The 50 Best Steam Games for Mac | DiamondLobby (2023)

If you’re a Mac user, you’ll be well aware that not all of the best games are available on the platform.

Unfortunately, even though things have been improving, the choices are still very limited for Mac users. Not all developers invest money in making a Mac version, especially indie ones. Fortunately, there’s a platform with thousands of games for you to choose from.

The Steam community has been growing in leaps and bounds over the past few years, with great games from developers large and small appearing in the ever-expanding marketplace on a regular basis.

Steam is the dominant platform for purchasing computer games, so it makes sense that there also over 2500 Mac-compatible Steam games available to buy and download. Whilst its still missing many great games, you won’t run out of options anytime soon.

Whether you like RPGs, strategy games, shooters, or anything else, there’s sure to be something in here that will pique your interest as we go through what I personally consider to be the 50 best Steam games for Mac users.

Blasphemous

Blasphemous is a 2D action-platformer that is brutally challenging and has some of the best-looking sprites and pixel art scenarios that I’ve ever seen in video games.

In this game, you play as the penitent one. You must explore the weird world of Cvstodia, upgrade your skills, learn enemy patterns, and succeed in your peregrination.

The world is not linear, so there’s a lot of exploration to be done. Generally speaking, the game often feels like a Metroidvania, but its methodical approach to combat is heavily inspired in Dark Souls.

There is a fair amount of personalization, secrets to be discovered, and a great variety of challenging enemies with their own behavior and attack patterns. Also, following Dark Souls’ footsteps, the bosses are a visual spectacle on top of being mechanically tricky and fun to fight.

Streets of Rage 4

Streets of Rage is by far one of my favorite franchises. Therefore, Streets of Rage 4 is automatically one of the best Mac games on Steam. I’ve always loved the design choices, soundtrack, and advancements this franchise brought to the beat ’em up genre.

In Streets of Rage 4, you get to play many beloved characters of the franchise in an extremely well-made beat ’em up game that has beautifully hand-drawn graphics and very well-designed gameplay.

It’s not just a beautiful game, and it’s not just an homage to old school beat ’em ups. Streets of Rage is an authentic, old-school beat ’em up with modern graphics. The gameplay and pacing feel a lot like arcade games of the past, with a weird story and enemies that get progressively weirder.

If all that was not enough, you get to play as Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, Adam Hunter, Eddie “Skate” Hunter, and even one of my favorite characters of the franchise, Shiva.

CrossCode

This game is a retro-inspired 2D action RPG that looks like it came out of the SNES. The 16-bit graphics are beautiful and nostalgic, but the game doesn’t play as an old game at all.

CrossCode offers a massive world to explore, from 30 to 80 hours of gameplay, 7 unique areas, hidden secrets, over 120 types of enemies, and so much more.

On top of all that, combat encounters are fun in a way that only modern games can be. The movement is tight, there are many abilities and builds that you can go for, and the game also provides a strong sense of agency to the players.

This well-designed game with pleasant anime-like graphics is easy to recommend if you’re into the genre and want to feel nostalgic.

Darkest Dungeon

Darkest Dungeon is a complex, turn-based RPG with Dark Fantasy visuals, 2D graphics, and cosmic horror influences.

You have to recruit, train, and lead a team of imperfect heroes through corrupted forests, forsaken mazes, ruined crypts, and even weirder places.

The game has 3 different modes with over 80 hours of gameplay. It is integrated with Steam Workshop and has at least 16 hero classes for you to customize your party the way you want.

If you’re tired of the classic, clean fantasy RPGs out there, Darkest Dungeon offers a nice twist with a very unusual theme for this type of game that is worth trying.

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley might seem just like a farm simulator to some, but it really is a crafting-heavy, endless RPG with a lot of farm chores in the middle.

In this game, you inherit your grandfather’s farm in Stardew Valley. All that you have are some bad-quality tools and a few coins. Now, it’s your job to turn that old farm into a prosperous home.

This game is perfect for those who don’t want to see an RPG coming to an end. It has several NPCs, relationship mechanics, daily chores, several optimizations, classes, builds, skills to master, and more. It even has dungeon crawling, although it isn’t the focus of the game at all.

Another exciting thing about Stardew Valley is its multiplayer that can be done online, in a local network, or even via a shared screen.

Battle Chasers: Nightwar

Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a turn-based RPG heavily inspired by JRPGs from the 90s and its namesake comic book.

This is an Airship Syndicate game that still looks good. It has unique aspects to its combat system, many hidden areas in its dungeons, rare hidden bosses, and much more.

Battle Chasers also has randomly generated maps filled with puzzles, secrets, and traps.

This might not be a super popular game, but it doesn’t stop Battle Chasers from being a good title.

Wizard of Legend

Rogue-likes do not always appeal to me. Yet, the first time I played Wizard of Legend, it blew my mind. The game makes you think in advance about how to beat certain enemies and combine spells to make effective elemental combos. I used to go for flashy combos instead of practical, but that was my choice. It also makes you prove your mastery over the mazes by anticipating enemy patterns.

Wizard of Legend is a fast-paced action-adventure game that happens to be rogue-like. The spell system is impressive, and the fact that you get to experiment with it over and over until you find something that works for you is such a well-designed aspect that helps the game feel longer.

The developers also make a good choice when it comes to limiting customization. You don’t always find the same spells on a run. You have to make the best of what you’ve got, and that is an exhilarating feeling.

Generally speaking, although you do play as a wizard with pre-defined spells, this game is more of a pixel-art hack ‘n slash, and it is a terrific one.

Pillars of Eternity

This game is such a callback to old-school point-and-click isometric RPGs. Pillars of Eternity is a very critically acclaimed and well-received title.

In Pillars of Eternity, your choices shape your destiny. There is a lot to explore, many exciting adventures to go through, and interesting races to play.

Characters can also have different skills. The game has deep customization that allows players to choose their own race, classes, and abilities, so you get to have a character tailed for you.

The story is engaging, the character creation is quite complex, and the combat can be pretty fun once you get the hang of it.

Portal

Portal is a famous puzzle game that makes you feel super intelligent when bending space-time to solve issues with the series’ signature portal gun. This game became famous for many reasons. Yes, the game design is good, but the unique gameplay combined with other characteristics is what makes Portal such a remarkable game.

The writing and the presentation of this game are beyond fantastic. The main character is being tested by a monotone artificial intelligence that seems to have a missing screw. Among many instructions, the A.I. also threatens and undermines the main character often enough for you to feel that something is off.

GLaDOS, the artificial intelligence mastermind, promises to give us a cake if we pass all the tests. This plot detail is a clever and funny way that the writers found to present how an A.I. doesn’t understand human motivation.

Portal is well written, doesn’t insult the player’s intelligence, and has one of the best environmental storytelling I’ve ever seen in a video game. It doesn’t matter if you are or are not into first person shooters or puzzle games; Portal is a masterpiece worth playing.

Portal 2

This is pretty much a reboot of the Portal games. It will feel like the same game in many ways, but if you’re a fan of the first titles’ writing, there are many different things.

Portal 2 is unapologetically comedic and in a silly way. Characters will crack jokes, and there aren’t many moments when things get weirdly dark like in the previous game. For instance, there are no longer moments like the incinerator scene.

The second game also includes many new mechanics, but it doesn’t spend too much time in them, which might make you feel like the game is a bit easier than the previous one.

Although Portal 2 might not have the same kind of dark humor that is seen in the previous game, it doesn’t mean it’s not well written. The same can be said about its gameplay. It might not be as challenging, but there is a lot of variety.

If you like one of the two, chances are you will also enjoy the other. It doesn’t matter if you find Portal 2 better than the previous game or vice versa. In the end, the two games are amazing and worth playing.

Yomi

Yomi is not very popular, but it is pretty good. It’s a card game that somehow mimics the exhilaration of a fighting game but in a turn-based format. The developers define Yomi as a fighting game in card format instead of a card game with fighting game elements.

The name of the game, Yomi, is a Japanese term that refers to knowing what your opponent is thinking, and it is the main element of the game. This card game is designed for mind games.

You have to predict your opponent’s strategy to counter accordingly and take advantage of their mistakes. It even has combos that you can practice to punish your adversary when they commit a mistake.

This card game is old, but it holds up surprisingly well. It has 10 character decks, A.I. opponents, a tutorial to get you started, online play, and is cross-platform with the Windows version. Many games that mix genres usually end up being a weird mess, but Yomi turned out more than fine.

Tomb Raider

I know this is an old game, but I just think it’s worth mentioning one of the most well-received games on Steam. Also, it’s surprising that a game over a decade old has an iOS version and some modern games don’t.

Tomb Raider needs no presentation. This is all about Lara’s ascension when she was young and needed to survive. Tomb Raider has stealth sections, gun combat, bow and arrow, and more. Enough variety to prevent the game from ever feeling repetitive.

Thankfully, the game has aged well, both mechanically and graphically. In the newest Tomb Raider trilogy, this one is the most action-oriented too, so this might be a good thing if that’s how you like your games.

This is not a particularly hard game, and it won’t blow your mind at this point, but it is reliably fun, cheap, and quite an exciting adventure.

Katana Zero

Katana Zero is a charming, 2D pixel art game with a neo-noir style. This is a fast-paced, stylish action game in which you can’t get hit at all to succeed.

In Katana Zero, your sword skills are unstoppable, and your speed is unmatched. You can reflect projectiles, dodge all attacks, and jump over traps — all that in the blink of an eye.

The game also has a non-conventional narrative to its mysterious plot that is told in cutscenes. There is also a twist in the end, so if you care about the story in games, you might enjoy Katana Zero even more.

When it comes to gameplay, the developers made it so you could solve issues in many different ways. You can approach situations from different angles and defeat enemies in the most creative ways. The idea behind the design is to let players express themselves and spontaneously find a way to deal with each challenge that the game presents.

A Hat In Time

This cute indie game reminds me of Mario 64. A Hat in Time is a 3D platformer with many exciting mechanics.

You play as a little girl who stitches hats for special powers and explores giant worlds to recover Time Pieces, which are her fuel.

As Hat Kid, you must jump, fight, and make new hats, so you go through many different stages and recover the fuel that will allow her to continue her journey. Some of her enemies include a Mafia of Cooks, goofy birds of Dead Bird Studio, and the spooky shadows of Subcon Forest.

Another cool thing about this game is how the developers put a lot of effort into making each mission different from the others. The stages are all very distinct, and so are the objectives.

There are murder cases to solve, play in a band, sneak through guards, and much more.

Hollow Knight

Hollow Knight is one of the most acclaimed Metroidvania games ever made. It has beautifully hand-drawn characters, a unique art style, a dark atmosphere, and a rich world filled with interesting characters and unsolved mysteries.

If that was not enough to make you interested, note that Hollow Knight is also one of the most challenging and mechanically complex platformer action games out there. But the game is not just hard; Hollow Knight is a fair game that rewards mastery over its mechanics. It makes you feel much more powerful when you know how to use the mechanics to deal with the enemies.

Expect to die a lot, get lost, and hit some dead ends a few times before figuring out how to move forward. This is part of the game’s design, though, since a great sense of accomplishment comes from beating a boss, figuring out different ways to use acquired skills, or finding a new shortcut.

This game is not for everyone, but if you like Metroidvanias, unusual art styles, and dark settings, chances are you are going to love Hollow Knight. Most people who played it did.

Overcooked! 2

Unfortunately, the first game seems to be unavailable for iOS. Luckily, the second one can be played on a Mac. Return to the Onion Kingdom and make the best food you can as fast as you can, and yell at your friends who haven’t chopped the potatoes fast enough.

The plot is what you’d expect from a game like this. After saving the world from Ever Peckish, the Onion Kingdom is under a new threat, zombie bread slices.

The standard joke about Overcooked is how it ruins friendships since coordination is crucial in multiplayer modes. Although it might be partially true, and there might be some yelling, a game about cooking that makes players so invested deserves some praise.

Brawlhalla

Brawlhalla is a free 2D platform fighter. It supports up to 8 simultaneous players both locally and online. It also has full cross-play for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

This odd game suddenly became very popular and now has some exciting guest characters, including Plague Knight, Ken Masters, and Steven Universe.

Generally speaking, this game puts you directly against other players. It controls in many ways like an action platformer instead of a traditional fighting game. Still, your objective is to defeat the other players. Being a platformer fighter often causes Brawlhalla to be compared to Super Smash Bros.

The game also counts with ranked 1v1 and 2v2 modes, custom rooms, and many alternative fighting modes that add variety to the gameplay.

Carrion

Carrion has such an exciting premise. In this game, you play as a killing blob of many toothy mouths. You take the role of the monster in a horror story instead of trying to outlive the creature or escape from it.

You must pursue and take care of those who imprisoned you by ending lives and spreading panic and chaos.

The game was acclaimed for being creative and fun, and it is not that hard to find owners of the game asking for a sequel in their reviews. It’s not every day that we get to play as some aberrant creature and be the villain in a 2D pixelated horror story. In my opinion, because of the theme alone, this game was probably fated to be successful.

Either way, it might not be one of the 10 best Steam games for Mac, but it’s fun.

Tricky Towers

This is a clever game with an odd twist to Tetris. The pieces fall from the skies, and you must assemble them correctly, but the blocks don’t always move in a perfect way.

Just because two pieces can fit perfectly, it doesn’t mean you will be able to place them correctly due to the 2D physics nature of this game.

The other unique aspect of Tricky Towers is that your pieces do not disappear when you assemble a line. The game has many game modes. In some, you might need to make a really high tower; in others, you will have to balance tens of pieces on a small platform.

The other thing that I personally love about this game is its multiplayer mode. You can play against a friend and use spells that will change the size of their pieces, the weight, or make them slippery.

Tricky Towers might sound simple, but it is a very well-executed idea. Most importantly, it is a lot of fun.

Baldur’s Gate 3

There aren’t many opportunities to see the Forgotten Realms recreated in a modern 3D game. Although that alone is enough reason to play Baldur’s Gate 3, the game is also a fun RPG with an exciting premise and a combat system that is faithful to the source material.

You play as a character taken by a mind flayer and had a parasite implanted in their head. Now, using new abilities that come from this creature in your brain, you must choose to resist or embrace the darkness.

This game is being made by the same people behind Divinity: Original Sin 2, which is one of the best RPGs on Steam.

The game accepts multiplayer for up to four players, character creation with countless combinations of features, and probably the closest video game to D&D 5 edition that you will ever see.

EVE Online

EVE Online is a free-to-play MMO game with a community-driven space. That means that the game is very open-ended, and players can choose their own path from countless options.

The game has PvP and PvE battles, mining, industry, community-formed factions, and so much more. Seriously, though. So much more that it’s almost too much.

It’s hard to explain what EVE Online is to those who haven’t tried it. You will experience a vast sci-fi MMO where you pilot spaceships. The hard part to explain is how you can end up being pretty much anything you want.

You can take sides, control an area, be attacked, fight others, become a simple miner, and so much more in this epic outer space sandbox.

If you’re into sci-fi games, spaceships, and you’ve got the time, it might be worth trying.

Hotline Miami

Hotline Miami is a top-down action game with pixel-art graphics and brutal combat.

It takes place in an alternative version of 1989 Miami. You are an anti-hero in a murderous rampage who is gunning through criminals without any mercy.

This game will punish you for your mistakes. You will have to try the same stage over and over again until you get a sense of rhythm and flow. Once you do, it won’t be that hard to end everyone in your way in a single run. That’s where the fun of this game is.

Some stages might feel frustrating, but I’d argue it’s part of the fun. Once you master your run with well-timed shots and impeccable positioning, it feels like it’s choreographed. The game is not easy, so you should be aware of its difficulty if you want to give it a shot.

Slay the Spire

Slay the Spire is based around a turn-based battle system with a twist. This game added card-game mechanics and rogue-like progression to its design. By doing so, Slay the Spire became an original game that is neither just a card game nor a JRPG.

As the name suggests, your goal is quite simple, but you must master the card system and gather powerful relics to slay the spire.

You get to build a unique deck, fight weird creatures, and collect loot every time you attempt to beat the game.

Slay the Spire has three main characters, each with their own set of cards. This title has over 250 cards, 150 items, 50 unique combat encounters, 50 events, and more.

The game is one of Mega Crit Games’ best titles and was exceptionally well received by players on Steam.

Dead Cells

It’s hard to think of how a Metroidvania game can also be rogue-like. The genre often depends on meticulously designed scenarios that rely on character evolution and backtracking to provide the experience most people want from these types of games.

However, Dead Cells’ developers managed to deliver an experience close enough to a Metroidvania and a fast-paced action rogue-like.

This game is remarkable, but it does feel like a standard rogue-like at first. Things start changing once you start progressing, unlocking new skills, and getting new weapons. The first stages become more trivial, the enemies become less scary, and you start understanding how to navigate the map even though it changes frequently. The feel of knowing what to do next and finding shortcuts becomes very familiar to backtracking in a standard Metroidvania.

Dead Cells’ combat system is also quite fun. It’s fast-paced frenetic, and it rewards skilled players.

Rogue Legacy

This is a clever indie game that manages to feel like a Metroidvania even though it is a rogue-like game. As the name suggests, Rogue Legacy’s plot is about the legacy made from your attempts to bring down the residents of an evil castle.

Each time you die, the castle changes form, and you play with a descendent of your deceased character. Although you are given a few characters to choose from, they all have randomized strengths and weaknesses.

The traits are very fun, giving this game a unique charm. For instance, characters with ADHD move 30% faster, while colorblind characters cause your screen to display the game in grayscale.

You get to spend gold to unlock classes, upgrades, and even to lock down the castle in a way the routes will be the exact same as last time you were in it.

Rogue Legacy is not super complex or long. Still, it is pretty fun and worth trying if you like 2D platformers, rogue-likes, or Metroidvanias.

Celeste

In Celeste, you play as Madeline. A girl who needs help to face her inner demons while climbing a mysterious mountain that is filled with secrets, supernatural events, and life-threatening challenges.

There’s a profound story in Celeste that is told with the help of its many likable characters. However, Celeste is also a very enjoyable platformer.

This is a 2D platformer that has many movement options, some not that obvious, for you to climb the mountain. You don’t have enemies to attack in Celeste; your focus will be on going up the mountain and mastering the unique mechanics of each stage and the momentum of Madeline’s dash.

The game is straightforward to understand and start playing, and its most complicated challenges are optional. So, if you finished the game but you were expecting it to be somewhat harder, try the B Side of the Mountain, and you’ll get what you want.

The game was exceptionally well received by critics and gamers. It has beautiful pixel art, 2 hours of original music, and pie.

Kingdom Rush – Tower Defense

Kingdom Rush is an entire series of acclaimed tower defense games that have been well received by fans of the genre since the first one came out. This is a very traditional Tower Defense game with a few twists that make it feel unique.

Generally speaking, this is not a hybrid game with Tower Defense elements such as RiftBreaker. You will be setting your towers wisely to stop the enemy’s invasion, just like in any other game of the genre. The twist comes with the structures that produce units that will fight under your command.

Kingdom Rush has barbarians, wizards, rangers, and much more for you to use in your battles. Towers have 18 different abilities and 8 upgrades. You can even use a sorcerer to summon a golem.

There are over 60 different enemies, 70 achievements for you to gather, and extra game modes to challenge you once you have beaten the game.

Kingdom Rush is also a beautiful game. Its cartoonish art is fun to watch, especially when your heroes and soldiers are fighting.

Lethal League Blaze

The concept of this game is quite simple. Once you hit the ball, it can hit your adversary. If the adversary manages to hit the ball, it is no longer a danger to him, and it can now hurt you.

So, basically, hit the other player with the ball.

Although it might not sound entertaining at first, it is unbelievable how such a simple concept became one of the most fun games I’ve ever played.

Lethal League has such an easy-to-learn concept that it doesn’t take long for you to start feeling competitive when playing against your friends. Yet, there’s so much more to this game than its simple mechanics.

Lethal League has some of the most fantastic camera angles and effects that convey movement and power that I’ve ever seen in a video game. When the ball is traveling at supersonic speed, you fear touching it. When you hit a high-speed ball on your adversary’s face, the camera angle and the way the screen pauses make you feel the character’s pain.

The game has wacky characters, special plays, intuitive gameplay, and a fantastic soundtrack. All that combined with a unique art style and a competitive scene are the things that make Lethal League Blaze one of the greatest and craziest sports video games ever.

Undertale

In Undertale, you control a human who falls into a world of monsters that exists below the ground. Your objective is to find a way out, but a lot can happen while you try to do so.

This acclaimed turn-based RPG is a game that was made famous for presenting a way to finish the game without slaying a single foe. You can go through the entire story and choose not to hurt anyone at all.

The game allows you to solve issues with violence, too, if that’s your desire, and the NPCs will behave differently if you do. Undertale also has unique endings that will appear to you depending on how you played the game.

Undertale is often underestimated due to its art style. Still, few realize how much love and care was put into this highly polished RPG. The sprites are reminiscent of games like EarthBound, and the soundtrack is made out of a lot of SNES games’ sounds.

Cuphead

I never thought the art style used in animations back in 1930 would ever be resurrected, but I was dead wrong. Not only was it, but it also came back as a challenging platform gaming that focuses on boss battles.

Studio MDHR Entertainment Inc. did something remarkable with Cuphead. The game is one of the most good-looking indie games of its decade.

The hand-drawn art style is quite unique compared to anything made when Cuphead came out. Besides, the animation is so incredibly smooth that sometimes I forget that this title is an actual video game.

However, looks are not enough to make a video game good. Thankfully, Cuphead is also a good game. The idea is quite simple, you play as Cuphead or Mugman going through strange worlds, getting new weapons, and shooting your way through enemies.

Enter the Gungeon

Enter the Gungeon is quite simple; choose a character and fire through the dungeon until you manage to get out.

This shoot ’em up rogue-like game shines due to its solid mechanics, fast-paced gameplay, and wacky enemies. Once you’re inside the dungeon, it’s all about dodging bullets and shooting down everything that moves.

Although the game rewards positioning, it also lets you enjoy some mobility while figuring out how to deal with a threat due to its dodge button. The dodge animation has some invincibility frames, so you can use it to get out of tricky situations.

Enter the Gungeon has many eccentric weapons that you can find while advancing through the maze, from regular shotguns to weaponized beehives. This helps the game feel fresh after you die since you will start over from the very beginning when that happens.

Mark of the Ninja

I don’t usually like stealth games, but Mark of the Ninja managed to make it super fun, and I do admire the developers for pulling that off.

This is definitely not an action game, although it might look like one sometimes. You must rely on your agility and stealth to pass through all the enemies and complete the objective.

Although you might feel like an unbeatable ninja sometimes, it’s not like you can just slash through the enemies if you get noticed. Chances are, you will be taken down quite easily if you’re seen.

The thing about Mark of the Ninja is that you can make your life much easier by sneaking behind everybody and killing them so they won’t bother you. However, there are other ways to go through each stage.

Although I had a lot of fun stabbing people in the back, the real challenge was going through all the guards without being noticed. It’s certainly not easy, and it might not be fun to you, but I felt like a godlike ninja for pulling that off.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

Shovel Knight is an indie game that feels like a nostalgia attack. It’s a 2D platformer that looks like NES games and borrows ideas from old Zelda and Mario games, but it is unique in many ways.

You get to fight several different enemies through stages that have their own mechanics for you to master. The game also has special skills to find, upgrades to unlock, and shortcuts to discover.

In Shovel Knight, you play as a knight who uses a shovel as a weapon, hence the name, and you have to do your best to save his love interest, Shield Knight.

The game also has a co-op mode and considering that it’s really simple to get the hang of it, it might be one of thebest Steam games to play with your girlfriend or boyfriend.

On top of all that, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove also has all the DLC content released after the main game. Meaning, you get four extra full games. The other games allow you to play as Plague Knight, King Knight, Specter Knight in single-player modes. There’s also a multiplayer PvP game called Shovel Knight Showdown.

Bastion

Bastion was one of the first indie games that proved that small studios can make memorable, high-quality games. It marries unique ideas with fun combat and exploration. This game quickly became popular and helped put Supergiant Games on the radar way before Hades was developed.

The game presents you with a world that was ruined by The Calamity. However, what it is and how it shattered the world is for you to find out.

The game has over 40 hand-drawn scenarios, an acclaimed soundtrack, tight controllers, and a very cool narrator. The voice that accompanies you throughout your journey describes your moves, making Bastion feel like a story being told to you while you play it. It’s pretty cool.

The animations, art style, music, and game design hold up very well even though the game is over 10 years old. Besides all that, the game also gained a free update called The Stranger’s Dream. It has a new stage and new game modes.

Hades

You have probably heard about Hades by now. This is Supergiant Games’ greatest success, a rogue-like hack ‘n slash game with many well-written NPCs and a beautiful reimagination of Greek Mythology.

The game is the culmination of everything that Supergiant Games has done before. Its combat is fast and snappy like Bastions, the setting is rich and well fleshed out like Transistor’s, and the character-based narrative is clearly reminiscent of Pyre.

In this game, you play as Hades’ son in his quest to leave the underworld. The main character slowly grows in power and connections that remember each of his failed attempts.

There are thousands of story events, countless ability combinations, and enough weapons and fight styles to keep you busy and entertained for many, many hours.

The Talos Principle

The Talos Principle is a true puzzle game, and it is also a philosophical enigma. It constantly provokes thoughts about common topics in science fiction, such as, what humanity is, the meaning of life, and others.

The game has over 120 immersive puzzles in a beautiful world of ruins. In it, you explore technology, civilization, and clues that will lead you to make your own theories to explain what happened and what the game is actually about.

The game is not linear, and you get to choose your path within it, solving puzzles at your own pace, in your own way.

This might not be the best game for you if you like action-oriented games. Unlike Portal, there isn’t a crazy A.I. trying to kill you, putting you in adrenaline-packed situations, or making dark humor commentaries.

The Talos Principle demands patience and exploration. It also takes itself somewhat seriously when it comes to the atmosphere and topics approached. However, this game is a must if you’re into environmental storytelling, philosophical debates, and puzzles.

Borderlands 2

Borderlands is one of my favorite franchises. It is a looter-shooter with a lot of personality, funny characters, and fun action sequences.

I’m not a first-person shooter guy, but I do like some FPS games that do care much — or at all — about being realistic.

Borderlands takes place in an alien world, gives you hundreds of sci-fi guns, and throws mutants and aliens at you. Doesn’t that already sound fun?

You get to choose one of the four new vault hunters to face against weird enemies and evil masterminds. There’s a lot you can do to tailor the game to your taste too. You get to gather all kinds of weapons and use skill points to shape your character to your playstyle.

Borderlands 2 also counts with online co-op. If you don’t like exploring and questing alone, looting with a friend will make this game far more enjoyable for you. You will get to see all new environments in Pandora with your friend and coordinate your classes’ special skills for maximum destruction.

XCOM 2

XCOM 2 is the direct sequel to the acclaimed XCOM: Enemy Unknown. This game happened 20 years after the incident that occurred in the first game.

Humanity has lost the war against invading aliens. Now there is a new world order on the Earth after the world leaders surrendered to the alien forces. As a result, the last defense line of the Planet, XCOM, was left in ruins.

Much like the first title, XCOM 2 is a game with tactical combat. It is everything the first game was, but it offers much more. New systems and gameplay elements provide more flexibility during battles, which allows players to come up with unique solutions to different issues.

There are new kinds of enemies in XCOM 2, several missions with unique challenges, and even a competitive multiplayer mode. There is so much in XCOM 2 that it even got IGN’s Best Strategy Game award in 2016.

Graphically speaking, XCOM never really had the most high-end graphics. However, the game still looks good today, and the graphics are more than enough for any of us to enjoy some tactical sci-fi combat.

Trine Enchanted Edition

Trine is an acclaimed puzzle game that was very well received when it came out. Its Enchanted Edition is not just a re-release but a significantly updated version of the first game.

Trine Enchanted Edition is a remake of the original Trine with the same physics-based gameplay, puzzles, and characters.

In the game, you control three heroes: Amadeus the Wizard, Pontius the Knight, and Zoya the Thief, each with their own set of unique skills.

Zoya can attack with a bow and use a grappling hook, Pontius can fight up close and destroy objects, and Amadeus can cast physically simulated objects and levitate them.

In the end, Trine is a puzzle game, but although this is not a genre that all people enjoy, it is one of the best puzzle games that you can find on Steam. It also has some platforming challenges and combat encounters to change the pacing.

Skullgirls 2nd Encore

Skullgirls 2nd Encore is a beautiful, hand-drawn 2D fighting game with long combos.

This game is fast-paced, well polished, and it has many unique characters that look like they came out of an anime from the 60s. In fact, the art style of Skullgirls is one of its most noticeable characteristics.

Skullgirls also counts with one of the best soundtracks ever made for fighting games, with smooth jazz music that perfectly fits its world and characters.

Although this is not as popular as some mainstream fighting games, it has a strong community that is very supportive of newcomers. This is not an easy game, though. the learning curve is a little bit steep, and match-up knowledge makes a difference, but if you like fighting games at all, it is worth it.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

What if you suddenly wake up with no memories in an ominous castle while being hunted by supernatural creatures?

Amnesia is a first-person horror puzzle game. It does its best to make you feel immersed in its twisted world where hiding in the dark will drive you crazy, but stepping into the light will make you an easy prey.

The elements of cosmic horror combined with the slower pace puzzle elements are a few of the things that make Amnesia such a memorable game. It even breaks the 4th wall sometimes just to make you feel like you lost your mind, taking the idea of immersion to a whole new level.

Its psychological horror holds up to this day due to its pacing and atmosphere. The game is over 10 years old, and many people still consider it one of the greatest games of the genre. That alone says a lot about it.

Outlast

Outlast is one of the many horror games that used some mechanics and ideas first presented in Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Although the two games have some similarities, the setting and the story are original.

The game was developed by experienced people who worked on some of the most famous franchises in video games. They used their expertise to make one of the best first-person survival horror games ever.

Like Amnesia, this is not a game that allows you to solve your issues with violence. You’re a reporter, not a fighter. You have to run and hide in case someone or something is trying to kill you.

Outlast’s gimmick is the camera. There are really dark areas in this game. So dark you can’t see at all. In order to navigate those areas, you must use your camera’s night vision mode, but doing so consumes its battery.

The game’s characters and setting are inspired by real locations, such as criminally insane people and real asylums with a terrible history of mistreating patients.

Dust: An Elysian Tail

This game is an amazing work of art. The game features anthropomorphic characters that are often too cute for how dark the story can get sometimes.

Dust: An Elysian Tail is an action-packed Metroidvania with beautifully hand-drawn characters and a rich world. It has many NPCs, quests, side stories, and an addictive combat system. It also counts with an award-winning musical score by Hyperduck Soundworks.

The name of the game comes from the main character, Dust, who doesn’t know his past. At his service, he has the magical blade of Ahrah and the blade’s guardian, Fidget. Together, they must find out Dust’s true identity and put an end to the evil that is spreading around the world.

This is a game that is easy to recommend for those who like cute characters, platformers, action-packed 2D games, and hack ‘n slash. It has it all, and it’s beyond fabulous.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a modern take on an old franchise with such excellent writing and worldbuilding that it is difficult not to enjoy. I loved playing through this entire game, even though I don’t usually play FPS games at all.

It helps that Deus Ex has one of the best cyberpunk settings of high-budget games. The city feels alive and real, giving you so much immersion that it is easy to get lost in conversations. I often pay attention to the city to figure out how technology affected it.

The gameplay is also quite fun due to your cybernetic implants and the design philosophy of the game, which allows you to solve specific issues in many different ways.

Deus Ex is critically acclaimed, action-packed, and visually stunning. This game is easy to recommend to anyone who likes shooters or cyberpunk themes.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

You once again play as Adam Jensen, the ex-SWAT specialist whose body is filled with high-tech cyber-enhancements that make him the perfect agent.

It’s been two years since the previous games. It’s 2029 now. Following the events of the previous game, augmented humans were exiled. Jensen is now part of an international unit that handles cybernetically enhanced terrorists.

In a good plot that has twists and thought-provoking premises, you once again take part on a difficult path to prevent the world from becoming even worse than it is.

Generally speaking, Mankind Divided is a Deus Ex game, but better. It has generous doses of cyberpunk scenery, action, stealthy, hacking, and everything else you expect from a game of the genre. If you like Human Revolution, just go for this one too.

Dota 2

Dota 2 is one of the two MOBAs that battle to be the greatest of the genre. Being a direct sequel to Defense of the Ancients, DOTA 2 counts with many familiar faces to those who used to play Warcraft 3’s mod.

The greatest thing about Dota 2 is its monetization model. The game is entirely free to play, and it doesn’t charge you to unlock heroes. You have access to all playable characters from the start.

The only thing you actually need to spend money on is cosmetic items. Still, even that can be acquired for free sometimes.

Dota 2 is a game that continues to be praised by its community and supported by its developers. So, if you like MOBAs, I can’t really think of any reason for you not to try Dota 2 at least once.

I remember having a blast with Chaos Knight and Lina, even though I found the game much harder than its more colorful MOBA rival. Try it out; the game might surprise you. It is a free-to-play game, so you’re not losing anything by giving it a shot.

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

Civilization is a franchise that needs no introduction. Sid Meier’s games are well known even to those who are not familiar with turn-based strategy games. The series of games has been around for a long time and has only evolved since its first installment.

This franchise allows you to build an empire that will survive many eras. However, to achieve that, you must be able to gather resources, expand, and survive the many issues and external threats.

This is a game that demands patience, knowledge, and quite an investment since the learning curve can scare some people off.

Still, the fact that this is the 6th civilization game, not counting all the spin-off titles, means that this franchise has a lot to offer and is still around for a reason.

Humankind

This game was born out of two things, love for Civilization and the fact that the opportunity to create a true competitor that Civilization has never had.

I sincerely had a lot of fun playing Humankind. It offered enough content for me to keep coming back and trying different things even though I was never very much into turn-based strategy games.

At first glance, the game feels a lot like Civilization. Still, each has its own unique characteristics that make it possible for you to appreciate both or just choose one that aligns more with your taste.

Humankind succeeded in becoming a worthy competitor to Sid Meier’s games. It came out when players of the genre were craving something new. Also, it is still receiving updates and developer support, so it is worth checking out if you’re already into the genre.

Path of Exile

Path of Exile felt a lot like a Diablo II clone when it first came out. And although it might be somewhat true to this day, the game has so many original ideas that it can no longer be considered just a clone.

You are an Exile who is trying to survive in the dangerous continent known as Wraesclast. Your objective is simple, become stronger and get revenge against those who wronged you.

One of the remarkable things this game has going for it is customization. There are hundreds of unique abilities that you can combine to perfectly fit your playstyle.

It’s safe to say that you were into Diablo II, you will like Path of Exile. It’s also safe to say that you’ll enjoy playing it if you like collecting loots and heavily customizing your character.

Path of Exile is free to play, so you might as well just give it a shot. Besides, you can’t get advantages in the game by spending real money, at least according to the developers, which is one less thing to worry about in free-to-play games.

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition

The Witcher is such a classic, but it is also quite an old game. That’s why the Enhanced Edition is such a good option if you are interested in playing an old-but-great game.

If you don’t know the franchise, which is hard to believe, this is a game about the monster hunting man called Geralt of Rivia. He is a witcher, a mutated human who was made better with magic to take care of the very monsters that wizards brought to the world.

The Witcher is filled with twists, intrigue, monsters, and everything else that this fantasy world has to offer.

The game still feels dated, but the enhanced graphics and storytelling can grant you an immersive, rich experience if you can get over the old-school gameplay. The game’s plot is its best feature by far, and that alone is enough reason for me to recommend this game.