November 2022

PC Gamer

The world’s number one PC games magazine

PC Gamer1 min read
“Brings The Best Of Tabletop Wargaming To The Digital Realm”
ROBIN VALENTINE Twitter @robinlvalentine This month Was too busy painting orks to play any videogames. Heading into my first meeting with Unknown Worlds about its then-secret new game, I thought I knew what to expect. As the Subnautica studio,
PC Gamer2 min read
Past Oasis
If you visit the Steam page for early access survival MMO Last Oasis, you’ll find an article bluntly titled ‘Last Oasis Sucks’. It’s not written by a disgruntled player, nor an opinion piece pulled in by Steam’s news aggregator. It was written by Las
PC Gamer1 min read
Doom Tractor
At the Defcon security conference, hacker Sickcodes gave a live presentation of gaining root access to a John Deere control unit, which locks farmers into the ecosystem of the biggest manufacturer of agricultural equipment. Then he began running a ve
PC Gamer1 min readInternet & Web
Game Engines Vanish
Users of an engine called The Machinery got a nasty surprise this month: an email announcing the project had been abruptly and unexpectedly cancelled. Even worse, instead of an explanation all they got was a demand that they delete any trace of the e
PC Gamer1 min read
Nightmare Fuel
Generating images using AI is big right now with many using the tech to predict humanity’s trajectory. When Midjourney prophesied the “last selfie ever taken” the internet seemed to panic. Empty eye sockets, ghoulish facades and a backdrop of corpses
PC Gamer1 min read
Highs & Lows
After a mod removed all Pride flag’s from Spider-Man, the two largest mod sites in the world banned it. Destiny streamer Luckstruck9 used 11 Stadia accounts to keep checkpoints open for other players. MacroBioBoi finally completed the world’s first e
PC Gamer1 min read
This Month In… 2012
1 “Mists of Pandaria is more than just an expansion pack,” claims our cover feature. “It’s where both Blizzard and the rest of the world will find out if World of Warcraft still has what it takes to dominate the MMO genre.” It did, of course, althou
PC Gamer4 min read
Uncatchable
Stardew Valley is the golden child of farming sims. Inspired by Nintendo’s Harvest Moon, it’s gone on to sell more than 20 million copies since 2016 and kicked off a torrent of imitators on PC. Why haven’t we had that moment for the monster-taming ge
PC Gamer3 min read
Ask An Uxpert
James Chaytor and his teams have worked on Apex Legends, The Elder Scrolls Online, multiple Call of Duty titles, Microsoft Flight Simulator and far more than could ever be listed here. Yet Chaytor’s story begins before Sprung Studios; even before his
PC Gamer2 min read
Incoming
RELEASE October 18 | DEVELOPER Asobo Studio Amicia and her brother Hugo return for another medieval journey through rat-infested lands as they try to find a new life for themselves. RELEASE October 25 | DEVELOPER Developer: Warner Bros Games Montreal
PC Gamer5 min read
Dead Island 2
RELEASETBC DEVELOPERDambuster PUBLISHERDeep Silver LINK deadisland.deepsilver.com PLAYED IT It’s all too easy to compare the continued existence of Dead Island 2 to the zombies it features. Lurching on for years, long after it seemed dead, passe
PC Gamer3 min read
Homeworld 3
RELEASE2023 DEVELOPERBlackbird Interactive PUBLISHERGearbox Publishing LINK gearboxpublishing.com PLAYED IT It’s the third mission of the game, and, if this was Homeworld 2, I’d be screwed. Right now, I only have access to recon ships and interc
PC Gamer3 min read
The Callisto Protocol
RELEASEDecember 2 DEVELOPERStriking Distance Studios PUBLISHERKRAFTON LINK callisto.sds.com NEW INFO Five seconds into my demo of The Callisto Protocol and I’m already slapped with a (very successful) jump scare. A mutant appears from nowhere, t
PC Gamer2 min read
Minecraft Legends
RELEASE2023 DEVELOPERMojang Studios PUBLISHERXbox Game Studios LINK minecraft.net NEW INFO This is a strange one – I’m not totally convinced by Minecraft Legends yet. Perhaps it’s the odd cel-shaded art style, or my own inexperience with strateg
PC Gamer3 min read
The Excavation Of Hob’s Barrow
RELEASE2022 DEVELOPERCloak and Dagger Games PUBLISHERWadjet Eye Games LINK cadgames.weebly.com PLAYED IT Where is Leonard Shoulder? Is that even his real name? Will I run into Roderick Elbow and Kneel Legjoint as well? Whose is the fresh grave i
PC Gamer3 min read
Jagged Alliance 3
RELEASETBC DEVELOPERHaemimont Games PUBLISHERTHQ Nordic LINK jaggedalliance.com NEW INFO It’s hard to overstate just how important Firaxis’ XCOM reboot was. In the years since its release, the turn-based strategy genre has experienced a renaissa
PC Gamer5 min read
Victoria 3
RELEASEOctober 26 DEVELOPERParadox PUBLISHERIn-house LINK paradoxinteractive.com PLAYED IT The year is 1881 and I’ve turned the islands of Hawaii into an anarchist paradise that long ago disposed of the king. Our industries are modest, but they
PC Gamer1 min read
Wyrdsong
FIRST LOOK RELEASETBC DEVELOPERSomething Wicked Games PUBLISHERIn-house LINK bit.ly/3Q5iKeu This open world RPG comes from former Bethesda and Obsidian developers, veterans of Skyrim and New Vegas. While there’s little to go on save an animated tr
PC Gamer2 min read
You Suck At Parking
RELEASE2022 DEVELOPERHappy Volcano PUBLISHERIn-house LINK yousuckatparking.cc PLAYED IT I’m not great at parking in real life, because I’m paranoid about hitting other cars. Here is a game where you’d fail your parallel parking test because a gi
PC Gamer1 min readIndustries
The Expanse
RELEASE Summer 2023 | DEV Telltale Games, Deck Nine Our favourite badass pansexual polyamarous space pirate is coming to videogame land thanks to this Telltale prequel series, which will explores Camina Drummer’s life before the events of sci-fi TV s
PC Gamer1 min read
Where Winds Meet
RELEASED TBC | DEV Everstone This gorgeous Chinese open world action game takes cues from Wuxia cinema like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, though I also see shades of Zhang Yimou’s Shadow. That means players will employ martial arts with a hint of s
PC Gamer1 min read
The Great War: Western Front
RELEASE 2023 | DEV Petroglyph Games This RTS puts players in command of either the Allied Nations or Central Powers as they battle over Europe during the First World War. Play time is split between turn-based decision-making and real-time fights, wit
PC Gamer1 min read
Phantom Hellcat
RELEASE TBC | DEV Ironbird Creations While it’s stylistically distinct (though equally colourful), favouring pop beats in an otherworldy opera house, this 2D-3D hybrid action game reminds me of the outlandish El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron. Sw
PC Gamer1 min read
Rift Of The Necrodancer
RELEASED TBC | DEV Brace Yourself Games, Tic Toc Games After the delightful Crypt of the Necrodancer and Cadence of Hyrule, developer Brace Yourself is now back with a new rhythm game. This one takes the action to a modern setting, and while there’s
PC Gamer1 min read
Lies of P
RELEASE 2023 | DEV Neowiz Games, Round 8 Studio It’s hard to see past the pitch of ‘gritty Pinnochio by way of Bloodborne’, especially when the influence of From Software’s game is so obvious in motion. Yet, to its credit, there’s certainly some imag
PC Gamer1 min read
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
NEW INFO RELEASETBC DEVELOPEROwlcat Games PUBLISHERIn-house LINK bit.ly/3qdMBHn With CRPGs in a renaissance over the last few years, there couldn’t be a better time for Warhammer 40K to enter the genre. You’re cast as the titular rogue trader, a m
PC Gamer6 min read
Camp Canyonwood
EXPECT TO PAY£15.50 DEVELOPERDeli Interactive LLC PUBLISHERGraffiti Games LINK graffitigames.com PLAYED IT Every summer I tell myself that this is the year I’ll get out more and maybe touch some grass in interesting places, and yet every summer
PC Gamer10 min read
Mini Breaks
Videogames owe a lot to their tabletop counterparts, especially when it comes to turn-based strategy and tactics. But one of the best parts of fielding armies of little warriors often gets overlooked in the digital realm: model painting. Moonbreaker,
PC Gamer3 min read
Backpack Hero
EXPECT TO PAY£13.50 DEVELOPERJaspel PUBLISHERJaspel, IndieArk LINK bit.ly/3CDfhkf PLAYED IT Such is the need for a unique selling point in games, that even the most onerous housekeeping can become a key mechanic. Backpack Hero is an inventory ma
PC Gamer6 min read
PC Gaming in Brazil
If Brazil is famous for one thing, it’s the laugh. Or maybe the Amazon – that whole rainforest is kind of a big deal. Or Pelé, legendary football player. Or right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro? Or the Caipirinha, the national drink? Look, Brazil is t
PC Gamer2 min read
Review
We review each game on its own merits, and try to match it to a reviewer who’s a passionate expert in the field. The main aim of reviews is to help you make buying decisions. To this end, we’re selective about what we review, and try to focus on the
PC Gamer1 min read
IP Freely
We live in the Age of IP. Once upon a time, MultiVersus would’ve seemed bizarre – a fighting game featuring such a broad array of Warner-owned characters that you can make Arya Stark fight the Iron Giant. But in a post-Fortnite world, it’s nothing ou
PC Gamer1 min read
This Month’s Criminal Gang Of Reviewers…
Specialist in Saintly devotion Currently playing Saints Row This month Discovered that even throwing yourself into traffic isn’t fun anymore. Specialist in Iron Giant’s hitbox Currently playing MultiVersus This month Learned to fear th
PC Gamer6 min read
Saint No Joke
Saints Row is a knockabout driving/shooting/flying ragdoll-’em-up in which you lead a misnamed gang of sociopaths. The Saints are loveable sociopaths to be fair, who alternate between organised crime and high-spirited hijinx like throwing themselves
PC Gamer7 min read
Close Combat
I’m Adventure Time’s Jake the Dog, standing on the edge of a Rick and Morty-themed arena. I’m about to beat Shaggy from Scooby-Doo into a bloody pulp while my teammate Arya Stark is casually stealing Batman’s face. A few years ago this would have giv
PC Gamer3 min read
Hurry, Chop Chop
At first, it looks like this is going to be a remarkably short game. Things start with you, as a cowering little lamb, being led to your death as a sacrifice. Within ten minutes however, you’ve already exacted violent revenge on your would-be murdere
PC Gamer6 min read
Souls-yikes
Ban Souls-likes. Please, for the love all that is holy, ban them. I cannot think of a sub-genre that has so thoroughly burnt itself out in so short a time while producing so little of value. Numerous imitators have come and gone while the very games
PC Gamer3 min read
Nothing Lasts Forever
Where does art come from? What makes creating a film different from writing a letter or inventing the toaster? Does it come from within us, or is it, sort of, all around us, y’know? This is the realm of philosophy that Immortality delves into as you
PC Gamer6 min read
Deadgood
Just about anything can be made better by the addition of the supernatural. Pirates of the Caribbean exploited a winning formula with its ghostly buccaneers, Stranger Things puts the demons in D&D, and Hard West has hit a home run with its tales of t
PC Gamer3 min read
Falling For It
On the face of it, this is a hard sell to the videogame crowd. There’s no direct control over an avatar. You complete QTEs and make choices, and… that’s about it, really. Yet the limitations of the format are transformed into strengths here. You may
PC Gamer2 min read
Gig Economy
Comedians Bonachera and Garza are partners, onstage and off. It’s a recipe for tension that De Tres al Cuarto duly delivers on – and if you’re wondering what the title means, it’s a Spanish phrase referring to something of low value. The game is part
PC Gamer1 min read
Brick Rolled
Lego City Undercover feels like an anomaly. It only came out in 2013, but that feels like a lifetime ago. A modern version of the game would crowbar in Hollywood talent to voice Chase McCain, the wisecracking celebrity cop who feels like a warning fr
PC Gamer2 min read
Home Alone
In Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window, you spend most of the film unsure if the bloke in the opposite building is a killer or not. Home takes a similarly long time to reveal its hand. Is it just a game about doing chores, or will it turn into a horror g
PC Gamer2 min read
Leaf It Out
Before survival games came along and asked us to fill our pockets with the entire contents of a forest, adventure games were the most item-hungry genre around. But there’s value in stripping it back to just the mouse cursor and some puzzling things,
PC Gamer2 min read
Fair Copotype
Most of the time, videogames let us hide behind a haze of false efficacy, fooling us that we could do astonishing things like reload a gun or do a chin-up. But Disco Elysium is different. It knows us. And, worse still, it knows we know it knows us, a
PC Gamer1 min readCrime & Violence
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Most of the games this month are on the business end of law enforcement, so it’s nice to mix things up, even if most of your time with Phoenix Wright is spent exonerating innocent people rather than catching guilty ones. There’s a strange compulsion
PC Gamer1 min read
Art Of Murder: FBI Confidential
Art of Murder is one of those lesser-known point-and-click franchises that’s lost enough momentum over time to eventually become a hidden object game. It’s mostly busywork, diminished by messy puzzles, vague clues, and dialogue that makes most text-t
PC Gamer1 min read
Virginia
If games were established and self-referential enough to have their own version of SNL, Virginia might feel like a parody. It’s handcrafted from all the things that make Steam reviewers testy: it’s short, story heavy and contains more than one woman.
PC Gamer4 min read
Beige Gold
How many PCs have you owned, and where are they now? It’s not something we give much thought to in the landscape of constant iteration and abrupt obsolescence that is PC gaming, but perhaps we actually should. Because the answer is probably: a lot.
PC Gamer3 min read
Case Study
Usually there are just two key parameters governing our purchase journey when the time comes to build or upgrade a computer. One: how much money is in our current account right now, and two: how much of that money can we spend on RGB circuit boards b
PC Gamer6 min read
Power Supplies
The best power supplies are so much more than a dull power brick. They’re highly efficient electrical components, many able to deliver power in excess of 1,000W with little variance in voltage. That’s the lifeblood of your PC, and if you think of all
PC Gamer4 min read
Buyer’s Guide
PC gaming is for everyone. Pick the parts you want to build a new, well-rounded PC for a good price. You want to run every new game at 1080p 60fps. This recommended build will see you through. You’re looking for the best PC on the market and superior
PC Gamer2 min read
“Fall Guys Has Made Me A Same Sized Fish In A Much Bigger Pond”
Stuck in the interlude of a teen comedy, two seconds before poor decisions are made, are my friends and I – sitting on the digital stoop that is our group Discord chat – saying once again, “What do you wanna play today?” The answer this month, cataly
PC Gamer2 min read
“A Muddy, Horny, Trend-chasing Mess”
There’s a sad desperation that emanates from Hunted: The Demon’s Forge. Published by Bethesda and developed by InXile, it should by rights by a great fantasy RPG – but released at a time of real insecurity in the genre, it’s instead a muddy, horny, t
PC Gamer3 min read
Total War: Warhammer III
Iwas vibrating with excitement when I fired up the Immortal Empires beta. Despite its diminishing returns, I really dug Total War: Warhammer III’s Realm of Chaos campaign, but it felt like a starter designed to whet the appetite before the mega campa
PC Gamer2 min read
“Large-scale Worlds Would Be A Lot More Fun As A Little Furball”
The post-apocalypse is much nicer when you’re a foot off the ground, it turns out. Stray, the game where you’re a tabby cat in a post-human world of robots, might not have the most imaginative take on the cyberpunk genre, but makes a compelling argum
PC Gamer2 min read
“Skating Mini-ramps For Real Distracted Me From This Mission”
OLLIOLLI WORLD’s Void Riders DLC brings tractor-beams and extraterrestrial tricks to Radlandia NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I MOD SPOTLIGHT I HOW TO I DIARY I WHY I LOVE I REINSTALL I MUST PLAY Ibought a skateboard recently. And two games are to blame for t
PC Gamer8 min read
Learning That Cheats Never Prosper In Wwe 2k22
Some people grow up watching wrestling and dream of one day being WWE champion. Of winning the ultimate prize at Wrestlemania, the grandest stage of them all, while tens of thousands scream their name and millions more watch at home. Of carrying out
PC Gamer6 min read
Shadow Of Skyrim: Nemesis
I wonder how many people, monsters, and animals I’ve killed in the hundreds of hours I’ve spent playing Skyrim. It’d be impossible to count up all the dead bandits, goblins, wolves, trolls, draugrs, falmer, vampires and yes, even occasionally city gu
PC Gamer3 min read
Raise An Immortal Empire In Total War: Warhammer III
1 Aside from slaughtering your foes, the first priority is to get some growth going to access better garrisons and units. Construct a growth building, use a commandment, a slave diktat, or even a hero skill. If you’ve got a port, that also counts as
PC Gamer3 min read
Minecraft Mods
NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I MOD SPOTLIGHT I HOW TO I DIARY I WHY I LOVE I REINSTALL I MUST PLAY For the 12 years that I’ve been playing Minecraft, I’ve only ever been really interested in the ‘mine’ part. Every new world would go about the same: explore
PC Gamer6 min read
Evolve
Evolve came along too soon. It was definitely the victim of its own misguided marketing campaign, a push from its publisher 2K to front-load a season pass for DLC before the game had even been released. In our current climate of games saturated with
PC Gamer2 min read
Must Play
wrath.owlcat.games If you have 200 hours to spare, this game is for you. Bloated playtime figures often sound like a threat, but WotR continues to surprise and delight all the way through its campaign. It’s generous and I had a hard time putting it
PC Gamer2 min readIndustries
The Spy
Gamescom is the sort of place where, in 2018, somebody claimed that an attendee, while queuing to play Fortnite, did a poo in a bag and left it there, and enough people believed this story that the PR for Epic had to tweet “this did not happen”. Even

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