PC continues to grow into the best place for gaming, as more of the highest-rated console exclusives make their way over to the platform.
For decades there have been people who swear by PC gaming, with the level of choice and customisability being unparalleled by any console. Yet those who have purely stuck to PC game have been missing out on console exclusives, including some of the best experiences gaming have to offer. Yet within recent years, more and more exclusives have been making their way onto PC, as Microsoft and Sony embrace the platform more so than ever before.
Given that Microsoft owns the Windows operating system, naturally, the company has begun releasing all of its newest console exclusives on PC alongside the Xbox. Even its latest hits, such as Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, have all been released on Steam as well as its own Windows Store, which is a huge leap into accepting PC gaming. And the Windows Store even offers the Xbox Game Pass, which includes hundreds of great games for a monthly fee.
Sony has clearly been more cautious with bringing its exclusives to PC, but that’s all changed within the past year. Horizon Zero Dawn was released on Steam in August 2020 and marked a change in how Sony embraced PC gaming for its exclusives. More recently, God of War and the Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection have both been announced for PC, with God of War releasing January 14. This is a huge step for Sony, as despite the games being a few years old, they’re still considered console-selling exclusives.
Despite Sony and Microsoft’s transition, Nintendo continues to be reluctant to share its games. The idea of games like Mario, Zelda or Pokemon appearing on PC sounds very unlikely, although it’s not an impossibility. Some Nintendo Switch third-party games have made the leap to PC, such as the popular RPG Octopath Traveller, which made its way onto Steam in 2019 and Monster Hunter Rise, which releases on PC in early January.
Bringing these console exclusives to PC comes with numerous benefits. The obvious is that these games are being shared with a wider audience, which is never a bad thing. On top of that, the PC versions almost always include vast improvements over the console versions. Given what PC is capable of, the games usually offer higher resolutions, better lighting, higher FPS caps and much more. These ports clearly seem to understand this, as the latest trailers for the God of War and Monster Hunter Rise PC releases haven’t shown off the story, but instead focus on all the new features offered, such as rendering technologies like DLSS, which greatly increases performance.
While the transition to PC has been slow, it’s never been a better time to be a PC gamer. Microsoft has fully embraced bringing its latest games to PC, and while Sony isn’t quite there yet, it’s begun bringing many of the greatest hits from over the past few years to the PC market. The PC platform is truly becoming the place where all games come together, as the community expands with more great games every year, and that’s good for everyone.
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About The Author
Ben Hardwick (92 Articles Published)
Ben has taken a ‘Film Production & Cinematography’ university course, and recently completed a ‘Scriptwriting’ masters course, both completed at Bournemouth University. Throughout the courses, he has worked on a number of short films and documentaries. And found that his passion lays in scriptwriting, where he can combine his love of movies, writing, and storytelling. With taking courses involving film, Ben has extensive knowledge of movies both new and old, and keeps up to date on all the latest goings-on in the film industry. Especially within his favourite franchises, such as Star Wars. In his spare time, Ben is usually watching movies, playing games and running D&D games for friends (and hopes to one day actually be a player).