It’s a debate that has been raging in the gaming community for almost as long as the gaming community has existed: are video games better on consoles or PC? Both certainly have their merits: consoles offer a chill casual experience, they’re easy to use and overall cheaper, while PCs offer better graphics, a wide range of gaming peripherals, and the ability to upgrade your system.
Whatever your opinions on the matter, there are just some games that play better on consoles than PCs and vice versa, so let’s take a look at a few.
10 Better on Consoles: Call of Duty
Call of Duty is a long-running, first-person shooter that centers on war, first focusing on World War II, but there have since been games set in the Cold War, modern times, futuristic times, and even space. Every Call of Duty game can be played on either PC or consoles, but it’s better on consoles.
While you can get better graphics on the PC and use the mouse for more precise aiming, consoles win Call of Duty because of multiplayer. There are a huge number of more casual gamers that play Call of Duty, and they’re more likely to have consoles because building a hi-spec PC is complicated. More people are playing on consoles.
9 Better on PC: Dragon Age
The Dragon Age series is one of BioWare’s most well-known titles. A dark fantasy RPG franchise seemingly inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, the Dragon Age franchise tells a sprawling story spread across years and each game features a different protagonist. While the series can be played on either PC or consoles, it’s a much better experience on the former.
The graphics look better on the PC, but more than that, Dragon Age was made to be played with a mouse and keyboard. The controls are clunky on console gamepads, and the strategic elements of gameplay don’t translate well on the console.
8 Better on Consoles: Mortal Kombat
With a reputation for gruesome, over-the-top violence, Mortal Kombat has become not only the most successful fighting game franchise in video game history but one of the most successful franchises in any medium.
Like most fighting games, Mortal Kombat requires players to memorize lists of combo attacks to be able to play well, and that’s something consoles have an advantage over PC with. It’s much simpler to memorize and execute the button presses and directional movements that combos require.
7 Better on PC: Divinity: Original Sin 2
Most people agree that Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the best RPG games ever made. With a great story, interesting characters, and gameplay that’s the closest we have to a video game version of D&D, Divinity is a must-play for any fan of RPGs, just make sure you play it on a PC.
Divinity was originally only available on the PC but in the past few years, it has made the jump to consoles. While it’s still enjoyable there, it’s clear that Divinity was built to be played on the PC. It’s a much better feel using a mouse and keyboard to control combat and access hotkeys.
6 Better on Consoles: Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar’s epic Western game Red Dead Redemption 2 was one of the best games released in the past decade, but it was only available on consoles at first. It has recently made the jump to PC, though we wouldn’t exactly call that jump Olympic.
The game suffered quite a bit when it was released on PC. Players reported a whole mess of problems like the game crashing and some were unable to even download it. Those problems have been addressed but there are still issues with it and you’re better off playing the console version.
5 Better on PC: Elder Scrolls
We’ve already touched on the fact that games on PC have better graphics, and The Elder Scrolls is no different. Every Elder Scrolls game looks undeniably better on a PC, but the biggest reason it’s better on a PC is the mods.
There’s a huge amount of fan-created mods available for these games that can improve the graphics, fix various bugs, add in armor and weapons, and can even add more quests. While the console versions of Skyrim Special Edition allow for modding, it’s still quite limited when compared to what you can get on a PC.
4 Better on Consoles: Soulsborne Series
The Soulsborne series, which consists of the three Dark Souls games, Bloodborne, and Demon’s Souls, has become hugely popular due in part to its challenging but rewarding difficulty. It is best enjoyed on consoles.
The Soulsborne series being better on consoles highlights arguably the biggest problem with PC gaming: console exclusivity. Two games from the series are only available on console, with Bloodborne only on Playstation 4, and Demon’s Souls only on Playstation 3. Without those consoles, PC gamers are missing a chunk of the Soulsborne series.
3 Better on PC: Team Fortress 2
Before Overwatch, there was Team Fortress 2, a wildly fun class-based shooter from Valve. It’s fair to say that Team Fortress 2 paved the way for the class-based and battle royale games we see today, but they did it best.
The PC version of TF2 offered much more than the console versions. First of all, it went free-to-play on PC which didn’t happen on consoles. Second of all, the hats. Hats were only available on PC and increased the fun of an already enjoyable game.
2 Better on Consoles: NieR: Automata
NieR: Automata is certainly the most unique game on this list, especially considering you have to beat the game twice before the real story begins. While this amazing game can be played on either consoles or PC, we’d recommend playing it on a console for the best experience.
NieR: Automata, unfortunately, suffered from similar problems that a lot of other PC ports suffer from. Players reported that the game frequently crashed or froze completely, and the resolution was not up to par with a lot of people’s PCs.
1 Better on PC: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Finally, we have The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The final entry into the saga of game Geralt, Witcher 3 is undeniably one of the best games of the decade, and it has seen a resurgence of popularity thanks to the Netflix show.
If you’re going to play it, we’d recommend going with the PC version. The game runs great on both PC and consoles, but the PC version edges out ahead thanks to its graphical capabilities. The world of Witcher is lush and dense, and consoles can barely handle it, but on a PC, you can enjoy the scenery in all its glory.
NEXT: The Witcher: 10 Biggest Differences Between Geralt In The Books And The Game