Best games
Best PC games of 1996
The 17 best PC games released in 1996, ranked from 3,561 critic and player ratings.
The best PC game of 1996 is The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, with a critic score of 89/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1996.
- 17 games are listed on this page, carrying 3,561 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 17
01
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
The Elder Scrolls - Daggerfall is the second fantasy RPG from The Elder Scrolls series. The game is situated in a city of Daggerfall and its surrounding areas. The emperor himself asked you, as your friend, to investigate the death of King Lysandus. The whole story is up to you. There is no straight line which you should follow. you have a number of options for character classes and numerous regions filled with cities, towns, and dungeons. Your journey starts on your way to the Kingdom of Daggerfall. Unfortunately your ship is wrecked in a storm and you end up in a small cave with only your bare life. Your first goal becomes to escape, and so your adventure begins. The game has a numerous options how to solve the crisis and numerous differed endings as well.
89
/100
02
Tomb Raider (1996)
Tomb Raider is a 3D action game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. The game follows the exploits of Lara Croft, a British female archaeologist in search of ancient treasures. The objective of Tomb Raider is to guide Lara through a series of tombs and other locations in search of treasures and artifacts. On the way, she must kill dangerous animals and other creatures, while collecting objects and solving puzzles to gain access to an ultimate prize, usually a powerful artifact. The game was critically acclaimed and widely influential, it spawned a number of sequels and a franchise of related media.
88
/100
03
Broken Sword 1 - The Shadow of the Templars
86
/100
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
The Elder Scrolls - Daggerfall is the second fantasy RPG from The Elder Scrolls series. The game is situated in a city of Daggerfall and its surrounding areas. The emperor himself asked you, as your friend, to investigate the death of King Lysandus. The whole story is up to you. There is no straight line which you should follow. you have a number of options for character classes and numerous regions filled with cities, towns, and dungeons. Your journey starts on your way to the Kingdom of Daggerfall. Unfortunately your ship is wrecked in a storm and you end up in a small cave with only your bare life. Your first goal becomes to escape, and so your adventure begins. The game has a numerous options how to solve the crisis and numerous differed endings as well.
89
/100
02
Tomb Raider (1996)
Tomb Raider is a 3D action game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. The game follows the exploits of Lara Croft, a British female archaeologist in search of ancient treasures. The objective of Tomb Raider is to guide Lara through a series of tombs and other locations in search of treasures and artifacts. On the way, she must kill dangerous animals and other creatures, while collecting objects and solving puzzles to gain access to an ultimate prize, usually a powerful artifact. The game was critically acclaimed and widely influential, it spawned a number of sequels and a franchise of related media.
88
/100
03
Broken Sword 1 - The Shadow of the Templars
86
/100
04
The Neverhood
The game follows the adventure of a claymation character named Klaymen as he discovers his origins and his purpose in a world made entirely out of clay.
85
/100
05
Diablo
Diablo is an isometric strategy RPG and one of the most well-known examples of the action-RPG subgenre. Although some of the game mechanics resemble a typical RPG, all actions are done in real-time just like in an action game. The player have to kill hordes of monsters through randomized dungeon levels in order to gain experience points, gold and a variety of equipment to bolster the hero's monster-killing potency.
84
/100
06
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars is a turn-based strategy video game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing and published in 1996 by the 3DO Company. The game is the second installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic series and is typically credited as the breakout game for the series. Heroes II was voted the sixth-best PC game of all time by PC Gamer in May 1997.
84
/100
07
Quake
Quake is a first-person shooter video game, developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive in 1996 and featured music composed by Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. It is the first game in the popular Quake series. In the game, players must find their way through various maze-like, medieval environments while battling a variety of monsters using a wide array of weapons.
83
/100
08
Sid Meier's Civilization II
A turn-based strategy video game set around several different historic civilizations.
82
/100
09
Metal Slug
Metal Slug is a 1996 run-and-gun arcade video game originally developed by Nazca Corporation and released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS. It is the first installment in the eponymous series. Set in 2028, players assume the role of Peregrine Falcon Strike Force soldiers Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving in a fight against the Rebel Army led by Donald Morden and overthrow his coup d'état to prevent a New World Order.
82
/100
10
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Travel to an alternate universe where dark experiments have permanently altered time. Or have they? Soviet tanks crush city after city while Allied cruisers shell bases. Spies lurk, landmines await, and strange new technologies aid both sides in the struggle for ultimate control. In this parallel reality, the mighty Soviet Empire has begun to “liberate” all of Europe. Cities fall and countries collapse before the overwhelming might of the Red Storm. The Allies are scrambling to meet the onslaught, but they have been caught by surprise. Red Alert puts the fate of the world in your hands!
81
/100
11
Stargunner
80
/100
12
Duke Nukem 3D
75
/100
13
Circle of Blood
75
/100
14
Twisted Metal 2
73
/100
15
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
65
/100
16
Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
59
/100
17
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
50
/100
The Neverhood
The game follows the adventure of a claymation character named Klaymen as he discovers his origins and his purpose in a world made entirely out of clay.
85
/100
05
Diablo
Diablo is an isometric strategy RPG and one of the most well-known examples of the action-RPG subgenre. Although some of the game mechanics resemble a typical RPG, all actions are done in real-time just like in an action game. The player have to kill hordes of monsters through randomized dungeon levels in order to gain experience points, gold and a variety of equipment to bolster the hero's monster-killing potency.
84
/100
06
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars is a turn-based strategy video game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing and published in 1996 by the 3DO Company. The game is the second installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic series and is typically credited as the breakout game for the series. Heroes II was voted the sixth-best PC game of all time by PC Gamer in May 1997.
84
/100
07
Quake
Quake is a first-person shooter video game, developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive in 1996 and featured music composed by Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. It is the first game in the popular Quake series. In the game, players must find their way through various maze-like, medieval environments while battling a variety of monsters using a wide array of weapons.
83
/100
08
Sid Meier's Civilization II
A turn-based strategy video game set around several different historic civilizations.
82
/100
09
Metal Slug
Metal Slug is a 1996 run-and-gun arcade video game originally developed by Nazca Corporation and released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS. It is the first installment in the eponymous series. Set in 2028, players assume the role of Peregrine Falcon Strike Force soldiers Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving in a fight against the Rebel Army led by Donald Morden and overthrow his coup d'état to prevent a New World Order.
82
/100
10
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Travel to an alternate universe where dark experiments have permanently altered time. Or have they? Soviet tanks crush city after city while Allied cruisers shell bases. Spies lurk, landmines await, and strange new technologies aid both sides in the struggle for ultimate control. In this parallel reality, the mighty Soviet Empire has begun to “liberate” all of Europe. Cities fall and countries collapse before the overwhelming might of the Red Storm. The Allies are scrambling to meet the onslaught, but they have been caught by surprise. Red Alert puts the fate of the world in your hands!
81
/100
11
Stargunner
80
/100
12
Duke Nukem 3D
75
/100
13
Circle of Blood
75
/100
14
Twisted Metal 2
73
/100
15
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
65
/100
16
Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
59
/100
17
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
50
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best PC game of 1996?
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall currently tops the ranking with a score of 89/100 across 115 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.