The Best PC Games 2013: 5 Winners

That’s right. They’re games. They’re for PC. And they’re the best 2013 has to offer. It would take pages upon pages of text to list all the contenders for the best PC games 2013, so we’ll have to stick to five or so for now. If you want to check out some more of our favorites for 2013, click here.

Now, let’s get down and dirty. Which PC games tickled our fancy this year? Which of them bashed, hacked and slashed into our mushy game-loving hearts, and why?

StarCraft II: Heart Of The Swarm

Release Date:  March 12 2013

What’s It About:

Aliens taking over the Universe. What else? Strap on your big man pants, gents, Sarah Kerrigan is back. And she’s finally sexy again – cue collective sigh of relief. Indeed, no longer is she the hybrid zerg lady we’d come to detest (and secretly be attracted to), but has, in fact, turned human. This through the help of a mysterious ancient artifact. But it’s not as hunky dory as it might seem. Kerrigan hasn’t forgotten her time as the leader of the zerg swarm. In fact, she’s determined to seek out some cold, hard revenge.

Kerrigan sets out to take over the Universe with her zerg swarm. While you play, you’ll be able to build up the swarm or unlock new powers for our vengeful humany Queen herself. Her psionic and spec-ops abilities are kickass, and players will be subject to full-scale army battles against massive forces, as well as specialized boss fights.

Watch out Universe (that means you, Terrans and Protoss) here comes Sarah!

Why We Love It:

• It’s a walk on the dark side. The zerg side.
• StarCraft HOTS allows you to evolve the swarm according to your needs. This means you’ll be able to select for certain traits (faster attack rate) between missions.
• The multiplayer system is greatly improved, allowing you to play with others from any region in the world as well as save play.
• New zerg units: tempest, viper and window mine.

The Swapper

Release Date: May 30 2013

What’s It About:

Stranded on the messed up Theseus space station? No? You will be in The Swapper, our next entrant in the best PC games 2013 category.  Here’s the deal: The Swapper is a platform side-scrolling puzzle game. Basically, you’ll have to progress through a series of rooms with the object of locating and switching on a bunch of orbs that open doors to other rooms. The eventual goal is to get the hell out of there. But hey, nobody said it would be easy.

That’s why the game figures you’ll need some help and grants you with the supreme ability to create clones of yourself with a nifty – and slightly disturbing – cloning tool. Create the clones and swap control from your body to theirs (while they are in sight) and you’ll be able to trigger switches to open doors. Trouble is, your clones can die just as easily as you can.

But it doesn’t stop there. The Swapper ups the ante by introducing anti-gravity in later levels and a light system which limits the usage of clones.

Why We Love It:

• Puzzles make you think. And thinking are being importanting.
• The Swapper presents a real challenge. The light system (blue light = no clones, red light = no swapping, purple light = neither and white light = bye bye clones!) mixes it up somewhat.
• It’s flawlessly hand-crafted indie.

Mass Effect 3: Citadel

Release Date: March 5 2013

What’s It About:

Wave hello to Urdnot Wrex everybody. That’s right. He’s back! Him and the rest of Shephard’s ragtag band of explorers from the original Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Did you miss their incessant grumbling? We know we did. This time around Commander Shephard is the target of a vicious conspiracy, (shocked?) and it’s up to your team to uncover the truth. It’s one final huzzah for hardened Mass Effect 3 players (Citadel is a DLC Pack) and after, you can blow off some steam gambling at the Citadel casino or decorating Shephard’s quarters. And if that doesn’t interest you, why not hook up with an old flame, instead?

Why We Love It:

• Garrius, Urdnot, Liara and all the rest.
• The Citadel blew us away when we played the original, and the idea of more content has us squirming in our chairs in anticipation.
• Mass Effect 3 kicks butt with a massive life or death battle for Earth, and finishing it off with this added extra, makes the deal even sweeter 

Bioshock Infinite

Release Date: March 26 2013

What’s It About:

Can you hear the parade? The fanfare? That’s Columbia, the floating city ravaged by a civil war between two groups: the Vox Populi  and the Founders – who have remarkably facist views. Guess where you’re going? As former Pinkerton agent, Booker Dewitt, you’re on a mission to save a girl named Elizabeth, who has a couple of remarkable supernatural abilities. Unfortunately, the residents of Columbia hail good ol’ Booker as the antichrist because of the marking ‘AD’ on his hand, forcing him to run it like Chris Brown on a Saturday night.

Elizabeth is able to open rips in the very fabric of space time, allowing Booker to enter alternate Universes, which may or may not be more trouble than the one he originally came from. Your goal: save Elizabeth and deliver her to Paris (her dream destination) before you’re crushed by either the Vox Populi or the Founders.

Why We Love It:

• The ability to enter different dimensions, the past or the future add another dynamic to this already complex game.
• The storyline is involved to say the least, and has pretty heavy themes. But since we’ve got equally ‘heavy’ brains this is a plus.
• The action. Oh, the action. First-person at its finest. Coupled with the plot, it’s no small wonder that this makes the list of best PC games 2013.
• Columbia is textured and makes for an explorative adventure in itself.

Fez

Release Date: May 1 2013

What’s It About:

Gomez is the cutesy 2D man who picks up a special hat – called the Hexahedron – which allows him to perceive three dimensions. Unfortunately, it shatters, causing the entire world to ‘reboot’, revealing a new 3D world. Gomez is tasked with recovering the 32 cubes which make up his fabled hat or risk having his entire world destroyed.

Fez is a 2D platform puzzle game and allows the player to rotate his world 90 degrees and reveal hidden platforms. This enables your little man to cross distances which would otherwise be impossible.Find out a bit more here.

Why We Love It:

• It’s a true marvel of perspective. The concept of twisting the screen and enabling Gomez to find new objects and planes is innovative and complex.
• Once again, a puzzle game. And an indie one at that.
• Makes for hours of somewhat frustrated but enjoyable gameplay.

The Best PC Games 2013

And there you have it: 5 of the best pc games 2013. It’s a growing list – if you have any suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comment box down below. Or wander the site in search of more fantastic games. Like these. ;)