The 10 best PC games in 2021

Every year the same question: Which were the best PC games? In 2021 there are some candidates that can be happy about this title in our eyes. In this list you can find out:

  • Which PC games are among the best in 2021
  • Why you should play them
  • Who should play them

Valheim

The developers probably least expected Valheim to hit the scene like a bomb in Early Access. But only a few people could resist the survival simulation, in which you play a Viking. The number of players skyrocketed to over four million after just a few weeks!

It's not as if the Swedish developers have reinvented the wheel with Valheim. Nevertheless, the players are running the gauntlet. The Nordic mythology is hard to resist. Build your first hut, collect resources, found a settlement, tame wild boars, cook and garden and do everything that Norsemen and Norsewomen used to do.

If all that isn't enough for you, you can always go troll hunting - which, by the way, will gladly overrun your settlement - raid dungeons or slay gigantic bosses.

  • Release: 2 .2.2021
  • Genre: Survival simulation
  • You'll like it if .. . you're into survival games whose entry barrier isn't too high and you want to feel a little Viking feeling with a good tankard of mead.

Loop Hero

The indie hit Loop Hero can't really be assigned to any genre. With the help of card decks, you create a new world through which your character runs more or less automatically. You'll have to defeat bosses like the Lich or the Priestess to complete all four chapters and further expand and strengthen your base.

And why the name Loop Hero? As soon as you move from the planning phase to the adventure phase, your hero will run a circle - that is, Loop. The further you progress in the game, the more you expand this circle into an entire world.

  • Release: 4 .3.2021
  • Genre: Roguelike Adventure, Deckbuilding
  • You'll like it if . .. classic game genres are too dull for you and you want to play a crazy mix of genres that will captivate you for many hours - without you noticing how quickly the time passes.

Village Romance

Matching a few hexagonal tiles - how hard can that be?! Harder than you might think! The German indie hit by Toukana Interactive has already won several awards and convinces with its minimalistic design, relaxing soundtrack and challenging gameplay.

Yes, you have to line up hexagonal cards, but how you do it - therein lies the art. The sides with squares must ideally be placed next to other squares, houses next to houses and forest next to forest. Only then will you win extra cards. If you also complete quests in the process, points will rain down without end. With our tips guide to Dorfromantik, you'll crack your personal high score again and again in no time.

Dorfromantik is without a doubt one of the best PC games of 2021!

  • Release: 25.3.2021
  • Genre: Strategy, Building simulation
  • Do you like .. you want to challenge your grey brain cells with a decelerating game.

The Forgotten City

The journey began in 2015 with a mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - and ended this year with a full-fledged game. In The Forgotten City, you'll travel far into the past and have to uncover a mystery in a Roman city.

Talk to the inhabitants of the city, make decisions - and live with the sometimes deadly consequences. Because you'll soon realize that you'll get further with your mind than with brute force. The Forgotten City offers a high replay value due to the different endings you can achieve!

  • Release: 28.7.2021
  • Genre: Mystery-Adventure
  • You will like it if . .. you like to stick your nose into strange affairs and want to find out secrets. A soft spot for Ancient Rome can be an advantage.

Humankind

You want nothing less than world domination? Then Humankind is the right game for you! The turn-based strategy game works very similarly to the popular Civilization series: You explore the area, expand your country, plunder other cities - and then incorporate them by subjugating them ... or killing the inhabitants.

Seven eras await you in Humankind, beginning in the Neolithic Age. In each era you choose one of a total of ten cultures, which change again and again. You don't play through any of the cultures in all seven eras. This way you can always adapt your play style anew.

  • Release: 17.8.2021
  • Genre: turn-based strategy game
  • You'll like it if .. . real-time strategy isn't your thing at all and you want to figure out from round to round what tactical move you're going to make next.

Diablo 2: Resurrected

After more than 20 years, Diablo 2: Resurrected marks the return of Blizzard's classic action RPG to the PC. The gameplay is of course the same - including the bugs from back then. Visually, however, Diablo 2 has been polished up without losing its pixel charm.

For newcomers or experts of the successor Diablo 3, Resurrected might seem a bit strange. However, players of old will feel great joy when they customize their items using the Horadrim cube, use rune words, or go in search of the legendary cow level.

  • Release date: 23.9.2021
  • Genre: Action role-playing game
  • You'll like it if . .. you spent countless hours in D2 over 20 years ago and want to relive the old days - only a little more beautifully.

New World

With New World, Amazon Studios is taking on the MMORPG top dogs World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV and the like! In the lavishly produced game, everyone starts with the same character, but as they level up, they each develop in their own unique direction. At the beginning, there are no typical healer, tank or damage classes. It depends much more on which talent points you assign and which weapons you use.

Otherwise, the familiar tasks from other MMORPGs await you: Explore the mysterious game world, buy a house, craft food and tools, or complete dungeons in groups. And if you're tired of PvE, simply duel with other players in PvP.

  • Release: 28.9.2021
  • Genre: MMORPG
  • You'll like it if .. . you're in the mood for a new MMORPG that allows you a lot more freedom in designing your characters - and you finally want to own your own house.

Inscryption

A little insider tip is also mixed in with the list of the best PC games of 2021. Inscryption is a dark deck-building game with a good dose of black humor. Piece by piece you equip your card deck to defeat your opponent. This works quite classically via a damage and life display.

But your opponent has a few surprises up his sleeve, especially nasty spells that give the game that certain something. Without spoiling too much, but you certainly didn't expect the ending ....

  • Release: 19.10.2021
  • Genre: Deckbuilding, Horror
  • You'll like it if . .. you've already had fun with the other bizarre games - Pony Island and The Hex - by developer Daniel Mullins.

Age of Empires IV

A classic strategy game returns to the PC. In Age of Empires IV, you can choose one of eight nations to go to war with. But before that happens, you'll have to prepare for it: Gather resources, expand your camp and recruit soldiers. We'll explain the best way to do this in our Age of Empires IV tips guide.

Slowly work your way forward in the different ages and advance your peoples. Only if you are well positioned will you be ready for the final epoch and can give your enemies a run for their money. Use the advantages of your people skilfully - and focus on the weaknesses of the enemy. Then victory is yours!

  • Release: 28.10.2021
  • Genre: Real-time strategy
  • You'll like it if . .. you don't fancy turn-based strategy games à la Civilization, but are looking for a real-time challenge.

Football Manager 2022

If you've been watching Bundesliga games and thought: "Wow, I could have done that better," then Football Manager 2022 is the game for you. Show where your qualities lie and prove a sure hand when buying prodigies or successful talents.

Take part in team meetings and conferences, negotiate contracts, develop tactics or talk to individual players. In short: Experience the everyday life of a soccer manager! Will you still be of the opinion that you would have done it better after the next game?

  • Release: 8 .11.2021
  • Genre: Simulation
  • You'll like it if . .. you'd rather pull the strings behind the scenes than kick the ball from A to B on the pitch.

Even more best of 2021 lists on GameZ:

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