Steam is home to thousands of games, so any list of the best ones is going to include most of the PC games we think are worth playing. It's also the most popular place for PC gamers to buy and new games, and developers know it—hundreds of new games appear each month, and many of them, bluntly, just aren't worth your time.
Best co-op games: Better together
And while publishers are increasingly returning to Steam, there are still a handful of great games still locked to other launchers like Epic, GOG, Battle.net and even the EA App. It can be hard to wade through the sheer number of PC games and find the very best, so we've picked out some of the best choices that are available on Valve's platform.
If you're new to PC gaming, have a gift card to use, or are just looking for the next game to pick up, we've compiled a list of our recommendations to save you sifting through the store for yourself. Our broad categories feature recommendations that we've loved and would say any Steam must play.
New Steam games
Some of our favorite recent Steam releases and their review scores.
- Balatro (Game of the Year 2024)
- Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders (89%)
- Nine Sols (92%)
- Metaphor: ReFantazio (95%)
- Zero Sievert (85%)
Great free-to-play games on Steam
Some of the best games on Steam can be played for free.
Explore big open worlds
Open world games on Steam
bathtub fame.
Euro Truck Simulator 2: It's exactly what it sounds like, a game about driving trucks through Europe. You might be surprised by just how into it you get.
Challenge yourself
Challenging games on Steam
Hades: Getting out of the underworld won't be easy, but you can do it if you keep trying. One of the best recent action games, with great characters.
FromSoftware, the developer behind the Dark Souls series. Like those games, it's brilliant if you have the patience for it.
the pinnacle of the 'Metroidvania' genre.
Investigate mysteries
Detective games on Steam
Immortality: An immersive interactive movie where you are the editor and the film might be haunted. This is another great mystery from the creator of Her Story and Telling Lies.
one of our favorite new detective game designs. Find out who killed Paradise itself.
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc: Perhaps an even more bizarre murder mystery. The premise: A bunch of students are trapped in their high school and told that the only way to escape is to murder a classmate without getting caught.
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games: Another great (and very strange) visual novel series, this one starts with a Saw-like premise, but goes in entirely its own direction.
Outer Wilds: Untangle a time loop that spans a whole solar system. (Not to be confused with The Outer Worlds, which is alright, too, but a different game entirely.)
Games for kicking back
Cozy games on Steam
A Little to the Left : If you feel like you need to get your life in order, which face it a lot of us do, then A Little to the Left is bound to scratch that itch. Within its various puzzles, you'll neaten up, tidy, and organize every nook and cranny where your belongings may have scattered themselves.
kept getting better over time.
A Short Hike: An ultra-charming game about exploring an island and making friends. Can be enjoyed in one nice sitting, if you like. (Cup of tea not required, but pleasant.)
What The Golf? Find out what golf is (maybe) in one of our favorite comedy games.
Dorfromantik: This super chill strategy game gives you a deck of hex tiles to build pastoral world with or, if you like, just snap them together at leisure in sandbox mode.
Chants of Sennaar: A lovely language-based puzzle adventure where you'll teach yourself several fictional languages as you climb a towering mountain inhabited by different societies who need to reconnect.
Play with friends
Co-op games on Steam
Game of the Year 2023 and just in case you weren't aware it's co-op too.
Satisfactory: Work together to construct giant three-dimensional factories on an alien planet. Conveyer belt loops never stop being fun to design.
Left 4 Dead 2: A classic for just $10. You and up to three friends scramble to get from point A to point B while shooting waves of zombies.
recently called "the best ghost game ever made."
a great asymmetrical multiplayer game.
Strategize and build
Strategy games on Steam
Dune: Imperium: You're in control of spice production within this deck builder, and you'll have to deploy harvesters and face any oncoming attacks from your competitors. Along the way, you will also want to earn the trust of different factions which raises the challenge of deciding whether you will side with them or go against their wishes in pursuit of spice.
our favorite tactics games ever.
one of the best ever, and generates brilliant medieval drama.
our favorite games in the Total War series, which has you commanding giant fantasy battles in real time. It's not a big deal if you're not familiar with the Warhammer universe.
