The Best PC Games of 2021
One ranking built from 1 ranked list published specifically about PC in 2021 — staff lists, reader votes, and Metascore rankings, each labeled below. Every list awards points by position — #1 earns 100, #2 earns 99, and so on — then each game’s points are averaged across all 1 list to produce its Review Rank Score.
SOURCES: METACRITIC (BY METASCORE) · COMPILED 2026-07-11 · INELIGIBLE RELEASES ON SOURCE LISTS EXCLUDED
Points follow position: pts = 101 − rank on each list. The Review Rank Score is a game’s total divided by the number of lists surveyed (1), so missing a list counts as zero — consensus beats a single high placement. Ties break by list appearances, then best single position. Positions were captured to each list’s published depth shown below. This edition is compiled exclusively from ranked, 2021-specific PC lists — staff lists, reader votes, and Metascore rankings, labeled by source; cumulative buyer’s guides don’t qualify. A game counts when it debuted on PC in 2021 (or within the prior year, for recent ports) or is a substantial 2021 remake — re-releases and same-family upgraded editions keep their slot on the source list but are excluded here. The OVERALL tag shows where a game landed on the all-platform consensus, when it charted there.