It’s been the summer of Steam for my wife and I, with these six titles keeping me occupied the most in recent weeks.
I’ve gone on at length on this website before on how passionate I am about collecting physical media, a hobby that feels all the more important as the video game industry continues to move towards digital exclusivity.
While retro games will always play and feel the best on original hardware on a CRT TV, today’s games are increasingly not being made for consoles. In an industry where even physical games merely serve as online download keys and regular system updates are to be expected, it’s easy (and rational) to believe that you don’t really own anything you’re paying for.
This realization led both my wife and I to the conclusion that newer games that aren’t first-party Nintendo titles are best played on our gaming PCs. If we’re not going to be getting a true physical edition anyways, why sacrifice the comfort and convenience of simply being at your own desk?
Though I’ve had a Steam account since July 2006 thanks to being an old-time player of Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, the platform is miles different 20 years later. With tens of thousands of available games and compatibility with a wide variety of controllers, there truly is something for everyone on the marketplace that has become the Netflix of gaming in recent years.
This has led more and more games to be released on PC, igniting a renaissance for computer gamers that hasn’t been seen since PC games were still released on CD-ROM and took up their own dedicated sections within electronics and big-box stores.
I’ll certainly always be a physical retro gamer at heart, but there’s something to be said about experiencing some of the newer ideas that the gaming world has to offer, and getting to do so on a platform that at least for now, does a pretty good job of keeping your games in your “ownership” all in one place.
Thanks to compatibility with Xbox Series X controllers, I’ve been experiencing a few of my favorite games with my favorite control scheme, another positive behind modern PC gaming that erases the former drawback of being limited to the mouse and keyboard.
With a backlog that only continues to grow, here’s a look at the six games that have been keeping me occupied on Steam this summer:
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
The game that kickstarted this current fixation, Skyrim serves as the quintessential example of the ideal open-ended, open-world game – where you craft your own playstyle, and decide how to interact with the world from there.
Although my prior playthroughs on previous platforms legitimately just consisted of my character aimlessly walking around, clearing dungeons and leveling up while mostly ignoring quests, I’ve done many more of the intended objectives this time around – opening my eyes up to just how vast and expansive of a world this game created.
Despite being well over 100 hours into gameplay on my PC file, there remains a litany of things to do in the game. While I have completed questlines surrounding The Companions, College of Winterhold and Dark Brotherhood, I’ve still only completed around half of the main storyline – leaving a swath of dungeons and unfinished quests on my to-do list.
Though I’ve slowed down quite a bit on just how much I’ve been playing the game lately, I don’t at all feel like I’m bored with Skyrim just yet. With several questlines to complete and a Lv. 59 character that can still use measurable improvements when it comes to magic-casting, it’s quite easy to see how I could still pour dozens more hours into this game – and that isn’t even considering the Pandora’s Box of mods I have yet to open up.
Just as Steam is the platform that has something for everybody, Skyrim is the title that has something for every kind of gamer – the world is your oyster, and having a game that you can always play on your terms makes it an undisputed classic.
2. Spyro Reignited Trilogy
A series I’ve written about several times on this website, I thought there would be no better way to prepare for the upcoming release of Spyro: A Realm Beyond than to dive back in to Spyro Reignited Trilogy, the impeccably executed ground-up remaster of the first three Spyro games.
Although I’ve already fully cleared the game on the Switch and did most of it on the Xbox One before losing my data, it’s been a blast to achievement hunt (a feature not present on the Switch version) while tearing through some of my favorite games from my childhood.
Since the trilogy is largely relaxing and quite leisurely to get through most of, I’ve already cleared over 90% of what there is to do between the three games – only leaving some of the more significant challenges left on my docket.
While the appeal in titles like Skyrim revolve around their endless nature, Spyro’s appeal centers around its relaxation and ease for all gamers, new and experienced, young and old alike. With a tasteful balance of keeping the PS1 nostalgia while upscaling elements to make it feel like a new game, players truly do get the best of both worlds with the Reignited Trilogy.
3. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
The other PlayStation trilogy that dominated much of my childhood, these games aren’t anywhere near as relaxing or leisurely as the Spyro games – and that’s certainly part of the appeal and charm to this trilogy.
Revered for its difficulty and level design, the remastered Crash trilogy is easily one of the best remasters I have yet to see – adding new elements such as relics, the ability to play as Coco and other subtle quality-of-life improvements to the first two games while avoiding anything that would compromise how any of them felt on the PS1.
Similar to the Spyro trilogy, I have previously played much of this game on the Switch and Xbox One before initially diving in on the PC edition back in the late summer of 2024. After around a month-and-a-half of consistent play, I abandoned the game once again until just a few weeks ago, when I returned to the title in an effort to tie up the loose ends I missed from a couple of years back.
These games are incredibly difficult to fully clear – especially the first title in the series, which includes a swath of levels that require the player to break every box without dying to earn a gem, a pretty stiff barrier to moving forward with collecting the most ubiquitous item of the series.
While those playing can certainly expect their fair share of incredibly frustrating moments, that shouldn’t detract from the platforming perfection that this game is in so many moments. With that said, it remains to be seen if I’ll ever even come close to getting every gem and relic in the trilogy.
4. PowerWash Simulator
A game I was initially introduced to via Xbox Game Pass back when I was a subscriber in 2024, I didn’t really think it was a title I would put well over a dozen hours into when I first saw it.
Flatly, the game is what it sounds like. You are a professional powerwasher, with the game’s career mode giving the protagonist a slew of different jobs around the fictional town of Muckingham, differing from small tasks like cleaning motorcycles to more significant projects, such as the rejuvenation of the town’s fire station.
In addition to the game’s career mode, a bonus mode with several themed jobs is available, along with several expansion packs of DLC content for those who can’t get enough – and that’s not even to mention the sequel that was released last year.
To say this game is relaxing is an understatement, as it’s incredibly easy to get lost in a trance while locked in on the satisfying appearance of black dirt washing away from whatever roof or wall you happen to be cleaning – to the point where the game even feels slightly hypnotic at times.
Overall, this title does a great job at supplying plenty of tasks to be completed without overthinking or overdoing anything. Customization is available within unique powerwashers, attachments, clothing and modifications, but nothing is unattainable or too drawn out as to confuse the player. The objectives are always clear, and players are free to complete them at their own pace with their own methods.
5. Tales of Symphonia
My favorite game of all-time arguably, I’ve been locked in on this JRPG since shortly after its North American release on July 13, 2004, having now played this title relatively consistently across several platforms over the last 22 years.
Despite over two decades and easily 1,000 hours of play across all platforms, I have still yet to fully complete the game – something I’m now finally trying to change.
In typical JRPG fashion, Tales of Symphonia is not a game you can simply complete once and be done with, thanks to a plethora of titles and items that require more than one playthrough to collect. With certain storylines in the game dependent on the choices of the player, there are several objectives that can only be completed under specific circumstances at a particular point in the game – making this endeavor a tricky one.
Even though I just completed another playthrough of the game, I’ll have to complete at least four more playthroughs to collect all the titles, which are status effects equipped to a playable character that impact their battle statistics such as HP, strength and defense.
Thankfully, it isn’t like this is bad news for me – it’s a legitimate reason to continue to play a game that was fundamental to the fabric of both my childhood and my worldview. But if you’re new to the genre and series and have a full clear on your mind, I hope you have plenty of patience.
6. Tales of Vesperia Definitive Edition
Despite my lifelong love for Tales of Symphonia, it has always remained the only game of the celebrated Tales series that I had ever fully played through – and only one of two that I had ever played at all.
While I briefly started played through a little bit of Tales of Vesperia on the Xbox 360 with a friend back in 2013, I recalled virtually none of it 13 years later – which led me to hop on an incredible sale that had the normally $50 game available for just $9.99 on Steam.
I’m around 10 hours or so into the game, and I’m absolutely hooked. With it having been over two decades since I had my first playthrough of Tales of Symphonia, the early stages of this game are bringing back many of those incredibly fond, nostalgic memories of being at the beginning of a riveting journey that you have no clue when or how it will end.
In a polar opposite to my approach on my current Symphonia playthrough, I’m simply looking to enjoy Vesperia as a mere audience member on my first playthrough – doing all I can to avoid any spoilers or full-game walkthroughs while maintaining whatever element of surprise I can.
Though there’s still so much left to see and do in Vesperia, it possesses many of the elements that made me fall in love with Symphonia 22 years ago, with excellent early character development and worldbuilding that has myself, as an early player of the game, curious more than anything.
The best part about loving this game so far is knowing that there are still dozens of acclaimed JRPGs that I’ve yet to touch, with hours of novel adventures on the horizon.
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