A lot of good things happened in 2016, especially if you were a PC gamer. Not only were there a ton of great multiplatform titles to dive into, the exclusive library was compelling from January to December.
There were eight PC exclusives that defined 2016 for PC gamers. Check out the gallery below to find out what games they were.
8 PC Exclusives That Made 2016 a Great Year
Chronos
While most VR games struggle to display anything close to a reasonable value proposition, Chronos proved that compelling and lengthy adventures can embrace virtual reality with great success. This Zelda -esque title has gone a long way toward substantiating the Oculus Rift library, and there are plenty of gamers who wish they could play it in non-VR. Little do they know that it's the VR that makes it so special.
Sid Meier\'s Civilization VI
Few games absorbed as much of our time as Civilization VI . This continuation of the worlds best strategy series introduced major overhauls to the fundamentals of the series, providing solutions to issues that plagued prior games. With a better mid-game and better victory conditions, Civilization VI proved that the series is still top dog.
Owlboy
Recognized as arguably the best indie game of the year, this artistic and subtle platform-adventure game is a charmer. Owlboy 's story and characters were unlike anything else this year. Soaring through this world while on the search for sky pirates was a one of a kind experience that helped soften the serious tone of this year's games.
The Best PC Exclusives of 2016
Planet Coaster
Some said that theme park games are dead. Not so fast, Planet Coaster said. Made by the same developer as Elite: Dangerous , this beautiful title made building rollercoasters fun again. Several styles of theme park were represented with passion, providing great variety in terms of strategy. With beautiful graphics and some great editor tools, it was one of the biggest surprises of the year.
Stellaris
Ah yes, Stellaris . The game that ate up our Summer hours when there were no other games to play. This Paradox creation put you in charge of an empire looking to expand throughout the galaxy. It was a difficult game to get your head around, but gave back far more than you put into it.
Tyranny
cRPGs have been on-point these past couple years. Tyranny continued the genre's success with a particularly interesting execution that knew how to entertain and tell a great story led by characters that were some of the year's best.
World of Warcraft: Legion
We're a few months out from World of Warcraft: Legion 's launch and players are still excited about it. That's something that you couldn't say about any expansion since Wrath of the Lich King , and for good reason. Blizzard finally figured out what it needed to do to put World of Warcraft back on a growth trajectory, and now it's reaping the spoils.
Total War: Warhammer
It was bound to happen, and it's a surprise it took so long. Total War and Warhammer were always a match made in heaven, but they took a while to cross paths. This convergence of two epic and violent properties brought back our passion for large-scale battles.