows the players to take on challenging boss monsters with their friends.
17. MIR4
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In MIR4, you’ll find that you can engage in large-scale battles with up to 1,000 players while you fight in a 3D battlefield at the same time, as well as intense PvE and PvP combat, as well as a detailed political system. The graphics of the game are stunning, providing detailed and beautiful environments to explore. Aside from being one of the top rated games on Steam in China, MIR4 also has a very good following in the West with more than 37,000 regular players throughout the world.
16. Left 4 Dead 2
Image via Valve
Left 4 Dead 2 focuses on four new survivors attempting to fight their way through hordes of the infected. This video game allows players to take on the role of any of eight different characters in one of the game‘s many campaigns. The game is a cooperative first–person shooter that was designed to be played better with friends when it‘s played cooperatively. One of its notable features is the AI director, which dynamically adjusts the difficulty of each level based on how well players are doing. Therefore, players always have a challenge, no matter how experienced they are.
15. NARAKA: BLADEPOINT
Image via 24 Entertainment
NARAKA: BLADEPOINT is a next-generation multiplayer action game that blends the best of parkour, combat, and exploration into one seamless experience. Players will be able to explore a vast open world and use their agility and combat skills to survive in a land where danger is lurking around every corner. The game features a unique parkour system that allows players to fluidly move around the environment, making use of ledges, walls, and other objects to navigate their way through the world.
14. ARK: Survival Evolved
Image via Studio Wildcard
Players enter a world where they must survive against dinosaurs and other players alike, using their wits and the resources they gather to stay alive. The game offers an expansive environment to explore, along with a crafting system that allows players to create weapons, armor, and structures to help them survive. With constant updates adding new content, ARK: Survival Evolved is a game that always has something new for players to enjoy.
13. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
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Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is set in the Imperial world of Tethys, which has been overrun by Chaos forces. The player takes control of a squad of four Space Marines from the Imperium’s Blood Angels chapter who are sent to reclaim the planet. It is a cooperative first-person shooter in which players work together to complete objectives and defeat enemies. The game features a variety of weapons and abilities for players to use, as well as destructible environments.
12. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Image via Firaxis Games
The objective of Civilization VI is to build an empire that can withstand the test of time. Players do this by amassing military power, developing their culture, and expanding their territory. The game can be played online or offline, and features a single-player mode as well as a multiplayer mode. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI has been praised for its improved graphics, expanded gameplay, and new features.
11. Unturned
Image via Smartly Dressed Games
The objective of this game is to scavenge for supplies and build up your base so that you can survive the hordes of zombies that roam around the land while you are trying to stay alive. It goes without saying that Unturned is incredibly detailed, with an enormous map to explore, in addition to a number of secrets to find. Also, players can team up with their friends in order to make sure they have a chance of surviving together.
10. New World
Image via Amazon Games
The game New World takes place under the umbrella of the Age of Exploration, which dates back to the 1600s. The players of this game will assume the role of colonists and have the ability to construct and manage their own settlements throughout the entire game. The game is set in a fictional land known as Aeternum, which is divided into five distinct regions. Each region has its own unique geography, climate, inhabitants, and resources. The game includes both PvE and PvP components, creating an unpredictable and ever-changing world for players to explore. In addition to offering players a unique and dynamic experience, this game also focuses on emergent gameplay that is driven by players.
9. Rust
Image via Facepunch Studios
In Rust, the goal is to find scavenged materials in the wild and then use them to survive. As players continue to progress, they will need to overcome thirst and hunger, fight wildlife and other players, build shelters, make weapons and clothing, find or steal supplies, and fight wildlife and each other. The game starts with the player of the game waking up naked on a beach with no idea who he or she is, where they are, or what has happened to them.
8. Grand Theft Auto V
Image via Rockstar North
Grand Theft Auto V is an action-adventure game played from either a first-person or third-person perspective. Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. Outside of the missions, players may freely roam the open world. Composed of the San Andreas open countryside area and the fictional city of Los Santos, the world is much larger in area than in earlier entries in the series. It may be fully explored after the game’s beginning without restriction, although story progress unlocks more gameplay content.
7. Team Fortress 2
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A multiplayer first-person shooter video game, Team Fortress 2 is a game in which two teams compete against each other online in real-time combat in a team-based first-person shooter environment. As the name implies, the primary objective of the game is to capture and hold control points, or to accomplish map-specific objectives, such as planting or defusing bombs, in order to win the game. Aside from its excellent art style, atmosphere, and gameplay, the game has received high praise from critics and fans alike.
6. PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS
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If you’re looking for a heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat battle royale experience, look no further than PUBG: Battlegrounds. This game pits you against up to 99 other players in an online deathmatch where the last person standing wins. With its large map and variety of vehicles and weapons, PUBG: Battlegrounds is a unique and thrilling experience that is not to be missed.
The game has seen a lot of success since its release in 2017 and has even spawned a competitive scene with numerous tournaments being held each year. If you’re looking for an intense and exciting game to sink your teeth into, PUBG: Battlegrounds is definitely worth checking out.
5. Apex Legends
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Apex Legends is set in the same universe as Respawn’s Titanfall series. The game takes place 30 years after the events of Titanfall 2, in a new location called the Outlands which is an area between the Frontier and the Core Systems. It features a total of eight character classes, each with its own unique abilities. Apex Legends received positive reviews from critics, who praised its gameplay, design, and graphics. It was also a commercial success, reaching over 25 million players within its first week of release.
4. Lost Ark
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Lost Ark is set in a fantasy world with a variety of different locations to explore. There are also many different playable classes, each with its own unique skills and abilities. Players must create a character and choose their class before they can begin exploring the world and completing quests.
Critics praised the game’s graphics, locations, classes, and combat system. However, the game has been criticized for its lack of content at launch and for its cash shop which sells items that can give players an advantage over others. Despite these criticisms, Lost Ark is still considered to be one of the best games on Steam.
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
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In this first-person shooter, you play as a soldier who must complete various missions. The multiplayer mode is also very popular, allowing you to compete against other players online. It has since garnered over a million owners on Steam, with thousands of daily players.
CoD: Modern Warfare II is one of the most popular games on Steam, and rightfully so. It’s an intense and thrilling shooter that will keep you hooked for hours on end. If you’re a fan of first-person shooters, then this is a must-play game.
2. Dota 2
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Dota 2 still comes in second place, even if it was released nearly a decade ago. The game developer, Valve, constantly updates the game with new content to keep players engaged. Also, the competitive aspect of Dota 2 keeps people coming back for more. The game is free to play but has an extensive in-game economy driven by microtransactions.
The objective of the game is for two teams to battle it out until one team has destroyed the other team’s ancient, large structure located in each base. Dota 2 has one of the largest gaming communities with over 11 million active players. The game also holds the record for the largest-ever prize pool in an esports tournament.
1. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
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Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pits two teams against each other: the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists. Both sides are tasked with eliminating the other while completing separate objectives. The Terrorists, depending on the game mode, must either plant the bomb or defend the hostages, while the Counter-Terrorists must prevent the bomb from being planted or rescue the hostages. There are nine game modes, all of which have distinct characteristics specific to that mode.
