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#4 Team Fortress Series
Team Fortress is an absolute phenomenon. The game began as a mod for the video game Quake and was originally quite different when compared to the sequel that was released several years later. The 1999 title was more of a traditional online shooter with various game modes such as capture the flag. Valve was impressed by the game so much that they hired the team behind the mod in order to develop a sequel.
Team Fortress 2 offered a slight twist to the FPS series. This particular installment continues to bring in newcomers and is still a popular free-to-play title. Unfortunately, battle royale titles have been trending in a big way over the past few years, so while the focus may have shifted a bit away from Team Fortress 2, you can still download a copy of the game completely for free on Steam.
#3 The Stanley Parable
The Stanley Parable is a walking simulator first created in 2011 as a modded version of Half-Life 2. This particular game was developed by Davey Wredgen and tasks players with exploring an office building and making several odd choices by the narrator’s request. These could be as simple as going through one of three doors to discover what’s beyond. With a branching storyline and nineteen different endings, this simple game is surprisingly replayable. Thanks to the mod’s popularity, Davey and his development team–known as Galactic Caf–were able to create a new standalone version that further expands on the video game narrative and in-game world. If you haven’t played it in a while, don’t head back in just yet–one of the game’s achievements tasks players with not playing for five years. (You’re welcome.)
#2 PUBG
One of the titles responsible for putting the battle royale genre on the map is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, otherwise known as PUBG. This game came into existence following the creation of a few different mods created by Brendan Greene. Eventually published as a standalone title, PUBG is simple, pinning a hundred players against each other with the goal of becoming the last man standing. Surviving players must scavenge for resources while also fighting opposing players as the map size decreases over time. Battle royale titles are flourishing in the market today, and PUBG is still a popular option.
#1 DOTA
Defense of the Ancients, otherwise known as DOTA, was originally a MOBA mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. Structured as a standard MOBA title, the game pins two teams against each other, with each aiming to reach their opposing group’s base and destroy a structure as quickly as they can. Players choose from a variety of unique characters known as heroes, which they use to battle against AI, defensive structures, and opposing team heroes. As the game progresses, players are able to spend currency to unlock new equipment that will buff various stats for their individual characters.
The mod was released in 2002 by Kyle Sommer through the use of the world editor tool in Warcraft III. Much like the other titles in this list, an active community of players eventually caught the attention of a studio. Valve stepped in and offered a standalone version of this game called Dota 2. Today, the game remains popular in the world of e-sports, with the prize pool for last year’s The International tournament valued at over $40 million.
