[News] What are the 5 best games to introduce someone to PC gaming?

[Angel of Death]

This year I reconnected with a childhood friend and dragged him back into PC gaming. I chaperoned him through a few recent games, some casual multiplayer things (Back 4 Blood, Chivalry 2) and stuff that rekindled what we loved in the '90s (MechWarrior 5, Streets of Rage 4). I imagine a lot of you have had this experience, too, as our hobby has only become more mainstream with each passing year. Seeing PC gaming through a newcomer's eyes got me thinking: What's the best way to onramp someone to PC gaming today? Is it better to hand them homework and history, games that are at the heart of what makes PC gaming unique (whatever that means), or lighter stuff they'll enjoy instantaneously? It's a surprisingly hard question. You're a board-certified representative of your hobby. They're an impressionable baby-gamer. Their joy is a malleable lump in your hands. You don't want to throw someone straight into Kerbal Space Program as their first PC game. Counterpoint: Actually, do hurl your naive friend into the deep end, let them struggle, then experience the earned joy of successfully launching a shuttle to the Mün. Let's see if we can come up with a list of introductory games we all agree on. I'm sure that will go smoothly.