Steam is the top platform for many PC gamers, and for good reason. It works well, has great sales, and has a huge variety of titles from AAA games to indie bangers. There are many games that are exclusive to Steam that you won't find anywhere else, although they are very much in the minority.
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If Steam is your primary platform, make sure to grab these rare titles for your library during the sale. Many of them are Valve games, but we will leave them out Half life 1 To get the PS2 port and Half life 2 Being included in a special orange box and thus available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, technically still very much playable on those consoles.
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Gary's mode
A sandbox that has spawned many iconic games
Valve's physics sandbox Gary's mode One of the most influential games on Steam. This spawned some game modes that have since become extremely iconic, such as Trouble in Terrorist Town and Prop Hunt, to name a few. It's a fun little tool that lets you play with different assets.
You can also spawn into NPCs if you want and throw objects around to see what happens. The main attraction remains all the user-generated content, however, which serves as an endless source of entertainment. Who remembers the old days of gaming YouTubers playing Prop Hunt on cooldown? I do!
Aperture desk work
A special portal treatment for steam deck fun
Let's talk about Steam Deck for a bit. If you own this fantastic piece of technology, you may already be familiar Aperture desk workWhich is a mini game created by Valve specifically for the deck. You're on your first day at work, and if the world seems a little familiar, that's because it is.
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It's actually based on the world Portal suffrage You progress through your workday, joined by the iconic humor made famous by many other Valve titles. It sounds like a demo for Steam Deck, but considering it's completely free, it's definitely worth trying at least once.
Brutality Squad
A punch of color and brutality straight to your retinas
Speaking of climbing the corporate ladder, Brutality Squad. You are a member of this group in this rather bright and retro-looking FPS game that puts you through action-packed and visually busy levels full of enemies.
Your job is to make your corporation proud by descending into what the developers refer to as the “dirty world” but it won't be easy. If you enjoy immersive sims, you'll definitely see the appeal here, with some callbacks to the games. Deus East And also like tactical shooters There is a rainbow. It's a gory and gory experience that's not for the faint of heart, but also serves as a nice callback to many old-school first-person shooters.
DOTA 2
The sequel to the iconic MOBA that started it all
original Defense of the Ancients mode for Warcraft 3 Blowed people away, and ultimately led to a MOBA masterpiece DOTA 2 today is You are more than one or not League of Legends People, you can't deny the cultural influence DOTA 2 Bashanter has also inspired his own songs over the years.
The esports scene is huge, and considering it's free-to-play, with every single hero available to you from the get-go, it's easy to see why some people might choose it over the limitations. League of Legends introduces, even if some argue that its learning curve is more punishing, and its matching slower.
Team Fortress 2
A hero shooter that has become a banger over the years
Another incredibly free-to-play treat from Valve, Team Fortress 2 A must try for anyone who has spent time enjoying hero shooters over the past ten years or so. Overwatch, the Marvel Rivaland brave All stand on a solid foundation maintained by reason Team Fortress 2 And first its predecessor.
It features a much smaller roster, but each class actually feels very different, and the games are a nice callback to those chaotic days. Overwatch When no one knew exactly how to play the game. If you missed that, give it a play. It's still a masterpiece.
Counter-Strike 2
The freshest take on the iconic tactical shooter
The Counter strike The series is a pillar of the video game industry, especially on the competitive, multiplayer side. The tactical shooter gameplay has evolved into an art form over the years since its first release as one half life mod, with a strong esports aspect and its free-to-play model that anyone can jump into regardless of skill, cementing its place as a masterpiece of good game design.
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Counter-Strike 2 Followed those steps, without complicating things. That's exactly what it offers CS: Go ahead did, but updates everything from graphics to sound design. While cheaters are still a regular problem, it says a lot about the quality of the series and the game itself that it consistently remains at the top of Steam's player charts.
Half-Life: Alix
An incredible showcase of VR mechanics and details
half life Fans have been hoping for something solid for years Half-Life: Alix fell And while a VR game wasn't exactly what people were hoping for, for a VR game, it completely exceeded any and all expectations. It's a truly immersive experience that transports you into the world half life As if you were really there, and the VR's controls were clearly well thought out.
Its highlight, though? Absolutely stunning visuals, sound design, and atmosphere. It's essentially the gold standard of all things VR, combining both quality storytelling and snappy gameplay into one package, and it's something we need more of in the VR side of gaming in general.
Project Zomboid
A highly detailed retro zombie survival game
Valve is one of the mainstays of Steam, outside of games Project Zomboid. This banger of a zombie survival game has been in development for over ten years, but has managed to capture the hearts and minds of many survival gaming enthusiasts.
It's a massive open-world environment with a wide range of survival gameplay features, from thirst to boredom, and it really presents a challenge unlike any other game – well, save maybe. Catastrophe: Dark Days AheadBut if you like your zombie games with a bit more graphics dimension, give it a try Project ZomboidAnd see what the hype is all about.
Black Mesa
Fans poured their love into this Half-Life remake
Well, here we are. It wouldn't be a list of the best Steam exclusives without mentioning them half lifeOne of the best horror FPS games out there that tells the story of Gordon Freeman and a science experiment gone horribly wrong. It was an event that defined an entire generation and spawned a myth Half life 3 (Which may not actually be much of a myth anymore).
Since it received a PS2 console port, it's not technically a Steam exclusive, however, so we need to discuss that. Black MesaA fan project that brought the first game up to date by brushing up its visuals. Whichever experience you go for, you're in for a truly unforgettable time, and a real throwback to a time when games needed to be better out of the box.
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