Best Games on Steam, New & Old – TOP 10

Steam, Valve’s digital distribution powerhouse, boasts a library exceeding 100,000 titles, catering to every gamer’s whim, from heart-pounding shooters to sprawling epics.
In 2025, with the platform’s user base surpassing 120 million monthly actives, curating a “best of” list is no small feat.

This TOP 10 blends timeless classics with fresh releases, spanning genres like MOBAs, RPGs, and survival sims. The selection prioritizes diversity, impact, and enduring appeal, drawing from sales data, review aggregates, and community buzz.

Whether you’re a veteran grinding for that elusive achievement or a newcomer exploring PC gaming for the first time, these picks promise hours of immersion. From the strategic depth of Dota 2 to the haunting beauty of Elden Ring, let’s rank them countdown-style, starting with our tenth place.

1. Dota 2

Features:

Valve’s magnum opus in competitive gaming remains a colossus even after more than a decade. Born from Warcraft III’s “Defense of the Ancients” mod, Dota 2 pits two teams of five against each other in a blend of skill, chaos, and deep strategy.

Over 120 heroes, each with unique abilities, battle across lanes and jungles in endlessly varied matches. The game evolves constantly through balance patches and new events, ensuring no two matches feel alike.

For tacticians craving complexity, Dota 2 isn’t simply a game. It’s a way of life.

2. Counter-Strike 2

Features:

CS2 didn’t reinvent the formula. It perfected it through Valve’s Source 2 engine. The sequel refined classic bomb defusals and hostage rescues with improved tick rate precision and reactive smoke physics that add a new layer of tactical mind games.

While its launch stirred controversy, Valve’s consistent updates and competitive matchmaking improvements restored faith among players. With millions of daily users and an enormous skin economy, CS2 remains the gold standard for FPS esports.

3. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Features:

A Belle Époque-inspired RPG, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 combines stunning visuals with emotional storytelling. You lead a small band of adventurers in a doomed world where an enigmatic artist erases lives through her painted prophecies.

The game innovates with turn-based combat that includes real-time dodging and precision attacks, creating a rhythm both cerebral and cinematic. Its watercolor world and melancholic score evoke beauty amid despair.

For RPG fans seeking something truly original, Expedition 33 promises to be one of 2025’s standout experiences.

4. Factorio

Features:

Factorio, developed by Wube Software, transforms efficiency into obsession. You begin stranded on an alien planet and must automate production lines, research technologies, and defend your factories from swarms of hostile creatures.

Every conveyor belt, power line, and robotic arm becomes part of a grand mechanical symphony. The satisfaction of optimizing your first smelting array or achieving a self-sufficient supply chain is unmatched.

Despite simple graphics, its complexity and depth rival the greatest strategy titles ever made. Factorio is not about speed. It’s about mastery, logic, and elegant design. Once you start, hours melt away in the pursuit of perfect efficiency.

5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Features:

Few worlds are as vast and enduring as Skyrim. As the Dragonborn, you wander through frozen peaks, Dwemer ruins, and Nordic towns, forging your own destiny.

The game’s endless modding scene keeps it alive more than a decade later, transforming everything from combat to entire storylines. Freedom is Skyrim’s essence, offering adventures limited only by your imagination.

In a time of live-service fatigue, Skyrim reminds us why single-player worlds remain timeless.

6. Darkest Dungeon

Features:

Darkest Dungeon blends psychological tension with turn-based tactics. You recruit flawed heroes and send them into corrupted dungeons, where madness is as deadly as monsters.

Its haunting narration and striking art style make every decision weighty and personal. Characters can die permanently or succumb to terror, forcing you to adapt constantly.

For players who crave challenge and atmosphere, Darkest Dungeon is a brutal masterpiece.

7. Frostpunk

Features:

In Frostpunk, the world has frozen, and survival depends on one generator of heat and hope. You lead the last city on Earth, balancing resources, laws, and morality.

Every decision carries a cost: Will you enforce child labor, or let your people freeze? The game’s stark visual style and moral dilemmas make it one of the most thought-provoking city builders ever created.

8. Subnautica

Features:

Dive into the alien depths of planet 4546B. Subnautica combines exploration and survival with a sense of wonder few games achieve.

You’ll scavenge wreckage, craft submarines, and construct underwater bases, all while uncovering the planet’s tragic secrets. Whether you play for discovery or tension, the ocean’s vast silence becomes your greatest enemy and your greatest companion.

9. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

Features:

Captain Titus returns in a spectacle of war and blood. Space Marine 2 delivers relentless action with cinematic brutality, placing you at the center of humanity’s endless fight against the Tyranids.

The game expands the original’s cult appeal with co-op missions, PvP battles, and jaw-dropping visuals. For fans of the Warhammer universe, this is the ultimate power fantasy.

Few games capture the thrill of righteous destruction quite like this one.

10. Elden Ring

Features:

Created by Hidetaka Miyazaki in collaboration with George R. R. Martin, Elden Ring stands as a monumental achievement in modern gaming. Its vast open world redefines exploration, challenge, and discovery.

From hidden catacombs to towering bosses, every encounter teaches resilience and patience. With the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, the game’s legacy continues to grow.

In the history of RPGs, Elden Ring isn’t just a milestone. It’s the new standard.

Conclusion

From the relentless optimization of Factorio to the mythic grandeur of Elden Ring, these games capture the essence of what makes Steam special. Each represents a different flavor of immersion, innovation, and creativity.

FAQs

William Westerlund

William brings 7 years of experience writing for multiple gaming blogs. He has more than 10,000 hours played in CS:GO (CS2) and have played around in other games such as TF2 and Rust. Through his experience playing the game at a high level and dealing with skins for many years, he provides first-hand insight into the topics covered on the Tradeit.gg blog.

See Full Bio