2020 has been a year where people have needed great games more than ever before. Game studios take years to produce a game so it's hard to estimate when they might finally hit store shelves. Still, in a year like 2020, it's hard to not wonder if the cosmic deity of gaming has chosen to bless the year with how fantastic releases took place.
It can be difficult for gamers to get their hands on the Xbox Series X or the Playstation 5 with such high demand, many are simply playing games on their PCs. Thankfully they have marvelous titles to choose from.
10 Observer: System Redux
Bloober Team released one of the best psychological horror games of the decade. It was nominated for several awards and won some as well! There were even rumors it might be made into a movie. So when a remake was announced for the PC to be released in 2020 fans were hoping it would be of the same quality.
They weren't disappointed. The game takes on the cyberpunk genre masterfully and is one of the best examples of horror that can be found on the PC to play in 2020.
9 Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Imagine being able to buy six of the most iconic first-person shooter games of all time with graphical enhancements to play on the PC. No need to imagine it when Halo: The Master Chief Collection exists! The ability to play Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4 all in one convenient remastered package is hard to rival.
8 Ori And The Will Of The Wisps
Ori and the Blind Forest won and was nominated for so many awards they could be a list of itself. So when Moon Studios announced a sequel was on the way fans were clamoring to get a look at how the platforming genre might be innovated next.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps has just as strong gameplay as the previous game and is already nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Score and Music, and Best Action/Adventure Game for the 2020 Game Awards. Needless to say, this game is one of the best this year has to offer on PC.
7 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series is back in action and better than ever before! The first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game was released all the way back in August 1999 and its sequel in September 2000 so seeing the games in remastered glory over twenty years later is quite a sight. The game offers a chance to once again play some of the best levels the series has to offer alongside unlocking wacky characters the series is known for. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+ 2 is perfect for nostalgic fans or players looking to try a skateboarding game for the first time
6 There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension
One of the greatest games of 2020 had a failed Kickstarter campaign? Yes, it's true! Puzzle game fans met their hilarious match when There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension was released in August 2020. Based on ideas from a game jam game called There Is No Game, this game breaks into the meta-humor of games itself while still providing a challenging experience. To say any more on the game would enter spoiler territory and this is one title worth seeing all of the surprises fresh in.
5 Spelunky 2
2020 is a year for fantastic sequels and Spelunky 2 is no different! The game has received numerous positive reviews and with online multiplayer co-op play on the way for the PC, it's set to become the perfect platforming experience to pick up with friends this year. Fans of the first game in the series should be sure to pick this game up — it is one of the best games released this year on any platform but especially on PC.
4 Crusader Kings III
Fans have waited eight years since the release of Crusader Kings II and can finally play a well-built sequel! The game can be intimidating to get into at first, but Crusader Kings III didn't sell over a million copies in the first month by not being fun to play.
There are some crazy things players can do in Crusader Kings 3 and some absolutely wild challenges to take on. Any games where players can eat the Pope deserves to be on a list like this one, right?
3 Microsoft Flight Simulator
It's hard to believe the original Microsoft Flight Simulator was released all the way back in 1982. Players back then couldn't have imagined the game would one day be playable in VR nor had any idea it would maintain its excellent quality over thirty-eight years. It offers the safest way to "travel" in 2020 and has been deemed a Must Play Game by Metacritic.
2 Hades
Supergiant Games released Hades on PC on September 17, 2020 and the internet has been buzzing about the game ever since. This roguelike game bends the traditional mythos of the Greek pantheon and offers challenging yet rewarding gameplay on a level most other games can only dream of. Time Magazine listed Hades in its Top 10 Games of 2020 and it's also up for Game of the Year. The only question PC players should be asking about Hades is why it isn't already in their game library.
1 Half-Lyfe: Alyx
"It's been 84 years..." Okay, maybe we didn't ride the Titanic and it's only been sixteen years, but a third Half-Life game has been a meme as fans dreamed of it existing for all that time. Then, on March 23, 2020, Half-Life: Alyx was released. The game was thankfully worth the long wait and had 43,000 concurrent players upon release with Twitch hitting over 300,000 people watching streams for the game at its highest point.
The game also has one of the best VR adaptations of all time and has already won the Game of The Year award from the VR Awards. With four separate nominations for the Game Awards this year it's no wonder that the game is considered one of the best available in 2020.