The 167 best PC (MS-DOS and Windows) games

All systems together, ranked by the scores that magazines gave these games when they came out. Systems: Windows PC, MS-DOS, Windows 3.1, Linux, Mac OS X. The list draws on 15,426 review scores of 7,403 games.

#	Game	Platform	Year	Score
1	Portal 2	Windows	2011	99.2
2	Command & Conquer: Red Alert	MS-DOS, Windows	1996	98.8
3	Half-Life 2	Windows	2004	97.3
4	Grand Theft Auto V	Windows	2015	96
5	Doom	MS-DOS	1993	95.6
6	Persona 5 Royal	Windows	2022	95
7	Ultima VI: The False Prophet	MS-DOS	1990	94.6
8	Magic Carpet	MS-DOS	1994	94.2
9	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	Windows	2011	94.2
10	Myst	Win3.1	1994	94.1
11	Eternam	MS-DOS	1992	94
12	BioShock Infinite	Windows	2013	94
13	Civilization II	Windows	1996	94
14	Civilization IV	Windows	2005	94
15	Grand Theft Auto: Vice City	Windows	2003	94
16	Mass Effect 2	Windows	2010	94
17	Quake	Windows, MS-DOS	1997	94
18	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	Windows	2006	94
19	Carrier Command	MS-DOS	1989	93.9
20	Theme Park	MS-DOS	1994	93.9
21	The Adventures of Moktar	MS-DOS	1991	93.7
22	Another World	MS-DOS	1992	93.6
23	F-29 Retaliator	MS-DOS	1990	93.6
24	Half-Life	Windows	1998	93.4
25	Day of the Tentacle	MS-DOS	1993	93.4
26	Star Wars: Dark Forces	MS-DOS	1995	93.3
27	Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos	Windows	2002	93.3
28	Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger	MS-DOS	1994	93.3
29	Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss	MS-DOS	1992	93.3
30	Jetfighter II	MS-DOS	1990	93.3
31	Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon	MS-DOS	1991	93.2
32	BioShock	Windows	2007	93.2
33	Doom II	MS-DOS	1994	93.1
34	1942: The Pacific Air War	MS-DOS	1994	93
35	Company of Heroes	Windows	2006	93
36	Divinity: Original Sin II	Windows	2017	93
37	Grand Theft Auto III	Windows	2002	93
38	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	Windows	2005	93
39	Hades	Windows	2018	93
40	Minecraft	Windows	2011	93
41	Red Dead Redemption II	Windows	2019	93
42	StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty	Windows	2010	93
43	Tetris Effect: Connected	Windows	2021	93
44	The Witcher III: Wild Hunt	Windows	2015	93
45	Unreal Tournament 2004	Windows	2004	93
46	World of Warcraft	Windows	2004	93
47	Microsoft Flight Simulator 3.0	MS-DOS	1988	92.9
48	SimCity 2000	MS-DOS	1994	92.9
49	Deus Ex	Windows	2000	92.7
50	Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender	MS-DOS	1992	92.7
51	Railroad Tycoon	MS-DOS	1990	92.5
52	Purple Saturn Day	MS-DOS	1989	92.3
53	Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra	MS-DOS	1991	92.2
54	Dungeon Keeper	MS-DOS	1997	92.2
55	UMS	MS-DOS	1987	92.2
56	Sam & Max Hit the Road	MS-DOS	1993	92.1
57	Chuck Yeager's Air Combat	MS-DOS	1991	92
58	Call of Duty	Windows	2003	92
59	Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare	Windows	2007	92
60	Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor	Windows	2008	92
61	Pro Evolution Soccer 3	Windows	2003	92
62	Sid Meier's Gettysburg	Windows	1997	92
63	Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory	Windows	2005	92
64	Team Fortress 2	Windows	2007	92
65	Undertale	Windows	2015	92
66	Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis	MS-DOS	1992	91.9
67	Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle	MS-DOS	1993	91.8
68	StarCraft	Windows	1998	91.7
69	Civilization	MS-DOS	1991	91.5
70	Overlord	MS-DOS	1994	91.5
71	Grim Fandango	Windows	1998	91.4
72	Heart of China	MS-DOS	1991	91.4
73	Stunt Island	MS-DOS	1992	91.4
74	Super Street Fighter II Turbo	MS-DOS	1995	91.3
75	Quake III: Arena	Windows	1999	91.2
76	Rome: Total War	Windows	2004	91.1
77	Star Wars: TIE Fighter	MS-DOS	1994	91.1
78	Driller	MS-DOS	1988	91.1
79	Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge	MS-DOS	1991	91
80	Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame	MS-DOS	1993	91
81	Batman: Arkham Asylum	Windows	2009	91
82	Batman: Arkham City	Windows	2011	91
83	Battlefield 2	Windows	2005	91
84	Betrayal at Krondor	MS-DOS	1993	91
85	Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood	MS-DOS	1991	91
86	Crysis	Windows	2007	91
87	Dark Souls II	Windows	2014	91
88	Disco Elysium	Windows	2019	91
89	Dishonored	Windows	2012	91
90	F1 Challenge '99-'02	Windows	2003	91
91	Fallout 3	Windows	2008	91
92	FEZ	Windows	2013	91
93	Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar	Windows	2007	91
94	IL-2 Sturmovik	Windows	2001	91
95	Madden NFL 2004	Windows	2003	91
96	Mark of the Ninja	Windows	2012	91
97	Medal of Honor: Allied Assault	Windows	2002	91
98	Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain	Windows	2015	91
99	Myth: The Fallen Lords	Windows	1997	91
100	Neverwinter Nights	Windows	2002	91
101	No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way	Windows	2002	91
102	Overwatch	Windows	2016	91
103	Quake II	Windows	1997	91
104	Splinter Cell	Windows	2003	91
105	Street Fighter IV	Windows	2009	91
106	The Four Crystals of Trazere	MS-DOS	1992	91
107	The Longest Journey	Windows	1999	91
108	World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade	Windows	2007	91
109	World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King	Windows	2008	91
110	Homeworld	Windows	1999	90.9
111	SimEarth: The Living Planet	MS-DOS	1990	90.9
112	Martian Memorandum	MS-DOS	1991	90.8
113	Sensible Soccer: European Champions	MS-DOS	1993	90.8
114	The Sims 2	Windows	2004	90.8
115	Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire	MS-DOS	1990	90.8
116	Ultima VIII: Pagan	MS-DOS	1994	90.7
117	Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds	MS-DOS	1993	90.7
118	The Secret of Monkey Island	MS-DOS	1990	90.6
119	Full Throttle	MS-DOS	1995	90.5
120	The Chessmaster 3000	MS-DOS	1991	90.5
121	Wing Commander	MS-DOS	1990	90.5
122	Populous	MS-DOS	1989	90.4
123	Duke Nukem 3D	MS-DOS	1996	90.3
124	Gods	MS-DOS	1991	90.3
125	King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow	MS-DOS	1992	90.3
126	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2	Windows	2000	90.3
127	Eye of the Beholder	MS-DOS	1991	90.3
128	System Shock 2	Windows	1999	90.3
129	Indianapolis 500: The Simulation	MS-DOS	1989	90.3
130	Alone in the Dark 2	MS-DOS	1993	90.2
131	Swap	MS-DOS	1990	90.2
132	BioForge	MS-DOS	1995	90.2
133	Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny	MS-DOS	1988	90.1
134	Knights of the Old Republic	Windows	2003	90.1
135	Black & White	Windows	2001	90.1
136	Star Wars: Rebel Assault	MS-DOS	1993	90.1
137	Silent Service II	MS-DOS	1990	90.1
138	Bayonetta	Windows	2017	90
139	Braid	Windows	2009	90
140	Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons	Windows	2013	90
141	Civilization III	Windows	2001	90
142	Civilization V	Windows	2010	90
143	Dawn of War	Windows	2004	90
144	Deus Ex: Human Revolution	Windows	2011	90
145	Dota 2	Windows	2013	90
146	Dune II: The Battle for Arrakis	MS-DOS	1992	90
147	Empire: Total War	Windows	2009	90
148	Falcon 4.0: Allied Force	Windows	2005	90
149	Flight Simulator 2002	Windows	2001	90
150	Freedom Force	Windows	2002	90
151	Grand Theft Auto IV	Windows	2008	90
152	GTR 2 – FIA GT Racing Game	Windows	2006	90
153	Guild Wars 2	Windows	2012	90
154	Half-Life 2: Episode Two	Windows	2007	90
155	Into The Breach	Windows	2018	90
156	Lure of the Temptress	MS-DOS	1992	90
157	Maupiti Island	MS-DOS	1991	90
158	NHL 2001	Windows	2000	90
159	Portal	Windows	2007	90
160	Return to Castle Wolfenstein	Windows	2001	90
161	Silent Hunter III	Windows	2005	90
162	Stephen's Sausage Roll	Windows	2016	90
163	Tetris Effect	Windows	2018	90
164	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	Windows	2002	90
165	Total War: Shogun 2	Windows	2011	90
166	World of Goo	Windows	2008	90
167	Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure	MS-DOS	1989	90

Highly rated, with fewer than 3 reviews

119 titles have a score of 90 or more, but from only one or two reviews, and no Metacritic score.

Game	Platform	Year	Score
Planetfall	MS-DOS	1983	100
BurgerTime	MS-DOS	1982	100
Corporation	MS-DOS	1991	100
Deadline	MS-DOS	1982	100
El Capitán Trueno	MS-DOS	1990	100
Half-Life: Alyx	Windows	2020	100
Infidel	MS-DOS	1983	100
Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.0	MS-DOS	1982	100
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.0	MS-DOS	1984	100
Questprobe: Featuring Human Torch and the Thing	MS-DOS	1985	100
Reventure	Windows	2019	100
Spellbreaker	MS-DOS	1985	100
Spycraft: The Great Game	Windows	1996	100
Star Trek: The Kobayashi Alternative	MS-DOS	1985	100
Stationfall	MS-DOS	1987	100
The Hobbit	MS-DOS	1983	100
Ultima II: Revenge of the Enchantress	MS-DOS	1982	100
Wheel of Fortune	MS-DOS	1987	100
Lemmings	MS-DOS	1991	98.5
NBA Live 2000	Windows	1999	96
Dungeon Keeper	Windows	1997	95
Beat Saber	Windows	2018	95
Go Simulator	MS-DOS	1992	95
Gone Home	Linux	2013	95
Rage	Windows	2011	95
Svoboda 1945	Windows	2021	95
The Walking Dead: 400 Days	Windows	2013	95
Under a Killing Moon	MS-DOS	1994	95
Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels	Windows	1996	94
Inferno: The Odyssey Continues	MS-DOS	1994	93.5
Missing: The 13th Victim	Windows	2004	93
Tracon: Traffic Air Control Simulator	Win3.1	1992	93
Worms	MS-DOS	1995	93
Syndicate	MS-DOS	1993	92
Go Player	MS-DOS	1991	92
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City	Windows	2010	92
Patrician III	Windows	2000	92
The Vortex Factor	MS-DOS	1985	92
Wild Streets	MS-DOS	1989	92
EF 2000	MS-DOS	1995	91.5
Rally Championship Edition 2000	Windows	1999	91.5
Rick Dangerous II	MS-DOS	1990	91.5
Strike II	MS-DOS	1991	91.5
The Blues Brothers	MS-DOS	1991	91.5
Flashback	MS-DOS	1993	91
Hi-Octane	MS-DOS	1995	91
Shadow Sorcerer	MS-DOS	1991	91
Gnome Ranger	MS-DOS	1987	91
Harpoon Classic	MS-DOS	1994	91
Joan of Arc: The Siege & The Sword	MS-DOS	1988	91
NBA 2K13	Windows	2012	91
Romance of the Three Kingdoms	MS-DOS	1989	91
Star Saga: One - Beyond the Boundary	MS-DOS	1988	91
Thief Gold	Windows	1999	91
Top Spin	Windows	2004	91
Asterix: Caesar's Challenge	MS-DOS	1995	90.5
Civilization	Win3.1	1993	90.5
Grandmaster Chess	MS-DOS	1992	90.5
Jim Power	MS-DOS	1994	90.5
Raptor: Call of the Shadows	MS-DOS	1994	90.5
Rayman Legends	Windows	2013	90.5
The Legend of Kyrandia: The Hand of Fate	MS-DOS	1993	90.5
The Need for Speed	MS-DOS	1995	90.5
Transport Tycoon	MS-DOS	1994	90.5
Alone in the Dark 3	MS-DOS	1994	90
Civilization II Scenarios: Conflicts in Civilization	Windows	1996	90
Dyna Blaster	MS-DOS	1992	90
E.S.S. Mega	MS-DOS	1991	90
Flight Unlimited	MS-DOS	1995	90
Jazz Jackrabbit	MS-DOS	1994	90
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes	Windows	2012	90
Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny	MS-DOS	1992	90
Virtual Pool	MS-DOS	1995	90
1942: The Pacific Air War	Win3.1	1994	90
ANIMAL WELL	Windows	2024	90
Aladdin	MS-DOS	1994	90
Among us	Windows	2018	90
Balance of Power	MS-DOS	1986	90
Balatro	Windows	2024	90
Ballyhoo	MS-DOS	1986	90
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure	MS-DOS	1990	90
Borrowed Time	MS-DOS	1985	90
Boulder Dash II: Rockford's Revenge	MS-DOS	1985	90
Bureaucracy	MS-DOS	1987	90
CM4: Championship Manager	Windows	2003	90
Cris Tales	Windows	2021	90
EGA Trek	MS-DOS	1988	90
EGA-Solitaire	MS-DOS	1988	90
Evan's Remains	Windows	2020	90
FIFA 14	Windows	2013	90
Gear Works	MS-DOS	1992	90
Hero Academy	Windows	2012	90
Inside a Star-filled Sky	Windows	2011	90
International Cricket Captain 2	Windows	1999	90
Lemmings 2: The Tribes	MS-DOS	1993	90
Les Castors Juniors dans la Foret	MS-DOS	1990	90
Many Faces of Go	MS-DOS	1991	90
Marvin's Mittens	Windows	2012	90
Master of Magic	MS-DOS	1994	90
Meurtres en Série	MS-DOS	1987	90
Mortal Shell	Windows	2021	90
Need for Speed: The Run	Windows	2011	90
NetHack	MS-DOS	1985	90
New York Warriors	MS-DOS	1990	90
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2	Windows	2023	90
Ori and the Will of the Wisps	Windows	2020	90
Perry Mason: The Case of the Mandarin Murder	MS-DOS	1985	90
Premier Manager 3	MS-DOS	1994	90
Push Over	MS-DOS	1992	90
Ridge Racer Unbounded	Windows	2012	90
Shift 2: Unleashed	Windows	2011	90
Syndicate: American Revolt	MS-DOS	1993	90
The Adventures of Captain Comic	MS-DOS	1988	90
The Cardinal of the Kremlin	MS-DOS	1990	90
The Pinball Arcade	Windows	2013	90
The Puzzle Gallery: At the Carnival	MS-DOS	1990	90
Time Warriors	Windows	1997	90
Wolfenstein 3D	MS-DOS	1992	90
iF-22 Raptor	Windows	1997	90

How the ranking works

The scores are the ones magazines gave when the games came out, all converted to a 0–100 scale. Only one review per magazine counts for a game: the most recent.
A game's score is half the average, half the median of its magazine reviews. A title opens the game's page on uvlist.net; a score opens the report with every review behind it.
A game needs at least 3 magazine reviews to be ranked. With equal scores, the game with more reviews comes first.
Metacritic already sums up many reviews, so it is never mixed with the magazines: it is used only for games with fewer than 3 magazine reviews, as their only score.
Each list shows every game with a score of 90 or more. Games with fewer than 3 reviews and no Metacritic score are shown apart: their score is promising, but rests on one or two opinions.
A title released on several systems of the group appears once, at the rank of its best version; every version good enough to make the list is shown under it.

The lists are rebuilt each time reviews are added. To filter by genre, year, magazine or publisher, explore all the scores in the report.

More lists

Best 2nd generation console games Best 3rd generation (8-bit) console games Best 4th generation (16-bit) console games Best 5th generation (32/64-bit) console games Best 6th generation console games Best 7th generation console games Best 8th generation console games Best 9th generation console games Best 4th generation handheld games Best 5th generation handheld games Best 6th generation handheld games Best 7th generation handheld games Best 8th generation handheld games Best 8-bit home computer games Best 16/32-bit home computer games All the lists