When it comes to video game exclusives, we tend to think only of consoles, like Halo on Xbox, and not on PlayStation. But it’s also something that affects PC players. There’s a whole host of titles available for console players that just aren’t there for anyone whose platform of choice happens to include RGB lighting, a mouse, and a keyboard.
But there are far more games jumping ship to PC from their console homes nowadays. We see that with titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and most of the Yakuza titles, for instance. And while there are surprise PC ports all the time, we can’t help but wish for more console-only games to cross the divide to PC so that a wider audience could play.
With that in mind, here are some of the console-only games that should absolutely be chosen for PC ports.
Halo 5: Guardians
With The Master Chief Collection on PC, it makes perfect sense that the fifth numbered Halo entry should also be there as well. It's part of the overall Halo journey, and fans will undoubtedly want to jump into the game ahead of Halo Infinite when it finally debuts. Beyond that, Halo 5: Guardians is an intriguing shooter with interesting implications for the overall Halo mythos.
Unfortunately, according to developer 343 Industries, there are currently no plans to make this happen anytime soon, which is odd, given Halo’s original PC pedigree. Given that it tells an integral part of Master Chief's saga and Cortana's progressive rampancy, the PC Halo experience feels incomplete without Halo 5: Guardians.
Judgment
Judgment is a spinoff of the popular Yakuza series. The games are entwined such that Judgment takes place within the same city of Kamurocho, and borrows some of the same game mechanics. It's a fantastic crime drama that follows ex-lawyer Takayuki Yagami as he works to unravel the truth behind a series of murders.
Yagami must suss out the killer, all the while working to uncover why the city's yakuza are being targeted, while potentially atoning for the mistakes of his past. It’s a challenging, adult-centric drama that feels like the best of Yakuza combined with the Phoenix Wright series. Since most of the Yakuza games are available on PC, it’s strange that Judgment isn’t available too, especially as it’s getting next-gen and Stadia ports as of April 2021.
Persona 5: Royal
Persona 5 Royal is the definitive way to play through Atlus's excellent fifth core Persona entry. It takes the original game and builds upon it in several ways with mechanical improvements, additional areas to explore, a new character, music, and a variety of additional augments. Persona 5 Royal follows a series of high school students named the Phantom Thieves as they work as vigilantes by night to change the hearts of ruthless adults with evil intent.
They work to eliminate demons known as Shadows using "Personas," or physical manifestations of their psyche. Like the rest of the Persona series, this entry combines RPG and dungeon crawling elements with dating sim mechanics to make for an addictive 100+ hour game. With the recent debut of Persona 4 Golden on PC, it's odd that the newest addition to the series hasn't yet made its way to PC. Perhaps that’s something in the cards for the future.
Kingdom Hearts
The Kingdom Hearts series as a whole, all its spinoffs included, has appeared on consoles from the PlayStation 2 to 3DS and everything in between. There's even a new Kingdom Hearts game on Nintendo Switch. The Disney-tinged RPG series that crosses paths with Final Fantasy is a massively popular phenomenon that follows a young man named Sora as he explores a series of Disney-inspired worlds in the midst of a clash between the light and darkness.
It's one of Square Enix's top-performing franchises (aside from Final Fantasy, many of which are on PC), and yet there's still no core Kingdom Hearts game (or any others for that matter) for PC players. It’s odd, especially since there’s such a die-hard fanbase practically begging to play it at their battlestations.
The Last of Us Part 2
It's easy to understand why Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 2 (and the original for that matter) hasn't made its way to PC. It's one of the last true PlayStation exclusives, and one of the PlayStation 4's most meaningful swan songs. It's a beautiful, bittersweet game that follows a young woman named Ellie as she comes to terms with her survivor's guilt during a bleak apocalypse. She must set off on a dangerous mission to save someone extremely important to her, all the while crossing paths with her rival Abby, who has her own reasons for hunting Ellie. It's a tale of revenge and retribution with the grittiest storytelling this side of The Walking Dead.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The first core Zelda game that came to the Nintendo Switch also happens to be one of the most beloved parts of the series at present. Set at the end of the Zelda timeline, players control Link, the Hero of the Wild, as he wakes up from 100 years of sleep to defeat the massively powerful Calamity Ganon.
Fans have gone to great lengths to play the game via emulators to mod in their favorite characters and other mechanics. It would make sense to see the game come to PC once and for all. It's likely never going to happen, considering it's a Nintendo property, but it would be a dream come true for fans who prefer PC to handheld or console gaming. For now, there’s always Genshin Impact to scratch that itch.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Final Fantasy VII Remake is an excellent take on the original PS1 title. The story, which puts players in the shoes of ex-SOLDIER Cloud Strife as he joins eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE, is a timeless adventure that many view as one of the best games of all time. It was revived in 2020 with an intriguing ground-up remake that diverged from what we know about Final Fantasy VII as a whole. Unfortunately, it has yet to reach PC players. When the original debuted in the '90s, it received a PC version. The remake has always been teased as coming to additional platforms in the future, but nothing has been confirmed for PC just yet.
Ghost of Tsushima
Sucker Punch Productions created a new classic in the open-world genre with Ghost of Tsushima. The tale follows samurai Jin Sakai as he takes on the "Ghost" identity to protect his home, Tsushima Island, from invading Mongols. It isn't only absolutely gorgeous, but it is indicative of classic samurai films in ways that made it feel like you're playing a movie. Like The Last of Us Part II, it's one of the PS4's most impressive efforts, and as such, there's no sign of it coming to PC. It’s possible that, with some time, it might end up there, but this beautiful homage to Japanese folklore and culture deserves a much larger platform than PS4 audiences only.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
The Fire Emblem series is a long-running set of strategy games. One of its best entries by far is the Switch release Fire Emblem: Three Houses. It's the 16th overall Fire Emblem adventure and follows three nations of the continent of Fodlan. There, players must take on a class of students at Garreg Mach Monastery as former mercenary Byleth. Half of the game is a classroom simulation that allows Byleth to raise a class of their choosing before heading to war through a series of challenging battles. It's currently the best-selling game in the Fire Emblem series, and it's still only a Switch exclusive. That’s understandable, again, as this is another Nintendo property, but it would make a great PC port, especially given its strategic nature.
Bayonetta 2
Bayonetta 2 is a hack-and-slash action game that takes cues from Capcom's Devil May Cry series but places the femme fatale Umbra Witch Bayonetta in Dante's place. The buxom brunette fires bullets from her gun heels, attacks enemies and strangles them with her hair, and strikes sexy poses in the middle of a fight. Both the original game and its sequel have long been praised for both its vivacious lead and nonstop, style-laden combat, but there's been no trace of the sequel on PC. The first game wasted no time making it to the platform, but even as the Wii U faded away for the Switch to take over, Bayonetta 2 still has yet to come to PC like its predecessor.
