2015 has been an astonishingly good year for PC games. Whether you’ve been looking for a top-notch RPG to sink a hundred hours into, or a quick lunchtime blast of multiplayer brawling, PC games have offered something for every taste on a silver platter this year. And there’s still more to come. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of great games out there, let PCGamesN help out. This is our guide to the best new and upcoming games on PC. What's more, we’ve even rounded up the best games that came out in 2014, too.
The Best Released Games of 2015
Heroes of the Storm
It wasn’t going to be long until Blizzard entered the MOBA fray, and Heroes of the Storm is their stab at taking on Dota and League of Legends. Yet this 5v5 arena game isn’t just another Dota clone. Instead Blizzard have made a game that is vastly more accessible than your regular MOBA, whilst still tightly holding on to the core characteristics of the genre such as complex heroes and memorising skill sets.The heroes in question are favourites chosen from Blizzard’s IPs - Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft - and bring their unique approaches to battle arenas that not only ask teams to defeat each other, but also complete side-quests. Heroes of the Storm has multiple maps, each with unique themes and quests built in to divide up your attention. One requires you to power up a golem that can rampage through your enemy’s base, whilst another allows you to transform into an unstoppable Dragon Knight if you capture a shrine. Not only does this provide variety, but it’s intensely fun.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Gaming’s prettiest RPG returns in The Witcher 3 and this time we’ve got a true open world, allowing monster hunter Geralt to thunder around on horseback seamlessly from town to forests. After the last game’s regicide plot, Wild Hunt spins a yarn much closer to Geralt’s heart as he attempts to crack the mystery of his past.Dark moral choices pounce at you from every corner, and the consequences of your actions in the previous games hound you. Wise decisions aren't limited to just conversations, with combat now having a solid set of new magic signs to bolster Geralt’s arsenal. There’s now even choice in navigation, as Geralt can climb cliff-faces and hike lesser-trod paths. It’s all in aid of creating the most liberating RPG on the planet. The Witcher 3 is undoubtedly 2015’s most engrossing RPG.
Our Fraser loved it, awarding it an brilliant 9/10 for its almost flawless, mature adventure.
Grand Theft Auto V
We’ve been forced to wait over a year for it to arrive, but now Grand Theft Auto V is here on PC we've got the best version possible: huge resolution textures, heavier traffic, more wildlife to hunt, a first-person view, and framerates that don't bog you down. GTA’s satirical Los Angeles is huge, and it looks phenomenal on PC.It’s also a great game too, perhaps the best GTA Rockstar have made. Three distinctly different protagonists that you can swap between at any point drive the action, and the missions on offer never fail to entertain. And then there’s GTA Online that will become your weekend multiplayer go-to; a sandbox to get together with friends in and run amok, rob every bank in the state, and buy a sweet penthouse.
Matt thinks it's the best Grand Theft Auto has ever been, showering it with praise in his review.
Project CARS
Built on the Need for Speed: Shift engine, developer Slightly Mad Studios has worked with motorsport veterans such as Top Gear’s ex-Stig Ben Collins and Touring Car Cup winner Nicolas Hamilton (brother of Lewis) to ensure their simulation is as painstakingly accurate as possible. Systems to ensure tires behave as they should and how weather affects car handling are all implemented to make sure Project CARS is a key event on the racing game calendar.
Mad Max
With the Just Cause guys pulling the strings, you already know that the Mad Max films’ sense of violent insanity will be transferred wholesale into the game.
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.