When most gamers think of Valve, the first thing that comes to mind is probably Steam, the biggest PC game vendor on the planet. The next leap would be the amazing games made by Valve, like Half-Life 2. Sadly, these days, Valve doesn't seem all that interested in making games anymore, but it has made other important contributions to the industry.
In 2004, Valve released a 3D game engine called Source. Initially, this engine was mainly associated with Valve games, but over the years, other developers adopted it. Source is relatively easy to use and modify, offering developers a lot of freedom in making their games and making those games great for modding. Countess games have been developed on Source and its successor, Source 2, ranging from fun little fan games to major AAA releases.
10 Apex Legends
A Great Free-To-Play Battle Royale
Apex Legends
- Released
- February 4, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, iOS, Android, Switch
- Genre(s)
- Battle Royale, First-Person Shooter
Apex Legends is a free-to-play first-person Battle Royale set in the same universe as Respawn's epic Titanfall 2. It's one of the best EA games in recent years and has remained one of the top multiplayer shooters since it was released back in 2019. Its highlights are its fast-paced, frenetic gunplay, a keen sense of character, and a high skill ceiling. It's an all-around great Battle Royale.
The Hardest Online Multiplayer Games, Ranked
It takes an incredible amount of skill to be the best at these online multiplayer games because they are some of the hardest titles out there.
Which begs the question: Why the low ranking? The answer is that there are tons of Source games, so coming in at 10th isn't all that low. However, for players not interested in Battle Royale games or who aren't die-hard fans of Respawn, the fact is, there's not that much reason to look up Apex Legends. It's an excellent game, but it's also a live-service free-to-play Battle Royale, warts and all.
9 DOTA 2
One Of The World's Biggest MOBAs
Dota 2
The early 2010s saw the release of many promising MOBAs, but only two have stood the test of time: League of Legends, and Valve's own DOTA 2. Which game is better is a matter of opinion and a fair amount of debate. DOTA 2 has remained at the peak of its niche genre because Valve has been willing to stick with it, regularly overhauling the game.
Ten years after its release, DOTA 2 remains one of the best live-service games around. Its player base is still hundreds of thousands strong, and major eSports events are still centered around it. The only reason the game gets a low ranking is that it's a MOBA. Fans of the genre adore it. Those who aren't fans are left scratching their heads as to why DOTA 2 is still so popular.
8 Team Fortress 2
The Grandfather Of Modern Hero Shooters
Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 has been around for a very long time. While it may not be as popular as it once was, it still has an insanely devoted community that will do anything to keep the game alive. At its peak, it was one of the best hero shooters around and received constant season updates that kept the game feeling fresh.
Unfortunately, those days are largely behind us, and content droughts and major hacking problems have spoiled the appeal of the game. Despite these flaws, its epic gameplay still shines through, and it's still one of the best-balanced hero shooters of all time and one of the few games with a fun-to-play healer class. Today, playing Team Fortress 2 makes one nostalgic for a time before live-service games, when competitive shooters were much simpler, and arguably more fun.
7 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
A Choice-Driven Cult Classic
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
- Released
- November 16, 2004
- Developer(s)
- Troika Games
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Source is mainly associated with first-person games, but Vampire: The Masquerade shows just how versatile the engine can be. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (yes, it's a mouthful) is a cult classic RPG created by one of the creative leads of the original Fallout games.
Vampire: The Masquerade - All Clans, Ranked By Strength
All vampires in Vampire: The Masquerade have strengths and weaknesses, but which clan is the strongest?
Many of the people who worked on this game later founded Obsidian and created games like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds. That's one heck of a pedigree. The game is full of brilliant characters and features the kind of decision-heavy, choice-laden gameplay RPG fans would expect from the creators of the aforementioned games. Sadly, unlike the likes of Fallout: New Vegas, this game hasn't aged all that well. The gameplay is rough around the edges, the bugs are pretty bad, and worst of all, trying to get it to run on a modern system requires installing third-party mods.
6 The Stanley Parable
Demolishes The Fourth Wall
The Stanley Parable
It's next to impossible to talk about The Stanley Parable, why it's so great, and what makes it special without spoiling the experience completely. As yet another walking sim, it might not sound particularly interesting, but rest assured, it's one of the best indie first-person adventure games ever made.
It's a very meta, mind-bending, and fourth-wall-breaking experience that is unlike anything most gamers will have ever played. The game plays around with ideas like player agency, what it means to play a game, and questions what we expect a game to be. That might sound a little pretentious, but the game's bizarre sense of humor makes sure there's never a dull moment (unless it's intentional). The Stanley Parable gets a mid-ranking because it's certainly not for everyone, and some will find its meta style off-putting as much as others adore it.
5 Left 4 Dead 2
Brilliant Co-Op Zombie Fun
Left 4 Dead 2
Left 4 Dead 2 is the kind of game that pretty much everyone who owns a gaming PC has in their Steam library. A first-person zombie shooter, it's still one of the best co-op games on PC, and in all honesty, it's likely to stay on that list for a long time.
Best FPS Horror Games, Ranked
The scariest games on the market introduce a first-person perspective to create some of the best horror games possible.
Lots of games have tried to copy Left 4 Dead 2's co-op formula, but very few have succeeded. Its characters are iconic, its locations are burned into our brains, and its zombie variations have inspired just about every other game's zombie roster. Some might argue that Left 4 Dead 2 deserves a higher spot, but many gamers feel the zombie genre has overstayed its welcome, and not everyone has gamer friends to play with. Left 4 Dead 2 is a great time with friends, not so much solo.
4 Counter-Strike Series
The Competitive Shooter
Counter-Strike 2
The original Counter-Strike started life as a Half-Life mod. Valve was so impressed that they hired the modders behind it, acquired the rights, and turned Counter-Strike into one of the biggest multiplayer franchises on the planet. The first two entries used Half-Life's GoldSrc engine, but the series was quickly ported over to Source. The latest entry, Counter-Strike 2, uses the upgraded Source 2 engine.
To the uninitiated, Coutner-Strike might not look like it's changed much over the years, which is kind of true. Terrorist vs Counter-Terrorists is just as fun now as it was 20 years ago. However, the game has been repeatedly refined into the eSports juggernaut that it is today. The competitive first-person shooter market has become incredibly overcrowded, but Counter-Strike remains the genre's purest example.
3 Portal & Portal 2
Defy Expectations
Portal 2
On paper, the Portal games sound simple. Use a gun to shoot two portals, and use those portals to navigate environmental puzzles. There is no combat and outside GLaDOS (one of the best female bosses ever), no enemies to fight or avoid. How did such a simple formula become a gaming icon?
8 Best Valve Protagonists, Ranked
Valve games have played home to several iconic protagonists, but some are arguably better and more iconic than others.
The answer lies in the game's writing. For a start, both games are funny — like hilarious. Comedy is a hard thing to pull off in games, but Valve nailed it. Even more impressively, the games stay funny and the jokes will make players laugh not just on their first playthrough, but each subsequent playthrough as well. On top of that, both games tell compelling stories backed up by impressive environmental storytelling, animations, and top-tier voice acting. Not only are the Portal games some of the best puzzlers ever made, but their writing makes them appeal to gamers usually uninterested in the genre.
2 Titanfall 2
Give Us Titanfall 3 Already
Titanfall 2
- Released
- October 28, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Source is mainly associated with Valve games, but one of the engine's best titles is an EA game made by Respawn Entertainment. Titanfall 2 is one of the most beloved first-person shooters made in recent(ish) years, and a game that fans are begging for a sequel to. Why we haven't seen a sequel yet remains a mystery, although Respawn's current tether to constant Apex Legends updates likely has something to do with it.
Titanfall 2 has it all. The first-person gunplay is buttery smooth and has enhanced movement techniques like wall running, sliding, and boosted jumps. The player can summon a giant mech, which they can pilot at any minute and fight other mechs with. On top of all that, Titanfall 2 has some of the best level designs ever, and amazing boss fights to cap them off. It's all tied together by a great science-fiction story that tugs at the heartstrings. Until Repsawn announces a sequel there's not much more to say, Titanfall 2 is one of the best FPS games ever made, and deserves more love.
1 Hal-Life 2
Needs No Introduction
Half-Life 2
Speaking of epic games that deserve sequels, it's probably not surprising that Half-Life 2 is at the top of this list. Half-Life 2 isn't just the best game made on Source, it's one of the best FPS games ever made. Its Lost Coast demo was nothing short of revolutionary, and introduced an entire generation to the future of PC gaming, while Half-Life 2 itself offered a gameplay experience that still hasn't been beaten.
When it was released, Half-Life 2 was a massively ambitious game. The graphics were stunning, the world design amazing, and the gameplay addictive. Unforgivably, Half-Life 2: Episode 2 ended on a cliffhanger which has left fans waiting for over a decade. Whether we'll ever get an Episode 3, or a direct sequel to Half-Life 2, is unknown. Outside the occasional tease, Valve seems completely uninterested in giving fans what they want. To be fair, how does a studio follow up on one of the best games ever made?