Dec 05, 2011 I don't disagree with the games listed by the others - all are good suggestions and are strongly recommended. X-Com: UFO Defense - Tactical, turn based strategy at its finest. Planescape: Torment - Of all RPGs ever released, there are probably n. The 'Can't remember the name of this game' Archive. Its a 1990s PC space shooter, It was first person and i think you were in a space ship. I remember there were enemies of different colour green ones a purple ones, i remember the purple ones being REAL bitches.
After our readers so enthusiastically took to the idea of listing the best classic PC games of all time, I wanted to pull out the alphabetical directory in order to make it easy for everyone to find their favorite games.
Updated over several weeks in September of 2013, the list has an absolutely absurd number of excellent PC games—we’ve stopped doing official updates, but there are still new PC games coming in every now and then. Thanks so much to everyone who contributed.
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2015 note: Sometime between when this article originally ran and now, Kinja decided to insert related links/images for every entry. On the one hand, it looks a little bit weird to see every game’s title listed twice. On the other hand, I really like the image thumbnails. So, for now, I’ll leave em in.
And so! Our full directory of the Classic PC Games You Must Play:
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Why: In 1991, a sports masterpiece was born, 4D Sports Boxing! This game was one of the first…
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Adventure (AKA Colossal Cave)Why: It's the first adventure game, and still one of the best.…
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Age of Empires II: Age of Kings (Seconded)
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Age of Mythology and expansion Age of Mythology: The Titans
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Why: I just recently heard about the AOW series and was intrigued seeing as I enjoy a good strategy …
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Anachronox (Seconded)
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Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (Seconded)
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
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Battle Bugs (Seconded)
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Battle Isle : Shadow of the Empire (aka 2220)
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Battlezone (Seconded) (Thirded)
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Betrayal at Krondor (Seconded)
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Blade Runner (seconded)
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Blood (Seconded)
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Bioforge (Seconded)
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Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars (Circle of Blood in the US)
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Caesar III (Updated)
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Chex QuestWhy: Take Doom, and reskin it with green ooze aliens that sound like giant birds and the…
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Might be cheating a little since it's originally a BBC Micro game but hey, there's a…
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Clive Barker’s Undying (Seconded)
Why: Horror games are a difficult lot to make and judge. Pacing is almost always an issue. The fact …
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Command & Conquer: RED ALERT!Why: If it wasn't for this cult classic RTS game which put…
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Commander Keen 4 - The lost oracle (first episode of 'GoodBye Galaxy Series')
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Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood
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WHY: Awesome Sci-Fi isometric shooter. This game has tons of devastating weapons to be used…
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Why: You probably can't go wrong with any Lucas Arts adventure game, but this one's the…
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Why: Dark age of Camelot or better known as DAOC was the first MMORPG to bring the emphasis on PVP…
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Descent (Seconded)
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Why: In a time before COD dominated anything , there was a brave developer team that created a…
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Diablo I and II (Seconded) (Thirded)
Diablo II & Diablo II: Lord of Destruction (released on June 29, 2000 and June 27, 2001…
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Day of the Tentacle (Seconded)
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The Dig (Seconded)
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Doom Collection (Seconded)
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Dungeon Keeper (Seconded)
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Because your Motherfucking dungeon is full of motherfucking yogurt!!
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Why: Released in 1995, this game's art and graphics pretty much hold up to date. It's…
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The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (Seconded) (Thirded)
Why: Aside from its ridiculously large yet copy-paste world, the game is actually pretty fun and…
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Escape Velocity Nova (Seconded)
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General note: the requested format of 970x546 for the screenshot neglects the original format of…
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F-117A Nighthawk (Stealth Fighter 2)
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Fallout 2 (Seconded)
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Why: The game was a insanely fun with smooth animation and an interesting story it was the highest…
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Why: Freedom Fighters is arguably the definition of a perfect game. It had a fantastic story. The…
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FreeSpace 2 (Seconded)
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The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery
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Giants: Citizen Kabuto (Seconded)
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Gothic (Seconded)
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Grim Fandango (Seconded)
Why?: It's the swan song of the LucasArts adventure games, and a must play for any Tim Schafer …
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Ground Control (Seconded)
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Halo: Combat Evolved (Seconded)
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Heavy Gear (Seconded)
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H.E.D.Z.(Head Extreme Destruction Zone) 1998
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Why: Currently casual gamers have long had addictions to Candy Crush or Bejeweled, however these…
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Heroes of Might & Magic III (Seconded) (Thirded)
Heroes of Might and Magic III complete
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HOCUS POCUSWhy: It was a clever game by Apogee to release due to the sci-fi and fantasy stuff going …
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Hostile Waters (Seconded)
Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising (2001)
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Why is Icewind Dale II not on this list!?
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Incubation : Time is Running Out (US title)
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Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Seconded) (Thirded) (Fourthed)
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
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Indiana Jones And The Infernal Machine (1999)
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Interstate 76 (Seconded)
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It Came From The DesertWhy: This is an adventure game done in a B-Movie style that includes some…
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Jagged Alliance 2 and JA2: Unfinished Bussiness
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The Journeyman ProjectWhy? This was one of the first CD based games I really got into so it holds a …
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Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time
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Jurassic Park: Trespasser (Seconded)
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The Legend of Kyrandia, Book 2: Hand of Fate (Seconded)
Legend of Kyrandia – Book 2: The Hand of Fate
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Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
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Lighthouse: The Dark Being (1996, Sierra On-Line)Why: Lighthouse was one of those underdog games…
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Little Big Adventure 2 (Seconded) (Thrirded) (Fourthed!)
Little Big Adventure 2 - Twinsen's Odyssey
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Maniac MansionHis ambition was to rule the world.one teenager at a time!
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Marathon Series (Seconded) (Thirded)
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Master of Orion (s) (Seconded) (Thirded) (Fourthed) (Fifthed)
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Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares
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MDK (Seconded)
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Why: because that's a Bioware game from times when Bioware made funny third person action…
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WHY: This is another borderline in to modernity game you could say and that is true, but still this …
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Microsoft's 'Best of Windows Entertainment Pack'
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Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven (Seconded)
Ga drivers license renewal cost. Might & Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven
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Why: This is a simple dungeon/maze turn based game. I found it on a floppy at a computer convention …
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Myst (Seconded)
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Myth II: Soulblighter (Seconded) (Thirded)
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Nox (Seconded)
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Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis (Seconded)
Generate ssh server key linux. Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis
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OutPost 2Released: 1997 Published By: Sierra Developed By: Dynamix
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Why: Because this game does what every modern game does now. sandbox universe, movie-like…
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P
Panzer General 2Why: One of the best wargames ever made. Other games like the Operational Art of…
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Patrician III (Seconded)
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Planescape Torment (Seconded) (Thirded)
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Why: Not only was it a big jump forward visually compared to the other Populous before it, but it…
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IMAGE [preferably at 970x546] Game Name Why: Explain why the game is great. Make your case! Try to…
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The Quest for Glory Series (Seconded) (Thirded)
The Quest For Glory Series.Why: The Quest For Glory Series was an expansive set of games which gave …
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R
RamaWhy: This game is great if you are a fan of the legendary science fiction writer Arthur C.…
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Redneck Rampage (Seconded)
One of my favorite whimsical PC games. Been greyed out forever. Why the fuck bother posting? IDK
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Riven (Seconded)
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Rocket Jockey. The most 'Goddammit why is there no modern sequel' game I can possibly…
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Sacrifice (Seconded)
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Sam and Max hit the road/Day of the Tentacle bundle. Free online talking dictionary.
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Sanatarium (Seconded)
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Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator
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Severance: Blade of DarknessBlade of Darkness (US)Blade: The Edge of Darkness (Spain)
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Why: Loved playing this in old school LAN parties and hearing all the scopes zooming in and out 2nd …
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Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire (Seconded)
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Alien Crossfire (1999)
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Sid Meier's Covert Action (Microprose, 1990; MS-DOS, Amiga)
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Sid Meier's Pirates!Why: Pirates! is, quite simply, a marvel of game design, and one that…
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SkiFree (Ha, ha.)
SkiFreeWhy: Because you're running a computer that has less power than your Verizon flip phone …
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Why: Space Quest was a humorous text adventure filled with wit and cunning. It's incredibly…
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Why: it looks like this Ubisoft franchise has been forgotten, however with its fun and varied…
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Spycraft: The Great Game (Seconded)
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Star Control II (Seconded) (Thirded) (Fourthed)
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StarsIt was released in multiple languages (including English) and is a decent cousin of sorts to…
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Starsiege: Tribes (Seconded)
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Startopia (Seconded)
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Star Wars Jedi Knight Dark Forces 2/Mystery of the Sith
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Why:This game takes your age of empires II gameplay and turns it on its head with the starwars…
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Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
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Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
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Why: There's way too much to say here. If you ever wanted to be a samurai, roam the feudal…
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1990s Pc Games List
I didn't see this one mentioned! (I searched!)
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Theme Hospital (Seconded)
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Thief: The Dark Project & Thief II: The Metal Age
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Why: Titanic was the ultimate adventure then and now. It still provides a harrowing experience of…
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Total Annihilation (Seconded) (Thirded ) (Fourthed) (Fifthed)
Total Annihilation (1997)By Cavedog entertainment.
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Why: This was one of the unknown greats in my mind, it's a sequel to a probably better known…
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Tyrian (Seconded) (Thirded)
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Ultima VIII: PaganWhy: As much as the rest of the Ultima series deserves all of its credit, Ultima…
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Game: Ultima Worlds of Adventure 2: Martian Dreams
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Why: We have Unreal Tournament but not the game that kicked it all off. This game was amazing,…
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Vampire: The Masquerade: Redemption (Seconded)
Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption
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Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (Seconded)
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Warcraft III (Seconded)
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Warpath (for Windows 3.x)Used to come in all the freeware and trial CD packs as a trial. Pretty…
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Wizardy VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge
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Wizardry VII: Crusaders of Dark Savant (Seconded)
Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge and Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant
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Wing Commander: Privateer (Seconded)
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Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger
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Zoombinis: Logical JourneyWhy: If you don't remember playing Zoombinis at any point in your…
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Free hearts games windows 10. Zork (Seconded) (Thirded)
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Zork NemesisWhy: Zork Nemesis is one and only game I played from the Zork series. This one is not a …
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Second update: 9/5/2013 AM, added 150+ games. Keep ‘em coming.
Third update: 9/6/2013 PM, added 80+ games.
Fourth update: 9/18/2013 AM, added 20+ games. This will probably be our last official update. If you’ve added a game that you feel desperately needs to be included in the list, don’t hesitate to email me.
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Image via Shutterstock.
To contact the author of this post, write to [email protected] or find him on Twitter @kirkhamilton.
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The Classic PC Games You Must Play
There are many reasons one could argue that the PC is the best way to play video games: Better…
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