10 Best Video Games to Play Right Now (Every Platform)

Ten games worth playing right now, across every major platform. No unreleased hype — everything on this list is available and has earned its spot.

Picking the “best” video games is always going to start arguments. Someone’s masterpiece is someone else’s 6/10. What this list prioritizes is breadth: different genres, different platforms, different vibes. A 100-hour open-world RPG sits next to a tight 12-hour action game. A Nintendo Switch exclusive shares space with a PC-first roguelike. The common thread is that each game does something exceptionally well and holds up right now, not five years ago when the hype was fresh.

1. Elden Ring

Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One | Genre: Action RPG | Developer: FromSoftware

FromSoftware took the punishing combat formula that defined Dark Souls and dropped it into a massive open world co-designed with George R.R. Martin. The result swept nearly every Game of the Year award in 2022 and remains the benchmark for open-world action RPGs. The Lands Between is dense with secrets — hidden dungeons, optional bosses, entire underground regions that players can miss entirely on a first playthrough.

The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC (2024) added a second map roughly the size of the base game’s largest region, along with new weapons, spells, and some of the hardest boss fights FromSoftware has ever designed. Players who bounced off earlier Souls games often find Elden Ring more approachable because the open world lets them walk away from a difficult fight, explore elsewhere, level up, and return stronger. The difficulty is still there, but the freedom to tackle it on personal terms changes the dynamic.

The PC version benefits from mod support and higher frame rates, though the initial launch had performance issues that have since been patched. Console versions run well on current-gen hardware. Co-op summoning exists but remains tied to FromSoftware’s signature quirky multiplayer system rather than seamless drop-in play.

2. Baldur’s Gate 3

Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Mac | Genre: RPG | Developer: Larian Studios

Baldur’s Gate 3 won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2023 and swept nearly every other major award that season. Larian Studios built a role-playing game where almost every problem has three or four solutions, and the game actually accounts for the weird ones. Stack barrels of explosive powder near a boss? The game lets it work. Talk a villain into switching sides through a high-charisma dialogue check? Written and voice-acted. Push someone off a cliff mid-conversation? Physics handles it.

The Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition ruleset underpins everything, which means dice rolls determine outcomes in combat, dialogue, and exploration. The system creates genuine tension because a critical fail at the wrong moment can derail an entire plan. Each of the game’s origin characters has a fully realized story arc that weaves into the main plot differently depending on who is in the party. A single playthrough takes 80-120 hours, and the game practically demands a second run to see the paths not taken.

Split-screen co-op for two players works on console, and online co-op supports up to four. The PS5 version performs well. The Xbox port arrived later but runs comparably after launch patches. This is the deepest single-player RPG released in years.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Platforms: Nintendo Switch | Genre: Action-Adventure | Developer: Nintendo EPD

Tears of the Kingdom took the open-air formula that Breath of the Wild established and rebuilt it around a physics-driven crafting system that broke the internet for weeks after launch. The Ultrahand and Fuse abilities let players attach objects together to build vehicles, bridges, weapons, and absurd contraptions that the developers clearly never anticipated. Watching someone build a functional airplane out of logs and fans to bypass a puzzle intended to be solved on foot captures exactly why this game resonated so strongly.

The map is the same Hyrule, but the additions change it fundamentally. Sky islands above and a sprawling underground Depths below triple the explorable space. Shrines return with new physics-based puzzles. The main quest has more narrative structure than Breath of the Wild, though the open-ended exploration is still the heart of the experience.

Being a Switch exclusive means the hardware limits visual fidelity. Textures are soft, draw distances are short, and frame rate dips in busy areas. None of that stops Tears of the Kingdom from delivering one of the most inventive and replayable game designs of the past decade. It runs on aging hardware and still manages to be more creative than most games running on cutting-edge PCs.

4. Red Dead Redemption 2

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One (backward compatible on PS5/Xbox Series X|S) | Genre: Action-Adventure, Open World | Developer: Rockstar Games

Released in 2018, Red Dead Redemption 2 still gets recommended in every “best games” conversation because nothing else has matched its world-building since. Rockstar constructed a late-1800s American frontier with a level of environmental detail that remains unmatched. Animals behave according to ecosystems. Weather changes dynamically. NPCs have daily routines. The camp where Arthur Morgan’s gang lives evolves based on story progress and player contributions.

Arthur Morgan’s story arc is the strongest narrative Rockstar has ever written. The slow pacing works in the game’s favor — hours spent riding between towns, hunting, fishing, and interacting with strangers build attachment to a character and a world that makes the story’s later chapters hit harder. Some players find the deliberate pace and realistic animations (Arthur moves with weight, not speed) frustrating. That is a legitimate criticism. But for the audience this game is aimed at, the pacing is the point.

Red Dead Online exists but received its final content update in 2022. The single-player campaign is the reason to play, and it holds up completely years after release. The PC version with graphical mods pushes the visuals even further.

5. God of War Ragnarök

Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC | Genre: Action-Adventure | Developer: Santa Monica Studio

Ragnarök concludes the Norse saga that God of War (2018) started. Kratos and Atreus navigate a story about fatherhood, fate, and whether violent people can change — wrapped inside a game where the combat involves throwing a magical axe through frost giants. The balance between emotional narrative and visceral action is something few games pull off this cleanly.

Combat expanded significantly from the 2018 game. Both the Leviathan Axe and Blades of Chaos return with new skill trees, and a third weapon introduced mid-game adds another layer. Enemy variety is stronger, the optional Berserker fights rival Elden Ring’s toughest bosses, and the Valhalla DLC (free, roguelike structure) adds hours of endgame content with surprising narrative depth.

The PC port arrived in 2024 and runs well on mid-range hardware. Performance mode on PS5 delivers a stable 60fps at dynamic 4K. The game is linear rather than open-world, which keeps the pacing tight across its 25-30 hour campaign. Side quests are worth doing — several are better than the main quests of lesser games.

6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Genre: Action RPG | Developer: CD Projekt Red

The Witcher 3 originally launched in 2015, and the free next-gen update in 2022 gave it ray tracing, performance improvements, and quality-of-life fixes that make it feel current. The game’s real strength was never its graphics anyway. It was the writing. Quests that sound routine on paper — find a missing person, kill a monster, investigate a haunted house — consistently reveal layered stories with moral ambiguity and consequences that ripple across the game.

The Bloody Baron questline is frequently cited as one of the best quests in any RPG ever made, and that is a side quest. The two expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, are individually better than most full-priced games. Blood and Wine alone adds a new region, Toussaint, that is roughly the size of a standalone open world.

Combat is the weakest element. The sword-and-sign system is functional but lacks the depth and precision of dedicated action games. By the game’s second half, most builds can steamroll encounters. That drawback fades against the sheer volume and quality of the storytelling. Available on virtually every platform, including Switch (portable at 30fps with visual compromises).

7. Resident Evil 4 Remake

Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S | Genre: Survival Horror | Developer: Capcom

Capcom rebuilt Resident Evil 4 from the ground up in 2023, and the remake improved on the 2005 original in almost every measurable way. The over-the-shoulder combat is tighter, the village section is redesigned for dread rather than camp, and Ashley — the NPC escort who frustrated millions of players in the original — actually behaves intelligently this time.

The pacing is relentless. The game moves from the village siege to the castle to the island military base with barely a pause, and each environment changes the combat dynamic. Resources are scarce enough to maintain tension but available enough that the game never feels unfair. The knife parry system adds a timing-based layer to melee encounters that rewards skill over hoarding ammunition.

A single playthrough runs 15-18 hours. New Game+ with unlockable weapons and higher difficulty modes add replay value. The Separate Ways DLC expands Ada Wong’s parallel storyline. For anyone who has not played a Resident Evil game before, this remake is the best entry point in the franchise. The Mercenaries mode, free as an update, adds arcade-style score-chasing for players who want pure combat.

8. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Platforms: PS5, PC | Genre: Action RPG | Developer: Square Enix

Rebirth is the second part of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy, covering the journey from Midgar through the open world to the Forgotten Capital. The scope expanded dramatically from the first game’s corridor-heavy Midgar. Open zones let the party explore grasslands, beaches, a Gold Saucer theme park, and the Costa del Sol resort, each with side activities, minigames, and optional content.

The Synergy system layered on top of the ATB combat from Remake creates team combo attacks that make party composition matter. Switching between characters mid-fight is fluid. Boss battles are long, multi-phase spectacles that require using the full roster’s abilities. The materia system returns and provides deep customization for players who enjoy build optimization.

The story diverges meaningfully from the 1997 original. Newcomers can enjoy it as a standalone action RPG, but longtime fans will find the most to unpack. The Gold Saucer alone contains hours of minigames — some excellent, some questionable. The main campaign runs 50-70 hours, and a completionist playthrough stretches past 100. The PC port launched in 2025.

9. Hades

Platforms: PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch | Genre: Roguelike, Action | Developer: Supergiant Games

Hades solved a problem that roguelikes had struggled with for years: how to deliver a satisfying narrative in a genre built on repetition and death. Playing as Zagreus, son of Hades, every escape attempt through the Underworld reveals new dialogue, story beats, and relationship developments with a cast of Greek gods and mythological figures. Dying and restarting is not failure. It is progression.

The combat is fast, responsive, and varied. Six weapon types (sword, spear, shield, bow, fists, gun) each play differently, and the boon system from Olympian gods stacks random power-ups that create wildly different builds every run. A run takes 20-40 minutes, making it perfect for short sessions. But the “one more run” pull is strong enough that short sessions frequently turn into three-hour marathons.

Supergiant’s voice acting and character writing carry the game between combat encounters. The relationship system with NPCs deepens over dozens of runs, and the true ending requires clearing the game multiple times — a demand that feels natural rather than forced because the gameplay loop is that good. Hades runs on everything, including Switch in handheld mode at a locked 60fps.

10. The Last of Us Part II Remastered

Platforms: PS5, PC | Genre: Action-Adventure, Survival | Developer: Naughty Dog

The Last of Us Part II is one of the most technically accomplished and narratively divisive games ever made. Naughty Dog’s animation work, environmental detail, and motion capture performances set a standard that few studios have matched. Seattle’s flooded streets, overgrown buildings, and deteriorating infrastructure make the post-apocalyptic setting feel tangible in a way that goes beyond graphical fidelity.

The game’s narrative structure is ambitious and polarizing. Playing as both Ellie and Abby forces perspective shifts that some players found brilliant and others rejected outright. Whether the story lands comes down to individual tolerance for moral ambiguity and uncomfortable choices. The gameplay itself is less controversial: stealth, crafting, and combat are all meaningfully improved over the first game, with enemy AI that flanks, communicates, and reacts to player tactics realistically.

The Remastered PS5 version includes the roguelike No Return mode, which strips out the story and turns the combat system into a pure survival challenge with unlockable characters and modifiers. The PC port (2025) supports ultrawide monitors, unlocked frame rates, and DualSense haptic features. Whether the story resonates is personal, but the craftsmanship on display is undeniable.

How to Pick What to Play First

For players who want a massive world to get lost in, Elden Ring, Baldur’s Gate 3, and The Witcher 3 each deliver 100+ hours of content. All three are excellent, but they demand very different things. Elden Ring tests reflexes. Baldur’s Gate 3 rewards creative problem-solving. The Witcher 3 is best for players who prioritize story above all else.

For tighter experiences with less time commitment, Resident Evil 4 Remake (15 hours) and Hades (20-40 minute runs, dozens of hours total) are the strongest picks. God of War Ragnarök falls in the middle at 25-30 hours — long enough to feel substantial, short enough to finish without burnout.

Nintendo Switch owners have fewer choices on this list, but Tears of the Kingdom and Hades are both essential. Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Witcher 3 technically run on Switch but with significant compromises. The rest of the list skews toward PlayStation and PC, with most titles also available on Xbox.

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