PC Gamer published its annual ranking of the 100 best PC games, updating the list for 2026. Baldur’s Gate 3 took first place this time, while Disco Elysium and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt took second and third places, respectively.
The PC Gamer ranking is not simply a list of the newest or most popular games. The editorial team aims to combine modern projects with PC gaming classics, taking into account quality, historical significance, freshness of impressions, design features, impact on the industry, and the ability to return to the game again.
First place on the list went to Baldur’s Gate 3 from Larian Studios. PC Gamer highlighted the scale of the role-playing game, the reactivity of its world, the large number of decision-making opportunities, and the overall level of execution.
The game allows players to approach many situations in different ways, while their decisions affect the further development of events. It was precisely the combination of freedom, depth of role-playing mechanics, and a large amount of content that allowed Baldur’s Gate 3 to take the top spot in the ranking.
Second place went to Disco Elysium — a role-playing game that PC Gamer highlights primarily for its unusual approach to storytelling and strong writing. The publication describes the game as one of the most striking examples of how far video games can go in creating stories and characters.
Third place went to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Despite the fact that the game was released back in 2015, it continues to remain one of the main benchmarks for the genre of large-scale role-playing games and retains its place among the best PC projects.
PC Gamer did not limit itself to role-playing games. The upper part of the list also includes Elden Ring, Minecraft, Stardew Valley, XCOM 2, Crusader Kings 3, Doom, and Half-Life 2. Thus, the ranking covers very different genres and generations of PC games.
The combination of old and new projects is precisely what makes the list distinctive. PC Gamer evaluates not only how relevant a game is in 2026, but also the mark it has left on the history of PC gaming and how well it works today.
According to the editorial team, the publication's staff initially nominated more than 300 games. The candidates were then evaluated using a system of weighted categories, while the final list was additionally adjusted based on series variety and editorial voting.
Due to the subjective nature of the ranking, individual positions can cause controversy even within the editorial team itself. PC Gamer directly notes that the list reflects the different opinions of its authors, including their views on sequels to well-known games, the age of certain projects, and modern live-service games.
In addition to the main top 100, PC Gamer also published separate personal recommendations from its editors for games that did not make the main ranking. These included Rocket League, Silent Hill f, Sea of Thieves, and Project Zomboid.
Special attention in the ranking can be paid to popular esports disciplines. The highest-placed among them was Counter-Strike 2, which took 40th place. The game became the only representative of the big four esports disciplines to make it into the first half of the top 100.
Deadlock from Valve took 100th place, closing out the main ranking. PC Gamer highlighted the game's characters, experimental design, and the accessibility of its individual modes.
At the same time, Dota 2 and VALORANT did not make PC Gamer's main top 100 this year. Thus, among the four disciplines that can be called some of the most prominent in modern esports, only Counter-Strike 2 and Deadlock are represented in the ranking.
Thus, PC Gamer once again presented a ranking that covers different eras of PC gaming — from classics such as Half-Life 2 and Doom to modern hits. This year, Baldur’s Gate 3 took the top spot, while Disco Elysium and The Witcher 3 rounded out the top three.
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