The world of PC gaming can be a fickle one. While, notably, PC gamers aren't subjected to the masses upon masses of releases that console players are, it does seem that, every few weeks, there's a brand new title to get excited about. Don't get us wrong, we love innovation and certainly appreciate the massive scope of games that we can play on desktop here in the 21st century, but there's something to be said for exercising a bit of restraint when it comes to gaming trends.
Traditionally, we'd be looking forward to what new games are on the horizon as we step into another 365 days around the sun. But, in the spirit of sustainability, we'll instead look at the existing PC games that we think have staying power. If you're overwhelmed by all the choices that January will likely bring, read on to rediscover an old favourite or two.
Indie Games
We're only at the beginning of the indie games journey on PC. Sure, there have been independent developers and game makers around since the early days of gaming, but with new developments in the genre – namely, massive platforms like Steam finally welcoming indie studios on board for distribution – it's time for the latest crop of gaming enthusiasts to discover the joys of games made by start-ups and small studios.
Then, of course, there are the efforts by Roblox to scale up indie gaming in the form of its combined creation and distribution platform. While the majority of Roblox players likely have no intention of using the studio's game engine to develop their own titles, there are plenty who do, and this number will likely grow higher as we move forward into the new year.
Poker
There are old-school games, and then there's the card game of poker. As the oldest game on our list, dating back to 10th-century China, we can safely say that poker will likely be sticking around for decades and probably centuries still to come. In its digital format, this card game has reached new generations of players; plus, with all the resources available at reputable gaming platforms, learning things like hand rankings can be done online too.
A key reason why poker will continue to be popular as an online game in 2023 is that it now appeals to video gamers, as well as classic poker fans. There have been several iterations of digital poker hitting the market in recent months which harness advanced technologies like virtual reality to offer the high levels of immersion and engagement players expect from digital video games.
RPGs
Ok, so Role Playing Games have spawned numerous sub-genres from the most mainstream (MMORPG) to niche (JRPG), but, at their heart, games like Elder Scrolls and Yakuza follow the good old RPG model. In fact, we can't see a gaming future that doesn't centre role-playing games of some sort or another, particularly since the genre lends itself perfectly to digital exploration – something that we're all being encouraged to do in the era of metaverses and Web 3.0.
Then there's the growing influence that eSports trends will have on the wider gaming industry, even if RPG is a genre that actually surpasses the limitations imposed by the word "trend". While first-person shooter and strategy games typically dominate most high-profile eSports tournaments, an increasingly growing number of RPG games are making their way into eSports tournaments. World of Warcraft remains ubiquitous, but, more recently, titles like Stardew Valley and Guild Wars 2 have been played at the pro level.
FPS
Speaking of First Person Shooters, here's another genre that we'd be utterly shocked to see die out in the years and decades to come. Gamers of yesteryear may have been content to play single-gamer platformers, but in this increasingly connected digital world, gamers can't get enough of the challenging, competitive opportunities brought by FPS titles.
There's also the adrenaline factor to take into account too. We'll no doubt see studios continue to refine their game-making processes in 2023, which should generate hyperreal graphics, immersive audio and even more compelling gameplay. With FPS games already ranking highly in terms of all three, there's simply no chance of stagnation.