The Best PC Games of 2022

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – January 1, 2023

Which PC games impressed professional reviewers the most during the past year? We rank the best-reviewed titles released between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 by Metascore. Games must have at least 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible for inclusion. (All scores listed here are from December 31, 2022.)

11 of 14 photo by Bay 12 Games

93 Dwarf Fortress

Metacritic's #1 PC Exclusive of 2022.

(#3) It's unusual when a "new" game is considered widely influential in the industry, but that is indeed the case for our PC exclusive of the year, which has been available as freeware in pre-release form for over 16 years (and in development for even longer) and whose influence can be seen in dozens of games ranging from Minecraft to RimWorld. In December, DF's indie creators (and brothers) Zach and Tarn Adams finally put an updated Dwarf Fortress on sale for the first time, which could help it reach an audience of adventurous gamers beyond just fellow game developers and seekers of obscure entertainment.

Widely labeled "inscrutable" by the gaming press (though the new Steam release does, thankfully, include a tutorial), the once-ASCII-styled but now pixel art game is a complex blend of mining and construction simulation, colony management, story generator, and roguelike set in a dwarf-filled fantasy world. The depth on hand is stunning—there are dozens of types of soil alone, and the procedurally generated world even includes procedurally generated poetry and music—but so is the learning curve. Prepare to get overwhelmed.

“Dwarf Fortress is a very difficult, edgy game, but it is also an essential experience, a true celebration of the hidden potential of the videogame medium, which you will not find in any other game.” —Multiplayer.it

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