PC GAME OF THE YEAR

RUNNER-UP SUBNAUTICA

Developer/publisher Unknown Worlds Entertainment Format PC, PS4, Xbox One How do you stand out in the increasingly crowded survival genre? You dip deep below the surface of the sea of a beguiling alien planet. Subnautica’s core concept adds oxygen to the list of needs to be managed, but it’s about much more than that; chiefly, the curiosity of what new biome, flora or predator might lie a further fathom down, or another mile across.

RUNNER-UP PILLARS OF ETERNITY II

Developer Obsidian Entertainment Publisher Versus Evil Format PC, PS4, Xbox One A rare treat for anyone who thought old-school AD&D-based RPGs went out of PC gaming fashion at the same time as beige cases and CRT screens. Pillars 2 challenges with its merciless combat and asks you to really engage with its systems instead of just clicking on abilities. And you do, because you’re already drawn into its piratical fantasy.

WINNER RETURN OF THE OBRA DINN

Developer/publisher 3909 LLC Format PC It’s ironic that the year’s finest PC game should be indebted, at least in visual terms, to the early Macintosh computers. At the same time, Obra

Dinn is a game made for sitting in front of a monitor, notebook by your side, brow furrowed as you lean into the screen, taking in the fine details of these grisly vignettes – using modern tech for some old-fashioned detective work.