With the advent of popular gaming software like Steam by Valve or GOG by CD Projekt RED, PC gaming is more popular than it has ever been. Over the last couple of decades, computer gaming quickly gained traction in the industry, and it’s no surprise when you consider some of the hit titles that have come out since back in the early 90s. Here are the ten most popular computer games of all time.
10. Myst, 1993
This game puts its players in the role of the Stranger as he traverses the island of Myst. Through the use of special artisan books and a fellow explorer, Atrus, the Stranger learns more about the island and its inhabitants, creating a compelling story with multiple possible endings. Because of its pull on players’ perception of reality, Myst turned out to be the bestselling PC game of its time, taking the gaming industry by total surprise.
9. The Sims, 2000
For the first time, players were able to play a game that simulated every day life, creating and living the lives of the in-game characters known as Sims. Not only did the game itself offer plenty of opportunities, but players could also install seven expansion packs that added a heavy amount of new content. Two years after release, the Sims knocked Myst out of its throne, becoming the newest bestselling PC game with over 6.3 million sales.
8. StarCraft 2, 2010
Because its predecessor was undoubtedly popular, millions of people quickly snatched up a copy of StarCraft 2 after its 12-year gap between the two games. While there had been a hardware overheating issue early on in its life, reviewers everywhere raved about its fun single player mode and hours of excitement available through the multiplayer. It is also the game of choice for popular eSports website Team Liquid.
7. Quake III Arena, 1999
Part of one of the series that defined competitive first person shooters on the PC, Quake III Arena offered a very balanced system for power ups, experience rewarded for levels and permitted the opportunity to create epic feats of death. To top it all off, the guns were adequately designed and satisfied players who used them to defeat their opposing foes.
6. Portal, 2007
Players take on the role of Chell, a trapped individual forced to run through various experiments using a gun that creates transportation portals. Originally released as an experiment itself through the Orange Box set, Portal quickly went postal, selling four million copies just outside of sales through Steam–these numbers are not released. This is also the origin of the popular song “Still Alive,” written by Jonathan Coulton and voiced by antagonist GLaDOS’ actress, Ellen McLain.
5. Minecraft, 2009/2011
It would be lunacy not to consider Minecraft as one of the most popular computer games of all time. At the time of writing, there are 42 million registered users, nearly 18 percent of whom have purchased the full game–that is 7.5 million in sales alone. In this game, players are set in a three-dimensional world with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Using only a fist, players must punch trees to craft items to gather resources that craft better items.
4. Doom, 1993
Though the engine is now obsolete, Doom was reported to have roughly 10 million players enjoying the title in the first two years of its life. For its time, Doom offered a great extension on the old engine used to make Wolfenstein, such as different ceiling heights for different rooms, complete wall textures and rooms that weren’t just perpendicular and rectangular. It also soared in popularity thanks to the ability to create custom levels using the engine.
3. World of Warcraft, 2004
At one time, Blizzard’s World of Warcraft boasted 12 million active subscribers. However, it does not reach the number one spot due to that number heavily bleeding, though one cannot deny its supreme popularity since its 2004 release. The only MMO on the list, World of Warcraft allows its players to pick from various classes and races as they level up all the way to level 90.
2. Unreal Tournament, 1999
Unreal Tournament is not the only game in its series that offered its fun game modes, but it was the first one to provide the portable nuke, which as quickly become a staple in current game series like Call of Duty. Additionally, it offered the gaming mode Facing Worlds that was one of the more popular modes in the game, close only to Capture the Flag.
1. Team Fortress 2, 2007
The sequel to the game that started as a Quake mod, Team Fortress 2 is one game that continues to keep a huge fan base. While it is not possible to tell how many copies have sold as most were sold through Steam, a quick glance at the Steam stats at any given time of the day shows tens of thousands of people playing Team Fortress 2 even five years after release, easily making it the winner for this list.
Article by:
ArcadePreHacks, hacked arcade games portal