Steam offers many great games to suit every gamer’s tastes – from massive fantasy worlds to pixel shooters. There’s sure to be something suitable here for anyone!
Divinity: Original Sin II epitomizes what makes an epic RPG, with its sprawling story and immersive gameplay, while XCOM 2 delivers thrilling tactical strategy with branching storylines, permadeath characters, and deadly dungeons.
1. Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley may at times seem daunting (with its full farming schedule, birthday celebrations, and unique mini-cutscenes for each character, as well as optional activities like fishing, mining, and visiting the Witch’s Swamp), yet it is an enjoyable experience nonetheless. Stardew Valley remains true to the core principles of its predecessors, such as cultivating land and building relationships among townspeople while adding light touches that extend gameplay optionally.
Players begin the game when they receive a letter on their grandfather’s deathbed, prompting them to abandon their cubicle job at Joja Corporation and travel out into the countryside. There, they discover an engaging community with real people instead of anime-inspired stereotypes; everyone here is welcoming, kind-hearted, and pleasant company!
Stardew Valley features various seasonal events, from luaus and mazes to luau parties and haunted houses. There are also plenty of things to do around town, from picking flowers for bouquets to exploring procedurally generated caves full of monsters, making Stardew Valley one of the most addictive and engaging games out there and an absolute pleasure to play!
Stardew Valley stands apart from other farm simulators by rewarding players for each achievement, both large and small. It combines rewarding gameplay with impeccable narrative warmth to produce one of the finest examples of its genre in recent memory; an active fanbase provides mods to customize it for players further.
2. Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium was one of the best games of 2014, and now, with The Final Cut release, it is even better. This edition adds new quests, tweaks to dialogue and story, and, more importantly, has voice acting throughout most of its playthrough!
Voice acting is one of the critical innovations of Disco Elysium. Not only is the writing incredible and perfectly captures character quirks, but when combined with voice acting, it takes on an entirely new dynamic. Over a million words were spoken during that adventure on Revachol island alone! Hearing Cindy the Skull or speed-addicted twelve-year-old Cuno express their thoughts makes the world seem much more alive!
Disco Elysium is an engaging, story-driven role-playing game with a distinctive edge. Instead of creating your custom character, this story-driven RPG places you into the shoes of an alcoholic detective with a mutton chop. Stat distribution and dialogue options let you shape their actions according to your thoughts, and watching their interactions is pure delight!
This game’s visuals visually evoke oil paintings, and each character is beautifully drawn. Additionally, its soundtrack is fantastic, and the blend of music and dialogue creates an immersive audiovisual experience that won’t fade from your memory soon after the credits roll. It is a must-play for anyone interested in storytelling in the RPG genre. Recently patched to fix most progression blockers on PC for an exceptional experience, console players may need to wait longer until the full development of the game.
3. Papers Please
Lucas Pope describes Papers Please as a dystopian document thriller in its creator’s description, taking place in an Eastern Bloc-esque country named Arstotzka. You play as an immigration inspector tasked with reviewing the passports and paperwork of those seeking entry. Every day can be challenging when reviewing individuals seeking entry into your nation. It is an experience made all the more emotionally taxing by its 16-bit visuals and Eastern Bloc soundtrack of parps, sinister trills, and garbled Tannoy announcements. Papers: Please be sure to put your nerves to the test!
Stamping passports might initially sound monotonous, but a surprisingly rich narrative and captivating gameplay soon emerge beneath its plain exterior. As rules shift and you work faster, details can become tedious as you try to meet demands without letting in undesirables. Yet, its charm and complexity keep it from becoming pure boredom as you witness immigrant dreams wither away before your very eyes.
Papers Please isn’t an enjoyable game in the traditional sense, but its depth of emotion makes it worthy of inclusion on any list of best Steam games.
4. Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors has quickly become a cult classic since entering Early Access last year, thanks to a steady stream of updates that add depth and content to its impressive arsenal of weapons, characters, and modifiers. While its HD graphics may not match that of other titles on the market, and gameplay may feel repetitive early on, the game still manages to create an incredible sense of power as players easily take down enemies one by one.
The gameplay in Ghost Bounce involves fighting off waves of ghosties that increase in strength over a 30-minute timer. Choose among a selection of Belmont-inspired characters, each boasting special attacks such as a whip or crossbow attacks or goofier approaches like garlic breath. Every weapon offers different damage profiles and AoE profiles but all share an adjustable firing timer that adapts depending on your position and enemy positioning.
After each run, you earn gold, which can be used to unlock new weapons, items, and buffs for your character. This system ensures each run you play is unique and rewarding – your base stats can be upgraded!
Vampire Survivors stands out from its roguelite competition by providing a compelling narrative and story. Set against an alluring supernatural background with unique characters, this title perfectly balances action and strategy. It lets you build your arsenal while finding an effective method for clearing devils from your screen. With so much replay value it deserves its spot as one of Steam’s best games!
5. Terraria
Terraria first debuted on Steam in 2011, making dismissing it as another two-dimensional Minecraft clone easy. While, in truth, it does bear many similarities, what sets Terraria apart is its dynamic gameplay, which evolves and improves as you play more and more often.
Terraria has seen immense support over its lifespan; developers Re-Logic have continuously added new elements and optimized it to run on additional systems over time.
This has resulted in a game with an enormous variety of content to explore and enjoy, ranging from basic armor and weapons to more exciting devices such as grappling hooks. Plus, combat is fast, fluid, and enjoyable!
Finalize this experience by setting an unforgiving day/night cycle; zombies and other foes threaten the player after dusk, creating an almost Robinson Crusoe-esque microcosm of human development.
One thing that marred this sandbox of creativity with some grind was the opening tutorial, which did not do enough to help players understand its systems. Once past that hiccup, though, the game proved enjoyable and well worth its asking price; great for those wanting to build their world and battle through its creatures, especially with its recent 1.4.4 Labor of Love update that added even more ways for users to enjoy this two-dimensional title!
