Looking for the best new pc games to play this year? Let us help you out!
2015’s turning out a pretty swell year for us gamers. And even though we’re already past the halfway point, it looks like we still have more to look forward to.
Here, then, are the 12 New PC Games That You Must Play in 2015. You’ve probably already played some of these, while the others have yet to be released. Either way, we’re pretty sure these are the games that will tattoo 2015 in our minds as one of the best years in gaming.
12. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
It’s about time they set one of these games in England.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate takes place in London during the twilight years of the Industrial Revolution. Aside from being able to switch between two main characters – Jacob Frye and his sister Evie – we can expect lots of new things from the game. Envy Batman and his grappling hook? The rope launcher makes scaling walls a cinch. It can even be used as a zip-line to make traveling between rooftops faster.
Judge, jury, executioner
Of course, it wouldn’t be late 1800s London if you didn’t have a cane that hides a sword. Hey, you even get to wear a top hat!
This time, you’re up against London’s criminal underworld, which is controlled by – you guessed it – the Templars. On your side are the likes of eminent biologist Charles Darwin, and author Charles Dickens.
To be launched this Q4, expect carriage chases, rooftop rumbles, and lots and lots of references to tea and crumpets!
No ticket? Off the train with you!
"Darling, I reckon I won't be making it home in time for supper!"
11. Pillars of Eternity
We’ve been waiting for years for a Baldur’s Gate sequel. And while Pillars of Eternity isn’t that sequel, it certainly looks, feels, and plays like the best Baldur’s Gate game that never was.
The game takes place in the fantasy realm of Eora. After a supernatural phenomenon blows up in your face, you find yourself with the curious ability to see souls and people’s past lives. Now the Watcher, you embark on a quest to solve the mystery behind Drywood’s “hollowborn” – infants born without souls.
What's a fantasy game without a dragon?
The game features tactical, party-based combat that can be paused any time to allow you to issue commands to your party members. Add to this an engaging story, well-written characters, beautiful visuals, and a world that evolves depending on your decisions, and Pillars of Eternity is one of the best new PC games of 2015.
Don't go chasing waterfalls
Medieval light show
10. No Man’s Sky
We complain that gaming has become too predictable, that today’s games have a replayability factor of zero.
Say hello to No Man’s Sky, a soon-to-be-released science fiction adventure with an entire universe of procedurally generated content for you to explore.
Space dinosaurs. 'Nuff said
There are more than 18 quintillion planets. Don’t ask us how many that is, because it’ll just blow your mind. You can visit all of them, of course – provided you live for a thousand years.
Each planet has a unique ecosystem, and resources that you can gather to upgrade your items. You can even purchase your own starship! If all that sounds like a science fiction fan’s dream come true, that’s because it is.
It’s innovative and looks gorgeous to boot, making us wish there were more new PC games like it.
Those ships will soon be a permanent part of this asteroid belt
What a colorful planet!
9. Ori and the Blind Forest
Few games this year touched our hearts the way Ori and the Blind Forest did.
A forlorn creature finds comfort in a strange luminous being called Ori. Then tragedy strikes, and the forest in which they live descends into darkness and decay. What follows is a tale of loss, suffering, and ultimately, hope.
True friendship
In this stunningly animated side-scrolling platformer, Ori plunges into a labyrinthine world fraught with danger. Well-crafted environmental puzzles will challenge your mind, while monsters and traps will test your reflexes and skill. Along the way, Ori will make new friends, and acquire new abilities that will aid him in his quest to cleanse his home of corruption.
One of the best new PC games you can play!
By moonlight
Even in decay, the forest looks gorgeous
8. Kerbal Space Program
It’s fun to kill demons and zombies, but sometimes, you just want to build stuff.
Kerbal Space Program lets you build spaceships – which we’re pretty certain is something most of us wanted to do as kids. Once you manage to develop a working spaceship, you then launch it into orbit, and explore and land on planets, moons, and other celestial bodies.
Their heads are bigger than their bodies, which is probably why they're so smart
The game introduces complex spaceflight concepts to us in a way our non-rocket scientist brains can comprehend. Because of this, as well as its impressive in-game physics, it has caught the attention of the geniuses over at NASA and SpaceX.
It’s a good time to be a gamer and a science fan!
Rocket science
The final frontier
7. XCOM 2
We loved us some alien-blasting fun in turn-based tactical strategy game XCOM: Enemy Unknown. This year, we’ll be handing more alien invaders their sorry behinds in XCOM 2.
20 years after the events of the first game, the aliens have conquered Earth. But all hope is not lost. The remains of XCOM, now traveling in their mobile base Avenger, have plans to reclaim our home.
Ready to take down some alien scum!
With a squad of soldiers, players are tasked with killing or capturing aliens. Doing so entails the strategic exploitation of the environment, the timely use of your tools, and using the enemy’s own strengths against them.
And when not liquefying malevolent extraterrestrials, you’ll be researching technology to give you the upper hand in battle.
New PC games like XCOM 2 can’t come soon enough!
Time to catch them by surprise!
Well, he looks happy
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops III
A fan of science fiction and military shooters? You’ll get a kick out of Call of Duty: Black Ops III.
The game is set in 2065, a dystopian future where military technology is so advanced that wars are fought in secret by covert operatives, and robots and supersoldiers are the norm. In fact, there’s a rising fear that robots might one day take over. Anything that sounds like the beginning of The Matrix and Terminator is cool with us!
Look! A metal gear! Oh wait, wrong game...
The campaign will support cooperative gameplay and allow players to customize their character. Multiplayer comes with new playable classes (each with their own unique ability) and weapon customization. There’ll even be a Zombie mode with its own storyline!
One of the new PC games we just can’t wait for, Black Ops III will be seeing a November 2015 release.
Off to war
The skies darken with smoke
5. Cities: Skylines
Those disappointed with 2013’s SimCity can find solace in Cities: Skylines, one of the best new PC games released this year.
As can be expected from a city-building game, you’re tasked with developing a small settlement into a bustling metropolis. It’s not as easy as dropping buildings onto a virtual game board, though; there are numerous considerations to take into account, from road placement to taxes.
This city is beginning to look like paradise
You’ve also got the happiness and health of your people to think about. Too much pollution, and people will be blowing factory smoke out their noses. Not enough jobs, and you’ll have people sharing their meals with rats and cockroaches. Unhappy citizens make an unhappy city!
Skylines is open-ended, so you can build for as long as you want. What better way to spend all those sleepless nights?
By the sea
Those cars are so colorful they look like they're fresh off a Pixar film
4. Star Wars: Battlefront
It’s a good thing those awful prequels didn’t kill the Star Wars franchise, otherwise we’d never have awesome games like the upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront.
Battlefront is a first and third-person shooter that has you assuming the role of either a soldier of the Rebel Alliance or an Imperial Stormtrooper. You then raise hell of George Lucas proportions in worlds like Tatooine, Hoth, and Endor as you attempt to wipe the other side out.
When he's not saving the galaxy, Luke likes playing with his rag dolls
You won’t always be on foot. Remember those amazing vehicles from the original trilogy, like the X-Wings, speeder bikes, and fearsome AT-ATs? You’ll be able to drive many of them. You can even play as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Darth Vader, or Boba Fett. Now that’s giving fans what they want!
Missions are cooperative in nature, meaning you have to play with either a team of bots or other players. Meanwhile, the multiplayer supports up to 40 people. It’s not called Star Wars for nothing.
We’re betting this will be one of the greatest new PC games this year, whether or not you’re a fan of Star Wars!
You guys wouldn't be so brave without that giant mechanical freak covering you!
Hey, I saw this in Empire Strikes Back!
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Few games are as massive – both in scale and in the amount of things they give you to do – as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. There are so many quests, secrets, and activities that it’ll likely take anyone over 100 hours to complete the game.
But the best thing about this RPG is the sense of immersion it provides. For every significant choice you make, you shape the world in ways you’ll rarely anticipate. All that suffering in the world? You can help change that. Or you can be the cause of it.
Limbs flying everywhere!
Add to this well-written characters, beautiful graphics, stellar combat, ingenious magic, alchemy, and crafting systems, countless ways to customize Geralt’s build, and even an addicting collectible card minigame, and you’ve got one of the best new PC games released in 2015 so far.
The coup de grace
Last to the finish line is a filthy drowner!
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Every new installment of the Metal Gear Solid franchise gives us something new to salivate over, and in this regard, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain aims to please.
The game will be set in several sets of huge open worlds, which means players will have dozens of new options to approach every mission. These worlds can be explored on foot, behind the wheel of a vehicle, or on your belly (‘cause you know, you’re a sneaker). You’ve also got friends to help you out. Prefer your help on the cute and furry side? Get DD, your pet wolf, to rip your enemies’ throats for you. Want some eye candy to get you through some tough times? There’s the mute sniper Quiet, who can murder foes from afar. Then there’s D-Walker, a heavily armed robot.
Snake's new ride
In addition to the stealth action gameplay, the game has base-building elements, as you can develop your items at your headquarters between missions. You can also recruit enemy soldiers to increase the size of your army.
September 2015 promises to be one heck of a great month, thanks to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain!
Snake and Quiet: lethal weapons
A gorgeous view
1. Fallout 4
It’s Fallout. ‘Nuff said.
Well, okay, perhaps you’ve never played any of the post-apocalyptic Fallout games and need some convincing.
How about an enormous, painstakingly detailed open world that’s been ravaged by global nuclear war? The remnants of a retro-futuristic culture that effortlessly merges 1950s America with crazy technology such as giant robots, laser rifles, cloning, and genetic engineering? Hundreds of quests revolving around the world’s unusual mix of denizens, from friendly zombies to Hulk-like mutants? Moral choices that shape the world around you?
A dog and his human
Fallout 4 will include all these concepts and introduce new ones such as base-building, complex armor and crafting systems, and more. Not to mention this time, your cute canine companion Dogmeat can’t die!
We can also expect the return of the excellent combat system that lets you switch between first and third-person views, as well as more exciting abilities that you can learn as you level up.
We’re confident Fallout 4 will be one of the best new PC games this year!
This world is one massive junkyard
Where the monsters roam...
Honorable Mentions
The excellent Grand Theft Auto V was released this year for the PC, but technically, the game first came out in 2013, so it’s not exactly new anymore.
Everyone agrees Batman: Arkham Knight is an incredible game, but its PC version is currently broken. Let’s hope they fix those problems, soon!
Of course everyone is waiting for StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. Unfortunately, there’s a possibility it might not even be released this year, but early next year.
Love the new PC games we mentioned in this list? What games do you think deserve to be up there with the others? Tell us in the comments section below!
And after you’re done with that, check out our 2K Games: A List of The 10 Best 2k Games To Play in 2015 and 2016 article to read more about the 2K Games that will be launching this year!
Check out Witcher 3 Gameplay for our review of the title’s stellar gameplay.
Read 10 Games Like Baldur's Gate to learn more about Pillars of Eternity and another highly anticipated game that will be out this year: Tides of Numenera!
And if you want to see some glorious trailers of some of this year’s games, head on to 10 Amazing Video Game Trailers That You Must Watch and 12 Best Video Game Trailers Ever Made.
