How to choose an online PC game: a decision guide for UK players
Choosing an online game is less about finding the "right" game and more about avoiding the wrong commitment. This guide works through the decision in the order it actually comes up. It starts with what you want from the time you will spend, moves through cost and compatibility, and ends with the practical question of when to stop.
The short answer
Know what kind of play you want and how much time it will take. Check how the game is paid for and set a spending limit before you start. Confirm that it runs on your operating system and hardware. Download it only from the developer or a store you trust. Pick a date to decide whether it has earned a place in your week.
Start with the time, not the game
Online games differ most in the time they ask of you, more than in genre or graphics. Some are built around short matches you can finish in a lunch break. Others reward long sessions, daily log-ins or coordinated play with a regular group. Before you look at a single game, think about your week. Do you have twenty minutes most evenings, or one long session on a Saturday? Do you want to play with friends at set times, or drop in when it suits you?
Games designed for regular attendance often use daily rewards, timed events and streaks to bring you back. That is not sinister in itself, but it is a design choice, and it suits some people far better than others. If missing a day would feel like losing something, notice that feeling early. It tells you how the game is likely to shape your habits.
Decide what kind of play you are after
Online PC games cover a wide range of experiences. A few broad distinctions help narrow the field before you compare specific titles.
- Competitive or cooperative. Some games set players against each other. Others ask players to work together against the game. Many mix the two. Competitive play can be absorbing, but losing to other people is a different experience from losing to a puzzle.
- Matched or persistent. In match-based games each round starts fresh. In persistent games your progress carries forward, which makes the account more valuable to you and to anyone who might want to take it over.
- Strangers or friends. Most online games put you alongside people you do not know, sometimes with text or voice chat. If that matters to you, or to someone in your household, check what chat options exist and whether they can be switched off.
- Learning curve. Some games are easy to pick up. Others expect dozens of hours before you feel competent. Neither is better, but a steep curve and a short attention span make a poor match.
Understand the payment model before you form a view
How a game earns money tells you a lot about how it will treat your time. A game you buy outright has already been paid for. Its incentive is to be good enough that you recommend it or buy the next one. A game that costs nothing to download earns its revenue later, through optional purchases, premium time or both, so its design will tend to show you things you can buy.
That is a description, not a criticism. Many people enjoy games of this kind for years and spend little or nothing. The practical point is that your spending depends on your own behaviour, and the moment to set a limit is before you care about the game. Our guide to in-game purchases explains virtual currencies, premium accounts and randomised items in detail, along with the spending controls available on common platforms.
Where games with in-game purchases suit people
- You can try the game properly before deciding whether to spend anything.
- Spending is optional, and many players never spend at all.
- If you lose interest after a week, you have lost nothing but the time.
Where they ask more of you
- Total cost is open-ended and depends on your self-discipline.
- Virtual currencies can make prices harder to compare with real money.
- Some games sell items with randomised contents, which need extra care, especially around younger players.
Check the age rating and the content descriptors
Most games offered in the UK carry a PEGI rating, and the descriptors alongside the number are as useful as the number itself. Look the game up on PEGI's website. Note whether the descriptors mention in-game purchases or random items. If a child or teenager will play, read our age ratings and parental controls guide before installing anything.
This site is written for adults. We do not describe any game that sells randomised items as suitable for children, and we suggest anyone choosing for a younger player starts from the rating and the descriptors, not from marketing.
Confirm it will run on your computer
Desktop games are built for particular operating systems, and support varies. Many online games support Windows. Fewer support macOS, and fewer still support Linux. The vendor's site normally lists minimum and recommended requirements: processor, memory, graphics and free storage. Compare them with your computer's system information. If your machine only just meets the minimum, expect to lower the graphics settings.
Do not try to force an unsupported game onto an unsupported system. Workarounds can break with any update, and you may struggle to get support when things go wrong. Our compatibility guide shows where to find each figure on Windows and on a Mac.
Get the installer from the source
Download games from the developer's own website or from a major store you already use. Be cautious with anything else. That includes files shared in chat, "portable" or "unlocked" versions, and sites that rehost installers. The National Cyber Security Centre gives general guidance on keeping devices secure, and its advice to install software only from trusted sources applies to games as much as to anything else.
Set up the account properly from day one
Setting an account up properly takes a few minutes when you create it. Fixing it after a takeover takes far longer. Use a password unique to this account, keep it in a password manager if you use one, and turn on two-step verification if the game offers it. Confirm your email address promptly, because an unconfirmed account can be harder to recover. Our account security guide sets this out step by step.
Decide in advance when you will decide
The most useful decision you can make is one about the future. Pick a point, such as a week or a month from now, or a level of progress, when you will ask yourself one question: is this game adding something to my week? Set it before you start, and the answer is more honest than one you reach after a long session or a near-miss in a match. If the answer is no, uninstall it. You can usually reinstall later, and your progress normally stays attached to your account.
A comparison worksheet you can copy
When you are choosing between two or three games, write each one's answers down. It takes ten minutes, and it turns a vague impression into something you can compare.
| Question | Where to find the answer |
|---|---|
| What is the PEGI rating, and what do the descriptors say? | pegi.info, or the store listing |
| How is it paid for: up front, subscription, purchases inside, or premium tier? | The vendor's site and the store listing |
| Does it run on my operating system? | The vendor's system requirements page |
| Does my hardware meet the recommended specification, or only the minimum? | Vendor requirements compared with your system information |
| Can chat with strangers be limited or switched off? | The game's settings or support pages |
| Does the account support two-step verification? | The game's account or security settings |
| What is my monthly spending limit for this game? | Your own decision, made before you start |
Where World of Warships fits
We cover one game by name, World of Warships, because it is the game we have an affiliate arrangement for. The questions in this guide apply to it as they do to any other game. Our World of Warships page sets out what the description we work from says about it, and is clear about what it does not say.
Common questions about choosing a game
Is a game that costs nothing to download really costless?
Downloading and playing may cost nothing, but games built this way earn money from optional purchases, premium tiers or advertising. Whether you spend anything is up to you. It helps to decide a monthly limit before you begin rather than once you are invested.
How many hours should I give a game before deciding?
There is no right figure. A useful habit is to choose a review point, such as the end of the first weekend, and ask honestly whether you enjoyed the time or simply filled it. Deciding the review point in advance makes the answer more honest.
Should I use my main email address to register?
You can. Some players prefer a separate address for games so that promotional messages and any account-related phishing stay apart from banking and work mail. Either way, use a password that is unique to the game account.
Do I need a powerful computer for online games?
It depends entirely on the game. Requirements vary widely, so compare the minimum and recommended specifications on the vendor's site with your computer's system information before downloading.
Where do I complain if a game I paid for does not work?
Start with the seller's support team. If that does not resolve it, Citizens Advice explains your rights over digital content under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and how to take a complaint further.