PC Gaming Show 2020: Our favorite games

PC Gaming Show Best Games
(Image credit: Playstack and Cold Symmetry)

2020 has been ripe for gaming on all fronts, especially when it comes to PC games. But the year is far from over and there are plenty of games on the horizon. From dark, gothic strategy games where you play as the devil to placid sandbox titles where you're tasked with surviving in a lush forest, PC gamers have much to look forward in the second part of the year and beyond. Here is our list of the most anticipated PC games

Torchlight III

After years of waiting, Torchlight III is finally available to play. There’s nothing cooler than finding a game you’ve been anticipating for years suddenly appear in Steam Early Access. The most novel addition seems to include completely customizable forts which can be visited by random players. Additionally, these forts will exist as a hub and players can go around using the utilities found within. Best of all, Torchlight III will greatly expand the pets system, allowing you to have an entire stable within your fort full of cute, little critters. -- Mohammad Tabari

Fae Tactics

I’m a sucker for 16-bit sprites. So when I saw Fae Tactics art style I was immediately smitten. Plus, who doesn’t love a 90’s-reminiscent isometric top-down trip down memory lane? Available in the Humble Store, Fae Tactics, puts you in the shoes of Peony, a young magic user making her way across the imperfectly merged natural world and the world of magic as she and a colorful cast of characters find themselves drawn into the growing conflicts between the two worlds. A turn-based, strategy RPG with spell casting, mythical creatures and lots of secrets? Sign me up. –– Sherri L. Smith

Gloomwood

When I played New Blood Interactive’s Dusk, I was immediately compelled by their incredibly stylized concepts taking inspiration from 80s films and old first-person shooters. Gloomwood is no different, trapping the player within a Victorian city overwhelmed by hundreds of brainwashed citizens out for your blood. It’s absolutely nightmarish, personally giving me Bloodborne vibes. Hopefully we’ll get to see some Lovecraftian monstrosities with tentacles, lots of teeth and far more limbs than necessary in Gloomwood, too. –– Mohammad Tabari

Mortal Shell

Yeah, yeah, I know. Mortal Shell is very Dark Souls-esque, but this action-RPG has some tricks up its sleeve. As you make your way through the devastated world, you’ll come face to face with some of the greatest foes to humanity, which is quickly dying out. The battles will be brutal and more often than not, deadly. But never fear, you have the ability to possess some of the bodies of the fallen which can open up new combat skills that could be key to your survival. Are you strong enough, fast enough and cunning enough to survive? –– Sherri L. Smith

Persona 4 Golden

Persona 4 Golden has been trapped on the PlayStation Vita for eight years, and finally, we can save it from that tiny, dead console. It’s been suddenly released with high definition graphics on Steam, and if you’ve never played it, there’s no better time than now. For $19.99, you can experience one of the most iconic Japanese role-playing games ever made. This is also exciting because it might mean future ATLUS games will make their way to PC, too. Persona 5, perhaps? –– Mohammad Tabari

Metal: Hellsinger

A game that lets me slay demons to a metal soundtrack? Yes please! In Metal: Hellsinger, you play as the Unknown, a half-human, half-demon entity on a bloody quest for vengeance in a fast-paced FPS. But Metal: Hellsinger isn’t your average first-person shooter, instead the game is a rhythm-FPS. Long story short, if you can shoot on a beat, you’ll unleash epic devastation with a variety of guns and blade. Plus, the music will get even more badass. ––

Sherri L. Smith

Godfall 

With an undeniably gorgeous high fantasy setting, Godfall has more than grabbed my attention. The game’s smooth hack and slash combat mixes well with its action role-playing game equipment systems, causing the developers to coin it as a “looter slasher.” While I’m not crazy about these loot systems, the incredibly swift and stylish close quarters battle system seems both combo heavy and skillful. Additionally, its unique character designs and colorful environments are gripping. I highly anticipate being able to explore Godfall with friends. –– Mohammad Tabari

Among Trees

Among Trees might be one of the prettiest survival sandbox titles I’ve ever seen. Everything in the trailer looks so bucolic, I can see myself spending lots of time getting back to virtual nature. The game places you in a small cabin in the middle of a gorgeous forest with only one goal –– survive. As you add more rooms to your cabin, you’ll unlock new skills allowing you to hunt, fish or farm. You’ll also learn to craft tools, which will come in handy exploring the lush landscape in case you encounter some of the less cuddly denizens of the forest.. This is a beauty I can’t wait to explore. –– Sherri L. Smith

Prodeus 

After experiencing the incredible DOOM Eternal this year, I’d love nothing more than another brutal and arcadey first-person shooter. That’s exactly what Prodeus looks like. And most interestingly, it presents a beautifully realized 3D environment, yet character models look like the 2D sprites of old. This is a very unique concept, and there’s nothing cooler in this genre than mechanics that test how fast the players' reflexes can be. Hopefully, Prodeus can deliver an experience as intense as I’d like. –– Mohammad Tabari

Cris Tales

Cris Tales looks like a beautiful storybook –– one I want to read from cover to cover. This gorgeous JRPG pits you against the powerful Time Empress and her legions as she works to destroy the world. It’s your job as Time Mage Crisbell to stop her by developing your powers and building an army of unique allies along the way. But be careful, every choice you make in the game can affect characters past, present and future for better or worse. With its fun 2D art style and potential for branching possibilities and innovative combat system might make Cris Tales this year’s sleeper hit. –– Sherri L. Smith