The early days of video games were defined by PC gaming. Most modern games – including everything from strategy games to first person shooters – originated on the PC.
In other words, the majority of the gaming industry owes itself to PC gaming.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at 5 gaming genres that will always, forever, be better on the PC than they will on consoles or (gasp) mobile devices.
5) First Person Shooters
Playing a first person shooter isn’t a skill if you have “Aim Assist” on at all times. The vast majority of console shooters need aim assist simply to improve accuracy.
First person shooters were grown on the PC. Games like Unreal Tournament, Doom, and Wolfenstein defined the early days of the genre. Today, FPS games not only have better graphics on PC, but they also have more realistic aiming.
I don’t know about you, but I’m a lot prouder of myself when I get a headshot on the PC in Call of Duty than on the console. On the console, I can’t help but feel I got some help.
4) Strategy Games
This is an obvious one. Grand, over-arching strategy games like Civilization, the Total War series, and Age of Empires just don’t work well on consoles. There’s too much going on, there are too many menu items to sort through, and there’s not enough processing power to handle everything happening at once.
I mean, try to click around the screen on a console game to control a real time strategy game. Now try to do that while micromanaging your economy and fighting a war on 5 fronts. You can’t do it.
Few strategy games have been ported to consoles. The games that have been ported have done so as almost an afterthought.
Civ II, for example, was ported to the PlayStation three years after it launched on PC. The Total War series has never even touched a console.
Of course, I’m not going to be totally ignorant here: there are certainly some strategy games that have worked on consoles – Halo Wars on the Xbox and Advance Wars on the GBA are testaments to that fact.
3) Simulation Games
From Roller Coaster Tycoon to Sim City to Cities: Skylines, simulation games always work better on PC. Just like with strategy games, there’s too much micro-managing and menu searching to make it a viable, entertaining option on consoles.
There’s also the problem, of course, of processing power. Games like Microsoft Flight Simulator required massive amounts of performance power at launch – and still do to this day.
Ultimately, whether you’re raising a virtual family in The Sims or murdering park guests on Roller Coaster Tycoon, it’s just flat out more enjoyable to play simulation games on the PC.
2) RPGs
Here’s a controversial one. RPGs are, without question, better on PC.
We’ve seen an increasing number of RPGs launch on both PCs and consoles over the past few years. Skyrim, for example, had a simultaneous launch on consoles and PCs, and even complex modern RPGs like The Witcher III are available on Xbox One and PS4.
RPGs on consoles have had to severely restrict their menu systems – often at the detriment of PC gamers. Skyrim’s menu system, for example, wasn’t much-loved by PC users. They’ve also had to severely restrict their graphics and performance – in open world games, for example, you’ll rarely get great detail on distant objects on consoles, but you can adjust the view distance as much as you like on PC.
And don’t even get us started on mods and MMORPGs.
Ultimately, consoles have a few games where RPGs have worked successfully – but few people would choose to play Skyrim on consoles when a high-end PC is available.
1) Sandbox and Creation Games
Minecraft has console versions available. Yes, we get it. But if you’re pushing sandbox and creation games to their limit, you’re going to need a PC.
Not only do you get mods on PC, but you get access to unlimited performance power. Try setting off 300 simultaneous explosions in Minecraft on console and see what happens.
As with anything on the internet, I’m sure this list will generate controversy. Feel free to yell at us in the comments section below.
