PC Gaming. The Final Frontier.

[adumb]

I've been a console gamer my whole life, but I'm picking up a fairly capable PC in the next week or so, and initially I thought of it as this whole new world of opportunity. But then I got to thinking... what am I actually hoping to play? As the gap between console has lessened significantly, and developers understandably bring their games to console, I feel like I've already played most of what's available. I'm no graphics hound, and revisiting games I already own with better visuals doesn't interest me particularly, so ...what should I be playing? What are the gaming experiences that only a PC can offer?

Because otherwise this is going to be an expensive Disco Elysium machine.

 

[Fat4all]

just play FTL for 1,400 hours like me

 

[deltabreak]

Slay the Spire is pretty cool.

 

[Quinton]

I trust you'll get plenty of good answers and you'll probably end up having a blast. Myself, however, I built a gaming PC in 2012 and ended up selling it three years later. I haven't owned a PC since. For various reasons it simply never clicked with me. I was back at it with my PS3, Wii, 360 and PSP almost immediately.

My situation's far from the norm. Best of luck!

 

[Uzzy]

There's entire genres of gaming now available, such as strategy games, management sims etc. What are your interests in terms of genre?

 

[Vex]

Slay the Spire is pretty cool.

Click to shrink...

This is on xbawks to as well.

 

[caff!!!]

play 1,400 hours of Euro Truck Simulator 2

 

[Fat4all]

peggle

 

[Finaika]

 

[Snowfruit]

What are the gaming experiences that only a PC can offer?

Click to shrink...

Mods, mods, and more mods.

I wouldn't have played some games at all if I couldn't mod them, like Stardew Valley.

 

[deltabreak]

If you like Disco Elysium, probably Planescape: Torment?

 

[Fat4all]

recettear

 

[johancruijff]

an expensive Disco Elysium machine.

Click to shrink...

you say that like it's a bad thing

 

[Fat4all]

hypnospace outlaw

 

[manustany]

I've been a console gamer my whole life, but I'm picking up a fairly capable PC in the next week or so, and initially I thought of it as this whole new world of opportunity. But then I got to thinking... what am I actually hoping to play? As the gap between console has lessened significantly, and developers understandably bring their games to console, I feel like I've already played most of what's available. I'm no graphics hound, and revisiting games I already own with better visuals doesn't interest me particularly

Click to shrink...

In my opinion, don't. But I understand the monkey inside of you.
I'm in the same situation right now with the Xbox Elite Controller 2.

 

[Hektor]

Apart from Strategy and management games such as Crusader Kings, Total War, Roller Coaster Tycoon, Civilization, Hearts of iron, Starcraft, Dota or Company of Heroes 2

You have access to almost thousands of indiegames and just as many classic videogames you might not yet had the chance to Play on any contemporary platform.

How About a playthrough of Vampire the Masquerade or Kotor 2 with community Patches?

 

[.exe]

Return of the Obra Dinn.
Lots of visual novels.
Tons of cool independent games. Like Atom RPG (god, what a terrible name).

 

[texhnolyze]

Just play upcoming multiplatform games on your PC.

 

[Fat4all]

the benefit to pc gaming has less to do with running shit super super well, imo

it's more to do with being able to play a shitton of stuff that will never ever have the chance to go to consoles

 

[Uzzy]

Recommended! Just load up on all of the visual novels.

 

[adumb]

There's entire genres of gaming now available, such as strategy games, management sims etc. What are your interests in terms of genre?

Click to shrink...

Honestly, as long as it's not a sports game I'm open. It'd be interesting to explore these genres, considering so many of them either don't make the jump to console or don't fare well with the limitations of a controller, but I'm also looking for something on the flashy AAA side, to justify my purchase to both my partner and the part of me that grew up hearing about the manifold wonders of the PC.

 

[deltabreak]

If you don't mind visual novels and anime, Higurashi is one of of the best experiences I've had.

 

[Vex]

Op, think of it like a sandbox open world game. You will have as much fun with your PC as you are creative. There are many "creative" ways to have fun on your gaming PC. Some of which I cannot list here.

You say that you can play a lot of PC games on console already. That's true, but point of PC gaming is that it is an investment. You are essentially future proofing yourself by building one. For example, my 980+i5 is still kicking ass after all these years even tho my base ps4 struggles with a lot of multiplat games.

And on top of that, I bet I can squeeze a few more years with 1080p gaming (60fps) out of my rig by customizing my graphics settings. Something you cannot do on console. And when it is time to upgrade, assuming your Mobo is compatible, you can just buy your parts piecemeal and swap them out for incredible value. Instead of buying an entire new console. ALSO, fixing your PC means you can easily isolate a malfunctioning part and remove it instead of worrying about voiding console's warranty.

Tbh, PC gaming is what you make of it. For me, it is a bliss. Everything I could ever want is at my fingertips. Emulation, gaming, rendering 3D models, etc etc. The convenience of making quick .ini tweaks, or cheat engine tweaks, or save editors, or modding your games.... it is like you can do whatever the fuck you want and craft your own fun! Craft your own gaming world, OP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111


Edit: oh and I forgot something INPUT OPTIONS. I play with my ds4. I can play with an xbawks controller. I can play with a variety of fight sticks and gaming mouses. And it is all easy to set up with free software. I play comfy couch style with Bluetooth.

 

[Chivalry]

Try genres underrepresented on consoles: RTS, point&click adventures, grand strategy games, city builders, etc. Plus a shitton of older pc classic rpgs like gothic and fallout. GOG will help with that. Get into modding and VR, too.

 

[Deleted member 3196]

I feel like if you're happy with console graphics and only want the PC for games that are only on PC (and not particularly feasible on console or tangibly better on PC for reasons that aren't graphics), then you're probably not going to need a workhorse. You might find PC gaming is cheaper and more accessible than you think, and absolutely worth it.

If you're aiming to do most of your gaming on PC going forward, playing the newest releases with the best graphics, then yeah, you will probably wind up having an expensive Disco Elysium machine until the new wave of AAAs that interest you hit.

PC as a platform is what you want it to be. What I'd do is browse GOG and Steam (the two stores that have the biggest variety of PC-only games - most of the other stores like Origin, Uplay and EGS release mostly multiplatform games that you could already play on one of your consoles) and find games that catch your interest, then think about what kind of PC you want after that.

 

[Uzzy]

Honestly, as long as it's not a sports game I'm open. It'd be interesting to explore these genres, considering so many of them either don't make the jump to console or don't fare well with the limitations of a controller, but I'm also looking for something on the flashy AAA side, to justify my purchase to both my partner and the part of me that grew up hearing about the manifold wonders of the PC.

Click to shrink...

Red Dead Redemption 2 comes out on PC today, and will likely look incredible in action. Really any recent AAA game will look great on a powerful PC. If you're just wanting a fantastic art style that really looks incredible I strongly recommend GRIS.



Plenty of good suggestions on games in this thread from others!

 

[sredgrin]

Planet Zoo just came out:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/11/05/planet-zoo-review/

Frontier's games are, outside of the Jurassic Park game, largely PC focused and likely to remain PC bound.

Go get Game Pass and Humble Monthly. Even if those games are on console you might have skipped them or ignored them, and at those prices they can be hard to beat. Or sub to Origin Premiere and play Need for Speed and Star Wars this month.

 

[adumb]

Plenty of good suggestions on games in this thread from others!

Click to shrink...

Absolutely. You best believe everything in the thread is going into a big ol' list. Thanks guys, I'm going to be very busy!

 

[Spark]

Get Total War Warhammer 2 if you want a strategy game that looks flashy.

 

[hersheyfan]

Subbing to Humble Monthly is the first order of business. Build that backlog!

As to what game you should get: honestly, the best way to really appreciate what your new PC can do for you is picking up an older game you loved on console, buy it on sale, then run it at maximum settings. The difference will be night and day, and thats when it'll really sink in.

Edit: Hell, if the game youre playing is on Steam, just plug in your favorite console controller (or the controler you used to play said test game) for maximum effect.

 

[justiceiro]

For one, you will have a mouse. Shooters will be way easier, and strategy games will be doable. Also, all games will be way cheaper, if not free.

Also, emulators!

 

[Anno]

Also think about trying any game you played and enjoyed on console that has a big mod scene on PC. Stuff like XCOM or Slay the Spire. Whole new worlds within those games are available once you dive deep into the Steam workshop/Nexus mods.

 

[boybrushdRED]

I've been a console gamer my whole life, but I'm picking up a fairly capable PC in the next week or so, and initially I thought of it as this whole new world of opportunity. But then I got to thinking... what am I actually hoping to play? As the gap between console has lessened significantly, and developers understandably bring their games to console, I feel like I've already played most of what's available. I'm no graphics hound, and revisiting games I already own with better visuals doesn't interest me particularly, so ...what should I be playing? What are the gaming experiences that only a PC can offer?

Because otherwise this is going to be an expensive Disco Elysium machine.

Click to shrink...

I'd say your mileage may vary. I have a PS4, Switch and PC. I could only think of very few reasons for PC being your platform of choice.

1. My main reason for PC being my preferred platform because, in my case, games are cheaper because of regional pricing. I live in the Philippines, a third world country, and some online stores sell games / keys that are significantly cheaper than their console version.
Just to cite a few examples:
Disco Elysium is 830 PHP on Steam. That's roughly equivalent to 17 USD.
Gears 5 is 1220 PHP on Steam. About 25 USD equivalent.

2. Mouse and keyboard controls for shooters. A preference, I guess.

3. Strategy games or moba if you're into that or at least if you would like to try them.

4. Mods. personally, I'm not a fan of mods. But if you would like for Mr. X in RE2 to appear like Pennywise the clown from "It" movie, or have Thomas The Tank engine train thing in Skyrim, then you may be in a world of fun.

 

[Classy Tomato]

I recommend you to pay a visit to Tizoc's excellent monthly highlights releases, like this one October Highlight.

Many great indie games that are currently only available on PC.

Get Total War Warhammer 2 if you want a strategy game that looks flashy.

Click to shrink...

And this one too.

 

[EloKa]

Steam will still have 2 sales in 2019. Join some PC community and check for special recommendations during those sales because you'll get some older games for very few bucks that are often some kind of "must have played" games. The suggested HumbleBundle is also a great way to create a big game library.

If you want one of those new graphic heavy, fancy and full-price PC only strategy games: you could check out Planet ZOO that gets released today.
Other than that: learn how to shop for deals by using pages like isthereanydeal

 

[arlu]

A livestream of the release of Planet Zoo is schedule to start at any moment now.
So excited for this game, looks so charming and seems like the management aspects are really tight. A true Zoo Tycoon sussesor.

 

[Timmm]

Subscribe to gamepass for PC, there is a decent library of games on it now, and itll give you a chance to try out a few different games for fairly cheap

 

[Deleted member 10795]

I have a Steam category called "PC Classics".

It's made up of games that are between 10 and 25+ years old. Some I play with a controller, some I play with mouse and keyboard. Some are management sims or strategy games, others are decades old multiplayer games that still have live and active servers. Some I have bought from Steam, others are DRM free from GOG.com. They can be modded if I want to. They all run on current hardware. Some of them have been in my Steam library for well over a decade and have never ceased to be playable or accessible.

Ultimately I think all of those things sum up PC gaming for me, without even mentioning raw graphics power or performance. Choice, accessibility, options and long term support.

 

[Pheace]

These are some of my favorites at the moment which I believe are not available on console. Also looking forward to Planet Zoo as mentioned and FTL is just amazing as well. I'd also recommend King of Dragon Pass/Six ages though they're highly narrative and closer to mobile games than PC.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/214730

Save 20% on RimWorld on Steam

A sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller. Generates stories by simulating psychology, ecology, gunplay, melee combat, climate, biomes, diplomacy, interpersonal relationships, art, medicine, trade, and more.

store.steampowered.com

Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut on Steam

Harebrained Schemes' biggest Shadowrun game to date, and the definitive Shadowrun RPG experience available on PC. Now a standalone title with tons of new content & improvements!

store.steampowered.com

https://store.steampowered.com/app/335620

https://store.steampowered.com/app/552620

https://store.steampowered.com/app/465490

https://store.steampowered.com/app/362960

https://store.steampowered.com/app/640820/Pathfinder_Kingmaker__Enhanced_Edition/

 

[Chromie]

Is this available on all consoles or just switch? How about the expansion? Civilization is just a classic PC series and 6 is a wonderful game.

Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI on Steam

Civilization VI is the newest installment in the award winning Civilization Franchise. Expand your empire, advance your culture and go head-to-head against history’s greatest leaders. Will your civilization stand the test of time?

store.steampowered.com

If you don't mind an older game the Vanpire the Masquerade is an incredible game. Definitely need to do some tweaking but there's a reason the new one has such big shows to fill.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines on Steam

Vampire®: The Masquerade-Bloodlines™ delivers a new type of RPG experience-one that blends all the core elements of a traditional RPG with the graphical richness, immediacy and brutal combat of a first-person action game. The game plunges players into the dark and gritty vampire underworld of...

store.steampowered.com

Dota 2, so much depth and stuff to learn. Incredible game but prepare to lose your life if you end up loving it.

Dota 2 on Steam

Every day, millions of players worldwide enter battle as one of over a hundred Dota heroes. And no matter if it's their 10th hour of play or 1,000th, there's always something new to discover. With regular updates that ensure a constant evolution of gameplay, features, and heroes, Dota 2 has...

store.steampowered.com

I don't think Grim Dawn ever came out on consoles. Great game and feels like a great spiritual successor to Titan Quest.

Save 75% on Grim Dawn on Steam

Enter an apocalyptic fantasy world where humanity is on the brink of extinction, iron is valued above gold and trust is hard earned. This ARPG features complex character development, hundreds of unique items, crafting and quests with choice & consequence.

store.steampowered.com

If you like games like Metro or well I can't think of anything else really but the STALKER games are excellent especially the first one. Still holds up with excellent mods to update the visuals, fix bugs and more.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl on Steam

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl tells a story about survival in the Zone – a very dangerous place, where you fear not only the radiation, anomalies and deadly creatures, but other S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who have their own goals and wishes.

store.steampowered.com

I don't really play shooters myself but playing things like Overwatch, Apex, or Fortnite is a different beast when using a mouse and keyboard.


I feel there's a ton of variety in just those games listed. Well worth a try.

 

[karnage10]

First when joining PC gaming you should add augmented steam to your browser, this extension will other oficial stores to the steam web page. this means that you can see where a game you like is being sold for less.
second i highly recomend taking the time to play a few strategy titles.
lastly if you don't mind some old classic games like half-life, World of warcraft, dungeon siege, baldurs gate,etc.

here are some screenshots of games i really like:

warhammer total war​

I'm a bit biased on this one since i did the OT
Big battles with 1000s of soldiers, from afar the battle is like this:

you can zoom it to be very close to the action

Crusader kings 2 ( base game is free)​

crusader kings is all about managing your char and managing your family so you can lead your dinasty to glory! except when you find a witch and she "gives" you an elixir that makes you imortal.

They are billions​

Maybe surviving an zombie infestation is more to your taste?

Total war three kingdoms​

If you like more grounded settings but still enjoy a sprinkle of fantasy why not take a look at this marvelous total war? lead your warlord to become the emperor of china during the three kingdoms period, just beware of Lu Bu

Football manager​

In the PC platform you can play the beatiful game in awy you might never have. While i like signing big starts i'm more of rising youngsters into stars type of manager.

Battlefleet gothic armada 2​

In the grim darkness of the future there is only war! In battlefleet you lead an armada to try and keep the ocularis system from falling to several species. It has some great space battles.

But maybe you prefer to explore the galaxy and instead of war you prefer other approaches. Whatever style you choose, stellaris has it.

I have 100s of hours in the previous games. I think they are some of the most fun i had in video games. I'd recommend you give them a try,

 

[karnage10]

A livestream of the release of Planet Zoo is schedule to start at any moment now.
So excited for this game, looks so charming and seems like the management aspects are really tight. A true Zoo Tycoon sussesor.

Click to shrink...

I really enjoyed jurassic world, compared to that hows this game coming along?

 

[ghostcrew]

play 1,400 hours of Euro Truck Simulator 2

Click to shrink...

This is the right answer.

Seriously, PC has the most exclusives of any platform due to it never having generation changes. You've got like 30 years of PC games to be smashing through. And even versions of old generation games that might have been on console but you can now play at whatever resolution you want with ultra graphics settings. You're gonna have a real good time exploring the ecosystem if it's your first gaming PC. Enjoy it!

My picks to add to all the things above...

- Devil Daggers. It's a crime that more people don't talk about this game. Run based Quake style arena thing. You basically try to survive as an onslaught of enemies run at you. It's hard to last even 60 seconds. It's amazing and dead cheap.
- Anno 1800. It came out this year and it's awesome and almost certainly not coming to consoles. Great strategy.
- Euro Truck Simulator 2 with mods. Seriously. It's amazing. It's the delivery game that Death Stranding (probably) wishes it was. Probably.
- PC VR. If you're ok with spending a bit more money you can experience the best there is to offer with VR. There are an absolute ton of PC only VR experiences and you don't necessarily need a monster rig to get an Oculus or Vive setup up and running. Investigate it!

 

[sredgrin]

I really enjoyed jurassic world, compared to that hows this game coming along?

Click to shrink...

By pretty much all accounts it's a better game.

 

[arlu]

I really enjoyed jurassic world, compared to that hows this game coming along?

Click to shrink...

During beta, it was really buggy, with various crashes and game-breaking situations, but the core concept was solid. Hopefully they have ironed out most problems and will continue to do so with updates and patches.

This one also has a sandbox mode, that lets you go as creative as you want, it's increadibly customizable, with a great build tool, allowing you to actually build many types of enclosures and facilites for your animals, staff and guesses.

 

[martincrimson87]

You should install Skyrim graphics mods and do a playthrough. Then you can fiddle with gameplay changing mods. And then you can install total conversions like endereal and more. You have 300 hours of gaming there.

If you have a strong enough CPU I would get into emulation as well. Sixth generation games can look amazing on a emulator.

Then I would get into PC specific genres.

 

[Dimajjio]

And even versions of old generation games that might have been on console but you can now play at whatever resolution you want with ultra graphics settings.

Click to shrink...

And good luck getting half the damn things to run properly nowadays. There's always some little niggle that you have to put up with or sort out.

 

[Parsnip]

You have a lot of new choices for games and genres that either literally don't exist on consoles or are compromised in some fashion.

I recommend you start posting in the PC Community thread, when we are not too busy arguing about EGA we still sometimes talk about games.

 

[Igniz12]

The great thing about PC gaming is the ability to carve out your own little gaming space away from the rest but not completely alienate yourself at the same time. If you decide you want to be part of the hype that is going on atm you can do that or if you want some distance from all that noise and just want to dig into a interesting game you stumbled upon you can do that too.

Its like building a house not far from the city that lets you enjoy all the good shit but also be able to unwind with some peace and quiet when and if you want to. And then you start getting into that really weird PC gaming shit and you're glad there isn't anyone around to judge you for it.....


Frankly I think it's a bad idea to get into it if can only muster up one reason to dive in but hopefully you find other things that can interest you. As a life long console gamer, I was introduced to games I never would have even imagine playing before but I was also open to trying out new stuff when I got my PC. Hope shit works out for you, good luck.

 

[pswii60]

Firstly, what consoles do you own?

Unless you own all 3 there will be various "console exclusives" on PC that aren't available on your current consoles - whether PS4 games like Nioh or Detroit, Switch games like Katana Zero or Baba is You, or the entirety of Microsoft's first party line-up on Xbox.

In terms of games only on PC right now, check out:

Supraland - a charming 3D Metroidvania extraordinaire
Amid Evil - amazing old-school style FPS like Heretic/Hexen
Ion Fury - it's a great Duke Nukem 3D style game sadly tainted by the developers being homophobic idiots
Dusk

EDIT: And just to say, if you don't own a Switch then Baba Is You should be at the top of your list! And Katana Zero not far below.