PC games have been a media for decades, but Steam, the video game digital distribution service released by Valve in 2003, seems to have a monopoly over other platforms as the main distributor.
Here are five Steam games that once you start, you might not want to stop playing.
— Compiled by Brian Hoang

Control Ultimate Edition
Release Date: Aug. 27, 2020
Price: $39.99
“Control,” developed by Remedy Entertainment, is about Federal Bureau of Control director Jesse Faden’s quest to find her brother and regain control of Oldest House, which has been corrupted by the Hiss.
Everything about this game, from its cinematic opening to its world design and soundtrack, had me enthralled from the second it started.
The Oldest House feels like a living entity. The intrigue builds as the main character unlocks more powers and faces mounting supernatural forces the closer she gets to finding her brother.
Ultimately, the things that were always in the Oldest House and beyond the FBC’s grasp make this game a truly supernatural adventure.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Release Date: Jan. 9, 2020
Price: $39.99
“Monster Hunter” is a series by Capcom that I’ve been following for years.
Together with a sidekick cat, known as a Palico, players hunt a variety of dragons and then use their corpses to build stronger weapons and take on increasingly powerful monsters.
The Iceborne downloadable content is an expansion of the existing story line and requires “Monster Hunter: World” in order to play.
This new content lets you explore a region called Hoarfrost Reach.
My favorite part is the customizability of the equipment and improvements from previous series such as returning fan-favorite monsters and the inclusion of new events and special quests.

Darkest Dungeon
Release Date: Jan. 19, 2016
Price: $24.99
“Darkest Dungeon,” a dark fantasy RPG by Red Hook Studios, has players recruit a team of adventurers to explore the cursed labyrinth of an inherited mansion.
The game’s challenging system kept me on my toes.
The loss of a character I had long been protecting or had spent a fortune in raising was heart wrenching, knowing that the difficulty would increase the longer I played and that I would have to start raising a new adventurer in their place.
In spite of these dangers, the game’s random events rewarded as handsomely as they took, and I found that throwing my heroes into more danger for increased rewards was the only way to succeed.

Warframe
Release Date: March 25, 2013
Price: Free
“Warframe,” by Digital Extremes, is about space ninja cyborgs, or so the advertisements initially led me to believe.
I picked up this game in the heat of summer and have yet to grow tired of it. So far I’ve invested 1,525 hours into “Warframe.”
It’s a free-to-play looter shooter that really is free.
There are some micro-transactions but all the content in the game can be earned through playing.
“Warframe” has had three major open-world updates so far and will continue to have more as developers build the ongoing storyline.
It’s got an iceberg’s worth of content, including endless character customizability, weapon modification, a nemesis system, seasonal events and more.

LISA: The Painful
Release date: Dec. 15, 2014
Price: $9.99
“LISA: The Painful,” an indie role-playing game by developer Dingaling, uses dark humor to tell the story of a man searching for his adopted daughter.
This pixel art game is set in the post-apocalyptic world of Olathe following the extinction of all human women.
The game follows the main character, Brad, as he tries to protect the last hope of humanity while battling his own addictions, trauma and past.
What drew me to the game was its early sense of humor, which soon devolved into madness as the world became more desperate.
Brad’s identity as a father is challenged as he struggles with addictions that influence his choices.
This is indeed a painful game.