2026 has been a strong year for PC players. Big console games are arriving on PC on the same day, there have been excellent new series, and some of the best-reviewed games of the year are PC-first. Here are the best PC games released in 2026 so far, followed by the classics that still deserve a place on your hard drive.
Best new PC games of 2026
1 Forza Horizon 6
The Horizon series finally goes to Japan, on the biggest map the series has ever had. Expect a huge car list, changing seasons and the relaxed, festival-style open-world racing that made earlier games so popular. It launched on PC and Xbox, with a PS5 version coming later.
Play it if: you like cars, driving fast and exploring at your own pace.
2 Crimson Desert
A large, interactive fantasy world that blends single-player adventure with ongoing updates. It offers a lot of content, and patches since launch have improved it.
3 Resident Evil Requiem
Classic Resident Evil tension with modern polish, two playable characters with different styles, and multiple endings. Capcom's RE Engine games also tend to run well on a wide range of PCs.
4 Pragmata
Shoot enemies while solving a quick hacking puzzle to weaken them. It is one of the most original action games of the year, and GamesRadar+ currently ranks it as its number one PC game.
5 007 First Light
A fresh, young James Bond with gadgets, stealth and spectacular set pieces, from the studio behind Hitman.
6 The Blood of Dawnwalker
The first game from a studio founded by veterans of The Witcher 3. You play differently by day and by night, the story runs on a time limit, and your choices change how it ends.
7 Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred
A big expansion with a long campaign, new classes, improved end-game and higher difficulty levels up to Torment 12. A great time to return to Diablo IV.
8 Big Walk
One of the best-reviewed games of the year, built for playing together with friends.
9 Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations
An expansion for Doom: The Dark Ages that ranks among the highest-scored releases of the year.
10 Mina the Hollower
A retro-style action adventure from the makers of Shovel Knight. Runs on almost any PC, so it is perfect for laptops.
Why 2026 has been a good year to game on PC
A few trends have made PC gaming especially attractive this year. More big games are launching on PC on the same day as consoles, instead of months later. Microsoft releases its own games on PC and through PC Game Pass at launch, and Sony continues to bring many of its PlayStation games to PC. Upscaling technologies mean that even modest graphics cards can run new games well. And the PC remains the home of the most creative independent games, many of which are small, affordable and run on almost anything.
The one big exception this year is GTA 6, which launches on consoles first. If Rockstar follows its past pattern, PC players may need to wait, but the PC version of a Rockstar game is usually worth it, with higher frame rates, sharper graphics and a large community of modders.
Best PC games by genre
- Racing: Forza Horizon 6 for open-world fun; browser racing games for quick sessions.
- Horror: Resident Evil Requiem.
- Action: Pragmata, 007 First Light and Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations.
- Role-playing: The Blood of Dawnwalker, Crimson Desert, Baldur's Gate 3 and The Witcher 3.
- Loot and grind: Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred and, from December, Path of Exile 2.
- With friends: Big Walk, plus co-op in Baldur's Gate 3.
- Short and indie: Mina the Hollower, Hades II, Outer Wilds and Hollow Knight.
PC classics that are still worth playing
| Game | Genre | Why it's great |
|---|---|---|
| Baldur's Gate 3 | RPG | Huge freedom, great writing, co-op |
| Elden Ring | Action RPG | The best open world for players who like a challenge |
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | RPG | Memorable characters and side quests |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | Open-world western | Incredible detail and one of the best PC versions |
| Kingdom Come: Deliverance II | Historical RPG | Realistic medieval world, great with mouse and keyboard |
| Hades II | Roguelike | Polished combat, art and mythology |
| Minecraft | Sandbox | Endless creativity, runs on almost anything |
| Hollow Knight | Metroidvania | A beautiful, deep underground world |
| Outer Wilds | Exploration | A time-loop mystery where knowledge is your upgrade |
| Disco Elysium | Narrative RPG | A detective story with no combat and brilliant writing |
Best PC games for low-end PCs and laptops
You do not need an expensive graphics card to play great games. These run well on older or basic machines:
- Mina the Hollower, Hollow Knight, Into the Breach and Disco Elysium: light 2D or isometric games.
- Minecraft: scale the render distance down and it runs on most laptops.
- Hades II: well optimised and smooth on modest hardware.
- Browser games: no install and no graphics card needed. You can play free HTML5 games on Pikashowsgames instantly.
Will this game run on my PC?
Every PC game lists minimum and recommended requirements on its store page. Minimum means the game will start and be playable on the lowest settings. Recommended means a smooth experience at medium to high settings. The three parts that matter most are:
- Graphics card (GPU): the most important part for games. Compare your card's model with the one listed.
- Processor (CPU): important for large worlds, strategy games and games with many characters on screen.
- Memory (RAM): 16 GB is now the comfortable amount for most new games; 8 GB is enough for lighter and older ones.
To find what is inside your PC on Windows, open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and look at the Performance tab, which shows your processor, memory and graphics card.
Where to buy PC games
| Store | Good to know |
|---|---|
| Steam | The biggest PC store, with frequent sales, user reviews and a refund policy for games played less than two hours within 14 days |
| Epic Games Store | Gives away free games every week and has regular sales |
| GOG | Sells games without DRM copy protection, plus many classic games updated to run on modern PCs |
| PC Game Pass | A subscription with a large library, including Microsoft's own games on launch day |
| Publisher launchers | EA app, Ubisoft Connect and Battle.net sell their own publishers' games directly |
Avoid "key reseller" sites with prices that look too good to be true. Keys from unofficial sellers can be revoked, which means you may lose the game later.
Handheld gaming PCs
Since Valve released the Steam Deck in 2022, handheld gaming PCs have become a popular way to play PC games on the sofa or while travelling. Other makers have followed with Windows handhelds such as the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go. Games that run well on lower settings, including Hades II, Hollow Knight, Mina the Hollower and Disco Elysium, are perfect on these devices. On Steam, look for the "Steam Deck Verified" label to know a game will work well.
Keep your PC game-ready
A little maintenance keeps a gaming PC running well for years:
- Update your graphics driver regularly, especially before a big new game, as new drivers often include fixes and speed-ups for recent releases.
- Keep some SSD space free. A nearly full drive can slow down loading and updates.
- Clean the dust from fans and filters every few months. A dusty PC runs hotter and louder, and may slow itself down to stay cool.
- Watch the temperatures if games suddenly start stuttering. Overheating is a common cause, especially in laptops.
- Remove launchers and apps that start with Windows but you rarely use, to free up memory for games.
Mouse and keyboard or controller?
One of the best things about PC gaming is that you can choose. Shooters and strategy games are usually easier with a mouse and keyboard, because aiming and clicking are faster and more precise. Racing games, platformers and third-person action games such as Forza Horizon 6, Resident Evil Requiem and 007 First Light often feel more natural with a controller. Most modern PC games support Xbox and PlayStation controllers out of the box.
Quick tips for better performance
- Update your graphics driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel before starting a new game.
- Use upscaling such as DLSS, FSR or XeSS if your game supports it. It can greatly increase frame rates.
- Install games on an SSD, not a hard drive, for much shorter loading times.
- Close background apps such as browsers with many tabs.
- Plug in your laptop: many laptops slow down the GPU on battery power.
Should you build or buy a gaming PC?
Building your own PC usually gives you more performance for the money, lets you choose exactly the parts you want and makes upgrades easy later. It is not as hard as it looks, and there are many step-by-step guides and videos. Buying a pre-built PC or a gaming laptop saves time and comes with a single warranty, which many people prefer. Whichever you choose, spend the largest share of your budget on the graphics card, because it has the biggest effect on how games run.
Upscaling and frame generation, explained simply
You will see the terms DLSS (NVIDIA), FSR (AMD) and XeSS (Intel) in almost every new PC game's settings. They all do a similar job: the game is drawn at a lower resolution, which is faster, and clever software then sharpens it up to your screen's resolution. The result often looks almost as good as full resolution, with a much higher frame rate.
Many newer games also offer frame generation, which creates extra in-between frames to make motion look smoother. It works best when the game already runs reasonably well, and it can add a small delay to your controls, so competitive players often turn it off.
If a new game runs poorly, try the upscaler's "Quality" or "Balanced" mode before lowering other settings. It is usually the single biggest performance boost available.
Try before you commit
PC players have more ways to test a game than anyone else. Many games offer free demos, especially during Steam's regular Next Fest events, which showcase hundreds of upcoming games with playable demos. PC Game Pass lets you try a large library for the price of a single month. And Steam's refund policy means that if a game does not run well on your hardware, you can usually get your money back as long as you request it within 14 days and have played for under two hours. Use these options before spending full price on a game you are unsure about.
Coming soon to PC
December brings Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV (3 Dec) and Path of Exile 2 (11 Dec). GTA 6 is console-only at launch, and Rockstar has not announced a PC date. See our November and December release calendar.
Want great games that cost nothing? Read The Best Free PC Games.