In the 90s, there was a stark line between console and PC gaming. Many games that first released on PC never received console ports (and vice versa), and most PC titles were built exclusively for a mouse and keyboard. These early PC games were also notoriously finnicky to install, and there was much less information about troubleshooting online than there is today. This was still years before YouTube and Reddit would go online.But if you could get past those issues, the reward was cutting edge gaming. The 90s PC gaming scene was a golden age when developers took big risks, entire genres were invented, and new titles constantly pushed graphics cards to their limits, far beyond what consoles of the time could do. These are the 15 best PC games of the 90s.15. EverQuestMMORPGs are a dime a dozen nowadays, but in 1999, the idea of an online-only 3D game where you could join guilds and adventure with other players (or fight them in PvP) was mind blowing stuff. One of the genres major pioneers, EverQuest, wasnt super accessible either, given the games then-beefy system requirements, and how rare it was to find a reliable internet connection to even play it. These were the days when most people were still relying on AOL and dial up, after all.But for those who could get online, EverQuest provided an addictive glimpse of the type of experiences that would dominate gaming in the coming decades. Though EverQuests popularity has dwindled to a fraction of what it used to be, its surprisingly still online, and even receives new expansions on an annual basis.14. Unreal TournamentUnreal Tournament wasnt the first online FPS, but it was the first to understand just how important the competitive online component would be in these titles moving forward. Sure, theres a barebones campaign here, but most players barely touched it. The star of Unreal Tournament was always the wealth of multiplayer options that let you tweak each match to get the exact experience you were looking for.Add in some of the greatest deathmatch maps ever made (that continue to influence the genre to this day), and you have the recipe for one of the best and most influential first-person shooters of all time.13. The Secret of Monkey IslandAdventure games had been a staple of PC gaming during the 80s, but some of the very best titles in the genre came in the following decade. This golden age kicked off in 1990 with The Secret of Monkey Island. First off, pirates are just awesome, and tend to work great in video games, and wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood is one of the funniest and most likable characters in all of gaming.The Secret of Monkey Island is full of weird and wonderful scenarios, clever puzzles, and also featured some great graphics at the time. Plus, it was much more accessible than other adventure games, which tended to be crushingly difficult if you made the slightest mistake. Theres a reason why this game continues to be a huge influence on adventure games.12. Civilization IIIs Civilization II the best in the series? Far from it, but thats not because it wasnt a great game during its time, its because the sequels built on everything it did so well. To be clear, everything here is fantastic. Civilization II is still the deepest strategy game of the 90s thanks to AI that vastly improved on the original games, and its multitude of options for both combat and diplomacy.Even though the sequels are better, Civilization II still has its rabid fans. In 2012, one Redditor famously posted about his decade-long game where three civilizations were perpetually locked in nuclear war and climate calamity. Few games from the 90s have that kind of longevity.11. Worms ArmageddonWorms Armageddon is one of those games that just feels right. The game has this fantastic tone thats both full of dread and also in love with its own absurdity. Armageddon really does seem like it could launch at any moment, but its just as likely to come from a Holy Hand Grenade as an air strike.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Whether the weapons are conventional or ridiculous, the physics are finely tuned. Success or failure never feels unfair, regardless of whether youre playing multiplayer or the surprisingly deep single-player campaign. Theres a good reason why, even after multiple sequels, this is still widely considered the pinnacle of the Worms franchise.10. Star Wars: Dark ForcesWith the massive popularity of Doom in the 90s, all Dark Forces really needed to be a success was be a halfway decent Star Wars-skinned Doom clone, and everyone would have loved it. At first glance, thats exactly what this classic shooter looks like, but when you actually dive into it, its clear that the developers were much more interested in pushing the genre forward than cranking out a cheap licensed cash-in.Dark Forces pioneered several concepts in the FPS genre that we now take for granted, like jumping, being able to look up and down, the inclusion of puzzles and more complicated mission objectives, and levels with multiple floors. While it absolutely nails the look and sound of the Star Wars movie, those innovations made it a fan favorite even among those barely know a lightsaber from a light switch.9. SimCity 2000Have you ever thought you could run your town better than the people in charge? Of course you have! SimCity 2000 gave players everything they could ever want to build the city of their dreams, including schools, libraries, roads, and multiple types of power plants. Tax your citizens until they flee, or cut your budget to the bare minimum. Then there was the ability to just destroy all of your hard work with natural disasters and try to rebuild from the ground up. The options were almost limitless.SimCity 2000 was a massive success, and since EA obtained the rights to the series, theyve tried to reboot the series every few years. But while those games all look better, none have matched the pure gameplay bliss of this gem.8. DiabloYes, Diablo II is far superior to the original, but it also came out in 2000, disqualifying it form this list. Whats remarkable about the first Diablo game is that, even though its a really simple action RPG, with three basic classes and far less loot than the many games it would inspire, its still incredibly fun and addictive.A lot of it is the setting. The dark, foreboding atmosphere of Diablo has always helped set it apart, and made it a fan favorite from this very first release. Who knew that going to Hell could be so much fun?7. Thief: The Dark ProjectThief is one of those games that made a lot of people completely rethink what could be accomplished in the medium. Sure, screenshots made this look like another first-person shooter (hardly an anomaly in the late 90s), but the actual stealth gameplay was far ahead of anything else on the market at the time. You didnt want to confront enemies head on. Instead, the key to progressing was stealth, hiding in the shadows, and using distractions to your advantage.These ideas went on to the influence other fan-favorite series, such as Hitman and Splinter Cell, and then appeared in all sorts of other genres as well to varying degrees of success. As hugely influential as Thief was, developer Looking Glass Studios went out of business in 2000, and later sequels from other developers didnt have anywhere near the same impact or success as the first game.6. Planescape: TormentYou might think that the original Baldurs Gate would be on this list. Sure, that was a great CRPG from the 90s, but the lesser known Planescape: Torment actually runs circles around it when it comes to setting and gameplay, even if the two titles share a lot of similarities and even run on the same basic engine.Planescape: Torment is just a much more unique game, exploring some of the darker, more bizarre worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. The reduced emphasis on combat was a welcome new approach for the genre, especially considering just how well-written every last line of dialogue is, and how many different directions the story can go in.5. Quake IIWith monumental releases like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom under its belt, id Software was at the height of its powers in the 90s. The legendary developers simply could not do any wrong. All the work they put into the first-person shooter genre ultimately culminated in Quake II. At the time of release, the 3D graphics were among the most advanced ever seen.More importantly, the gameplay backed it up. The game was fast, smooth, and challenging, with a lengthy single-player campaign. Once you got through that, it was time to take things online with one of the best multiplayer shooters of the decade. Even now, Quake II holds up surprisingly well if you can find a few other gamers willing to play it online.4. System Shock 2System Shock 2 was one of the first FPS titles that realized the view could be used for more than just shooting. This is an early sci-fi horror masterpiece that will disturb you just as often as it will give you something to fire a weapon at. On top of that, it still has tons of RPG customization, another rarity in the genre at the time.Though originally released in 1999, System Shock 2 almost feels like it could be a game from the 2020s with a few tweaks. This was a wildly ambitious game that years ahead of its time. Unfortunately, as is often the case, that meant the public at large didnt quite know what to make of it, and early sales were low, even if critics loved it. At least its received a lot more attention over the last couple of decades, and a remake is currently in the works.3. Fallout 2The original Fallout was a fantastic introduction to the Wasteland and its many weird inhabitants. The second game is even better, even if it doesnt change a whole lot from the first. Though it lacks the 3D graphics of newer Fallout games, it still features many of the gameplay ideas that are present in modern entries.The name of the game isnt so much combat as it is finding unique ways to complete each quest. Usually that means using your head, or talking your way out of trouble. This is some of the best apocalyptic old-school role-playing around.2. StarCraftReal-time strategy games were a PC staple for much of the 90s, but StarCraft is still widely considered the very best of these titles. The brilliance of StarCraft is in its balance. Sure, there are similarities between the games three playable races, but each of them have their own unique units, strengths, and weaknesses that ensure no one side has an advantage over the others.StarCraft is so perfectly designed that it became one of the first to garner a sizable professional community, particularly in South Korea where top players were full-on celebrities in the 2000s. Even now, its highly debatable whether another RTS (including StarCraft II) is as well designed as this classic.1. Half-LifeAs innovative and eclectic as PC games were in the 90s, there was still only ever going to be one title at the top this list. Half-Life wasnt just a tremendous first-person shooter, it was a landmark title that moved the entire industry forward and established Valve as a powerhouse developer that basically runs the PC game market to this day with Steam.The genius of Half-Life is how the shooting takes a backseat to the storytelling. Scripted scenes are overused now, but no other game had leveraged them as well before, or told a story that was so compelling. You really couldnt wait to see what would happen to Gordon Freeman next. Hell, we still want to know what happens to him next, though Half-Life 3 seems as elusive as ever after all these years.