The best games on Steam in 2025

Steam is home to thousands of games, so any list of the best ones is going to include a lot of PC games we recommend on our other lists like the best RPGs or best strategy games. We've focused this list on getting the most out of your Steam library in a few ways: finding games releasing on Steam for the first time after launching elsewhere, games you should grab during Steam sales, and some of our favorite games of all time that Steam user reviews also vouch for.

Best of the best

2025 games: Upcoming releases
Best PC games: All-time favorites
Free PC games: Freebie fest
Best FPS games: Finest gunplay
Best RPGs: Grand adventures
Best co-op games: Better together

There are still a handful of great games locked to other launchers like Epic and Battle.net, but in recent years Ubisoft, EA and Microsoft have all come crawling back to Steam with their biggest games. It can be hard to wade through the sheer volume of PC games, so we've picked out some of the best choices that are available on Valve's platform.

Before you choose what to buy, you may want to check out our more focused guides to the best Steam Deck games and the best free Steam games.

New Steam games

These recently released games are all available on Steam and are ones that we've either reviewed highly or enjoyed quite a lot sans review.

New (to Steam) games

Games that are now on Steam after previously being exclusive to other storefronts, launchers, or platforms.

Final Fantasy Tactics

Finally, 27 years later, I can play the best tactical RPG I never beat as a kid and continue to never beat it as an adult, but on PC.

The Last of Us Part 2

Part 2 of the PlayStation-exclusive apocalypse drama now has a remastered version that's available on Steam.

Escape From Tarkov

After about eight years in closed beta, the PvP extraction game known for its punishing systems finally has a 1.0 launch, bringing it to Steam for the first time.

Free-to-play Steam games

Games you can get into for free and download as soon as you make your first Steam account.

Best Steam games to grab during a sale

There are so many Steam Sale dates each year that you can get just about anything on sale that isn't brand new. Here are some of our favorites that get discounted so often you'd kick yourself for paying full price.