Consoles are machines made solely for gaming, however, because of their inherent design flaws, there are some games that they would never be able to run effectively. And because of that, we get the term “PC exclusives”. In this article, we would list out some of the best PC games that are still popular and has an active community.
10 – Warcraft 3
One of the best RTS from Blizzard has been a great influence in the gaming community for years. The game has spawned many offspring such as the most popular MMO in the world, World of Warcraft, and Dota 2, the second most popular MOBA in the world. The gameplay of Warcraft is micro-based, with most combat revolves around a single hero unit and its abilities. Due to the game’s nature of being an RTS, porting it to console proves to be impossible.
9 – Company of Heroes
Another strategy game that’s too complicated to be brought to consoles. Company of Heroes is actually the only successful World War 2 real-time strategy game. The main advantage that this game has over its competitors in the same genre is the unique setting and resource-gathering mechanic. Instead of sending farmer units to gather resources, in the Company of Heroes, players would have to capture points on the map and maintain a supply line. This element, in turn, added various strategic elements that the player would have to consider – much unlike the other games in the genre.
8 – Starcraft: Brood War
One of the best Esports of all time, Starcraft: BW’s best attribute is its balance. All three factions were created equally and uniquely, each with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. The game is much better than the sequel could ever be – it is an amazingly engineered game with a complex and sophisticated core design. The reason that the game is a PC exclusive is similar to that of Warcraft – it is an RTS, and RTS cannot be ported to consoles. You would need the delicate touch of the mouse and keyboard to manage all the macro required.
7 – Path of Exile
Path of Exile is a better sequel to Diablo 2 than Diablo 3 ever could. It is all the semi-2d action RPG goodness of D2, with added complexity and content upgrades constantly. The core gameplay in Path of Exile is the min-maxing part, as there are just too many things for you to take into consideration. There are seven classes, each with their own actives and a shared chart of over 1300 passives. Add items, gems, and further ascendancy skills, the depth of this game is just unreal. Path of Exile is currently available on Steam for Free.
6 – Pillars of Eternity
Making the classic RPG genre popular to games again is not an easy feat. However, if there is anyone who could accomplish that task, Fallout New Vegas’s original developers, Obsidian could. Pillars of Eternity have brought back all the older complexity of storytelling and gameplay while still appeal to a wider audience. The game along with its various control options and gameplay upgrades would be very hard to adapt to consoles.
5 – XCOM 2
One of the best turn-based games you could find on Steam, XCOM 2 starts with you being the final hope of Earth against the aliens. In this game, you would control a small squad of operatives to perform objectives on a small map. There is a big variant of them, from capture VIPs, escort hostage to demolish a base with explosives. The gameplay has amazing depth and complexity, with a great variant of weapons and character classes that you can mix and match to the best of your ability. The enemy variants are also pretty decent in this game as well, with elite enemies and boss added in various DLC.
4 – World of Warcraft
The biggest MMO RPG in the world, World of Warcraft is the herald of MMO’s golden age, with ten million players at its peak. The game has had ups and downs since then, but it has never fully died. And with the recent release of WoW Classics, many old players are coming back just for a taste of that childhood nostalgia. This is a PC game through and through, as the intricate and complicated controls could never be recreated in a console.
3 – Civilization V
Civilization V has been one of the most popular games on steam since its release, which is actually not a surprise at all. It is generally regarded as the best civilization game to date when Civ 6 went backward with its cartoonish art and random changes. There are a lot of things that need to be done in Civ, from resource managing, unit controlling, fine-tuning your bases and various resources, dealing with other Civs – The sheer number of actions would take too long for a console user to navigate. That is definitely why the game was not ported into consoles.
2 – Counter-Strike
While you can definitely play Shooters on consoles, they would never be able to reach the level of complexity that mouse & keyboard would grant you. FPS games in the console are heavily reliant on the auto-aim system, which is like the most important thing in the genre. Counter-Strike and its various sequel and spinoffs would be the prime example for a class of games that can only work on PC. Various console-only titles such as Halo was pretty much a breeze when ported into PC to use with mouse and keyboard.
1 – Dota 2
The original Moba that created League. While Dota 2 is not nearly as popular, it is still one of the biggest games out there with millions of players. Valve has approached the original mod creators pretty smartly, with all the nuances and smaller details from the custom map ported to the game. In Dota 2, you would be controlling a single character from a roster of over 100 unique heroes and play in a team-based deathmatch, 5vs5. The first team that manages to destroy the enemy’s “Ancient” would win the match. If you could overcome Dota 2’s extreme learning curve, you would understand why this game has lasted so long. The first Dota map was 15 years ago.
Interested in more of our articles related to video games? Please check out this list for the best RPGs from Bethesda.
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