24.

Alien Isolation

(Image credit: Creative Assembly)

Beep, beep, beep. Alien: Isolation’s motion tracker is a blessing and a curse: a terrifying
sign that the beast is near, and even the thought of the sound puts our hair on edge. But
we daren’t put it away in case we turn a corner and, bam, the alien is on top of us, and
it’s game over, and we have to leave our PC to go outside for a long, slow walk. So we
clutch the tracker close, hiding under a chrome desk in the hope the alien leaves us
alone.

Isolation’s tech helps create a sense of place — the flickering monitors and clunky
computers are straight out of ‘70s sci-fi films. And then there’s the alien itself, one of the
greatest video game monsters ever spawned. Intelligent, crafty and horrifying, it’s
always stalking you, always searching. Grab your tracker and hide for your life.

Play it now:
Steam
Humble Store
23. Rocket League

(Image credit: Epic)

Football, but with cars: it’s that simple, and that complicated. Rocket League is, to
the beginner, a fast arcade sport where vehicles slam into each other at 100 mph
and occasionally bundle the ball into the net. But as you get to grips with the
controls, it turns into an aerial acrobatic show with front flip assists, mid-air twirls
and last-second winners. The great thing about Rocket League is that it’s fun at both
of these levels. 

You can gather some friends on a sofa and set up a casual 1v1 tournament, with
bonus scores for the flashiest goals. You can team up with a squad and really dive
into the tactics, rotating goalkeepers and trying to score the perfect team goal. If
you want, you can switch it entirely to a game of hockey, with a puck instead of a
ball. Each time you play you can feel yourself improving, and your first properly
good goal – not one where you’ve accidentally tapped it in with your bumper – is a
memorable moment.

Play it now:
Steam
Humble Store
22. Hollow Knight

(Image credit: Team Cherry)

Hollow Knight is an underground labyrinth of secrets: burrow in and you’ll be lost in
its lofty caverns, tight tunnels, and beautiful, ruined cities, and you won’t want to
find the way out. As you jump and slash through it you’ll slowly unpick the lore of
this bug-inhabited world, and realise its story runs far deeper than you initially
expected. The map feels endless, and even late in the game you’ll stumble on whole
huge areas you never know existed. When you travel through them, they’ll connect
to a familiar space in a way that instantly makes sense, and feels just right. 

You’ll battle 28 bosses and visit varied locales, from grand greenhouses to snowy
planes being dusted by the ashes of a long-dead being. As you progress you’ll
upgrade your character, The Knight, with charms that change your playstyle: one
damages foes anytime you get hurt, another lets you fire energy from your sword
when at full health. Finding and equipping charms, and landing on the combination
that works for you, is just one of the many reasons you’ll want to boot it up for a
second playthrough, where you’ll likely get a completely different ending (all five are
worth seeing, if you can find the time).

Play it now:
Steam
GOG
Humble Store
21. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
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(Image credit: Activision)

Dark Souls remains a series you shouldn’t miss, but if you’re only going to play only
one From Software game right now, we reckon it should be Sekiro. This samurai
slasher has the best sword fights you’ll find on PC, and its lush, branching world is
full of surprises and eccentric characters, which make it a joy to explore. 

Its fighting system relies on precise timing to parry enemy attacks: it’s hard to
master, and you’ll die countless times to its huge bosses, but it’s satisfying to feel
yourself slowly improving. When you finally learn an enemy’s attack pattern and
follow up a perfect counter by plunging your sword into their neck, you know
you’ve become a melee god. The stealth is shoddy, but the snappy, lethal combat
more than makes up for it.

Play it now:
Steam
Humble Store