PC Gamer Top 100 PC Games 2025: Ranking Process

The latest PC game conversation is being driven by a familiar annual ritual: the PC Gamer Top 100, a countdown of what its team considers the best titles you can play on PC right now. The 2025 edition is the result of nominations, weighted scoring, and vote-driven reshuffles, with voting completed in July—before several major releases were eligible for next year.

Quick facts on the Top 100 process

Nominations: any PC game could be proposed, creating a longlist of 300 titles.
Scoring categories (weighted): Quality (60%), Importance (20%), Freshness (20%).
Final score math: ratings are averaged per voter, then processed with extra formulas including a confidence penalty for low-vote games.
Series variety rule: only one game per series is allowed unless two entries are distinct enough.
Late changes: voters could pitch placements up or down; majority votes were applied and noted.
Timing note: voting finished in July, prior to releases like Borderlands 4, Battlefield 6, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Silent Hill f.

PC Gamer frames the list around a single question: what does “best” mean? Its scoring system is built to allow different answers—legacy, originality, or plain craftsmanship—rather than forcing one definition of greatness.

After nominations and scoring, the list is adjusted for variety by removing lower-scoring entries from the same franchise unless the games are different enough to justify both. Then comes the final round of voting pitches: each voter can request one placement change, and if the wider team backs it by majority, the editor responsible is credited for the adjustment.

Highlights from the 2025 Top 100 (positions 100–1)

The bottom of the chart opens with Unavowed at #100 (released August 8, 2018) and Cities: Skylines at #99 (released August 10, 2015). Against the Storm lands at #98 (released December 8, 2023), followed by Dave the Diver (#97, released June 28, 2023) and Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut (#96, released February 27, 2014).

The list then moves into a run of standout modern classics: Dusk (#95, released December 10, 2018), Metaphor: ReFantazio (#94, released October 11, 2024), Hotline Miami (#93, released October 23, 2012), and Lethal Company (#92, released October 23, 2023). Microsoft Flight Simulator is placed at #91, released August 18, 2020.

From #90 to #81, the chart includes Team Fortress 2 (#90, October 10, 2007), Peak (#89, June 16, 2025), The Sims 4 (#88, September 2, 2014), Subnautica (#87, January 23, 2018), and Rocket League (#86, July 7, 2015). Other entries in this stretch include Thank Goodness You’re Here! (#85, August 1, 2024) and Halo: The Master Chief Collection (#84, December 3, 2019), plus Echo Point Nova (#83, September 24, 2024) and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (#82, April 24, 2025).

At #80, Stellaris is dated May 9, 2016, with Cult of the Lamb at #79 (August 11, 2022) and Total War: Warhammer 3 at #78 (February 17, 2022). What Remains of Edith Finch follows at #77 (April 25, 2017), and Alien: Isolation is #76 (October 6, 2014). Monster Hunter: World is ranked #75 (August 8, 2018), while Cyberpunk 2077 lands at #74 (December 10, 2020). FTL: Faster Than Light is #73 (September 14, 2012), Vampire Survivors is #72 (October 20, 2022), and Alan Wake 2 is #71 (October 27, 2023).

The countdown continues with Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory at #70 (March 29, 2005), Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced at #69 (September 17, 2023), Resident Evil 2 (Remake) at #68 (January 25, 2019), and Deep Rock Galactic at #67 (May 13, 2020). Mass Effect Legendary Edition is #66 (May 14, 2021), Counter-Strike 2 is #65 (August 21, 2012), and Diablo 2 appears at #64 (June 28, 2000). Garry’s Mod is #63 (November 29, 2006), Knights of the Old Republic 2 is #62 (December 6, 2004), and Yakuza 0 is #61 (August 1, 2018).

At #60, Arma 3 is ranked (September 12, 2013), with Satisfactory at #59 (September 10, 2024). Stalker: Call of Prypiat – Enhanced Edition is at #58 (May 20, 2025), Nier: Automata at #57 (March 17, 2017), and System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster at #56 (June 26, 2025). The Case of the Golden Idol is #55 (October 13, 2022), The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind is #54 (May 2, 2002), and Papers, Please is #53 (August 8, 2013).

Other mid-chart entries include Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X at #52 (December 1, 2015), Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 at #62 (already noted above), and The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe at #43 (April 27, 2022). Kerbal Space Program is #42 (April 27, 2015), Hollow Knight is #41 (February 24, 2017), and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is #40 (May 8, 2018). Hunt: Showdown 1896 is #39 (August 27, 2019), while Slay the Spire is #38 (January 23, 2019).

As the Top 10 is approached, Hitman: World of Assassination is #37 (January 20, 2022), Max Payne is #36 (July 25, 2001), Hades is #34 (September 17, 2020), and Portal 2 is #33 (April 19, 2011). Return of the Obra Dinn is #32 (October 18, 2018), and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater – Master Collection Version is #31 (October 24, 2023).

In the top tiers, Fallout: New Vegas is #30 (October 22, 2010), Pentiment is #29 (November 15, 2022), and Nine Sols is #28 (May 29, 2024). Helldivers 2 is #27 (February 8, 2024), Crusader Kings 3 is #5 (September 1, 2020), and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is #4 (May 18, 2015).

The Top 3 and the #1 pick

Disco Elysium – The Final Cut takes #2, released October 15, 2019. Dwarf Fortress is ranked #3, released August 8, 2006. The #1 game in the 2025 PC Gamer Top 100 is Baldur’s Gate 3, released August 3, 2023, with a Top 100 score of 267.64.

The list also reiterates that voting ended in July, meaning several later releases—Borderlands 4, Battlefield 6, Hades 2, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and Silent Hill f—are explicitly flagged as eligible for next year’s Top 100.