Some games do remain exclusive to Epic, though, and today we will be looking at those and current exclusives on the platform to show you the best the Epic Games Store has to offer in 2021. If you can outwit, outlast, or outplay your enemies and be the last person standing, you’ll have won a game of Fortnite. Doing this is no easy task, so you’ll have to explore the map for valuable loot and gear and get accustomed to Fortnite’s characteristic building system, which allows you to create structures and cover on the fly. Available for: Windows But there is also much depth to each of Rocket League’s cars, the mechanics of movement, and the broader strategies a team can implement to bring home a win. You can play Rocket League competitively, too, where there’s a reasonably active scene. So, while somewhat silly, you can get as much out of Rocket League as you want to put in. Available for: Windows Auto Chess started as a mod for Dota 2, which Valve then turned into their own game Dota Underlords. Drodo Studio, the makers of the original mod, turned their mod into a game entirely unconnected to the Dota universe, so you won’t need any familiarity with that to get into Auto Chess. Available for: Windows In Magic: The Gathering Arena, you can collect cards, build decks, and play Magic like usual, and you can play traditional constructed decks as well as draft. Microtransactions support Magic: The Gathering Arena; you can purchase currency to enter a draft or open new card packs. Available for: Windows and Mac This game may not be the best stealth sandbox ever made, but its level design is intricate and engaging, and its mechanics are robust and well-made. Plus, every mission and the importable missions are eminently replayable, never feeling stale even after many runs. Available for: Windows World War Z doesn’t do anything revolutionary, and its style and aesthetic are nothing to write home about either. But what’s there is an excellent cooperative shooter that scratches the same itch that Left 4 Dead once did, and games like Warhammer: Vermintide do now. If you and your friends need something new to do, World War Z is well worth a pickup. Available for: Windows All the maps you know and love make a return but with much more added detail and a much higher resolution. The iconic music of these games is back, too. Although it’s a remake, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is remarkably faithful to the originals, updating now-ancient assets with modern ones and bringing quality-of-life fixes without changing any core mechanics. Available for: Windows Saints Row: The Third originally came out in 2011, so a modern recreation of the game with all the attendant high-res textures, effects, and lighting we see in games today helps to make Saints Row: The Third in 2021 look just like it does in your memories. Available for: Windows A Total War Saga: TROY brings all of this to the table in the context of beautiful ancient Greek mythology and art to realize the fabled mythical city of Troy in-game. Spread across eight factions is a massive, epic quest that culminates in the battle for Troy itself. If you like strategy games and are interested in Greek mythology, this is a can’t-miss! Available for: Windows and Mac Practically speaking, this is an approximately six-hour-long adventure game with some light puzzle elements, so don’t expect too much mechanical depth or a vast world to explore. But if you’re looking for a fun way to relax and enjoy an inventive, fresh story, look no further than Bugsnax. Available for: Windows and Mac
