PC gaming has had a rough couple of years. The Covid-19 pandemic has put a lot of holes in the usual routine, do not get me wrong. We’ve had plenty of great online Windows Games to talk about and play, but there are still some important things to consider. This year, excitement and optimism were hindered by the concern that no matter what games were announced or how awesome they looked, they’d be years away, with logos taken straight from the pitch document.
The gaming industry is poised for a strong year in 2022, despite several delays. New casino games from beloved studios and sequels to classic PC games are driving the indie scene exponentially larger and more surprising than ever in 2022. The genres that have been described as dead will appear to be alive and well in 2022. A considerable number of live service games will remain available, and games will be more affordable and accessible than ever before. Furthermore, Valve recently announced a new low-cost portable computer.
Kerbal Space Program
It will be tough to follow in the footsteps of Kerbal Space Program 2. But what could be better than one of the purest and best PC games of all time? It’s hard to say. In the past, better learning tools and more building material have been the answers, but now it is possible to build entire colonies in multiplayer. If Private Division manages to bring the additions up to the quality and depth of everything in the original, KSP2 will be fantastic. At least, we hope so.
Starfield
Since Bethesda picked up the Fallout mantle in 2008, it has over half a decade to prove itself, but Starfield already gets points for being the company’s first new setting in six years. Bethesda’s RPGs are legendary whether you love them or hate them, so we’re tempering our expectations. Starfield, however, has been simmering for quite some time. Skyrim’s world is still with us, thanks to PC modders. It will be interesting to see how it has been carried since its release.
Elder Ring
In early 2019, FromSoftware released Sekiro, a great action title, but Five years after Sekiro, FromSoftware’s last RPG had still not arrived. Instead, a new “Elder Ring” game is soon to release, featuring a world built by George R.R. Martin, the most complex world ever created by FromSoftware, including improvements in character development. FromSoftware still reigns supreme when it comes to RPGs and dungeons, and Elden Ring should be the culmination of their famous jail crawls, starting with Rogue, then Ultima Underworld, and, hopefully, Elden Ring.
Redfall
Redfall’s double-whammy is sure to delight PC players. Arkane, the studio behind some of the best Dishonored games, developed this cooperative multiplayer title. The team knows how to make systems work together in a way that is exciting, no matter what that result is, from slowing downtime, so a guard kicks his friend in the face to feeding rats to the entire regiment. Redfall is also part of the second wave of games with vampires, such as Left 4 Dead. Even though we would gladly welcome a Left 4 Dead 3, its absence led to the timeline we have today.
Stalker 2
Stalker 2 is a real thing. The last time we saw the unforgiving nuclear sandbox was in 2009 with Call of Pripyat from GSC Studios. However, those old games’ technology, design, and graphics lacked the quality to live up to the ideas. With more than just a sequel, Stalker 2 takes stalking to a whole new level. Even though the trailer was tightly scripted, we’re excited about another haunted adventure in which modern technology supports supernatural terrors in an open world with no regard for how we behave. Oh, and campfire singing. We just hope the shiny surface doesn’t erase all its character.
Honorable Mentions
Here are our top 5 best windows games that you have to play in 2022, but there are a few more honorable mentions that we feel you shouldn’t miss on trying either.
Baldur’s Gate 3 – Baldur’s Gate 3 Early Access already has a massive amount of content in it, including Act 1 fully playable, but Larian is holding back on the remaining content until it is ready. However, the fact that Larian releases new classes, combat changes, and fixes regularly indicates that they are responding rapidly to feedback. In addition, the writing, the potential for clever solutions and chaos, and the combat in Baldur’s Gate 3 makes us believe that the game will be worth the wait.
Lord of the Rings: Gollum – The Lord of the Rings: Gollum hasn’t shown us much about its gameplay yet, despite a few screens and a few teasers. The premiere of the first-ever Gollum gameplay trailer at the Future Games Show, available above or on YouTube, changed today.
The protagonist wanders through the Mount Doom neighborhood and maybe even the poisoned bowels of Isengard as the clip proceeds. Although it does not provide any details, it does remind us of Styx, another game series featuring an undersized hero silently stumbling through an industrial landscape. However, there is no question that Styx is more violent because it is about an assassin who is best friends with the largest orc in the universe.
Company of Heroes 3 – Another one of the most outstanding RTS series is back with Company of Heroes 3. The in-depth preview and conversation with Relic’s developers present a complex, turn-based tactical campaign mode that transitions into more conventional RTS skirmishes. A particularly interesting addition is a tactical pause, which allows you to issue commands while the action slows down.
