Witcher 3 and Red dead redemption 2 are a couple of the best games I’ve ever played. Try those out. Witcher 3 goes on sale quite often on Steam, so you can get the complete version with DLC’s for less than 10$.
this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2025
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I'll chime in with the obligatory New Vegas recommendation.
It's so different than Fallout 4 it's really hard to describe. No looter shooter stuff, no focus on clearing the next dungeon. The world is there, it's alive, it's reactive, and you decide what to do and where to go. I've spent many hours scouring the world, and I always find something new. And when I say something new, I'm not talking about a copy/pasted skill magazine or bobblehead. I mean new quests, new lore, new perspectives It's the closest I've ever seen a video game come to emulating real-world ideological conflict, and I adore it. The player freedom is off the chain, too. Hell, you can kill every NPC and still beat the game. Love it, rant over.
You can play New Vegas without mods, and I'd say it actually functions well (everyone's machine handles the game differently though, tbh), but I recommend following this guide, at least the base version, to mod your game. Not strictly necessary, though. I'd hate to recommend you a game you have to spend hours fixing before you can play it.
As for Fable, there's two versions on Steam. Fable: The Lost Chapters is the original Xbox release, and Fable Anniversary is the 360-era remaster. The only real differences between the two are:
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Fable Anniversary has remastered graphics. (As for if they're better, that comes down to personal preference. I personally like the way Fable: TLC looks more)
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Fable Anniversary has controller support.
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Fable Anniversary has an added hard mode.
The controller support makes Anniversary my preferred way to play on Steam, but the remaster kinda destroyed the game's atmosphere. I'd still rather just boot up my Xbox copy of Fable TLC so I can have my cake and, furthermore, eat it as well.
Steam has lots of sales so be patient. steamdb.info Is a useful website to track sales and see if they’re historic lows, also lots of other ways to sort through what’s available on Steam.
Also consider isthereanydeal.com, which covers a bunch of stores.
Nice, didn’t know about that one, thanks!
get a gamepass sub, play avowed.
also re: Neir, did you start a new game plus after the first play through?
Everyone is recommending games, but you haven't told us a thing about this gifted PC. It's important to know that prior to recommending anything, as a "custom gaming PC" could be an i7-4790k system from a decade ago.
What are the specs?
Don't diss i7-4790k, you'd be surprised how well it can run some modern titles!
I'm aware, I built such a system in 2015. Unfortunately my ex got it in the divorce.
That still doesn't tell us anything about OP's system.
Unfortunately my ex got it in the divorce.
Oh, okay, then it sucks. You're missing out on nothin'!
It's fine, I built a 5800X3D/7900XTX system as a gift to myself after the fact 😅
Oh. Then never mind, let her keep the old trash!
I know, I'm just failing to be cheeky.
I would love to tell you but my last pc was win7 and the newest windows is not intuitive for me. I can't explain it except that things that should and have been simple for me aren't anymore. I couldn't even guess where to go in settings to get that info. I really really hate this os I'd love to figure out how to dual boot Linux and just not deal with windows except for gaming. Sorry old person drunk rant about tech..
If your primary gaming is through Steam, then you shouldn't have to switch back to Windows much if at all.
No problem. It's easy enough:
- Press Win+Pause/Break, or open the Start menu and type "About" to bring up About PC. This will tell you the processor and RAM, the latter of which should be an absolute minimum of 16 GB.
- Open the Start menu and run Device Manager to check the graphics processing unit (GPU). Whatcha got?
Anyway, for exploration-driven story, Subnautica is the king of the mountain, by a ridiculously wide margin.
Thanks so much!
Intel i9 3.6ghz 32gb ram Nvidia GeForce rtx 2070
I have no idea why he needed to upgrade this with a whole new desktop but I am not complaining!
That’s still a beast of a computer! i9!
For slight further clarification on part 2, when checking for the GPU in device manager, it will be listed under "Display adapters".
Tetris Effect Connected
Cities Skylines
What remains of Edith Finch
Stanley's Parable
Baldurs gate 3
Incredible game AND - this is very very important ! - it doesn't need fixing with mods, patches, retexturing etc...
Morrowind, Fallout : New Vegas, Oblivion
All need, fixing, rebalancing, graphics enhancements etc...
The Witcher 3? That is probably the high water mark here.
Also see the new Stalker if you want open world vibes (fps tho).
Maybe Elex?
Outer wilds. Dark souls. Remnant? Those are my top 3 (if you can count the dark soul series as one).
I’ve played Outer Wilds for about four hours now and while it’s decent I haven’t understood the hype yet.
It is worth sticking it out or is it not for me?
It's a slow burn game. There is a plot, and the plot is really good, but it only becomes clear really late into the game. Instead of the plot, the primary driver of gameplay is learning. I see a lot of people approach the game as though the writings are just flavor text, or just a way to portray a clue to a puzzle. It's really not. You're supposed to seek out the writing because the writing itself scratches the itch of learning. The developers put an incredible amount of attention to the entire game, and paying close attention and thinking through the implications of the text will reveal the plot points and lore. Basically, you play for the knowledge, and then only later does it become clear that everything that you've been doing was actually advancing the plot. And you'd want to remember what you learned so that the plot makes sense
All this to say, there is a wrong way to play the game, and that is to treat the game like nothing more than something to be completed. If you're feeling a bit lost, yeah, that's kind of the point. You decide which thread is most interesting to you. All I will say is that any thread that you pull will eventually converge onto the plot, so feel free to pursue another thread if you get stuck or if you get bored of the current thread that you're pursuing.
Also, remember that in space, there's no friction, so however long it takes for you to speed up, that's how long it takes for you to slow down.
If you gave it a genuine shot and it really just doesn't click with you, then perhaps just watch a Let's Play. I think it does eventually click with most people, but I acknowledge that some people just don't like the weight of making truly unguided decisions like the game is expecting you to make
It really depends on how fun do you find exploration and deduction to be. If you prefer games with more... curated direction, shall we say, then it might end up being more frustrating or boring rather than entertaining.
If you like to figure things out for yourself and take pleasure in exploring the world and themes of what you play then there's a good chance OW will click with you.
There's a lot of interesting stuff in this game but it's certainly not for everyone. You'll need patience, curiosity and some out of the box thinking to get the most out of it.
Not an RPG but has a lot of lore and a form of exploration: Talos Principle 1 & 2.
Hands down the best puzzle games I’ve ever played.
Regarding Fable, get the original first (fable anniversary on steam). Since you're big on JRPGs, you might want to check out Ys, Trails and FATE series. You will definitely want to check out Metaphor ReFantazio
You can also experiment some of the "only on PC" or "best on PC" games like Cities Skylines or Planet Coaster (try the 1st game for both) - neither has an available demo, but will definitely run on your computer. Wait for a sale, shouldn't take too long. Factorio, on the other hand, has a demo that lets you experiment and get a good feel of what to expect of the rest of the game. If you'd like something comparatively simpler and better looking, try Satisfactory instead (no demo)
On the RTS front, you can actually play the first Starcraft 2 campaign for free, though you need Battle.Net instead of Steam. That game can be a good introduction to the genre and, if you enjoy it, I can point out some other games in the same vein.
A personal recommendation of mine is Palworld. I like the gameplay loop.
Also, please learn to use commas.
Catherine Full Body Alan Wake Ni no Kuni2 The forgotten city Until dawn A plague tale 1 innocence TLOU1 Uncharted
Thanks so much! I apologize for the formatting I am on mobile and didn't even realize. Thanks for putting up with it and pointing it out, I fixed it
my favorite are 3rd person rpg with exploration as an important element in learning about the lore/story
Not PC exclusive, but if you haven't played Baldur's Gate 3 yet, it might be something you would enjoy. It's literally Dungeons & Dragons, and it's not going to guide you through every little piece of content. You can miss something on one playthrough and discover it completely by chance on your next one.
Don't know the specs or if you've played it on console already, but given you played and liked Control and Alan Wake I think Alan Wake 2 is a must-play. It is a very demanding game, though. But would otherwise tick all your boxes.
Dragon Age: Origins is an old 3rd person RPG classic, and I would argue it is best on PC since you can install a couple of mods that fix bugs and restore cut content. And the UI and gameplay is better on PC I'd say. But given you gave up on Mass Effect I'm slightly hesitant.
The Witcher 3 has already been mentioned but it too would be a good shout.
There are entire genres that only work with mouse/keyboard, and thus only really exist on PC. Notably 4X, RTS, base-building, and simulation games. They are where I would start:
- 4X: Civilization VI and Stellaris
- RTS: (Someone else will have to recommend some, they aren't my jam, but they are absolutely worth checking out now that you have a PC)
- Base Building: Oxygen Not Included, Factorio, and Surviving Mars
- Simulation: Kerbal Space Program and DCS (You will want a joystick for DCS)
- Other: FTL and Hearts of Iron IV
Also, make sure to check out Is There Any Deal to give you historical (and current) best prices on games. PC games go on deep discounts on the regular. You do not need to buy PC games at full price if they were released more than 6 months ago.
Thanks! These are not my jam but my husband absolutely loves civ so I will maaaaybe share my gift card with him and pass your recommendations along haha
FWIW Civ VI is actually not PC exclusive; it was at launch but now there are ports for every major platform. Civ VII also had a simultaneous launch on pretty much everything under the sun.
Satisfactory is another good base builder/exploration type game which is currently PC exclusive, though I know console releases are planned someday.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was life-changing for me. There’s quite a bit of exploration that will let you experience various bits of deeper lore, including an entire hidden story that links up with the backstory of one of the minibosses. Not sure if that’s what you’re looking for, but I really enjoyed this one.