The PC game industry has evolved from simple mathematical puzzles and typing tutors into a thriving global business rivaling other entertainment industries like movies and music. PC gaming wouldn’t be this successful if not for a handful of unforgettable games that offered gamers the best gameplay experience there is. This list presents ten such games that are considered the best and most influential ever.

10. Quake (id Software, 2006, FPS)

The Quake series, developed by id Software and released during the summer of 1996, is the earliest first-person shooter (FPS) to incorporate true 3D technology in its overall design. Its FPS predecessors, namely Duke Nukem and Doom, integrated only a modified program rendering that resembles 3D. A science-fiction adventure with a touch of dark fantasy, Quake featured 3D models instead of sprites, and the game takes place in real 3D environments. Quake is acclaimed by critics because of its highly-advanced multiplayer abilities: it was one of the earliest games to use the Internet to for multi-playing, and was the one to popularize this format. The game is still widely considered to be the most influential multiplayer PC game ever.

9. Diablo (Blizzard North, 1996, RPG)

Diablo reinvigorated the RPG (role-playing game) genre and is credited for defining its subgenre of point-and-click games. Set in a grim fantasy world overrun by the minions of Diablo, the Lord of Hell, Diablo is praised for its addictive gameplay and high level of replayability, as well as for its dark environments, superb graphics, huge item collectability and epic musical score. This game put Blizzard into the PC gaming limelight, leading them to develop other leading titles like the Warcraft and Starcraft series.

8. Baldur’s Gate II (BioWare, 2000, RPG)

Baldur’s Gate II is the second installation of the epic RPG series set in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy world. It is placed a few months after the events depicted in the original Baldur’s Gate. This game lets you explore a richly-detailed world, use up to 300 spells and do battle with over 130 different monster types, more than double that of the original. The best feature of Baldur’s Gate II, however, is the game’s huge storyline. You can choose from a wide variety of races and classes, and from there you can proceed to the main story or be immersed in various side quests. The quests may also vary depending on your character’s race and class. The reception for Baldur’s Gate II was universally positive, and even today it is still included among the best 2D RPG titles of all time.

7. Half-Life (Valve Studios, 1998, FPS)

If Quake is the ideal multiplayer FPS, Half-Life is the definitive first-person shooter game for single players. This game not only spawned a franchise and became the highest-selling PC FPS game to date, but it also spawned a number of modifications that surprisingly became worldwide hits themselves. Half-Life puts you into the shoes of Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist who happened to be trapped in a research facility overrun by hostile aliens. The main story unfolds as you try to find a way to escape. The game created a lot of enthusiasm from mod designers, and many created their own games based on the game’s engine. One of these games was Counter-Strike, which eventually became the most-played LAN-based shooter game on the planet.

6. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Bethesda, 2002, RPG)

The downright scope and vastness of the Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is enough to require any fantasy fan to get their hands on this game. Many applauded its vast environment, its free-form gameplay and its rich plot that will satisfy anyone. The game is noted for its sandbox approach to storytelling: you can depart any time from the main storyline and engage in some of its equally-fascinating subplots. You can rise up the ranks and become a head wizard, a legionnaire captain, or a master assassin. This game is simply a must-have for fans of the genre.

5. Starcraft (Blizzard, 1998, RTS)

Here is a real-time strategy (RTS) game that still retains its appeal nearly a decade after its release. Starcraft is a sci-fi masterpiece from Blizzard that re-envisioned some of the genre’s formulaic aspects. Blizzard employed its own style and techniques to create a game that’s simply the developer’s best. If you ask gamers what made them stick with this game even after better-looking RTS titles had been released, they’ll probably say it was the game’s superb balance and game design. Even today, there is yet a victor to emerge among the game’s three races: the Zerg, Protoss, and Terrans.

4. Fallout (Interplay, 1997, RPG)

Fallout has it all: a quality in storytelling and narrative that brings games to a whole new level of experience; dynamic and believable characters; and a rare opportunity for players to shape the story’s outcome. Set in a post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear fallout in the 1950s, this game is all about free will, and you are rewarded by the game if you put it to use. Fallout is also famous for its dark humor and post-apocalyptic sarcasm. For all the RPGs existing out there, this game is the cream of the crop.

3. Civilization IV (Firaxis, 2005, Turn-based Strategy)

Placing Civilization IV here is a nod to the entire series. Sid Meier has managed to compress 5000 years of human history and turn it into an addictive game. From the refurbished damage system to the improvements in diplomacy and religion, Civilization IV has progressed greatly since its first three installments and offers the most addictive turn-based strategy experience out there. Turn-based strategy games can have the tendency to be quite a bore, but this game (and the whole series) has managed to make it easy for the players. It also doubles as a treasure trove of information about human history and technological advances, making it a must-play for gamers and students alike.

2. X-COM: UFO Defense (Mythos Games, 1994, Turn-based Strategy)

In a time when game graphics were limited to sprites and gameplay could not be expanded much due to memory concerns, X-COM: UFO Defense by Mythos Games delivered what seems to be the most advanced and sophisticated game of its time. In the game, you control a set of alien hunters trying to protect Earth from an alien invasion. You employ various technology obtained from these hostile aliens, using their own technology to drive them out. At the same time, you manage your base and economics to keep your soldiers competent. The ensuing game experience has the same difficulty and complexity as many turn-based strategy games today. This game is so good, many current game designers and developers have claimed it is the primary reason why they got into the video game business in the first place.

1. The Sims (Maxis, 2000, Life-simulation)

Seventy million players can’t be wrong. The Sims, the simulation opus of game company Maxis and developer extraordinaire Will Wright, is a PC phenomenon like no other. Featuring user-friendly controls and a feel-good approach, you control an in-game character (a Sim), guiding him/her in everyday life activities, much like an interactive dollhouse. This simple but highly-addictive approach to gameplay attracted not only regular players, but casual gamers as well, making the Sims the highest-selling PC game of all time, and the hands-down top spot on this list.

Whether you’re new to PC gaming or have beat all of these games and more, all of these games are a great way to spend an afternoon.

The fun and drama of these games helped pave the way for many of their unforgettable successors, such as those in the list of Top Ten PC Games You Should Never Miss.