Every day, millions of players worldwide enter the battle as one of over a hundred Dota Heroes in a 5v5 team clash. Dota is the deepest multi-player action RTS game ever made and there’s always a new strategy or tactic to discover. It’s completely free to play and always will be – start defending your ancient now.
From magical tacticians to fierce brutes and cunning rogues, Dota 2’s hero pool is massive and limitlessly diverse. Unleash incredible abilities and devastating ultimates on your way to victory.
DOTA PRO CIRCUIT
When not climbing the ranks, you’ll be able to learn from the best. The Dota Pro Circuit features ultra-high-level Dota 2 competition streaming regularly in the game client, on Twitch and Steam. TV. Culminating in the largest e-sports championship in the world, The International, professional Dota 2 is an event not to be missed. visit the game
Which choices are the best racing games on PC? Racing games have a deep and storied history on the platform, dating back to the ’80s, possibly even earlier. Classic’s from Midtown Madness to Need For Speed are out there to discover, but what about the best racing games on PC you can play today? We tackle that question in our list, whether you’re a veteran gearhead, or looking for a smooth Sunday drive.
Listed you’ll find hardcore sims like the challenging Dirt Rally, but also offbeat choices like the criminally underrated Driver: San Francisco—a satisfying driving game with a weird body-hopping system. We play fast and loose with the definition of ‘racing game’ here. If it’s got wheels, it’s fair game. But you’ll find these games have one thing in common: they will offer a great driving experience, and they’ll feel great when you’re behind the wheel.
If you want to take your driving simulation experience to the next level, check out our handy list of the best steering wheels for PC.
With Phil’s review of Forza Horizon 5, he zooms in on the level of refinement that’s taken place in the Forza series. No sweeping changes have been made in the newest entry in the series, but a meticulous level of craftsmanship is on display. The Playground team has spent countless hours polishing the hoods of 500 cars until they gleam, and the same is true of the environments in the new setting: Mexico.
The seasonal playlist is present and prominent from the beginning, forming the heart of the gameplay. You’ll find yourself taking on unexpected challenges, and utilizing your entire stable of cars in pursuit of new rare additions, as Phil put it: “We’ve had plenty of looter shooters, but Forza Horizon is slowly turning into the first looter racer.”
Dirt Rally 2
The first Dirt Rally was a revelation when it arrived in 2015, departing from the snapback caps and energy drink ads that erstwhile came to define the Dirt series and renewing its focus on the staggering challenge of – well, just keeping a car on the track of a rally course. Dirt Rally 2 does that too, and it’s better at it in every way.
Rallying is an incredibly high-skill discipline, and Codemasters don’t ask any less of you than a real 4WD WRC vehicle would. At least, that’s how it feels – in truth, none of us have firsthand experience of how it feels to fling a Citroen through Finland’s dirt roads as quickly as Sebastien Ogier can do it, nor will we ever. But the transfer of weight in Dirt Rally’s cars, the feeling of raw power while the wheels scrabble for traction under you, feel utterly convincing.
Forza Motorsport 7
In our review of Forza Motorsport 7, James calls it “so vast and all-encompassing that not only can I turn it into a stupid game about vans, I can also make it a game about conquering my van obsession and finally learning how to drive cool sports cars.” It’s one of the most all-encompassing vehicle-lovers sandboxes, capable of providing for those who just want to go fast in shiny metal cages, simulation die-hards, and everyone in-between.
The addition of dynamic weather effects transforms the typical race from a technical route memorization test to an impromptu puddle-dodging marathon in low visibility. Night tracks slowly transition to dawn, sunlight filling out pitch-black darkness while Forza looks and plays better than ever. It’s weighed down by an awful progression system too dependent on a hackneyed loot box system, but as the first mainline Forza on PC, Motorsport 7 is malleable enough to absorb the shock of a few speed bumps.
Project CARS 2
This is the racing sim that attempts to do it all: ice racing on studded tires around Swedish snowdrifts. Karting in the Scottish highlands. Rallycross within Hockenheim’s infield section, mud splattering across everything and everyone. LMP1s hurtling through Imola, Indycars defying gravity at Daytona Speedway – and when you really get bored, Honda Civics trying to make it up Eau Rouge without stalling.
More miraculous than the sheer breadth of content in Slightly Mad’s sim sequel is the fact they pull it all off. Loose surface racing feels just as convincing as hitting the track in a road-legal car, and the fidelity it conveys to your hands as you try to bully a car into the apex with its force-feedback support is best-in-class stuff. Several racing drivers across numerous disciplines acted as consultants during development, and it really does show. A strong eSports scene is now solidified around Project CARS 2, and such is the depth of simulation that for young aspiring drivers, this might well be a fitting substitute for time on track.
F1 2020
Codemasters’ F1 series has offered comparable depth in its career mode for a few years now, but creating and managing your own team really does make a difference to the emotional attachment you’ll feel. From press interview answers to choosing the right teammate, you’re responsible for your results to the point where you can clearly trace any failure back to a poor decision that you made.
While there are moments of genuine edge-of-your-bucket-seat excitement in F1 2020 as your rival exits the pits right beside you into Turn 1, there are also countless regulations to follow and necessary management of components’ lifespan that makes F1 a far more cerebral racing game than some of its peers.
This is a brilliant, great-looking F1 sim and just keeps getting deeper the more you look into it. It’s very familiar, certainly, and still lacks the quality of car damage it had 10 years ago. It could also use a little more flair and personality in its presentation. But you’d need to have a massive chip on your shoulder not to say that F1 2020 is magnificent. It’s simply a superb game.
Warframe’s recent update helps fast-track new players to The New War, and after playing it, it’s easy to see why. This sizeable cinematic quest is an elaborate showcase of lavish cutscenes, huge space vistas, and one incredible story beat right after another. The developers at Digital Extremes are using all the tools to make the arrival of Warframe’s new big bad, the Sentients, a momentous occasion for their years-in-the-making storyline.
Right from the start, it throws you into the shoes of three characters from major factions caught up in the invasion. Starting on Earth you take control of Kahl, a cloned Grineer soldier whose simplemindedness is strangely endearing. Aboard a spaceship in orbit is Veso, a helpless engineer who uses robots to fight for him while he takes orders from a laughably unsympathetic overlord who can’t even remember his name. Lastly, there’s Teshin, the fan-favorite ninja who carves a path through a Sentient ship all by himself.
None of these segments are groundbreaking, nor do they shake the fact that Warframe is built atop the bones of a game that’s almost a decade old. In spite of this, gimmicks like ordering robots around as Veso and juggling elemental powers as Teshin make for a fun twist. Even fighting against the aging game’s limitations, all of these parts serve their narrative purpose, fleshing out the world and giving new perspectives. Each character gets their own little arc. While the questline keeps things small and grounded in the moment-to-moment, there’s a huge number of locations and characters throughout, impressing upon you the sheer scale of events. One minute you’re shooting your way across a planet’s surface and the next, you’re zipping around a humongous space battle in your own craft. The New War is a big, inescapable event.
But everything we’ve been shown pre-release was almost a clever bit of misdirection. This war isn’t fought in massive battlefields but on a much smaller, personal stage. Following the quest’s first act, the Tenno are on the back foot and left with none of their wireframes or even their powers of the void. You’re left almost entirely human and extremely vulnerable pitted against corrupted wireframes under a new regime. These enemies, called Archons, are your main foes over the central chunk of The New War and make for a fun challenge when you have to fight them without your usual arsenal. You can tackle them in any order, and each one has its own little tricks to figure out and exploit. While Warframe’s age holds them back, I still had a blast figuring out how to best each of them.
The solar system is an even darker place in The New War, with bastions of refuge like Fortuna turned into shadows of themselves. A corrupted version of “We All Lift Together” is haunting, twisting one of the game’s most poignant expressions of its themes into a new anthem of subservience. On top of the fate of the solar system, you’re hell-bent on trying to rescue your mentor/protector, Lotus, and there’s a lingering question of whether it’s both possible and wise to do so. Your character has more of a presence than ever before in this quest, with lots of spoken dialogue. And with no mentors left to guide them, they’re making their own choices now. Watching your operator go from a hopeless youngster to a maturing, capable fighter is one of the updates’ most compelling parts.
To stand a chance and set things right, you’ll have to call on some friends and forge unlikely alliances. The team at Digital Extremes have spoken about how much planning The New War represents, and as you play, you definitely see that. Even aside from the sheer production value of its lovingly animated cutscenes and new assets, the plotting brilliantly ties together dozens of characters and subplots from across years of quests. It’s exciting to have so much payoff stacked in one storyline with none of it feeling forced. This is the organic next step for the story
For all the foreshadowing that precedes it, the quest has more than a few delicious twists that some fans will no doubt have already put together. Things get strange, and I appreciate Warframe trusting its audience enough to convey key beats with minimal dialogue and relying on visuals to do the heavy lifting. That I can not only follow a storyline that blends together rogue AI, psychics, the bending of space and time as well as alternate realities but also remain invested in each reveal, speaks to how much work Warframe has picked up over the years. More than that, it has picked up tremendous momentum. The New War is firing on all cylinders, pulling everything together and charting a course into all new territory. As enjoyable as this story is—and it’s the most important story Warframe has told to date—it’s still laying the groundwork for what’s to follow. There is closure here, though, and a conclusion to at least a significant chapter of Warframe’s narrative. Catharsis abounds.
Warframe is the most compelling free-to-play game available right now. As I sank hours into this latest update I was frankly dumbstruck at points thinking how this elaborate narrative adventure costs nothing but time to experience. Plenty of games out there have more graphical horsepower, yet Warframe still goes toe-to-toe with gaming’s best space operas. There’s nothing in The New War that fundamentally changes how you play it or that will win over anyone who dislikes what’s there already. But for fans and those seeking a grander, stranger sci-fi epic, Warframe is comfortably a heavyweight in the best shape of its career.
June 6, 1944. Sainte-Mère-Église, Normandy, France. I’m laying down next to a stream on the corner of a field far from the primary objective. I’m in a sniper unit, just me and an officer, and I’m trying to circumvent the enemy defense and mark enemy armor as they move into position. Unfortunately, it’s not going to plan.
The tip of my helmet is covered by enough earth to prevent incoming rifle fire from penetrating my head, and behind me, my brother in arms is laying still trying to tend to a wound. We’re laying low as the bullets speed overhead, just hoping all of our body parts are sufficiently out of sightlines. The fire begins to cease after a few minutes, the enemy somewhere in the hedgerow around 400ft away takes us for dead or long gone. At that moment a fellow soldier storms passed the bushes and brazenly strides over our position. We try to tell him to keep his head down or he’s going to get real personal with the business end of a rifle, yet he pays no heed to our warnings. He hops over the mound of earth separating the two warring factions and is instantly shot dead.
Once again we are just two boys stuck in a rut, though not for too long. The firefight has caught the attention of others, and right away we hear a low hum in the distance—the sound of metal gears clanking fills the air. We dare not raise our heads past the thin layer of dirt that protects us, and that’s probably for the best as a tank rolls over our position, nearly crushing us both between its worn, crunching tracks. Eventually, it shunts away down the hedgerow, though whatever relief we feel swiftly disappears as the tank’s turret spins around to us with a horrifying mechanical whirr, until I’m staring into the abyss of its main turret’s barrel.
In a moment we’re up and sprinting down the bank of a stream as a hail of machine-gun and rifle fire tears up the beautiful French countryside on either side of us. A single blast from the tank’s main turret nearly scuppers our chances entirely, but somehow we make it to the other side of the stream. After which we’re desperately sprinting towards a lonely barn. From there, we regroup while being painfully afraid to peak above the windows in case a sniper decides that’s enough of this cat and mouse game. I’m running low on ammo and we’re no longer able to bandage. At this point, we’re laughing at how we’ve danced with death for so long yet haven’t been sent first-class to the pearly gates.
At that moment, a ping of a bullet cuts through my officer’s helmet and I’m alone. Before I can even see where the bullet came from, the world shakes as fire rains down near my position. I peep over the window, bewildered, and find Alpha company storming through and taking up offensive positions on the enemy that nearly had me six feet under. The battlefield has enveloped the small stream and adjacent fields, and before long it’s a blood bath—there are soldiers calling for medics, screaming out obscenities, and rushing into the fray to the battle cries of those around them to their likely deaths. What was once peaceful French countryside has become the welding point of two powerful nations’ deadly war machines and in a matter of only minutes.
This is Hell Let Loose: the realistic WW2 multiplayer shooter that is brutal, tactical, intense, and exceedingly fun at the same time. You’ll spend your time getting barked orders at by frustrated commanders, engaging in deadly firefights around tight streets, and trying your best not to be one-shot from across the battlefield by some lucky squaddie.
The game’s based around a few key battles in WW2 history, such as Carentan, Foy, Omaha Beach, and more recently Stalingrad. Each map has a series of objectives that you must control, either as an offensive, meaning you want to push the enemy out of its garrisons and out of position; or in all-out warfare, which is an epic tug-of-war for area domination.
The next generation of survival horror rises in the form of Resident Evil Village, the eighth major entry in the Resident Evil series. With ultra-realistic graphics powered by the RE Engine, fight for survival as danger lurks around every corner.
Set a few years after the horrifying events in the critically acclaimed Resident Evil 7 biohazard, the all-new storyline begins with Ethan Winters and his wife Mia living peacefully in a new location, free from their past nightmares. Just as they are building their new life together, tragedy befalls them once again. When BSAA captain Chris Redfield attacks their home, Ethan must once again head into hell to get his kidnapped daughter back.
You must utilize numerous weapons and items against aggressive adversaries and add tools to your artillery for situations outside of battle.
The Mercenaries
The Mercenaries is a beloved fast-paced action-packed extra game mode from the Resident Evil series. Access the latest incarnation of this bonus mode after completing the main game, now featuring a first-person perspective and more.
How Do You Play The Mercenaries?
Put simply, The Mercenaries has one simple rule: reach the goal before the time runs out. But to do that you need to defeat the enemies in each area. The better you do, the higher your score. You can find bonus time orbs within each area to give you more time to take down creatures. How far can you get?
Strategies for Each Stage
Pick the perfect weapons for each stage, create the best combo of abilities, and match your abilities to your fighting style! The Mercenaries offers a wide range of different strategies to suit your play style.
The Duke’s Emporium also makes an appearance, meaning you can purchase and upgrade weapons between areas.
An array of abilities are also available! In each area, you can find abilities that improve your movement speed, your guard strength, and even your firepower.
Take on Even Bigger Challenges!
The difficulty ramps up with every stage, so you’ll have to brush up your skills, hammer out those plans, and fight until the last stage. A special reward is waiting for people who finish the final stage. VISIT THE GAME
From legendary game creator, Hideo Kojima comes an all-new, genre-defying experience. Sam Bridges must brave a world utterly transformed by the Death Stranding. Carrying the disconnected remnants of our future in his hands, he embarks on a journey to reconnect the shattered world one step at a time
ABOUT THIS GAME
From legendary game creator Hideo Kojima comes an all-new, genre-defying experience. Stay connected with the “Social Strand System™”.
Sam Bridges must brave a world utterly transformed by the Death Stranding. Carrying the disconnected remnants of our future in his hands, he embarks on a journey to reconnect the shattered world one step at a time.
Starring Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, and Lindsay Wagner.
Additional PC features include HIGH FRAME RATE, PHOTO MODE, and ULTRA-WIDE MONITOR SUPPORT. Also includes cross-over content from Valve Corporation’s HALF-LIFE series.
All copies of the game will also additionally include visit the game now
As the leaders of Yara, my son Diego and I will restore this nation back to its former glory Antón will even sacrifice his own people to forge his paradise, DO NOT TRUST HIM.
MEET DANI ROJAS
Growing up in Yara, Dani has experienced the brutality of Antón’s rule firsthand. After barely escaping the regime forces with her life, she joins forces with Libertad, a rag-tag group of guerrilla fighters, to liberate her home from Antón’s grip and corrupt regime.
MEET DANI ROJAS
Growing up in Yara, Dani has experienced the brutality of Antón’s rule firsthand. After barely escaping the regime forces with his life, he joins forces with Libertad, a rag-tag group of guerrilla fighters, to liberate his home from Antón’s grip and corrupt regime. YOU CAN PLAY THE GAME CLICK HERE
At the hard edge of the galaxy lies a group of planets ruthlessly exploited by militarized corporations. Brimming with loot and violence, this is your home—the Borderlands. Now, a crazed cult known as The Children of the Vault has emerged and is spreading like an interstellar plague. Play solo or co-op as one of four unique Vault Hunters, score loads of loot and save the galaxy from this fanatical threat.
Play as one of four all-new, deeply customizable Vault Hunters—the ultimate treasure-seeking badasses of the Borderlands. Customize your Vault Hunter with tons of personalization options and use their distinct skill trees to tailor abilities to your preferred playstyle.
FACE A FANATICAL THREAT
The Calypso Twins, Troy and Tyreen, are ruthless new media cult leaders who have convinced the bandit clans of the Borderlands that they are their Gods and Saviors. They consider the power of the Vaults to be their birthright and are leading their weaponized worshippers, The Children of the Vault, on a crusade to claim it—and only you have the arsenal and allies to take them down.
EXPERIENCE CO-OP MAYHEM
Team up with other Vault Hunters online. Your whole crew will be able to deal meaningful damage—regardless of your respective character levels—through our handy Level Syncing system. You can even opt to play with loot instancing enabled so that you each get your own level-appropriate weapon drops.
LOCK, LOAD
There are over one billion guns in Borderlands 3, and every fight is an opportunity to add to your arsenal. Some guns launch exploding sawblades, some never need to be reloaded, others grow legs and pursue enemies on foot when you throw them. Have trouble choosing? Rarity ratings and item scores make it easy to compare the power of your pickups at a glance, but you can also tell a lot about a weapon and its functionality based on its manufacturer. Check out the manufacturer details here
There’s a certain joy to watching a sarcastic, buff, and altogether quite terrifying man transform into a caring and devoted father figure. The first season of Netflix‘s The Witcher focused heavily on transformations and mutations, and while Season 2’s pace is slower, change is still a central theme: Geralt and Ciri have found each other, Yennefer’s fiery gambit has sent her in a new direction, and the northern kingdoms have been warped by fear and hatred following Nilfgaard’s violent expansion.
The time jumps are out this season. One episode picks up where the last one ended, and the story spans months, not decades. Flashbacks and visions are more obvious this time around. It makes the show more conventional and each episode less distinct, but after previewing the first six of eight episodes, Season 2 hits the mark.
It’s grim as hell in parts, but there are some cracking one-liners and at least one catchy new tune to balance things out.
What makes a monster?
There aren’t as many beasts slain in The Witcher’s second season: Man is very much the monster here. We’re introduced to Francesca and Filavandrel, two elven leaders, and see up close humanity’s cruelty toward elves. Those familiar with the books and games will know that, eventually, all non-humans will be targeted, but in season 2, an unusual alliance has formed between elves and the zealots from the south. The aftermath of the Battle of Sodden, which Season 1 ended on, takes a massive toll on each of the main characters and reshapes the world, setting new secret plans in motion. As ever, there’s a constant struggle for power and control in a world that’s more violent than ever.
What’s new to this season is love and tenderness. While Yennefer and Geralt’s love and lust for each other blossomed in season 1, this season brings with it a more familial love. Vesemir regards the Witchers he trains as his sons, and the Witchers embrace each other as brothers. Geralt becomes a fatherlike figure, and his positivity and protection of Ciri is as big a turn-on as seeing him in a bath. Salvation plays a big role as the elves seek to reclaim their lands, fleeing Velen with the help of the mysterious Sandpiper.
The lion cub of Cintra
The best performance of the series comes from Freya Allen, who plays Ciri. Her story is at the centre of the season—a lot of time is spent in Kaer Morhen, the Witcher hideout where Geralt and brothers train her—and her arc begins with fear and denial. She’s frightened of herself and still distrusts Geralt, but desires his strength as a way to protect herself and express her fury at the forces which destroyed her home.
In keeping with the books and games, Ciri is witty, outspoken, and stubborn. (It’s a mystery who she got that from given that Calanthe was her grandmother and she’s hanging about with the White Wolf.) She switches wildly between overconfidence and not believing in herself, and it takes a whole bunch of Witchers and sorceresses to help her realise that she can control the Chaos within her, even if it won’t be easy. Carrying the fate of the world on your shoulders is no easy task, and Allen brings a wonderful mix of childishness, focus, and determination to the role.
Henry Cavill’s portrayal of Geralt of Rivia remains stalwart, but he’s a bit of a sad dad right from the off of the season. The sudden appearance of a more fatherly Geralt creates a bit of whiplash if you’re coming directly from a season one rewatch. In his attempts to guide Ciri and protect her from his uncouth colleagues, his charming gruffness does reappear fleetingly, but he’s a more thoughtful and less sweary Witcher overall. It feels as though opportunities were left on the table by not making that transition more of a struggle.
For the opposite reason, the other Witchers at Kaer Morhen can feel unbelievable at times, too. They bristle at the presence of Princess Ciri, which is expected, but their occasional nastiness toward her is unconvincing. It’s hard to think these jolly, aged warriors need to be told not to mock a lonely orphan to tears. Otherwise, the Witcher’s winter downtime is fun to watch.
Meanwhile, Anya Chalotra transforms Yennefer of Vengerberg from a powerful and vengeful sorceress into an outcast. She says “Fuck!” more times than Geralt does, but she’s also become more thoughtful. This is a new Yen who’s consumed by defeat, rather than one hellbent on proving herself. It’s always welcome when Geralt and Ciri’s training sessions pause for check-in with Yen’s many problems.
Elven revolution
There’s not so much wholesome family fun in Yennefer’s story (though there are sweet moments). The persecution of the elves is violent, disturbing, and very uncomfortable to watch. Nilfgaard has been the bad guy until this point but the North is proving to be a shitty place, too.
In season 2, the power-hungry—like Yen and captured Nilfgaardian Cahir—have lost their status and aren’t adapting particularly well to this new prospect, whereas other characters, like Fringilla and Vilgefortz, are making moves to become more powerful. Isn’t usurping fun?
The setting up of things takes time, but the pace quickens by episodes five and six and there are some excellent fight scenes, including a hand-to-hand combat scene in the Temple of Melitele. Geralt single-handedly fights off a gang of mercenaries, using their own weapons against them. The brutality hasn’t diminished since Geralt’s Butcher of Blaviken moment in the first episode of season 1. This season’s slow-motion swordplay includes an unfortunate meeting between a blade and a guy’s face. The fight choreography remains brilliant. Cavill almost glides through the air despite being hench AF, and he makes stabbing people while pirouetting look easy.
Seeing Kaer Morhen and the Witchers together is an absolute delight, and you can see the influence the Witcher games have had on their design. A foreboding keep high up on the mountain, there’s a real sense of family and togetherness here. Lambert is still a prick, and Kim Bodnia is excellent as Daddy Vesemir. He’s a wise and sarcastic old codger who loves his strange little family, but even as he embraces Ciri as his own, he sees a use for her that could put her life in danger. There’s also a nice little easter egg at the Medallion Tree, so keep your eyes peeled.
While not as bursting with action and new locations as the first season, The Witcher Season 2 is just as complex and engaging. A softer Geralt takes some getting used to, but each character develops a new depth, and even without having seen the final two episodes of the season, I’m excited for an eventful Season 3. The Wild Hunt is near, and it’s time you started training for their arrival.
There are a lot of free games floating around there right now, from Epic’s weekly freebies to publisher promos on Steam, GOG sale giveaways, and more. But staying on top of them all can be a real chore, and you might be missing out on some good stuff.
So we here at PC Gamer have decided to help, with this running list of every free game that crosses our screens. The goal is to help you find and claim games that usually cost money, so free-to-keep and temporary promotions will be included and noted as such, but free-to-play games and others that are normally free won’t be—for that, be sure to take a look at our categorized breakdown of the best free PC games.
Prime Gaming:
The games on Prime Gaming aren’t technically free, since you need to be a subscriber in order to take advantage. But there’s a lot on offer if you are, including in-game loot and starter packs for free-to-play games, so it’s worth keeping tabs on. Prime Gaming is included with Amazon Prime at $13 per month or $120 per year; links to all included freebies are available at amazon.com.
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered (Origin, ends Jan 1)
Football Manager 2021 (ends Jan 1)
Frostpunk (GOG, ends Jan 4)
Journey to the Savage Planet (ends Jan 4)
Morkredd (ends Jan 4)
Spellcaster University (ends Jan 4)
Youtubers Life (ends Jan 4)
Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse (ends Jan 4)
