The Polygon Show: Our Game of the Year 2017 special

After many of us refreshed our hardware through Black Friday sales and now (hopefully) have the perfect mouse, mechanical keyboard, chassis, GPU, and the works, it’s time to d-d-duel — just kidding, it’s time to game. Now that the long stretch of the holiday weekend is ahead, you can break out the PC games, taking pride in how smoothly your new computer’s frame rate is. Some of these games rely on the player to have excellent reflexes, while others just require you to have a love of story.

We've rounded up our favorite and most-used apps and utilities for the technology we use every day. Check out our other picks for iPhones, Android phones, PCs, and Macs. We've also listed our favorite games for iOS and Android from this year, and our top choices for PS4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch.

Destiny 2

The best test for whether your computer is up to par for PC gaming, and a way to relieve stress after a long day of work, Destiny 2 is a lot easier to get into than its predecessor. There’s less play time required to actually be good at the game and the game is also story-rich and well animated. The game also keeps a modicum of realism too: if you fall off the side of a building, you die (and then get resurrected.) You can work with fellow Guardians to destroy aliens and retake Earth, while upgrading weapons and gear.

Available on Windows at major retailers, including Best Buy, Newegg, and Gamestop.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)

Although the name is a weird tongue twister, once you get over that, you’ll find PUBG to be a gritty multiplayer battle royale where if you die, you have to start over. Its graphics are still not as fully fleshed out as Destiny 2’s or Overwatch’s, and without a storyline, gameplay can get kind of repetitive, but PUBG gets updated regularly with new features that keep players happy. Most recently, PUBG got a kill cam and instant replay, which help you identify how you died and what your mistakes were.

Available on Windows on Steam.

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator

This one’s the hands-down winner of the list if you love RPGs featuring healthy relationships. As Dadsona, you play a single dad who is just taking care of his teenage daughter and meeting other single dads in the neighborhood. The game feels like it has infinite endings with seven different, colorfully dressed dads and small tidbits of dialogue that each man says or refrains from saying depending on the choices you make. Dream Daddy sometimes veers into therapeutic self-reflection and other times into troll hilarity.

Available on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux on Steam.

Twin Saga

The customary fantasy MMORPG on the list, Twin Saga was actually released in late 2016 by Taiwanese developer X-Legend, but it still deserves to be on this list for a few cute reasons. At the start of the game, you have the choice of hearing anime cutscenes in Japanese or in its native Mandarin Chinese. I have to give credit to whoever wrote the English text for the game though, regardless of what character it is, the writer has added a troll twist to their dialog. The words aren’t quite an accurate translation of the Asian language, but they do make me laugh. If that’s not enough to persuade you, Twin Saga also lets your character auto-walk to each part of a quest line, so you can save your energy for the actual fights. And for the indecisive, you can constantly change your class, with eleven starter choices, including monk, occultist, dragonknight, and gunslinger.

Available on Windows on Steam.

Cuphead

If you used to watch Disney cartoons circa the 1930s — which is very probable considering the company still shamelessly aired reruns on its now-defunct Toon Disney channel in the 2000’s — then you’ll appreciate the aesthetic of Cuphead. As other writers at The Verge have noted before, part of the charm of Cuphead is its insane difficulty. There’s something addicting about getting beaten to a pulp by giant animated carrots and strange cackling Betty Boop-esque characters, only to do it all over again until you can clear a round and capture their souls.

Available on Windows on Steam.

Resident Evil 7

Resident Evil 7 has a humble and slow beginning reminiscent of an indie game. You return home after receiving a mysterious call from your wife and you investigate the house for clues, turning things over in your hands and quietly exploring. Then things take a sinister turn, as frightful creatures hide in the darkest corners of what was once your house but is now a labyrinth of zombies, decay, and puzzles. It’s a good game to play when you’re struggling through season 8 of The Walking Dead and you really wish it was over.

Available on Windows on Steam.

Emily is Away Too

Emily is back, but she doesn’t remember you and you two are probably never getting together. This sequel to the AIM messenger-inspired RPG is every bit as sad as the first one, because you’re thrown back into a world of adolescent angst and longing. You want to comfort Emily or maybe Eve, but life gets in the way. The themes this sequel explores are extra relevant in ways the developer probably didn’t foresee, at a time when more women than ever are stepping up to confront their assailants.

Available on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux on Steam.

League of Legends

This game has been around since 2009, but because it’s patched so frequently, it still feels like new. In 2017, League of Legends saw a huge revamp, which removed the old rune and mastery system for a more intuitive and simple design, and added honor levels. New champions are also added to the game every few weeks, so people who don’t log in for a bit will have a hard time adjusting and recognizing everything. The effect has been a considerable reduction in toxic players flaming others for their mistakes. Players still want to flame, but they’re tempered by the desire to reach a higher honor level and they act passive-aggressive instead of descending into outright insults.

Available on Windows and Mac OS X on the League of Legends site.

Still on vacation?

Bonus games to try: Mr. Massagy, Yandere Simulator (still unreleased), Tacoma, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Doki Doki Literature Club, Battlefield 4, Dishonored 2 and Rocket League.

Your family fought the good fight and got you a Switch. First things first: thank them. Go ahead, give them a big smile and a hug. Great! Okay! Time to get to gaming. We've included all the must-have games below along with a couple additional recommendations for when you want even more. These should last you a while and make the most use of your brand new Switch.

Super Mario Odyssey

Mario's back with... a sentient hat? Sure. You'll travel the globe with Mario, visit faraway lands, and attempt to save Princess Peach. Your trusty hat, Cappy, adds a new dimension to the game in which you can possess various characters and take control of their bodies. Yes, you can become a T-rex. While the story's fun to play, definitely take your time exploring these worlds. They're gorgeously designed and include lots of hidden nooks and crannies you'll need to find to collect all the moons.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Settle in because this game is going to take some time. As Link, you'll traverse a sprawling map and poke around at things to figure out how they work. You'll set off on various quests, like one to uncover shrines using only poetry and riddles. The game is fairly open, so it's up to you to define your path forward.

Snipperclips

Snipperclips was one of the few games released at the Switch's launch. It's ideal for multiple players, as you'll work together to cut out shapes and solve various puzzles. This might be the best game if you want to spend time with your family. The game also now has an expansion pack — Snipperclips Plus — that adds two new worlds to explore and 30 more puzzles to solve.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

You know about Mario Kart. We all do, but now it's on the Switch. Yippee. This new version includes a few changes: you can hold two items at once; nearly all characters and race tracks are unlocked from the start; and there are multiple new battle modes. One mode, called "renegade roundup,” gives each player a chomping piranha plant with the goal being to snap up as many members of the opposing team as possible. This won't necessarily foster goodwill in your family, but some light competition is fine.

Stardew Valley

Are you ready to become a farmer? Now's your time. Stardew Valley is structured as series of days. Every day, you have some time to do whatever you want. You can plant and water crops, clear out your overgrown plot of land, or venture into town to go shopping or make friends. Certain days bring with them special occasions, like the spring egg festival, but otherwise your schedule is mostly left to you. This is a supremely chill game that you can play while doing something else, like maybe watching a Christmas movie for the thousandth time.

Splatoon 2

This multiplayer shooter game is like a cross between Call of Duty, paintball, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater graffiti mode. You fire paint instead of bullets and reload by swimming through colorful goop. Weapons include squirt guns, paint rollers, buckets, and massive brushes. Each match drops players into an urban arena, with the goal being to paint as much of the stage in your team’s color as possible before time runs out. The game just got an update in November to include new clothing, hairstyles, and maps.

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