PCMag's Reviews
Microsoft Flight Simulator is a one-of-a-kind experience made possible by a marriage of clever developers and cutting-edge technology. It’s a gift to the series’ dedicated fans, an appealing entry point for newcomers, and now the bar for the simulation genre.
Horizon Zero Dawn's PC port lets you hunt robot animals and explore a massive post-apocalyptic world on your own computer, with consistent and reliable performance.
Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town puts a contemporary spin on a charming farm-sim that sees you plant crops, raise livestock, and start a family. The controls and character models could use additional work, but this leisurely game is incredibly addicting.
Paper Mario: The Origami King weighs down a fun adventure with an unsatisfying, puzzle-based combat system that misses the mark.
Persona 4 Golden is as great on PC as it was on PlayStation Vita. Its turn-based combat is fast, fun, fluid, and encourages strategic thinking. The contemporary, rural setting and Jung-inspired narrative sets it apart from other JRPGs and allows it to tell a story that breaks genre conventions. Most importantly, the characters and their unique quirks make for a highly entertaining gameplay experience. Persona 4 Golden is a JRPG classic and a must-own PC game.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is a faithful port of the original Wii JRPG, but with a higher resolution and a big, extra campaign.
Despite its superficial similarities to a certain popular Nintendo property, Genshin Impact has grown into a phenomenal, free-to-play action-RPG that offers creative combat and an engrossing world to explore.
Final Fantasy VII Remake wonderfully reinterprets the legendary JRPG via modern-day graphics and a tighter focus on narrative and characterization. Unfortunately, it's just the first part of a massive tale.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is fun, relaxing and simply very chill. You won’t feel pressure while playing, and you probably won’t get much of a sense of competition. If you’re looking for structured goals and a distinct progression towards a specific end, you won’t find it in this game. What you will find is a big island you can customize and develop and trim to your heart’s content, with plenty of things to build, buy, and place wherever you’d like. Like a bonsai tree, rather than a board game.
Doom Eternal tops its predecessor by featuring larger maps filled with secrets, more ultra-violent weapons, and a huge variety of demons to slay. It is 2020's most extreme, first-person shooter.
As we prepare for yet another new generation of gaming hardware to push power and technology to their absolute limits, it's nice to play the kind of game that impresses with more timeless qualities of polish and craft. Here you have a beautiful world made of thought-provoking levels, as well as the tools to move through that world with unparalleled grace. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a worthy continuation of what is now one of Microsoft's best PC game franchises.
Featuring a huge roster, revamped graphics and sound, and addicting combat, The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match is one of the best fighting games for PCs, despite some omissions.
Pokemon Sword and Shield won't throw many surprises your way, but they both offer the great Pokemon experience that's worked for two decades. The game boasts a new region to explore, as well as new monsters and combat.
A throwback to classic 16-bit action titles, Blazing Chrome is a run-and-gun game that captures the co-op thrills and tough-as-nails gameplay found in Contra and Metal Slug.
Need for Speed Heat brings the 25-year-old racing franchise back to relevancy by combining the best mechanics from previous entries with a few new ones.
Red Dead Redemption 2 impresses on PC with exciting action and stunning, photo-realistic graphics. As with its console counterparts, this is one of the must-own games of the generation.
Kunio and his crew of troublemakers unleash adolescent violence in this new multi-player brawler. Featuring numerous combatants, weapons, and special moves, River City Melee Mach!! may scratch the battle royale itch for people who don't fancy Fortnite or PUBG.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the fresh start that the series desperately needed. This reboot of a modern classic has everything folks once loved about the CoD franchise, and lays an exciting foundation for the series moving forward.
Rogue Corps is one of the least polished and most disappointing titles of the year, and that's even with the low expectations that preceded its release.
River City Girls' fisticuffs, stellar presentation, and RPG-elements make it an exciting and fun entry in the long running River City/Kunio-kun series, but a few missteps prevent it from achieving PC gaming greatness.