Summary
- Online support in modern gaming is prevalent, and fan communities help spread positivity for challenging games.
- Fan communities for RPGs like Final Fantasy 14 are welcoming, patient, and offer advice to new players.
- Communities for popular games like Hades and Minecraft are friendly and helpful for players seeking guidance.
There are a lot of things that players who grew up in the 80s and 90s miss about video games. The gameplay systems were simpler, it was easy to rent games, and gaming magazines were exciting to pick up and read about upcoming releases. The one great thing about modern gaming is that online support is very prevalent.
7 Best JRPG PC Games with Extensive Modding Communities
JRPGs are extremely fun and offer tons of exciting things to players. Here are some PC titles out there with extensive modding communities.
Beyond companies supporting their games with patches, fan communities spring up with every popular game to help others out. These healthy communities thrive on spreading the good word of a single game or franchise and will help anyone looking to get into the mix. No fan community can have absolutely zero toxicity, but these hubs certainly have the strongest and most positive groups of players today.
Elden Ring
The Grander Soulslike Community
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
There’s no greater ally out there for players in need than the Soulslike community, because these are some of the most notoriously challenging games around. Created with the advent of Demon’s Souls in 2009, the genre has only grown bigger with every FromSoftware release.
Elden Ring is like a whole new playing field, as the game is open-world and thus has more enemies to fight, weapons and armor to find, and more places to explore. Whether fellow fans need to group up at a set time or want some exploits to level up quickly, the Soulslike community is there to lend a hand.
Final Fantasy 14
An RPG About Making Friends
Final Fantasy 14
- Released
- August 27, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen - Language, Mild Blood, Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- MMORPG
Final Fantasy 14 relaunched itself in 2013 and is still going strong as an MMO, accepting new players every day. This means that newbies have a lot of content to catch up on between the base game and all of the expansion content Final Fantasy 14 has to offer, which can be daunting, to say the least.
What are the best starting Jobs and builds? What monsters net the best EXP and loot? All of these questions and more can be answered by friendly fellow players who are consistently inviting, patient, and happy to potentially make a new ally.
Hades
A Roguelike For Everyone
Hades
- Released
- December 6, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
Among all of the popular roguelikes out there, Hades hit the hardest when it launched out of Early Access in 2020, especially when it was released on the Switch. Like the Soulslike community, the roguelike community overall can be helpful depending on the game in question. If something is as popular as Hades, then there is a lot of content to sift through, depending on what players are looking for.
8 Best Strategy PC Games With Extensive Modding Communities
These PC strategy games are great not only because of their excellent campaigns and gameplay, but also for their extensive modding communities.
There are a lot of tricky bosses to tackle and builds to try out, and it can be hard to find the right balance of Boons, which are temporary upgrades players can acquire on runs. Thankfully, the wider Hades community is there for guidance because they adore the game like no other.
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Building Back Hyrule
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Released
- May 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Rated E for Everyone 10+ for Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action, Open-World
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild community was obsessed with discovery as the game had a huge open-world to explore. This curiosity exploded with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom because its map is three times bigger, thanks to the sky islands and underground, plus it adds building mechanics to present an almost limitless degree of player freedom.
Players can piece together weapons, machines, and even build mechs. Thanks to the Switch 2 upgrade, the game's community is still going strong as they share their blueprints online on how to best break the game with weird tech, or give tips on finding hidden areas.
Minecraft
A Game For Kids And Adults Alike
Minecraft
- Released
- November 18, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
It’s impossible to find a community more friendly than Minecraft, since the majority of its users are kids or adults who started playing as kids and grew up with the game. It’s one of the most relaxing games around, without many stressful enemies to deal with; until it gets dark, that is.
Minecraft was practically built with the concept of community in mind. Create worlds, share buildings, and join others to explore their creations. It truly is a wonder, even decades later, that anyone can jump into Minecraft freely, or with a helping hand of guidance.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Gotta Friend ‘Em All
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- Released
- November 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet were chosen to best represent the Pokemon series overall, as the fandom has been alive since the 90s, plus the Switch 2 upgrade is appealing. It’s wild to think back to the original Pokemon games, as the community was like the Wild West back then, with dozens of fantastical exploits spreading as rumors via hushed playground conversations. Players reported on rumors and tips constantly, and it only became more frequent which each new release.
8 Best Horror PC Games With Extensive Modding Communities
While the vanilla versions of these PC horror games bring scares aplenty, their dedicated modding communities have elevated them even further.
Thanks to better internet connections, and a wider global gaming community, forums are easier to sift through, and it’s now quick to match with other players online. Whether players are looking for where to catch Shiny Pokemon, or if they wish to trade, the Pokemon fans are willing and ready to help out.
Super Mario Maker
Making History
Super Mario Maker
- Released
- September 11, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Comic Mischief
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Super Mario Maker had one of the best fan communities around when the original game launched on the Wii U. As a game all about uploading player-created levels, there was an abundance to choose from. Most of them were pretty brutal, but fans did help sift through the chaff and compile what the best creations were.
The community was still thriving with the sequel on Switch, but it wasn’t as mind-blowing as the original was. The community may not be as active today as it was when either of these games launched, but no one can deny how important and helpful they were at the time.
Void Stranger
Learn As You Play
Void Stranger
- Released
- September 1, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle, Adventure, 2D
Void Stranger belongs to two communities: the Void Stranger fandom itself and the concept of "MetroidBranias." A MetroidBrania is generally a puzzle game that slowly reveals hidden mechanics that the game then teaches its players. Without giving too much away, Void Stranger presents itself as a simple tile-pushing roguelike dungeon crawler, but it is so much more than that.
Those who want a hint for a particularly tricky puzzle can get one from fans, but generally, this community is best at encouraging players not to give up, as the game can be incredibly frustrating and aimless at times. Fez, The Witness, Animal Well, and Blue Prince are some other great MetroidBranias that the community adores.
Best Relaxing Games For Anxiety
For gamers who get stressed when a video game cranks up the difficulty, these relaxing games are perfect for easing feelings of anxiety.