2021] If You Buy a Gaming PC, I Want You to Play! Game writers select 13 PC games you should buy now!

Free Division

Call of Duty: Warzone

• Release date: March 10, 2020
• Genre: Battle Royale, FPS, Multiplayer, Free
• Price: Free
• Maker: Infinity Ward, Raven Software

This is a free battleroy in the Call of Duty series. Originally one of the game modes in the 2019 release of CALL OF DUTY®: MODERN WARFARE, it was released this year for free for everyone to play. The maximum number of players is a whopping 150. It also supports cross-play (simultaneous play on different platforms) and cross-progression (account takeover on different platforms).

With a score of 80 on both Opencritic and Metacritic, the game has surpassed 60 million downloads in its first two months, thanks in large part to its popular genre and cross-play support, and has been ranked by viewers in real-time on Twitch as "Escape From Tarkov," In the real-time viewer ranking on Twitch, it is always ranked in the top 5 along with other very famous games such as "Escape From Tarkov", "Minecraft", and "Fortnite".

VALORANT

• Release date: June 2, 2020
• Genre: FPS, free
• Price: Free
• Maker: Riot Games

Free to play, developed by Riot Games, famous for developing and managing "League of Legends", a simple tactical FPS in which 10 players (5 vs. 5) fight against each other, making full use of the abilities (special powers) and guns assigned to each character. The game is a simple tactical FPS with 5 vs. 5 players, each with their own abilities and guns.

The game has an Opencritic score of 81 and a Metacritic score of 80. I myself was so hooked on the game that it is no exaggeration to say that it was the game I played the most in 2020. The game is free to play, so you can start playing right away after downloading.

Multiplayer category

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War

• Release date: November 13, 2020
• Genre: Action shooter, FPS, cooperative play, PVP
• Price: 8,690 yen (tax included)
• Publisher: Treyarch,Raven Software

A sequel to "Call of Duty: Black Ops" and the latest in the series. The setting of this title is the turbulent Cold War era in the early 1980's, when countries are fighting for supremacy. In the campaign mode, players will meet historical figures and face harsh truths as they battle it out in iconic locations around the world, including East Berlin, Vietnam, Turkey, and Soviet KGB headquarters.

Multiplayer mode offers a variety of combat options, from small-scale battles to all-out warfare with Cold War-era weapons and equipment, as well as vehicle-based combat. Uncover the dark underbelly of the macabre Cold War experiments in Zombies mode (cooperative play) and collaborate with friends and online players to destroy the zombies.

The game has been rated a bit harshly by Opencritic with a score of 76 and Metacritic with a score of 77, but it is a very popular game that consistently ranks high in Twitch's real-time viewer rankings.

Risk of Rain 2

• Release date: August 11, 2020
• Genre: TPS, multiplayer
• Price: 2,570 yen
• Maker: Hopoo Games

This is a TPS perspective game developed by Seattle developer Hopoo Games. The setting is a strange planet. The player must battle hordes of raging monsters on a strange planet where they have crash-landed and try to escape. The game can be played solo, of course, but it also supports cooperative play for up to three players, so you can play with a friend.

The game was nominated for a Steam Award in the co-op category, and is very popular among my friends.

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

• Release date: August 4, 2020
• Genre: Battle Royale, PVP, party game
• Price: 2,050 yen
• Maker: Mediatonic

A large-scale online party game for up to 60 players. Players can participate in a variety of events, such as a race to the finish line by overcoming obstacles, or a team battle in which players are divided into three teams and compete for eggs until the last man standing is eliminated. Games are decided at random, and you can participate with up to three friends. If a friend is behind you in a racing game, you can block the other players' paths to stop them so that your friend can finish. The more you play, the more cute skins you get.

Fall Guys was one of the most popular games around me and on video sites, a casual break from FPS and other nerve-wracking games, with a score of 80 on both Metacritic and Opencritic.

DOOM Eternal

• Release date: March 20, 2020
• Genre: FPS, Action
• Price: 8,618 yen
• Manufacturer: Bethesda Softworks

The sequel to the award-winning 2016 blockbuster hit DOOM®. Upon returning home, the Doomslayer's eyes are met with a daemon-invaded Earth. ...... Players take on the role of the Doomslayer and must complete a long and grueling mission to defeat the threat from hell.

The game engine is idTech 7, which delivers a raging FPS battle that transcends dimensions. The most notable feature, however, is the 2-on-1 multiplayer mode! It is a breakdown of one fully armed doomslayer vs. two player-controlled daemons. This is an asymmetrical PvP battle of multiple players vs. solo.

With a score of 89 on Opencritic and 88 on Metacritic, the game has a high rating rate on Steam reviews and is definitely recommended for FPS lovers.

Single-player category

Cyberpunk 2077

• Release date: December 10, 2020
• Genre: Cyberpunk, open world, RPG
• Price: 8,778 yen
• Maker: CD PROJEKT RED

This game was released this December after two release delays. It is based on the concept of cyberpunk and takes place in "Night City," a huge city in the future crowded with skyscrapers. It is an open-world action RPG in which the main character "V" (Vee) is in pursuit of a mysterious implant.

The game has a score of 78 on Opencritic and 86 on Metacritic, which is close to a bad review despite the number of sales, but the game itself, including the story and worldview, has a very good reputation and is definitely recommended.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

• Release date: November 10, 2020
• Genre: Open World, Action, Adventure, RPG
• Price: 9,240 yen
• Publisher: Ubisoft Montreal

The latest title in the popular action RPG "Assassin's Creed" series. Players take on the role of the legendary Viking "Avor" and embark on a journey in search of glory. Explore Dark Age England, sack enemy lands, develop settlements, and increase your political power.

With an Opencritic score of 84 and a Metacritic score of 93, this is definitely a game we recommend, with a very high score on Metacritic.

Hades

• Release date: September 17, 2020
• Genre: Rogue-like action, action, indie
• Price: 2,570 yen
• Maker: Supergiant Games

This roguelike action game is based on Greek mythology. A roguelike game is a game in which a new map or dungeon is generated each time you play. Each time you play, the stage changes and you can enjoy thrilling battles.

Hades is highly acclaimed overseas and is often rated as the most interesting indie game released in 2020, with a Metacritic score of 93 and an Opencritic score of 94 as of December 2020. As of December 2020, the game has received a Metacritic score of 93 and an Opencritic score of 94.

Currently, the game is not available in Japanese, but you can rest assured that the dialogue and story have been translated by volunteers. A Switch version is also in the works, so we can look forward to future support for this game.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

• Release date: March 11, 2020
• Genre: 2D game, action, adventure
• Price: 3,132 yen
• Maker: Moon Studios GmbH

A sequel to "Ori and the Blind Forest," this 2D action-adventure game features a sad story about a father and son owl and stunningly beautiful graphics. The main character is Ori, a small spirit of a parentless child destined to become a hero. Ori's new journey begins in a fantastical and vast world.

Ori and the Blind" has received a score of 90 on Opencritic, 88 on Metacritic, and "overwhelmingly positive reviews" on Steam. Why not play it along with the previous title "Ori and the Blind Forest"?

VR Compatible Section

Half-Life: Alyx

• Release date: March 24, 2020
• Genre: VR, FPS, Shooter, Horror
• Price: 6,290 yen
• Maker: Valve

A VR version of Valve's Half-Life series, this VR shooter is set between Half-Life and Half-Life 2. The most brilliant scientist on the planet, the protagonist Alix Vance and her father, Dr. Eli Vance, are the only hope to save humanity from extinction. The story is about their secretive scientific work and their efforts to confront the brutal aliens and the Combine.

With a score of 92 on Opencritic, 93 on Metacritic, and "overwhelmingly positive" on Steam, this is one of the best-received VR games of all time.

Phasmophobia

• Release date: September 19, 2020
• Genre: Horror, VR, Cooperative, Multiplayer
• Price: 1,420 yen
• Publisher: Kinetic Games

This VR-compatible horror game allows players to experience ghost extermination from a first-person perspective. Players must analyze the characteristics of ghosts that appear in paranormal phenomena to identify the type of ghost, and then perform repelling methods (such as throwing salt) appropriate for each ghost to exterminate it.

There are more than 10 different types of ghosts in the game. Each ghost has a name and unique characteristics, such as the ghost that leaves fingerprints on doors and walls, or the ghost that makes you want to doodle when you find a notebook.

The game also supports cooperative play for up to four players, so you and your friends can enjoy an unseasonal test of courage together. Cross-play is also supported, so one person can play in VR while the other three play together as usual.

It is the only game introduced here that has not been rated on either Metacritic or Opencritic, but it is a popular game that consistently ranks in the top sales rankings on Steam and in the real-time viewer rankings on Twitch.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

• Release date: August 2020
• Genre: Simulation, flight simulator, VR
• Price: 7,452 yen
• Maker: Microsoft, Asobo Studio, Microsoft Studio

As the name suggests, this is a VR-compatible flight simulator for Windows PC made by Microsoft. What is noteworthy is that it is not casual and easy to enjoy, but realistic, taking dozens of hours from downloading to actually flying. The excitement you will feel when you are able to fly after rigorous training will be immeasurable.

The Opencritic score is 92, and the Metacritic score is 91, which is quite high, but according to Steam reviews, the download alone takes quite a long time. If you're still fierce enough to want to play it, by all means buy it.