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Raid: Shadow Legends for PC: 10 reasons to play this addictive online RPG

Surely you have heard of Raid: Shadow Legends, the popular RPG for mobile devices. Well, now you can officially play this game on your computer too through the Plarium Play platform. But is this version worth it? We can already tell you it is! Here are 10 reasons why you should download this incredible adventure now.

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1. Better graphics on your PC

Want to play Raid on the big screen at home to enjoy its amazing graphics? You can play Raid: Shadow Legends on your PC without the need for rare or lagging emulators: the game is now officially available for PC and Mac through Plarium Play, a program from its developer. Plarium Play is completely free and can also be used to try other great games.

More good news: Raid for PC has had a graphic overhaul, gaining HD textures for both environments and characters, new animations, terrain effects, a higher frame rate… And all this is fully customizable, so you don’t have to worry about it using too much computer power.

2. Play it anywhere you want

Tired of the PC version and want to keep playing while lying in bed or on the sofa? No problem! Your Shadow Legends game is synced across all your devices. The game adapts to your pace and lifestyle.

3. High-quality role playing on your PC and mobile device

In case you’re unfamiliar with this game, here’s some background. Raid: Shadow Legends is an online RPG that was originally released for iPhone and Android. Since its inception, it has been right up there with the best console games. Spectacular graphics, fast-paced action, a complex plot full of twists and betrayals, a brainy, tactical combat system… and it’s all free!

4. Near-endless content

For starters, you have the campaign, which consists of four difficulty modes (Normal, Hard, Brutal, Nightmare) and 12 levels. In turn, each level consists of seven stages. It is here that you’ll enjoy Raid’s great storyline and begin to understand its combat system.

But finishing the campaign is just the beginning. Then you have to overcome 10 dungeons with tough final bosses that require a lot of tactics and strategy to be defeated. It doesn’t end here: check out the arena for player vs. player battles, faction wars, weekly challenges… Are you ready for this mega-challenge?

5. More than 300 Champions to fight for you

If you’re a collector, get ready, because Raid: Shadow Legends has more than 300 Champions spanning various factions and tribes. They are your fighters. They make up your army against the forces of evil. Without them, victory is impossible.

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There are four types of Champions: Attack, Defense, Health Point and Support. Each name indicates the attribute that will be developed the fastest when you train your fighters. However, that doesn’t mean a Defense Champion necessarily has to play a defensive role in combat. Since Raid is flexible, you can personalize each Champion however you wish. There are more than one million potential configurations.

With so many possibilities, your job will be discovering how to best leverage your Champions’ abilities at every moment. Do you have what it takes?

6. An addictive and complex combat system

If Pokémon came to mind when reading the above section about collecting Champions, you’re on the right track! The battle system in Raid: Shadow Legends is based on the timeless concept of “rock-paper-scissors.”

Each Champion has an Affinity. And each Affinity is strong against another Affinity, and weak against a third Affinity. Let us explain:

Magic: Strong against Spirit but weak against Force.
Spirit: Strong against Force but weak against Magic.
Force: Strong against Magic but weak against Spirit
Void: No strengths or weaknesses

So your first mission is to memorize this rock-paper-scissors system and incorporate it into your strategies. It’s your key to victory.

But that’s not all! In Raid, it’s very important to understand the system of buffs and debuffs. You have to learn how to leverage the attacks, defensive maneuvers and speed of your Champions and how to weaken your enemies or alter their state with poison, for example.

Luckily, combat in Raid is turn-based, so you can take as much time as you need to decide your next attack.

7. Attack at your own pace

Like any good role-playing game, farming is the core of Raid. You’ll repeat dungeons or challenges to train your Champions, to acquire Shards… If you think your next farming battles will be incredibly easy, just turn on “auto” mode. Your Champions will attack on their own, without your help, and you can continue watching that Netflix series you’re hooked on, or go have lunch or something.

Is the next battle too difficult for your Champions’ AI? No problem, just go back to manual mode and start micromanaging them.

8. All kinds of resources for newbies

Feeling overwhelmed by so many new concepts? Not to worry. Raid: Shadow Legends provides tons of resources to help newbies to quickly learn its systems and feel at home.

For starters, the narrative tutorial not only introduces you to the world of Raid through a movie, but also teaches you little by little how to fight. Since collecting 300 Champions may seem daunting at first, at the end of the tutorial, Raid will invite you to choose just four: Athel and her cool Area of Effect ability; the incredibly fast Galek; Kael the Dark Elf and his poisonous abilities; or Elhain and her critical attack skills. No matter who you select, your Champion will be good enough to get you out of trouble at the beginning.

Finally, Raid is constantly updated with additional help features for newbies: packs with Champions, with Shards, energy… you’ll feel completely supported!

9. Conquer evil without paying a penny

Although you always have the option of stopping by the virtual store, Raid will constantly reward you for your achievements, so you don’t have to worry about money. Finishing weekly challenges, completing campaign challenges, killing clan bosses, overcoming new levels… Almost everything you do will get you Champions, Shards to summon them, a squad… That said, you’ll have to invest a LOT of acumen to get to the top of the ranking.

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10. Other adventures await you

Another reason to download Plarium Games on your PC is that the platform provides access to other free-to-play games of the same quality as Raid. For example, you can play the strategy game Stormfall: Age of War or the addictive Vikings.

Games to travel all around the world while staying home

These video games all offer you a window to the world through beautifully recreated locations from the real world.

This week we’re trying to go through all the best video games to play while you’re stuck indoors. We’ve already looked at the biggest PC games that will take the longest for you to complete and we’ll also be looking at Minecraft alternatives and the best multiplayer games that you can play with your friends who don’t even like playing video games. Yep, video games can even help you with your social life while you’re stuck in the house.

Today though, we’re concentrating on all the best video games set in real cities and countries. Today’s games will help you travel the world from your living room, exploring beautiful virtual recreations of real-world cities. With graphics being so impressive these days, prepare to be blown away by the impressive recreations of some of the best cities you’ll find in the games below. Enjoy!

Best video games set in real places

You don’t have to leave your house to see the world. You now have the opportunity to see beautifully recreated real-world locations within some of the best video games out there. Check out any of the games below to take yourself on a virtual holiday. We didn’t want to be too US-centric in this virtual tour of the world though, so for cities like Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, and Miami you’ll have to look elsewhere.

See Manhattan, New York in Tom Clancy’s The Division

Tom Clancy’s The Division is an exhilarating First Person Shooter (FPS) that is worth playing anyway. The action is fast-paced and sees you battling against the spread of a deadly virus with, you guessed it, lots of guns. The game is so good that it quickly became developer Ubisoft’s best-selling game when it first came out back in 2013.

We’re talking about it today though, because of the painstaking detail that Ubisoft went into recreating midtown Manhattan for the setting of the game. The game is pretty much a like-for-like recreation of the famous high-rise populated island in New York City. When you look up in Tom Clancy’s The Division, you’ll see the same you would see if you were actually in New York and looked up. Even better, the game still looks fantastic now, seven years after it was first released.

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See Hong Kong in Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs from Square Enix is a bit of a dark horse when it comes to open-world RPG style games. The game doesn’t get nearly as many plaudits as it should because it is lots of fun to play and hardly anybody plays it. Think fast-paced triad flavored GTA and you’re halfway there. It’s not just a copy of Grand Theft Auto, however, as it offers a beefed-up fighting system and a fantastic story to get through. This game rocks.

What’s great about Sleeping Dogs though, is that the action takes in an impressively recreated Hong Kong. It’s all here, from tightly packed residential areas, bright neon-lit nightlife hotspots, bustling street food markets, and the traditional and ultra-modern port. Sure you’ll have to go there as an undercover cop trying to break into the local Triad gangs but if you’ve ever wanted to go and see Hong Kong, you could see this as your chance.

Sleeping Dogs Download now

See Paris in Assassin’s Creed: Unity

The Paris that has been so beautifully remade in Assassin’s Creed: Unity is the Paris of the French Revolution when the game is set. You’re going time traveling on this holiday as you set off for the world’s romantic capital during the bloodiest era in its history. As well as the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral, you’ll also be seeing high levels of extreme civil unrest, regular lynchings and public acts of violence, and plenty of guillotines doing what they were invented for.

Again another Ubisoft recreation, this version of Paris gained so many plaudits due to the extreme levels of detail the team behind the game went to capture the magic of Paris. The Notre Dame Cathedral in particular marks a real achievement for the game with one developer dedicating over 80% of the work she did on the game to the single building. Furthermore, even though the Cathedral’s famous Spires weren’t actually a part of the Cathedral back then, Ubisoft added them anyway to stay true the essence of the building everybody knows and loves today.

Assassin's Creed: Unity Download now

See San Francisco in Watchdogs 2

Watch Dogs 2 is an amazing sequel to the first Watch Dogs game because it both completely reinvents the hacker based open-world adventure game while staying true to and improving upon the dynamics of the original. The game still feels fresh today and is definitely worth playing even before we consider the virtual travel option that it offers anybody who’s ever wanted to visit San Francisco.

Let’s be honest, San Francisco is an enticing prospect to any traveler with a plethora of famous landmarks and geological features. Watchdogs 2 has them all, from the famous Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge. What’s even better than going there in person, is the fact that on this virtual holiday you’ll have the skills of an expert hacker and be able to break your way into all the coolest places that you’d never get near in real life.

Watch Dogs 2 Download now

See Nepal in Far Cry 4

OK, this one requires a slight stretch of the imagination because Far Cry 4 isn’t actually set in Nepal, but a fictional country called Kryat. That being said, Kryat is most definitely a Nepali Himalaya inspired kingdom that bears more than striking resemblance to the tiny country that overlooks India. Everything you’d find in Nepal is here including misty snow-capped mountains and all manner of wildlife such as tigers and elephants. There’s also plenty of thin winding mountain paths to explore and all the Buddhist iconography you could ever hope to see.

Far Cry 4, just like all the other Far Cry games, is an absolute treat to play too. If you’re a First-Person Shooter (FPS) this is a game, you’ll absolutely love.

Multiplayer online games that your non-gamer friend will love

These multiplayer games are all perfect for playing with your non-gamer friends

The final article we’re bringing you in this week’s look at the best games to play while you’re stuck at home is here to help you reach out to your friends even while you can’t leave the house. The truth is, not everybody is a gamer though so you can’t expect anybody and everybody to get involved in your next World of Warcraft campaign just because you haven’t seen each other in the real world for quite some time.

All is not lost, however, as there are plenty of games you can play online with friends who wouldn’t normally play video games. Some of these games are free, all of them are fun, and most of all they are all accessible to people not used to playing video games alone or with friends online. Let’s get into them then, the best multiplayer games to play with non-gamers.

The best games for non-gamers

The five games listed below all offer unique experiences that could be attractive to non-gamers and first-time gamers alike. All our perfect to play with friends when you’re stuck inside. There’s no ridiculously complicated RPGs or first-person games in this list, just the best video games with accessible gameplay, gentle learning curves, friendly co-op games, and simple gaming dynamics.

Minecraft

Minecraft is a huge open-world game that offers a massive world to explore, inhabit, and shape. The graphics are rudimentary in Minecraft, which may go both ways for new gamers either earning a scoffed rebuke or appearing unthreatening. The game dynamics and physics that lie beneath the surface, however, are deep and rich. As well as the huge physical size of the Minecraft game world, it also offers a universe’s worth of possibilities complete with a plethora of elements and materials to find, mine, and ultimately craft.

Playing Minecraft with a non-gamer friend offers a non-threatening and open-ended experience. If you start your own private server in Creative mode, you’ll be able to build whatever you like in peace. You’ll have no enemies to worry about, no battles to fight, and you’ll simply be limited by the bounds of your collective imagination. This is the perfect way to spend time with friends while you can’t actually be together. Create a world together and then build it in your own image.

Minecraft Download now ►

Castle Crashers

Castle Crashers is a ridiculously fun side-scrolling arcade-style action and adventure game. Simply put, you don’t need to be a hardcore gamer to be drawn into the fast-paced colorful action that can be played cooperatively by up to four players. What’s even better is that you don’t need to take this game too seriously. This is a party game in its purest sense.

The action sees you playing as four intrepid knights battling through a mystical, fantasy land in a bid to overthrow an evil sorcerer. There’s plenty of brightly animated, cute beasties for you to fight but don’t be fooled. These are tough little creatures and you’ll have to work hard and fast to past them all.

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Portal 2

The original Portal game introduced some truly revolutionary game dynamics to the world of gaming. The titular portal gun allowed players to beam themselves around each individual level, with each being built specifically to warp the brains of the player so that they can best make use of the intriguing new technology. When you add to that the dark humor that the game also leveled at players you can see why the game became a cult classic.

Portal 2 improved and built on the winning formula in every way with one such way being the introduction of new cooperative dynamics. Portal 2 has all the physics-driven puzzles and action found in the first but can also be played with your friends. Being a mind-bending puzzler too, that doesn’t have any lethal weapons makes it perfect for anybody who doesn’t normally play video games. This is one of those games that will have non-gamers realizing they’re wrong about games and never knew all that they could be.

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Tetris 99

Even non-gamers know about Tetris and have probably played and loved it. The Gameboy classic puzzle game is another one of those video games that doesn’t feel like a traditional video game, it feels like something else. A game and puzzle in its purest sense, Tetris is simple yet perfect. Tetris 99 takes that video game ubiquity that has touched even the most ardent non-gamers and adds a manic social aspect to it that is a lot of fun once you get into it.

Tetris 99 is a Tetris Battle Royale game. Yep, you read that right. It is a game of Tetris that sees 100 players battling it out with each other in a bid to become the last man standing. It comes complete with new multiplayer elements including being able to lob bricks of all shapes and sizes at your enemies in a bid to throw them off-kilter and block up their screens. Ask your non-gamer friend if they’re ever played Tetris before and then ask them if they want to play it together against 98 other people. Then, let the fun commence.

FIFA 20

FIFA has always been one of the best social games ever. Playing a match against a friend sat next to you on the couch and beating them is a truly satisfying experience. When EA Sports added online multiplayer action the game though, everything went to the next level. You can now play against another player on the other side of the world and even play as a single player in a team of 11 against another team of 11 players. Absolutely ridiculous.

FIFA’s also great for playing with non-gamers though, as most of the time they’ll at least be football fans, so they’ll have something invested in the game before they even pick up the pad. If you then find that you’re unevenly matched to take on each other, you can simply switch to coop mode and try to win yourselves a trophy together. That way you’re in it together and everybody wins.

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Best PC games that last for hours

These long PC sandbox games offer hundreds of hours of gameplay to anybody brave enough to risk being sucked in.

There’s no reason to let being stuck inside stop you from having entertaining and fulfilling experiences. On the contrary, being stuck inside hands you a precious resource that usually evades too many of us as we deal with the pressures of modern life. That resource is time and when you’re stuck inside there’s a very good chance you’ve got lots of it, which means there’s nothing stopping you from getting into all the single-player and multiplayer video games you’re always too busy for.

Video games can too often feel like a guilty pleasure when you’re living in a busy world. Not now though. Now you’re free to sink endless days and nights into all the fantastic worlds to explore and adventures to complete. When you’re stuck indoors video games are your best friends and today, we’re going to introduce you to some of the best video games that will help you out while you’re stuck at home.

Best long PC games for PC gamers

The best games are the perfect way to while away long hours. Games now are so big and expansive that being stuck inside doesn’t mean you can’t experience vivid, realistic, and long adventures. Any of the games below are perfect for gamers stuck inside. We’ve touched on some big games in the list, but we’re avoiding the big names like Skyrim, Dark Souls, Total War, Diablo, DOTA 2, XCOM, and Final Fantasy.

Civilization V

When it comes to epic games that just keep going, the Civilization series has all others beat. Tasked with taking a fledgling society from the stone age all the way up to becoming a spacefaring civilization, there’s clearly a lot of playability here for you to get into. Civilization V really hit the sweet spot too, building on the games that came before it without adding too may fiddly new features that detract from the huge scale of the job at hand.

This game offers complete control over many different facets that create and shape the path a society and culture can take. What’s even more interesting about this massive strategy game is that you can win without even having to fight a single battle. Sure, there are scenario levels and campaigns you can play out that require some sort of military conquest, but the sandbox version of the game offers true freedom, allowing you to conquer the world through your cultural advancements or scientific discoveries. There’s a lot here to get into, and all of it is rewarding.

Civilization V Download now

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto was one of the first big open-world sandbox games that really caught the world’s imagination. When the 2D world turned 3D with Grand Theft Auto 3, the series quickly became the most successful video game franchise of all time and still is today. Grand Theft Auto’s Rockstar stablemate Red Dead Redemption deserves plenty of plaudits in its own right though. The Old West based outlaw sim had a fantastic storyline and well-built world to explore. The recent sequel only built on this success further.

The Old West of the Old West of the Red Dead sequel is a little less wild than that of the first game as big cities have started springing up. The RPG-like gameplay dynamics are the same though, and what’s truly amazing about Red Dead Redemption 2 is just how beautiful everything is. In many ways, it feels more like an interactive movie than a game but when you scratch below the surface you find all the entertaining dynamics that Rockstar is famous for. The world is huge, the missions are expansive, and the game just draws you in. If you start this one, you’ll find it hard to stop.

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Minecraft

Minecraft is another huge game that offers endless possibilities. The premise is simple. The world is full of useful elements and resources and you can go out and collect them and then use them to craft all manner of tools, weapons, buildings, and more. Worlds are procedurally generated so no two are alike and you can even create your own personal servers, which act as your own personal worlds for you and your friends to do with as you wish.

What’s also great about Minecraft is that because it is such a long- and well-established game, you’ll be able to find plenty of resources online to help you get yourself started. We recently ran a series of introduction features ourselves, covering everything from mining and crafting to more advanced themes such as Redstone dust, which is essentially electrical cable. Yep, you have so many possibilities with Minecraft that you can even get into mechanical and electrical engineering.

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Planet Zoo

It might not be a platformer or an FPS with a complicated combat system but Planet Zoo is a fantastic game to play if you have a lot of time. It has an almost therapeutic nature to it. Not only is it about building and developing your wildlife exhibitions, there is an almost zen-like feeling that comes from creating what are essentially the ultimate gardens. If you’re an animal or nature lover, this truly is the game for you.

You basically start a Planet Zoo game with a huge open space and an incredible array of tools and features at your fingertips all designed to help you build the ultimate zoo. This certainly is an intimidating affair, but the game is well designed enough to walk you through it in a way that is both educational and addictive. You’re not just building your zoo for the visitors, you’re building it for the animals too, which is an incredibly satisfying feature when done properly.

Planet Zoo Download now

Space Engineers

We’ve looked at zoos, infinite procedurally generated and resource dense worlds, the old West, and the rise and fall of civilizations and our final huge sandbox PC game is concentrating on space and all the work and effort that goes into building things in zero gravity. Space Engineers is a truly impressive new game that could easily eat up solid days and weeks of your time.

If you’re a sci-fi fan, this is the ultimate sandbox game for you as it allows you to explore space, build spaceships and space stations, mine planets and asteroids, and of course, fly around in a plethora of spacecraft and battle against galactic foes.

Best Minecraft alternatives

Each of these games offers a fantastic alternative yet comparable experience to that you’ll get with Minecraft.

This week we’ve been focusing on video games that are perfect for playing when you’re stuck indoors. We’ve looked at the games with the best virtual recreations of real-world cities and also looked at the longest PC games that you can play for days. In that vein then, it makes perfect sense that we take a look at Minecraft. It makes sense because Minecraft is such a huge and open-ended game, that it can be called a world in itself. Minecraft’s endless possibilities make it the perfect game to help you keep yourself active while stuck indoors.

We had a look at Minecraft not too long ago, putting together various beginner’s guides on topics such as farming, mining, and crafting. You should check them out if you want to spend your time in the house playing Minecraft. What we’re going to look at today are some greet alternative games to Minecraft. Other infinite worlds for you to explore and inhabit while you’re stuck indoors. Let’s get started.

Alternatives to Minecraft

These games below all offer gaming experiences comparable to that you’ll find in Mojang’s Minecraft. If you’re tired of Minecraft or don’t like the graphics or simply want to play a different sandbox game that offers endless possibilities, try one of the games listed below. These are not just Minecraft clones though. These are the best games that build on the experience you’ll find in Minecraft.

Roblox

Where do you start with Roblox? Minecraft is about building, Roblox is about building games. Single-player and multiplayer games. It is like a Lego/Minecraft hybrid that only introduces players to building elements that allow them- to experiment with and build on the ideas they have, but also gives them access to a vast library of all the greatest creations that have ever been built on the platform.

Roblox’s huge catalog of user-created games includes many fan-made versions of some of the biggest gaming franchises. These include the likes of GTA, Call of Duty, and more Pokémon games than you can count. If, however, you want to build on Roblox like you can build on Minecraft, then there’s plenty here for you too. Basically, if you’re a Minecraft fan who’s not too familiar with Roblox, check it out now because you will not be disappointed.

FREE

Roblox

From: Roblox

Lego Worlds

When you look at the block-based graphics of Minecraft and the building dynamics that have captured the imaginations of people all over the world, you can see how Minecraft’s success might have irked the people over at Lego HQ. Fortunately, though, Lego has a solid track record making excellent video games as well as brick-based kids playsets and it wasn’t long before Lego Worlds was born.

Lego Worlds is a great game too that in many ways offers a much more polished experience than you’ll get with Minecraft. As well as the building dynamics you find in Minecraft and the infinite possibilities that come with them, Lego Worlds also brings with it lots of the fun gaming engines that Lego has built into its long line of big-name Lego games from Star Wars to Batman. The gameplay in Lego Words is very well developed.

Lego Worlds Download now

Starbound

Minecraft is a vast procedurally generated 3D world. That doesn’t mean, however, that 2D side-scrolling games can’t offer enticing alternatives to Minecraft and Starbound is the first of two we’ll look at today. It’s also the first of two sci-fi games we’re going to tell you about.

Starbound is a pixelated gem that sees you leading a ship that’s traveling across a galaxy as it flees its home planet. Unfortunately, however, the ship doesn’t far and crash lands on a different planet. This is the premise that sees you start your Starbound adventure. You’ll get to explore and conquer beautiful 2D realms, mine for resources, and then use them to craft bases, tools, weapons, and more. You’ll also have to battle procedurally generated monsters, but don’t worry as you can do so cooperatively with friends online.

Starbound Download now

No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky doesn’t look like an obvious Minecraft alternative, but it definitely is one. The game looks a lot slicker than Minecraft does and gives gamers an entire open-world universe to explore. Players can fly between planets and set up base on any of them, but there’s a lot going on beneath the surface bears similarities to Minecraft. Not least that the worlds are all procedurally generated, and you can build and craft everything you need to explore and colonize the galaxy.

This is a fantastic RPG-like alternative to Minecraft though because it offers you a fantastic opportunity to let your imagination run wild. There are no limits in No Man’s Sky, which is just like what you get with Minecraft. If you’re a Sci-Fi fan or if you’ve ever been obsessed with the infinite realm of space above us yet yearn to build and create just like you can on Minecraft, then No Man’s Sky is the game for you.

No Man's Sky Download NOW ►

Terraria

The final Minecraft alternative we’re featuring today is almost like a work of art. When you really get into Terraria, your creations take on a mind of their own and become real things of beauty. At its core, Terraria is a digging and crafting adventure game, just like Minecraft. It is another of our 2D Minecraft alternatives though and has traded Minecraft’s iconic block style for an enchanting pixelated aesthetic. That’s where all the beauty and art comes from.

Terraria is a huge game too. Armed with your trusty pickaxe, the game offers an incredibly large number of items for you to collect, refine, and then craft. There’s a lot more combat in Terraria than there is in Minecraft as well, so if you’re looking for more of an adventure, this is the game for you. It’s not simply about finding more resources to craft more out there items like lightsabers, which you can. The further you go in Terraria and the deeper you mine, the more outlandish things will start to happen. Honestly, if you’re stuck inside and looking for a Minecraft alternative that will take you places you never knew you wanted to go, Terraria is the game you’re looking for.

Terraria Download now

The latest release of Smart Game Booster will turbocharge your computer’s performance

As any gamer will tell you, speed is critical. Whether you’re hunting aliens, driving an F1 car, or fighting off enemy troops, you need your computer to function at a flawless level with no glitches, slowdowns or stalls of any kind. By optimizing your computer’s performance in several ways and overclocking (see below) several of your computer’s functions, Smart Game Booster will keep you at the top of your game. And its latest release has some extra goodies that make it an indispensable piece of software for any serious gamer – or PC user.

Juice your computer's speed with Smart Game Booster

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What Smart Game Booster does

First and foremost, Smart Game Booster overclocks your CPU, GPU (graphics processing unit), and your memory card. Overclocking is a process in which these systems are pushed to behave at a higher level than that set by the manufacturer when you received your computer. The result is increased performance and often, an increase in your frames per second (FPS), which not only helps you game glitch free, but it will make your games look better as well. In the latest version of Smart Game Booster, this feature is built in as an easy slide switch called Super Boost.

Smart Game Booster also shuts down background operations whenever you launch a game, so that maximum system resources are directed to your gaming, rather than being wasted on non-essential functions. And, because overclocking can cause your computer to run a little hotter, an onscreen temperature monitor is now included. This helps you keep your CPU in the recommended range of between 75-80° C and your GPU lower than the recommended temperature of 85°C. If you see the range climbing higher on the monitor, you’ll know it’s time to give your system a rest – or install a better cooling system.

What else is new

Smart Game Booster 4 has a collection of new tools that seriously clean up your PC for some seriously fast gaming.

For starters, it has a disk defragmenter utility, which organizes data on your hard drive to make it more accessible and efficient, which naturally makes it faster. The new version of the software also contains a PC diagnosis feature that lets you examine your entire system at a glance, and a system tweaks feature that lets you further boost your computer’s speed by allowing you to set different system parameters.

On top of this, Smart Game Booster 4 lets you easily take still shots or videos of your gaming exploits and comes with a do-not-disturb feature that means the software won’t interrupt you if you’re working on another task in full screen mode. The software also automatically checks popular gaming sites for new releases and now has a more powerful detection algorithm, so that you’ll always know what’s new and updated from your favorite sites like Steam, Origin, Epic and more.

Great for non-gamers as well

While Smart Game Booster 4 is aimed at improving the gaming experience, it is also valuable software for anyone who wants to boost his computer’s performance. With the disk defragger, the system tweaks and PC diagnosis, the software can improve computing performance for anyone. On top of that, the new release also automatically checks for driver updates so that the components in your computer are always functioning their best – another valuable benefit to all PC users.

Get the deal

You can download a trial version of Smart Game Booster 4 to see just how much it can improve your gaming – and computing – experience. After that, a license for one computer is being offered for Softonic readers for just $14.99 per year, while a license for two computers is a very reasonable $19.99.

Juice your computer's speed with Smart Game Booster

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The best free mobile games of 2020

These are all the best free mobile games you can download and play in 2020

One of the real wonders of today’s modern world goes beyond the technical marvels that are the mobile devices we use all the time. Sure, our Android devices are impressive beasts on their own, and the software that comes with them is impressive even more so. The craziest thing, however, is that a lot of that software is available for free. Yep, there are incredible games you can play on your smartphone without having to pay a single cent.

When you play these free games too, you realize instantly just how impressive it is that they’re free. Free games these days aren’t simple affairs built by amateurs in their bedrooms. Instead, free games these days are built by professional teams of developers working for huge video game studios. Sure, there are elements that you have to pay for but the biggest and best games, like Fortnite: Battle Royale, work it so that the things you pay for don’t actually affect the gameplay at all. That’s right, the best Android games these days are completely free to play.

Best free Android games 2020

Below you’ll find the five best free games for Android from 2020. All games are available in the Google Play Store, which means all you have to do to play them now is click the download link and follow the online instructions.

Call of Duty: Mobile

No game will prove our point about how free games these days are big-name AAA features from the best gaming studios more than Call of Duty: Mobile. This free mobile game is so good that it even adds new and entertaining elements to the established First-Person Shooter (FPS) action that the Call of Duty series is famous for. On top of the beautifully looking multiplayer shooting action, Call of Duty: Mobile also brings in a 100-player Battle Royale mode that is very good.

Ever since the likes of PUBG and Fortnite: Battle Royale took the world by storm there has been plenty of clone attempts to replicate the success and many games have had some sort of Battle Royale mode bolted on to them. With Call of Duty: Mobile, however, this isn’t the case as there has clearly been a lot of effort put into developing the massive new game mode. This is a relatively new title too but already it has been gaining a lot of popularity with new players taking to its entertaining gameplay quickly and particularly happy with the fact that in-app purchases only make cosmetic differences.

Call of Duty: Mobile Download now

Stranger Things: The Game

When you play video game adaptations of major cult smashes, be they movies, TV shows, or god forbid pop acts, you normally don’t expect much from them. Stranger Things: The Game, however, for Android and iOS devices is an exception to that rule. Presented in a pixel art format that fits the 80s nostalgia feel of the hit Netflix show perfectly, Stranger Things: The Game is lots of fun to play and brings with it all of the recognizable elements you know and love from the show.

The gameplay is simple and effective too. This mobile puzzle game is easy to control via a simple tap control system that removes a lot of the clumsiness you get from other mobile adventure games. Even if this wasn’t a Stranger Things game, it would still be lots of fun. The fact that it is though, makes it a must-have game for all fans of the hit Netflix show.

Stranger Things: The Game Download now

Alto’s Odyssey

There have been many beautiful games that have graced our mobile screens over the years, but normally we have to pay for pleasing aesthetics. Alto’s Adventure changes this though by giving us a dynamic adventure to experience while giving us fantastic visuals and digital art to splendor at as we do so.

Alto’s Odyssey plays as a side-scrolling land surfing game as you take Alto on a magical journey through desserts and plains all on his sandboard that can help him fly down the sides of mountains and jump and flip and pull off a wide array of impressive tricks. On top of the regular stunts and jumps, however, the game also brings in other gameplay dynamics such as wall riding and magical creatures that will toss Alto high into the air.

Alto's Odyssey Download now

Pokémon Go

Yes, Pokémon Go has been around for what seems a very long time and nowhere near as many people play it now as did at the height of its popularity back in the summer of 2016 but the game is still one for the best around for many reasons. The main reason is the continued support and development that Niantic has given the game. Back when everybody was playing Pokémon Go the AR RPG game was beset with many flaws and issues. These have all been ironed out now making the real-world AR game everything we all wanted it to be back then when things didn’t work as they should have done. Now, everything just works, which makes the AR dynamics as impressive as they should be. This is one of the best ever Android apps.

On top of that, Niantic is regularly running major global events for players to participate in, giving the game some real weight that makes it worthy of our list of the best mobile games of 2020.

Pokémon GO Download Free ►

Asphalt 9

The Asphalt series of racing games have been blowing away mobile gamers for years now. The graphics are simply breath-taking, and the gameplay is incredibly fast-paced and entertaining. Asphalt 9: Legends has more tracks than ever with some courses based on real-life locations from around the globe. As well as head to action Asphalt 9 also has a great career mode that will take you through all the best features the game has to offer as you battle to become the world’s best driver. This game is free to play and there is an awful lot here that impresses, the only catch is that you’ll be shown ads regularly.

Asphalt 9: Legends Download now

How to activate the Android 10 hidden game

This guide will show you how to unlock the hidden game buried in Android 10

Easter eggs are fun bits of codes that developers hide deep within their programs. Think of them as like an artist’s tag and you’ll get a clearer understanding of what they are. They’re there to show exactly who is behind the computer program you’re using. They show ownership and pride and all things in between.

The great thing with digital Easter eggs though, is that the possibilities are endless. Rather than simple signatures like you see on a work of art or visual tag like you’ll see on a piece of street art, computer program Easter eggs can be literally anything. What started as a few strands of errant code and hidden digital images buried deep in the bowels of computer games and programs have evolved into so much more. Easter eggs can now be games in themselves worth the effort and enjoyment of finding them for the experiences they offer in their own right. Google clearly knows this as the speeding dinosaur in Chrome will attest to. It’s not just Chrome though, Google has actually hidden Easter egg games into Android. That’s right. If you have an Android phone, you can play a secret game on your phone right now. This is how.

Hidden games for Android smartphones

Google has been hiding little Easter eggs inside Android for years now. Each version of Android; be that Marshmallow, Oreo, Lollipop, Nougat, or Kit Kat has had its own special little Easter eggs. There’s even a hidden Flappy Bird game in there for you to find. There are Android Easter eggs for the different versions of Android but there are common themes that run through all versions of Google’s operating system. The biggest one is that you can go to the Settings menu on all versions of Android, hit the About phone option at the bottom of the menu, then press the Android version button, and finally repeatedly tap the Android version option that appears at the top of the menu. Historically, this opens up a simple little Easter egg widget that you can play around with.

In the latest version of the Google mobile operating system, Android 10, this widget presents you with a movable Android 10 logo. You can drag the word Android around the screen, and you can drag the numbers one and zero around that make up the number ten. You can’t resize these individual elements but if you double-tap them and then long-press, they’ll begin to spin.

On its own, this provides a bit of a novelty and will maybe keep you occupied for a minute or two. What’s cool though, is that there is another Easter egg hidden underneath this classic Android hidden gem.

To access the next hidden game you need to rearrange the Android logo and spin the elements around until they all line up to show the original Android Q logo, that was the code name for Android 10 while it was still in development. Doing this on its own isn’t as easy as it sounds and knowing that you can activate something like this by spinning letters and numbers around in a certain way actually turns this non-descript little widget into a game in its own right.

When you pull it off though, and you drop the letters and numbers in just the right place you’ll notice the stripes behind the logo will begin moving. You then repeatedly click the word Android until you unlock the other game.

The game you get is called a Nonogram puzzle and is basically a series of grids and squares that you fill out to reveal certain images. These images are all related to Android iconography in one way or another and will reveal themselves once you’ve solved each puzzle. Then, whenever you solve a puzzle, you’ll unlock another Nonogram puzzle to play with the next time you unlock the Easter egg.

What’s cool about these puzzles is that you have different legends showing you which squares to fill on for each of the different aspect ratios of your phone. If you hold your phone in portrait mode, you’ll see one set of codes to work out and if you hold your phone in landscape mode, you’ll see another. This way you have to keep flipping your phone until you’ve figured out all the different elements of the code and filled them out on the grid.

The best free Steam games 2020

These are the eight games that we think are the best free games you can play on Steam right now.

If you want to play games, you’ve come to the right place as we’re finishing this week’s look at all the best PC games with a bit of a treat. Today we’re going to bring you all the best free games you can get on Steam right now. We’ve already looked at free PC board games, free RPG games, the best sports games for PC, and all the best RTS strategy games too. Now though, it’s all about Valve’s massive online platform and the best free games you can find there.

Quite surprisingly, you’ll actually be able to find a lot of great free to play single-player and multiplayer games on Steam offering blistering gameplay across many different genres. All the biggest games are here in fact, from MOBAs to action RPGs via all manner of MMO masterpiece. Let’s dig in.

Free games for Steam

Team Fortress 2

This classic first-person shooter has been around for years and is still one of the most popular games on Steam. The cartoon-like graphics give you an idea of just how much fun Team Fortress 2 is to play. It’s been copied many times now, but the fact that it has such a huge community of followers supporting its development means that no matter what else is out there, there is a very good chance there will always be Team Fortress 2.

Team Fortress 2 Play now

DOTA 2

Here is another game that almost feels too good to be free. The hugely popular Massive Online Battle Arena game was the most popular game in the world at one point and still regularly attracts millions of viewers to annual tournaments that draw in the best players from around the globe. The premise of the game is simple and effective. There are two teams of mystical magical characters and they’re trying to battle through each other’s lines. The idea is to destroy your enemy’s towers and base. There’s no way a description can do DOTA 2 justice though, you simply must play it.

DOTA 2 Play now

Path of Exile

We’ve already featured Path of Exile in another of this week’s list. The classic RPG title is completely free-to-play, which meant it made it into our best free RPG game list too, and with good reason. Taking its inspiration from Diablo, Path of Exile sees you embark on a mission of character development and self-discovery. There’s so much customization you can do here as you fight your way through increasingly difficult dungeons using various playstyles. What’s best though, is that you can’t pay for advantages here as microtransactions will only get you cosmetic items rather than power-ups.

Path of Exile Play now

Paladins

If you’re an Overwatch fan, then you’re going to love Paladins, which is a similar character-based action First Person Shooter (FPS). You have four categories of player to choose from including front line fighter, damage dealer, support hero, and flanking character. These are split between almost 40 different characters, which can be customized via weapons add-ons and other items. It’s all about the action here though, which is frantic and fun.

Paladins Play now

War Thunder

War Thunder is an action-packed treat of a game that packs a lot of punch for something that is free. Although it looks like a war game simulator, the action is a lot more arcade friendly with simple mechanics that make it easy to pick up but then difficult to master. All this is done in many different types of vehicle too including planes, tanks, and jeeps with 16 players splitting into two teams and battling it out.

War Thunder Play now

Smite

Smite brings a fresh change to the MOBA genre by coming at it from a different angle. That’s literally what it does. Instead of following your team of five warriors around as if you were some sort of malevolent god in the skies above, Smite gives you the third-person camera angle, which puts you right in the action. If you’re a DOTA 2 fan or you love League of Legends, there’s a lot here that you’ll recognize, but the new angle will make Smite feel brand-new.

Smite Play now

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Like Team Fortress 2 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is another First-Person Shooter that has been around for years and enjoys incredible support from a massive online community. The graphics might not look as good here as you’ll get with more modern games, but the gameplay is still as fresh it was the day it first burst onto the scene. Two teams, multiple locations, and lots of weapons. That’s it, that’s the game. You’re going to love it.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Play Counter-Strike

Destiny 2

It used to be that we couldn’t believe that Warframe, which offers an incredibly rich and enjoyable experience was free-to-play. The reason we couldn’t believe it is because it offered a comparable experience to that you’d get with Bungie’s Halo follow up Destiny, which cost Bungie a massive $500 million to develop and promote. Now though, the much-improved sequel to Destiny, Destiny 2, is free-to-play also meaning you can get a genuine AAA game experience for the same price as a collect call. The First-Person Shooter action here looks incredible and plays smoothly. The gameplay is frantic, and the worlds and missions have been built with lots of care and attention. If you only play one game from this list, it should probably be this one.

Destiny 2 Download now

Wrapping up

So, there you have eight of the best free games on Steam. Again, just like with all the other lists we’ve done this week, we’ve tried to mix up our recommendations and bring you as many different genres as possible. Free-to-play is now a huge part of the gaming with world with many developers choosing to take their games down that path. All the games we’ve listed above do above paid-for elements in them, and that drip-feed monetization method is what drives revenue for game developers all over the world. It’s all up to you what you spend though. You can play and enjoy all the games we’ve been through today for free, and that’s what matters most.

Best strategy games for PC

These are the best strategy games you can play right now on your PC.

This week we’re looking at all the best PC games and today is the day for strategy PC games. Yesterday it was RPG and today it is RTS. There are many different elements that go into a good strategy game, particularly as the genre has come a long way in recent years. Instead, the best strategy games these days can be graphical masterpieces complete with epic explosions, blistering gameplay, smooth animations, and movie-like cutscenes. Classic titles such as Microsoft’s Age of Empires II, XCOM, and Sid Meier’s Civilization game are mere highlights in a genre filled with incredible games. Real-time strategy games no longer need to be top-down 2D affairs. Yep, strategy games really the best games these days.

These modern new extras are exactly that though. Extras that mean nothing unless there is a great game propping it all up. Let’s waste no more time then and look at some of the best strategy games you can download and play on your PC right now.

PC strategy video games

Civilization VI

Civilization has been around for decades and still wears the crown as king of the turn-based strategy games. Including many different types of single-player scenarios and DLC content for you to explore, as well as the open play mode, which sees you select your civilization of choice and then guide it through the ages, this game is huge. Civilization has seen constant evolution for years and now includes new loyalty dynamics for your units and district dynamics for your cities. Both fine-tune an already immersive experience creating a game that is almost impossible to stop playing once you’ve started. Beware, this one is very addictive.

Civilization VI Download now

Endless Space II

4X is a particular type of strategy game that aims to give players complete control over the realms they control. Civilization 6 is an excellent example of a 4X game as it allows players to explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate. Another fine example comes via the Endless game series comprising Endless Space, Dungeon of the Endless, and Endless Legend. All are worth exploring in their own right, but Endless Space 2 is the most advanced of all the Endless games. Set in space, the action sees you commanding galactic empires complete with fleets of spaceships galactic exploration and armies of ground troops for planet incursions. Of course, warfare is just one element in this massive game, however, which offers you nothing less than a galaxy to explore, understand, and, if you wish to try, conquer.

Endless Space 2 Download now

Total War: Three Kingdoms

The Total War series is another strategy game institution that reaches out through the ages. With so many amazing titles under the series banner, there are many strategy fans out there who’ll happily call Total War their favorite franchise. Highlights include Shogun 2 and Warhammer 2 but for us, Three Kingdoms is the best Total War game you can play today. Set during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history that saw the battle to unify China under one ruler, players must pick one of twelve factions and then work to eliminate the others.

Total War: Three Kingdoms Download now

Northgard

Northgard could be considered a much simpler game than the expansive behemoths that have preceded it in today’s list. This real-time strategy game feels almost nostalgic, harking back to titles like Command & Conquer, Red Alert, and in particular Warcraft III. There’s more to it than those simple dynamics, however, with your Viking kingdom hinging on new and entertaining dynamics such as weather systems and food supplies. Northgard looks beautiful, is fun and entertaining in a unique way, and still has plenty to explore and discover that will keep you occupied for many a day, week, month, or year.

Northgardd Download now

Crusader Kings II

What sets Paradox’s Crusader Kings 2 apart from other strategy games is that you play the role of the mortal ruler rather than of some abstract immortal being controlling the action from the stars. The game is set in the Middle Ages and sees you taking on the mantle of a dynasty meaning you’ll need to head a family and then organize the succession of your rule to your children. This, of course, brings in all sorts of interesting dynamics that other games don’t go near. As well as all the family-based drama, however, Paradox has also crafted a fine strategic warfare system and rich diplomatic veins that go beyond anything you’ll find elsewhere. What’s even crazier about this masterpiece is that it is now completely free to play.

Crusader Kings II Download now

StarCraft II

No list of the best strategy games would be complete without Blizzard’s StarCraft 2, which conquered the world more completely than you’ll ever get to do in any real-time strategy game. To put it bluntly, millions of players have played and mastered StarCraft 2, and battles have been watched by millions more as an eSport spectacle. The game might feel simple now compared to the likes of Total War, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had here should you seek it. In particular, the Legacy of the Void expansion is a joy to behold.

StarCraft !! Download now

Anno 1800

Anno 1800 throws you headfirst into one of the most crucial periods of human history, the Industrial Revolution. The latest installment in the Anno series gives players total control of their cities, whether they be in the rapidly advancing nations of Europe or rugged jungle landscapes of the new world. Players have to consider social, economic, and political realities as technologies advance and cities rise and fall. Anno 1800 is a challenging treat that has lots to offer any strategy game fan.

Anno 1800 Download now

Wrapping up

Today we’ve tried to bring you a broad spectrum of strategy games that are available to play on your PC. As well as all the different settings we’ve offered from fantasy lands, historical recreations, and the stars and beyond; we’ve also endeavored to bring you a broad-spectrum of strategy game styles and dynamics. There really is something for all types of strategy game fans in our list but we’ve also tried to include games that we think will appeal to all strategy fans individually. Give them a try and let us know what you think in the comments below.