Overwatch
The hero-based shooter from Blizzard is a fantastic and well-rounded online experience. No matter your play style, whether it be offensive or support, there are plenty of characters to choose from that are both fun and effective in-game. The maps are well designed, the characters all have unique personalities, and the gameplay promotes a tactical approach.
Also, new cosmetic items, themed modes, and even characters are added to the game frequently, keeping the experience fresh and the player base engaged. It’s a wonderfully designed game and the gameplay variety offers many ways to play, making it a great choice if you’re looking for an online game.
PUBG
Having broken record after record throughout 2017, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is still going strong. At the time of writing, it is still at the top of the Steam charts and even the Xbox One version is racking up great numbers in terms of players. It is one of the games that made the Battle Royale genre as big as it currently is. If you’re not familiar, you and 99 other players are dropped onto a map, of which there are two now, and you scramble for items that will protect you against each other. Last person standing wins. Simple as that. The gameplay loop is so engrossing, prompting you to keep playing for your first, or another, sweet Chicken Dinner. If you decide to jump in, you’ll probably find it hard to put PUBG down.
Fortnite: Battle Royale
The second huge Battle Royale game, which is arguably becoming the big dog, is Fortnite’s free mode. As is the case with other games in the genre, you and 99 others are dropped on a map and need to find weapons that will help you be the last one standing.
The art style, the building-focused gameplay, and the simple fact that it is free to everyone are what make it stand out over the competition. Even if you don’t enjoy it straight away, you don’t lose anything by trying it out. Maybe you could find a few friends to help you out and take on the duos or squads mode for some more co-operative fun. There’s certainly more than enough other people playing. Oh, and Drake is a fan, too!
Rocket League
Before it released as a free game with PlayStation Plus a couple of years ago, not many people would have expected it to become the smash hit that is has. Now on all consoles, its car soccer gameplay is great fun alone, as part of a team of friends, or against bots.
There’s also more variety to the game now than there was at launch. There’s different modes that alter the rules of the game, change the design of the arenas, or see you use something other than a ball. There’s also a substantial competitive mode if you’re looking for a deep dive into the standard play. You may need to learn to fly if you want to take on the best of the best.
Dota 2
Dota 2 is one of the most popular MOBAs around, seeing two teams of five players take each other on. Each team has their own base to defend and the winners are crowned when one of the teams’ ‘The Ancient,’ a large structure in the bases, is destroyed.
You control one of the game’s heroes, a unique character with a certain set of skills. It is vital to create a team of characters that complement each other, using each hero’s abilities together to be more successful. The action is fun and the co-operation is vital, making it a great online game. It isn’t the easiest to just jump in and play, however.
League of Legends
Another hugely popular MOBA, and one you’ve probably already heard of, is League of Legends. In the game, you control one of the game’s Champions, each of which has their own unique abilities, much like other games in the genre.
The goal is to destroy a structure at the heart of the opposing team’s base, called a nexus, and you see your character become stronger as they find items and gain experience throughout the match. You’ll probably come across some quite hardcore players, but LoL can be immensely enjoyable if you can find others to play with or get the hang of it quickly.
World of Warcraft
Arguably one of the most well known games still playable, World of Warcraft is a MMORPG that sees you create a character and take control of them in the game’s world, completing quests and interacting with other players.
You can also choose what kind of experience you want. You can choose to focus on missions and defeating AI-controlled monsters in the normal realms, or you can enter a PvP one, which allows players to attack each other. You will need to pay a subscription once you hit a certain level, but if you get invested in the lore and your character’s progression, you can expect to spend a long time playing.
Grand Theft Auto V
The Grand Theft Auto series has been mostly known as a single-player one, one that focused on the characters and world that are vital to the story it tells. That was even the case when the fifth numbered installment originally came to the PlayStation 3.
However, since the launch of GTA Online, the game has made a huge amount of money and has had a longer lifespan than many anticipated. You can race, complete missions, or simply mess around in the world, but everything you do is fun in Los Santos.
Call of Duty: WWII
The Call of Duty series went back to its roots last year with its ‘boots on the ground’ approach. Instead of telling a story of space races and jet packs, it went back to World War II to follow a small squad of soldiers.
The online modes didn’t see quite such a drastic change. Aside from the older weapons, the customization options and perk abilities were only changed in how the were unlocked. Anyone that’s played a Call of Duty game online before will know what to expect. There’s the zombies mode too, however, which offers crazier player vs undead action than we’ve seen before. With careful planning and pinpoint accuracy, you and your team of unique characters will be able to solve the puzzles and defeat the hordes.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Launching in December 2015, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege had a slow start. The lack of a single-player mode put many people off and there were many other online games to play at the time. However, largely due to the love that Ubisoft showed the game with the updates that came over the following year, it has become extremely popular.
Siege is a more tactical experience than many other online shooters and has a variety of game modes that offer something unique. In one, attackers must rescue a hostage who is being protected by defending team. There’s also the Terrorist Mode in which players must eliminate a group of enemies in a set area before time runs out. If you can get the hang of the basic gameplay, you might have a great time.
Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV is the fourteenth entry in the main Final Fantasy series and the second MMORPG in the series after Final Fantasy XI. It sees you take control of your own customized character and explore the realm of Eorzea when it is in the midst of an invasion by the hostile Garlean Empire and Primals. The loop of completing quests and upgrading your character, which is similar to other MMORPGs, is compelling and the world is a joy to explore, with new features being regularly added.
Counter Strike: Global Offensive
Counter Strike: Global Offensive, often stylized as CS:GO, is an online first-person shooter that pits two teams against each other – one side is the Terrorists and the other is the Counter-Terrorists. The former must plant a bomb or defend the hostages, depending on the game mode, while the other side must do the opposite. There’s six game modes, each of which feature a specific objective, and the game is generally slower and more tactical than shooters like Call of Duty. If you’re looking for a hardcore PC first-person shooter, CS:GO would be the perfect choice.
ARK: Survival Evolved
ARK: Survival Evolved lets your explore a luscious world full of dinosaurs. If, for some reason, you need more information, you should know that you can hunt and tame the impressive creatures as well as complete quests. There’s a lengthy, lore-filled single player mode, but the online portion is where the game shines.
When you’re working with others in PvP, attempting to steal stuff from rival communities, ARK is a great experience. You need to outsmart the other players to build the best base, helping you stay alive in the dangerous world. Also, after it was in early access for a couple of years, it is also one of the most substantial online games available at the moment.
Minecraft
Not only is it one of the best selling games of all time, Minecraft is also one of the most played online games. The sandbox world offers countless things to do. Whether you’re teaming up with friends or going it alone, you can do anything ranging from building your dream house to hunting enemies throughout the world. Survival and Creative modes offer a different experience, one being scavenging-focused and the other being combat led, but they’re both great to play online with others.
FIFA 18
The FIFA series has been running for more than two decades and has evolved from a rather basic soccer game into one of the deepest sports experiences around. You may want to jump into Pro Clubs alongside friends to play against other teams of up to 11 people, or attempt to climb the leagues with your favorite real-world team, but Ultimate Team is best of FIFA 18’s modes.
Here, you try to assemble your ‘Ultimate Team’ by getting players from packs and playing matches. There’s promo events every other week and you can play in a few different ways to get different rewards. Although it can be quite lootbox (packs) heavy, the loop of playing matches to upgrade your team is a consistently compelling one.
Published: Mar 16, 2018 01:22 am