5 Streamers Give Us Their Top Games of 2018

2018 has been an incredible year for PC gaming. We’ve hunted gargantuan beasts, built cities in the midst of a deadly winter, and spent quality time with our pet bears. We’ve roleplayed as pirates, Spartans, chefs, and escaped prisoners.

The guest lists we’ve assembled for this article reflect the wide range of experiences that have made the past year one of the best for gaming. Each and every one of the streamers we chose for this article have a unique approach to their own content. These are people who dress up for their streams, who make custom controllers out of household appliances, or who exclusively appear on-screen as a puppet. We trusted them to put together “best of 2018” lists that contained a bit of their individual flair — and they did not disappoint.

As a result, you’ll find that there’s something in this article for just about every type of gamer — RPGs, horror games, platformers, party gamers, and throwback FPS games. If you’re afraid of the New Year arriving before playing the essential games of the year, the streamers below have got you covered.

Here are each of their top five PC games of 2018. 

Bloodyfaster

Bloodyfaster isn’t just a streamer, but also a singer, computer engineer, and member of streamer collective Team Catalyst. She often dons a costume to reflect the game she’s streaming (she dressed up as a doctor while streaming Two Point Hospital, for instance, while she dressed up as a detective for her LA Noire stream). If you want to get a sense of just how enthusiastic she can be about getting into character for streams, you should check out her Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey streams — as a Greek person, she was happy to translate a lot of the Greek text she encountered in the game, providing historical and cultural context for her viewers.

Far Cry 5
Getting all the achievements was so much fun! I loved creating chaos everywhere. Also, petting Cheeseburger (the bear companion) gave me life.

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
I was born and raised in Greece, so getting to "visit" my home country made me super emotional. Also, I couldn't stop Spartan kicking everything.

Monster Hunter: World
MHW is such a fun and challenging multiplayer experience, and I absolutely loved all the crafting options for armor and weapons. Plus, the palicos are adorable!

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth
I've been playing WoW since Vanilla, and in my opinion, this is one of the best expansions yet. I've been having a lot of fun running Mythic+ dungeons and raids, and I can't wait to play as a Zandalari Troll!

A Way Out
Amazing co-op adventure game! Very engaging story with many intense moments. The ending had me sobbing.

Asivrs

Asivrs is a streamer and immensely talented Fortnite player. Though her Fortnite skills are enough incentive alone to watch her streams, her personability and affability make them special. Just watch her “random duos” Fortnite streams, for instance, and marvel at how easily she engages her partners (all of them strangers) in candid, easy-going conversation. Additionally, check out her Instagram to see a wealth of posts of her dog, Luna.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Finally, a Call of Duty made for the PC. In the past, this franchise has primarily been on console, but this year it all changed. They introduced an amazing new battle royale game mode called Blackout, revamped multiplayer, and added an intense zombie campaign. All in all, the game features excellent gunplay, stunning graphics, and every game mode feels like a different game while staying true to the Call of Duty feel.

The Dark Occult
When it comes to the survival-horror games of 2018, The Conjuring House [since re-named The Dark Occult] is where to be. This game hosts a type of horror that relies on the tension it creates to really get the players attached and wanting more while at the edge of their seats. If you enjoy being scared out of your mind, this is the game for you. Between the narrative, gameplay, and visuals, The Conjuring House is a great game. The atmosphere and design of the mansion are the game’s best aspects and will keep anyone who plays it startled and wanting more.

Sea of Thieves
Have you ever wanted to be a pirate, find hidden treasure, and fight sea monsters? Well, then, Sea of Thieves is for you. Some of the most fun I have ever had has been on this game. It is in an open world setting and has endless things to do. My personal favorite is figuring out the puzzles to get the treasure. You can team up with three of your friends and sail on a massive ship or go on adventures alone on a smaller one. Overall, I found myself spending countless hours on this game.

Overcooked! 2
Overcooked! 2 is the essential party game. It’s hectic, but if you’re playing with friends, it’s hilarious. I love the addition of online multiplayer; now I can play with all of my online friends! From the wacky characters to the nearly impossible cooking challenges, this game is perfect for bonding with people.

Monster Hunter: World
Monster Hunter: World is one of the most rewarding games to play. I’ve never felt more accomplished than when taking down massive beasts with friends. The graphics alone are stunning, and there is endless content. If you play this game alone or with friends, you will never get bored and have a great experience.

Bennyfits

Bennyfits streams as a furry, blue puppet. No, we don’t understand how he does it. He insists that one hand operates the puppet while the other plays the game, though he’s remained fairly tight-lipped on any further details about his setup. It’s an astounding feat once you consider that he doesn’t merely play point-and-click games like Hearthstone, but manages to tackle games with multi-faceted control schemes like Destiny 2 with ease. Bennyfits, however, is mostly a joy to watch for his wholesome energy and humor, injecting a bit of his puppet personality into every stream.

Overload
This is a sleeper for me. Where other games give me nostalgic vibes, this game gave me the ‘90s shooter, Descent — not the way it is, but the way I remember it. I was only aware that this game existed the day it came out, and it was an instant, no-hesitation buy. Descent was my mid-to-late ‘90s, and I can’t believe that, as you’re reading this, you’re not thinking of the great full-3D movement ‘90s corridor shooter but instead of some popcorn thriller movie from a decade ago — and that’s a crying shame. I haven’t even mentioned that the game is Overload yet because Overload is freaking Descent but, like, it was released this year. Why are you not amazed by this and outraged that there’s no Nobel Prize for what Revival Productions has done here?

Dragon Quest XI
Something about this one hit me. Maybe it’s that I can finally play a new release Dragon Quest on the PC, or maybe it’s just that I remember the free copy of Dragon Warrior that came with a subscription to Nintendo Power back in the ‘80s. Either way, when the theme music played, I was a little teary-eyed. I haven’t finished the game yet (I’m taking my time with it), but it captures a lot of retro feel in a very modern package.

Destiny 2: Forsaken 
Not a new game by itself, but it could have been. I was ready to give Destiny 2 a tasteful, dignified funeral, and then they pulled Forsaken out and made me love looter-shooters again. I still believe the pricing is all wrong, but judging solely on the merits of the game, this expansion totally changes things for me.

*Please note that the above link to the Destiny 2: Forsaken page on Green Man Gaming is US-only.

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
Real talk: I’m not an Assassin’s Creed fan. Origins changed things up a bit and made me willing to sit a little closer to Assassin’s Creed on the bus but Odyssey threw so much out and focuses so much on exploration that we’re not only sharing a seat but I’m letting Odyssey use my left earbud so we can watch funny internet videos on my phone.

MapleStory 2
I get a lot of ribbing for this one. Yes, it looks like a game made for kids. Yes, it’s a free-to-play Korean MMO. Yes, I want to take every character and enemy and mash their cheeks together and tell them in a high-pitched voice through clenched teeth how they are just so adorable that I could die. The most important part is the game does away with so much of the cruft that we’ve decided is gaming and filled it with — get this — fun stuff to do. It says, “You probably want to have fun, so let’s just get out of your way so you can do that.” Also, it’s super adorable…I don’t know if I made that clear.

Rudeism

You might know Rudeism as the guy who played Overwatch as Widowmaker while using a custom baguette controller, or maybe the guy who played Rocket League using a Guitar Hero guitar. He’s also used a frying pan to play Dark Souls and a boxing glove to play Tekken. Whether you consider his streams exercises in inventiveness or masochistic absurdity, you can’t deny that he manages to do an impressively good job playing under such unconventional circumstances.

Celeste
Super-tight platforming mechanics that are just hard enough to make you want to keep pushing forward without making you want to give up. Developer Matt Makes Games took the impeccable jumping mechanics of their previous game, Towerfall, and put them into a single-player game with a beautiful story.

Frostpunk
What happens when you take a city-builder and add survival mechanics and a constant anxiety that everything will go wrong any minute now? You get something pretty spectacular, and spectacularly pretty to boot. Frostpunk takes the city-building genre in a whole new direction that — unlike other games that can sometimes paralyze players with open choice — gives you one clear objective: Don't die. Not to mention the UI is absolutely gorgeous.

Overcooked! 2
My girlfriend and I smashed through the first Overcooked! pretty quickly, and we were wanting more for a long time — and maybe a bit harder too. In comes the sequel, where we got exactly what we wanted! The New Game+ mode’s got me feeling like I might not be good enough for the first time, and I couldn’t be happier!

Forza Horizon 4 
Forza Horizon’s been my favorite racing series ever since the first one — the game does an amazing job of making you feel like you’re on holiday every time you play. The newest edition is no different — not to mention the shared world features give me the same feeling as when I first played online games at all. Best racer of the year, and of the generation so far.

Beat Saber 
I’m a MASSIVE sucker for rhythm games and for VR. I fell in love with Beat Saber as soon as I saw the videos on YouTube, and when I finally got to play it at IEM Sydney this year, I knew it’d be a game I’d put hundreds of hours into... if I had a VR headset, that is! Even though I don’t own the game, it’s by far my favorite of the year.

Lucidfoxx

If you’re looking for a streamer that does a little bit of everything, look no further than Lucidfoxx. He’s a variety streamer who plays quite a wide range of games, from Fallout 76 to Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey to The Sims. In addition, he broadcasts multiplayer and cooking streams  on weekends. Sometimes, however, he likes to just kick back and chat with his viewers, starting with different prompts or check-in questions and letting conversations unfold. His wit and amiability make for some entertaining discussions, and his in-game banter similarly reflects his charm. He is also a part of Team Catalyst along with Bloodyfaster.

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
I've always been in love with Greek history, and the Assassin's Creed franchise has really made that world come to life.

Far Cry 5
Roaming Montana with my pet bear, Cheeseburger, was a fantastic romp. This game was surreal and manic, everything I look for from Far Cry.

Into The Breach
Smart, devastating turn-based strategy that gave me just the challenge I was looking for. Not uncommon to spend 10 minutes on a single move.

Monster Hunter: World
This epic undertaking from Capcom convinced me to buy my first Monster Hunter game. The battles are vicious, and the versatility of play kept me coming back.

Subnautica
This is a game I could play forever if given the chance. The landscapes are as beautiful as they are deadly, and the world just feels so alive.