If you’re an established gamer who has waded through hundreds of game titles for years already, you’re probably pretty adept at selecting which games will work for you and which won’t. You can spot a diamond in the rough from a mile away, tell which Indie titles will give you the most bang for your buck, and which AAA titles you should wait to buy on sale. 

If you’re newer to the gaming world, it’s more likely that you haven’t narrowed down your likes and dislikes quite as much yet. Maybe you need a hand to avoid wasting your hard-earned money on games likely to underwhelm you. Maybe you need to hone your instincts — that’s where we come in. We know all the tricks and have the best advice when choosing the best PC games to suit your tastes. Let’s check it out.

Read The Reviews

The easiest way to tell what a game is like without actually playing it yourself is to read every game review you can get your hands on. PC game releases are often followed by — and sometimes preceded by — game reviews from professional writers, professional gamers, and other hobbyists like you. The magazine and professional gamer reviews often precede actual game releases, so gamers who might not otherwise have splurged on a new game have enough information to choose wisely. 

Your favorite streamer is probably the best bet regarding reliability: they play games for a living and make part of that living by being honest about the games they test. You’ll have to wait until the game is publicly available if you want peer reviews. Remember to check if the person reviewing the game has entered into a paid partnership with the development company and read the reviews on platforms like Steam to get the lowdown. 

If you’re looking for a place to follow streamers and professional gamers — and join a gaming community to keep you in touch with all the developments in the world of new game releases and reviews — check out YouTube or Twitch. Not only will you hear about many game releases here, but you’ll also have access to the people who have the information before anyone else.

Watch Playthroughs 

Here is another way your favorite pro gamers and game streamers can help you. More often than not — unless some aspect of a game is a big secret and only to be revealed upon the launch — they will post screen recordings of them playing parts of the game. This gives you insight into the in-game graphics (cinematics are not an excellent way to judge graphic quality: they’re usually completely flawless, especially if the studio has an Activision or Blizzard-like budget) and how smoothly they flow. A playthrough will give you insight into the speed of the action at different levels (you may want a challenge or something that’s relaxing to play) and the details of the characters and the world.

Play Early Access Versions

Early access versions of games often have a far lower price than the completed version. Early access (for those not yet in the know) is a version of the game released to the public while still under construction. Developers offer up this version and use the public as unpaid testers. You can experience the game world and its characters for a reduced fee while it grows and changes into its final form. Buying this version of the game usually means you get the final version at a lower cost when it is released since your data helped get the dev team there!

Talk to Friends

The very best way to figure out if a game is for you is to ask friends who have already bought and played it. Friends have no skin in the game when they talk about their experience of the title. If they like it, they’ll be 100% honest about it. They will be 100% honest about it if they don’t like it because no one is paying them to say otherwise! They might even invite you to try it out for yourself, free of charge or responsibility.

Wait for Sales and Track Prices

Price may factor in which games you purchase and which you don’t. Platforms like Steam usually have major sales twice a year: Christmas and summertime. These sales mean that you can get costly games at a fraction of their original price! Games will be most expensive when they are newly released, so employ a little patience, and you’ll get excellent value for money.

Wrap Up

Choosing PC games considers a potentially huge amount of factors, but it can be easy if you take it step by step! Consider all the advice we’ve shared here, and you’ll have a collection growing before you know it.