Where and how to find good video games

Steam

Steam is the premier platform for PC gamers. In terms of the size of the library, no other digital store can compare with it. So it is there to look for suitable projects. There are two reliable ways to do this: built-in search function and subscription to curators.

Search

The store has an incredible amount of games, and every week there are several hundred more. Despite this, there is still a sense to use the search - you just need to set the parameters correctly.

First of all, in the list of filters you need to select the category "Games" - it will save the search results from add-ons, demos, programs and films. Then - decide on the labels. Among them there are not only genres, but also themes, settings and many other things that define the game - for example, the "villain protagonist". The more tags, the more options.

Another important parameter is the number of players. If you prefer a single passage, then check the box "For one player". If you like to fight with others, then choose "Multiplayer".

There are several options for gaming with friends. For example, "Cooperative game". What exactly is meant is not entirely clear, because further down the list there are two types of it: "Cooperative play on the Web" and "Local cooperative". So always mark the variety you want - just in case.

After all the filters are configured, the most important thing remains: sort the games by reviews. As a rule, the first pages will then contain the highest quality options, the developers of which actively support their projects. However, there are exceptions: some Steam users have a habit of expressing dissatisfaction with any studio decisions by artificially lowering ratings.

Curators

One of the main sources of information about great games on Steam is curators. There are a lot of them, and their recommendations are very different. Some talk about hidden gems among indie titles, others about games with anime girls, and still others focus on projects with fascinating stories.

Many youtubers, streamers, and gaming publications also have their own curators. Subscribe to those you trust and they will choose the games for you.

Assessment aggregators

Sites like Metacritic collect project estimates from industry publications and calculate the arithmetic mean. This number becomes the game's rating.

Aggregators serve several functions. First, they help to understand how the criticism relates to the project. If the rating is high (from 75 points), then the majority of publications liked the game, if it is low (up to 50), they did not like it. An average score (50–70 points) can mean either that the majority of the press did not find the game good enough, or that opinions were divided.

In any case, it is necessary to understand that “good” and “bad” are subjective assessments. What one person likes may not please anyone else. A high rating of the game does not mean that you will definitely like it, but a low rating does not mean that you will definitely not be delighted with it.

Therefore, treat the rating as an indicator of how the majority of the gaming community reacted to the project. And in order to understand what exactly the developers did right, it is better to read the reviews themselves. Aggregators collect reviews from most of the authoritative media in one place. If you are fluent in English, you can look for reviews on Metacritic or GameRankings. And the Kritikanstvo portal collects assessments from Russian-language publications.

Another useful feature of aggregators is tops. So, on Metacritic, using the search, you can find games with the highest ratings in a particular genre, for a particular platform, or released over a certain period. For example, here is a list of the best projects for the entire existence of the site.

Collections

One of the reliable ways to find what to play is thematic collections on various portals. The authors sort games by theme, genre, platform, subgenre, success, high and low ratings, cult status, and so on.

Where to find games: selections on GamesRadar

For example, Lifehacker has collections about war, vampires, space, Vikings, zombies. Plus lists of iconic PC projects, story-driven shooters, co-op horror games, and more. Check out our Games section - there is sure to be something for you.