One of the many benefits of the gaming industry's booming popularity is the range of games that players can now choose from, with numerous new titles released every week. There are few notable genres today that aren't receiving new games at least every month, with first-person shooters and action-adventure games constantly pouring in, while indie developers have revived oft-forgotten genres over the last decade like point-and-click adventures and side-scrolling platformers.

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However, while endless choices can be great, it can be expensive to keep hopping between linear and short games. Although short and concise games are great, it's always nice to have a couple of games to sink hundreds of hours into and still feel like there's more to do. Thankfully, PC gamers have plenty of games like this to choose from, that can save them from spending money on a new game for months.

7 The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

A close up image of the Dragonborn from The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.

The argument as to which is the best action-RPG game of all time is one that will rage on forever and never be solved. However, it can be argued that Skyrim offers the quintessential action role-playing experience​​​.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was first released, believe it or not, over ten years ago now, but is still one of the most played games on PC. The game's popularity can be attributed to just how much freedom players have to choose their own path, as one player can easily sink hundreds of hours into creating a powerful warrior that fights countless battles, while another player can spend months living a peaceful and passive virtual life with market trading, house building, and material crafting being top of their agenda.

6 Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley farm with crops.

Stardew Valley was first released in February 2016 before arriving on a vast range of modern systems due to high demand, including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

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Like Skyrim, Stardew Valley has a hands-off approach in the sense that it lets players embark on their own journey and create their own stories. Although the game may initially appear to be predominantly just about farming, Stardew Valley will soon open up and become more of a life simulator where players can build relationships with townsfolk and feel like a part of the virtual community.

5 Civilization 6

Specialty Districts From Civilization 6

The Civilization series has been a cornerstone of the turn-based strategy genre for decades. As the name suggests, the game tasks players with creating a thriving civilization between the years 4000 BC and 2050 AD. Civilization 6 almost never reaches 2050 AD, however, as players are battling it out to reach one of the game's victory conditions which include Science, Domination, and Culture.

Civilization 6 is essentially a virtual board game with endless replayability, as there are numerous leaders to use, maps to try, and strategies to employ.

4 The Total War Series

Combat on the battlefield

Whereas the Civilization series has been a cornerstone of the turn-based strategy genre, the Total War series is a pillar of real-time strategy games. The Total War franchise began in June 2000 with Shogun: Total War and has since released a plethora of games covering various historical periods and recently the fantasy setting of Warhammer.

Although the combat in Total War games is real-time strategy, the game has plenty of turn-based mechanics outside of combat when players are planning their attacks, dealing with diplomacy issues, and trying to keep civilians healthy and happy.

3 Football Manager 22

Promo art for Football Manager 2022

For those who would rather battle it out with a ball at their feet instead of a sword in their hand, then Football Manager 22 offers the perfect solution.

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The game is an absolute dream for anyone who has ever fantasized about managing their favorite team, as Football Manager 22, like its predecessors, goes into an incredible amount of detail and lets players take charge of a huge range of management aspects, such as training, tactics, scouting, youth development, transfers, and much, much more.

2 Minecraft

minecraft villagers and logo

Minecraft is often described as a modern take on Lego, and it's easy to see why. The game's creative mode lets players' imaginations run wild as they're given all the tools to create stunning houses, monuments, entire cities, and numerous other wonderful creations.

Minecraft's survival mode takes a different approach, as although players can still craft stunning creations over time, they also need to watch out for deadly enemies, mine resources, cook and eat food, build-essential items, and more. The possibilities are endless in Minecraft, with a lack of imagination often being the only constraint.

1 Elden Ring

elden ring mounted combat

Elden Ring is the most recent game to release on this list, having hit stores in February 2022. The game had a huge weight of expectations on its shoulders due to FromSoftware's strong track record, though the Japanese studio didn't disappoint, and even managed to surpass the expectations of many fans and critics with its whopping 96 Metascore.

Elden Ring shakes up the Soulsborne formula by introducing an open world for the first time. The world's size is simply incredible, with numerous castles, dungeons, and of course, tough bosses to find along the way. Although unlike many games on this list, Elden Ring does have an ending, it's still easy to pour hundreds of hours into the game due to how much there is to explore and how many weapons and items there are to wield and use that are practically begging the player to try multiple builds throughout numerous playthroughs.

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