Saints Row IV

Saints Row IV is the point where the Saints Row series definitively abandoned even the last remnants of gangster realism and plunged fully into unrestrained sci-fi grotesquerie. The leader of the Saints gang becomes President of the United States, and before he even gets used to the Oval Office, he discovers that the real Earth has been conquered by an alien race called the Zin, led by the tyrant Zinyak. Most of the game takes place in a digital simulation of the city of Steelport, which the Zin created as a prison for captured humanity, and the player gradually learns to control superpowers - running along skyscraper facades faster than cars, giant leaps across entire city blocks, telekinesis, or fireballs shot directly from the palm of the hand.

These abilities combine with a traditional arsenal of weapons, including openly absurd items such as a gun that turns enemies into harmless inflatable dummies, or a beam that triggers a compulsive dance in its victims. The PC version launched on the same day as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, in August 2013, but it was here that it became the most-played platform over the years. The Steam version ran stably at a higher resolution and frame rate than the consoles of the time, and it was also the only one to receive full Steam Workshop support with user-made missions, cosmetic add-ons, and balance modifications that kept the game alive long after the main campaign's release. Controlling the superpowers - a combination of keyboard, mouse, and quick dodges while flying through the air above the city - also feels noticeably more precise on PC than with a gamepad, which is especially apparent in fights against enemy aircraft high above Steelport.

Why play: Saints Row IV on PC will appeal to players who want pure, mindless open-world fun without a shred of self-seriousness - a game where flying across the city at the speed of sound and kicking a tank into the air is business as usual, plus it has the best technical presentation, the most precise superpower controls, and as the only version, access to extensive community creations via Steam Workshop.