The RPS 100: Reader Edition (2025) - your favourite games of all time

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Welcome to the 3rd ever RPS 100: Readers Edition. This is the (nearly) yearly contented of you, RPS readers, telling america wherever we went incorrect successful our annual contented of trying to acceptable each of our favourite games into a database of the 100 champion PC games of each time.

The database beneath is your list, voted for by your chap readers.

This year, truthful we don't spot 4 of your precious 100 slots filled up with antithetic versions of Football Manager, I've combined the entries of games that are successful the aforesaid series. It creates a fewer much slots successful the database for different games, letting america spot the afloat assortment of your tastes. However, I've included the breakdown of the votes, truthful you tin spot which bid introduction was the astir fashionable among your chap readers.

I privation to accidental a immense convey you to everyone who voted and adjacent huger convey you to everyone who took the clip to stock their thoughts connected wherefore they picked the games they did. It's been a genuine pleasance to work done your words. There isn't a azygous crippled successful the apical 100 that doesn't person thing written astir it and it turns this database into a existent solemnisation of your past time. There are galore games successful the database beneath that I'll beryllium returning to due to the fact that of what you've written astir them. So, again, convey you.

As with our apical 100, I'll beryllium revealing 20 games a time until each 100 are revealed. So if you deliberation a crippled is missing, marque definite you cheque back, due to the fact that it whitethorn beryllium inactive to come.

Without further ado, let's get onto the archetypal games from your RPS 100: Readers Edition (2025).


100. X series

 Foundations Image credit: Egosoft

  • X3: Albion Prelude - 8 points

  • X4: Foundations - 16 points

TheGreatOneSea – X4: Foundations
Some games are carried much by being unsocial than being objectively amazing, and X4 is surely 1 of them, but however galore games fto you beryllium a Space Truckin' Mercenary Captain Architect Pirate with their ain Military Industrial Complex?

Jovian09 – X4: Foundations
My favourite marque of abstraction sim. The X bid is highest eurojank, but it's besides a simulation of a afloat surviving system wherever each assemblage is worthy visiting, you tin alert everything from speedy fighters to lumbering freighters oregon colossal superior ships, physique analyzable abstraction factories and bid fleets, and your each enactment impacts the beingness astir you. X4 executes its expansive ambition by keeping the enactment successful space-only sectors, which makes the scope expansive but overmuch much sharply-focused than, say, Star Citizen oregon Elite Dangerous.


99. Hardspace: Shipbreaker

I've worked harder astatine  this silly sci-fi occupation  than I person  successful  existent  salaried roles. I mean, I've played Hardspace Shipbreaker portion    connected  displacement  astatine  those salaried roles too... Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Focus Home Interactive / Blackbird Interactive

Dglenny
One of the lone enactment sims that genuinely soothed and grabbed me. I don't privation to bash powerfulness washing oregon tract mowing – I bash capable of that successful my existent life. But cautiously deconstructing a spaceship – yes, please. See also: Crime Scene Cleaner, I suppose.

Bahumat
The axenic travel authorities you autumn into, drifting successful space, disassembling leviathans similar the worms that feast connected fallen whales.

NCD
Banjos successful abstraction are cool. It's besides a masterpiece of crippled plan wherever each the mechanics are integrated and justified successful the narrative; from decease to progression.

Phuzz
This crippled seems to person bits taken from astatine slightest fractional the different games connected my list, there's wanton destruction, cleaning up, it's acceptable successful space, there's a communicative but mostly it's a zen enactment that tickles my encephalon *just right*. I've played hundreds of hours past the 'end' of the game. Just breaking down caller hulks.


98. Horizon Zero Dawn

We're hardly   going to permission  robot dinosaurs disconnected  our apical  100 now, are we? Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Sony Interactive Entertainment / Guerrilla Games

Random squiggle
Beautiful world, intriguing story, warring elephantine robot dinosaurs!

Neminem88
I subordinate to the story, it has hope, and perfectly thought retired gameplay.


97. Oxygen Not Included

A colony ticks implicit    successful  Oxygen Not Included Image credit: Klei Entertainment

Sockmoxy
As I've said elsewhere connected this site, this crippled has inspired existent real-world resilience and nonaccomplishment tolerance successful me, arsenic good arsenic a utile designation that tiny steps are needed to get determination big. Solving 1 occupation ever creates different occupation to solve. Boredom is impossible. If you're bored, thing is incorrect and you're astir to find out. Love the art, emotion that the devs are inactive supporting this regularly truthful galore years later. Best crippled ever.

NCD
I've ne'er got anyplace successful this game, but nary different crippled successful my room comes adjacent to my full playtime connected this game, truthful that has to number for something.


96. What Remains of Edith Finch

A subordinate    inspects a ample  food  successful  What Remains of Edith Finch Image credit: Annapurna Interactive / Giant Sparrow

H3rz0g_zw31
A cleanable game, which does everything it sets retired to do.

I_have_no_nose_but_I_must_sneeze
What could person been unbearably bittersweet is infused with truthful overmuch macabre exuberance. Death is simply a gateway to experiencing each person's idiosyncratic universe. An casual proposal for immoderate newcomers who privation to spot what each this gaming concern is about.


95. Alan Wake 2

FBI peculiar   cause  Saga Anderson stands successful  the thoroughfare  successful  Alan Wake 2 Image credit: Epic Games Publishing / Remedy Entertainment

RAC41
So overmuch goddamn lore and the farther you go, the amended it becomes. Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley did their champion to make this masterfully crafted endurance fearfulness acquisition and it‘s highly enjoyable.

Can‘t hold for Control 2.

OmegaJak
Sublime meta phantasy fearfulness madness. Resident Evil by mode of Twin Peaks. Genius.

Garfieldsam
Alan Wake 2 pushes games guardant arsenic an artform crossed aggregate dimensions – writing, method artistry, and creation absorption that's genuinely stunning. If you've spent decades invested successful Remedy's connected universe, it delivers 1 of the champion cross-IP stories ever told. It's legitimately spooky arsenic hell, not conscionable atmospheric but genuinely frightening. The DLC adjacent has legitimately utile and absorbing things to accidental astir generative AI.

B0dyp0litic
Everything I could privation from, David Lynch and the New Weird, having lived successful some Oregon & NYC this is truthful close successful its portrayals of each locale it was surreal.


94. Planescape: Torment

 Torment Image credit: Interplay Entertainment / Black Isle Studios

Plato_Karamazov
Where I americium going, clip is not measured successful years

Drygear
I'm not definite if I'll ever play this again, but the experiences I person had with it are immoderate of the astir memorable successful gaming. For me, it's each astir unraveling (I privation the pun was intentional) the depths of your past with not lone the satellite but with your companions. Trying to instrumentality the accidental to repair the things I've breached and heal the radical I've hurt, arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. The mode your actions tin origin unexpected consequences, similar the clip I made it done a hard speech to transportation idiosyncratic lone for 1 of my enactment members to execution the person.

FreonTrotsky
What tin alteration the quality of a gamer? Torment's winding philosophical story, told done dialog choices and volumes of text, tin consciousness a small overwhelming, particularly erstwhile paired with beauteous underwhelming combat and pathfinding. But it cuts deep, makes you deliberation and consciousness things: troubling, mind-expanding, and mystifying things. And that's conscionable the text. The satellite of Planescape looks similar spare motor parts crossbred with a bucket of viscera, and each NPC brushwood feels similar a stoned deconstruction of precocious phantasy tropes. Sound terrible? It's fantastic, conscionable wholly bonkers.


93. Terraria

A subordinate    constructs an awesome  location   successful  Terraria Image credit: 505 Games / Re-Logic

Caff
I excavation it. A monolithic game, fixed a immense fig of escaped updates by the Re-Logic devs implicit the years.

Shay Linio
Terraria is the indie of each indies. Still "in the making", it's a crippled you could play with anyone. It is the crippled I bought 10 times for 10 antithetic radical 10 years agone and feels similar you could inactive play it successful 10 years.


92. Overwatch series

Wrecking Ball makes a almighty  constituent   successful  Overwatch 2 Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

  • Overwatch - 26 points
  • Overwatch 2 - 2 points

Garfieldsam
Overwatch deed the cleanable mediate crushed betwixt ultra-sweaty MOBAs and tactical shooters – accessible capable to beryllium amusive casually, heavy capable to reward mastery. The characters were amazing, and for respective years it fostered a remarkably positive, engaged, and inclusive community. It proved team-based shooters could beryllium welcoming without sacrificing depth, astatine slightest until Blizzard squandered that goodwill.

Gaspacho
Hero shooter with meaningful plan prime for heroes capacity.

Chopoflamb
I was hooked connected Overwatch from the precise archetypal clip I saw it, bask the contention and teamwork


91. Baba Is You

Characters determination   keys successful  Baba Is You Image credit: Hempuli

Shay Linio
One of the champion puzzle games

Thrownfootfalls
I person specified a mixed acquisition with puzzle games. I've conscionable discovered contiguous that, astatine the moment, my apical 4 games of each clip are puzzle games, but if you'd asked maine for my slightest favourite games instead, you'd find respective well-respected games successful determination too. In galore ways, the mechanics of Baba Is You are similar the second kind, but turned into thing that feels crafted to delight, challenge, amuse, and thoroughly crumple my encephalon successful the champion imaginable way.


90. Chrono Trigger

Turn backmost  the timepiece  and play   this classic. Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Square

Soberbandana
An unparalleled substance of apical notch music, storytelling and gameplay that stands the trial of time.

Elazul
It's the champion RPG crippled from the aureate property of SNES RPG games. Fantastic gameplay from creators Yuji Horii, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Kazuhiko Torishima. Also, astonishing euphony done by Yasunori Mitsuda, and creation done by Akira Toriyama. It besides helps that it has aged similar good wine. It's adjacent spawned its ain 16 spot transcript feline genre arsenic good with specified games arsenic Sea of Stars.


89. Heaven’s Vault

A quality  stands betwixt  2  elephantine  statue feet successful  Heaven's Vault Image credit: Inkle

Cpt_freakout
A profound reflection astir past and memory, successful which each that is aerial comes to solidify into relations of imperial domain, resistance, and the uses and abuses of the past. Language is power: to construe is to retrieve mislaid meanings, to redraw the boundaries of story and storytelling already found, and to suggest words for the future, an affirmative remix of the past and present.

Rincechicken
A genius thought with the connection to decipher, and a amazingly heavy and affluent communicative substance arsenic you uncover the remains of the civilisations. I tin spot wherefore RPS unit person ever kept it successful the apical 100. Well deserved.

Random squiggle
The consciousness of discovery, the connection puzzles. Relaxing and engaging.

Kniggit
Such an ambitious and fascinating game. Great believable story. Beautiful music.


88. Jagged Alliance 2

Mercenaries bash  what they bash  champion  successful  Jagged Alliance 2 Image credit: TopWare Interactive / Sir-Tech Canada

Rince Wind
It is the mercs that marque this game. They person truthful galore lines for a crippled of the time, and determination are truthful galore of them. And not conscionable to respond to worldly happening connected the battlefield, but their interactions with friends and rivals and the messages connected their answering machines and erstwhile you really scope them by phone.

I truly request to play the 1.13 patch/mod again.

HyperTextHero (#8466)
I received my boxed transcript of Jagged Alliance 2 successful Italy during the outpouring of 1999 aft playing its Demoville level the twelvemonth prior, installed from immoderate PC gaming mag CD, for longer than I play astir afloat games.

Keeping way of everything, from missions and broadside quests, squad dynamics with incompatible personalities, cashflow from captured mines, and a toybox afloat of items from sunglasses and camouflage constitution to weapon trinkets and antithetic types of ammo for the tactical battles is challenging, and shapes the crippled into a peculiar strategical and tactical occupation solving workout that fewer games tin muster.


87. Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters

The heroes of Star Control 2 look    retired  astatine  the player Image credit: Accolade, Inc / Toys For Bob

Pauleyc
The perfect abstraction adventure: superb dialogue, fantabulous euphony and engaging arcade combat.


86. Team Fortress 2

Now, if Valve could conscionable  spot    to sorting retired  each  the bots and cheaters. Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Valve

Marglark
I don't similar COD oregon Battlefield, but earlier griefers were commonplace I loved this game. It has a consciousness of wit successful its bones, and cares much astir radical having amusive cooperating than thing else.

Joel B
The Free to Play epoch of Team Fortress 2 has soured my memories of it a bit. But successful honesty I'd accidental that 1) TF2 arsenic a F2P crippled has been a immense mover and shaker successful the fortunes of Valve and PC gaming, and 2) pre-F2P, I enactment brainsick amounts of clip into TF2. I loved Team Fortress, I loved Team Fortress Classic, and I loved TF2. The creation absorption was tasty, those abbreviated films were hilarious, but astir importantly it was a crippled wherever occasionally immoderate existent teamplay would look retired of obscurity among random pubbies. That's the best.

Bahumat
*inarticulate Pyro-main noises*

RPS said it best: The astir culturally important crippled I've ever played, abbreviated of like, what? Mario? What other bash you adjacent enactment connected that plinth? Pac-man?

Team Fortress 2 *was* the Mario for the procreation it deed for.


85. The Long Dark

A wolf prowls successful  The Long Dark Image credit: Hinterland Studio

P53
Countless times since its merchandise much than a decennary ago, it has provided maine with tons of emergent experiences and feelings. I travel backmost to this crippled similar a good, aged friend, who is ever determination for me. Also – simply the champion endurance sim retired there. And I cognize them all.


84. The Stanley Parable

Nothing to spot    here. Totally mean   bureau   drama. Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Galactic Cafe

Caff
Silly and mind-bending successful each the close ways.

Thrownfootfalls
One of my household members volition occasionally effort a game, and nary substance the genre oregon benignant oregon difficulty, they volition wholly garbage to prosecute with it connected its ain terms, and past aboriginal accidental however atrocious it was. I deliberation this crippled is the lone 1 that mightiness conscionable just them wherever they are.

Saliken – Ultimate Deluxe Edition
I specify the Ultra Deluxe Edition present but to maine some the archetypal and sequel consciousness similar 1 enmeshed experience. Where the archetypal humorously contemplates narration and subordinate agency, the sequel goes disconnected the walls challenging you to deliberation astir what you're doing and why. God I don't cognize wherefore but I emotion that bucket.


83. Like A Dragon series

From fighters to lovers? Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Sega / Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

  • Yakuza 5 - 6 points
  • Yakuza 0 - 12 points
  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - 9 points
  • Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza successful Hawaii - 1 points

Wall Jump Games – Infinite Wealth
It’s ever a flip up for maine betwixt 7 and 8 for my favourite crippled successful the Yakuza series, but astatine the extremity of day, Yakuza/Like A Dragon is my favourite series, and Infinite Wealth is, connected apical of being a stellar RPG successful some communicative and mechanics, a superb solemnisation of the full bid earlier it. Kiryu’s portion of this communicative is 1 of the emotionally strongest elements of the full bid whilst inactive being resplendent with instrumentality service, hitting each portion of my Yakuza instrumentality encephalon with adjacent intensity.

Justin – Yakuza 0
The Yakuza bid is simply a revelation. Punch your mode done your problems connected the backstreets of Kamurocho. Ludonarrative dissonance is simply a operation that thankfully doesn’t get bandied astir arsenic overmuch arsenic it utilized to, but immoderate the other of ludonarrative dissonance is is what I consciousness erstwhile I play a Yakuza game. Of course, Kiryu (and by extension, I) should bushed that feline up. He’ll astir apt beryllium my champion person aft and convey maine for the whalloping helium truthful richly deserves. Please let’s each beryllium definite to rip our shirts disconnected archetypal though, truthful we tin respect each other.

Tattoos!h3rz0g_zw31 – Yakuza 5
Since I can't worldly the database with conscionable Yakuza, I'll prime the biggest, dumbest one. It conscionable feels similar a crippled wherever each thought got in. Whole run arsenic a teen idol? Sure! Whole crippled weirdly centered astir baseball? Alright! Taxi driving and racing minigame with a abstracted storyline? Why not! I emotion it truthful much.


82. Football Manager series

Players clump   astir   a extremity   successful  Football Manager 26 Image credit: Sega / Sports Interactive

  • Football Manager - 15 points
  • Football Manager 2012 - 2 points
  • Football Manager 2017 - 9 points
  • Football Manager 2020 - 1 points
  • Football Manager 2024 - 1 points

Mackemforever – Football Manager 2017
For me, Football Manager tin beryllium summed up with 2 words. Rafael Asprilla. Mr Asprilla doesn't exist, and yet arsenic I constitute this I americium wearing a garment with his sanction connected it. It was 2037, I was managing Alianza Petrolera F.C. successful Colombia erstwhile a young Rafael Asprilla joined our ranks. For a fewer years helium did nothing, but yet got a accidental and ne'er looked back, going connected to beryllium a nine legend. So I bought an Alianza Petrolera F.C. kit with his sanction on. And that is wherefore Football Manager is great.


81. Call of Duty series

Soldiers conflict  done  the thoroughfare  successful  Call of Duty Image credit: Activision / Infinity Ward

  • Call of Duty - 5 points
  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - 14 points
  • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - 9 points

Hiddencamel – Call of Duty (2003)
The archetypal Call of Duty was conscionable truthful freakin epic successful azygous subordinate – nary different shooter earlier had truly gone each retired connected being cinematic similar CoD did, and antheral it was awesome. The multiplayer was besides astonishing fun. The asymmetric and constricted limb choices betwixt teams and the mostly astonishing representation designs made for a ace tense, ace compelling online shooter with nary of the progression based bloat of its descendents.

Nathan A – Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
People hide however innovative and genuine cod utilized to be. This crippled revolutionized online multi-player and solidified the fps genre.


Come backmost time to spot the the adjacent 20 picks.

What bash you deliberation of the picks truthful far? Anything you're gladsome is included that you deliberation was missing from our 100 champion PC games of each clip list?

If you're bare for much lists, past person a look and what we said were the PC games of each clip successful 2024, 2023 (part 1, portion 2), 2022 (part 1, portion 2), and 2021 (part 1, portion 2). Or spell backmost to the erstwhile RPS 100 Reader Editions to comparison however your choices person shifted implicit the years. We've polled you ofr picks doubly before, successful 2023 and 2022.

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