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For PC science fiction released in 2016, three strong picks stand out across very different kinds of play: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided for cyberpunk stealth and role-playing, XCOM 2 for turn-based resistance tactics, and Stellaris for galaxy-spanning 4X strategy. They are recommendations by genre fit, not a definitive ranking: these games offer different experiences and were not assessed by one shared scoring method.
Which 2016 sci-fi game fits the way you want to play?
| If you want | Pick | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk fiction, stealth, and role-playing | Deus Ex: Mankind Divided | A character-led story set amid tensions around human augmentation, with player choices shaping the outcome. Steam lists it as sci-fi, cyberpunk, stealth, and role-playing. |
| Turn-based tactics and a resistance campaign | XCOM 2 | A campaign built around fighting alien rule after the invaders have already won. |
| Interstellar empire-building | Stellaris | A space 4X game focused on science-fiction across the stars. |
| A shooter or space exploration | Titanfall 2 or No Man’s Sky | Both appear among SteamDB’s 2016 releases tagged Sci-fi. The available descriptions here are not detailed enough to compare them fairly with the three recommendations above. |
Three recommendations with distinct strengths
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: cyberpunk stealth and role-playing
Steam’s PC listing gives Deus Ex: Mankind Divided a release date of August 23, 2016, and identifies it with cyberpunk, sci-fi, story-rich, stealth, and role-playing tags. It describes a future setting in which player decisions shape the outcome. The tags establish how Steam categorizes the game; they are not a claim of critical consensus. View the Steam listing for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Space Ace: Original Sci-Fi Video Arcade Game PC CD-ROM | $15.66 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Ultimate Sci-Fi Series - PC | $119.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Sci-Fi Pinball - PC | $27.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Mass Effect 2 - PC | $9.95 | Buy on Amazon |
TIME’s February 2016 preview framed the story around Adam Jensen and “escalating cultural-political tensions prompted by the rise of augmented humans.” That makes the game the clearest pick here for readers seeking urban cyberpunk and a protagonist-led story, rather than a campaign of broad military or empire management.
XCOM 2: turn-based tactics against alien rule
XCOM 2 imagines an outcome in which the aliens have triumphed, leaving humanity to wage an asymmetric resistance campaign. TIME described it in its February 8, 2016 preview as a sequel to the 2012 turn-based tactical reboot, centered on outwitting invaders after their victory. PCWorld included it among its first-half 2016 favorites and later called it a standout turn-based tactics game.
#1 Best Overall
- This is the first truly arcade perfect version of theic Space Ace.
- Completely remastered for CD-ROM Relive the arcade experience with spectacular full screen full motion MPEG 1 Video.
- Multiple levels of difficulty
- Total scene authentication
- "Watch" feature to view without playing Feature-film animation by Don Bluth director of "Anastasia" "The Land Before Time" and "American Tail"
Choose it if you want each encounter to be a tactical problem rather than stealth-action or galaxy-scale management. Its central appeal in this shortlist is the resistance premise and turn-based combat.
Stellaris: space 4X and interstellar science fiction
PC Gamer’s strategy guide identifies Stellaris as a 2016 Paradox game and describes it as a space 4X title set across a broad interstellar science-fiction landscape. It is the natural choice if the appeal of sci-fi is building an empire across the galaxy, rather than following one character through a fixed story or directing individual resistance missions.
Rank #2
- Three classic science-fiction games
Other 2016 PC sci-fi candidates
Titanfall 2 and No Man’s Sky
SteamDB’s filter for 2016 Steam releases tagged Sci-fi includes Titanfall 2 and No Man’s Sky, alongside Stellaris and XCOM 2. It is a useful way to surface candidates, not a quality ranking: the page’s user ratings and review counts can change, and the evidence available here does not establish a like-for-like assessment of these two games.
PCWorld’s year-end article included No Man’s Sky among high-profile games it considered buggy at launch. That is the publication’s retrospective judgment about its 2016 launch, not an assessment of the game after subsequent updates.
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Rank #4
- Improved NPC conversation system where Commander Shepard can take matters into your own hands – interrupting or using force to get the answer required.
- The second act of BioWare's epic sci-fi RPG trilogy continues the story of Commander Shepard and humanity's first steps onto the galactic stage.
- Integration with the original Mass Effect game allows players to import saved files and contiue play with those files in Mass Effect 2.
- Choose from 19 different weapons, including devastating heavy weapons that can end a battle in seconds.
- New location based damage system allows for targeting of key weak points, blasting off limbs, igniting enemies, or cripple and disable enemy troops.
Rank #3
How to choose among the recommendations
- Choose by pace: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided centers on stealth and role-playing; XCOM 2 uses turn-based tactical encounters; Stellaris takes the broadest, empire-management approach.
- Choose by scale: Pick Jensen’s cyberpunk world for a character-led story, XCOM 2 for an alien-resistance campaign, or Stellaris for interstellar strategy.
- Treat “best” as a genre match: There is no shared score or methodology here that can establish one objective winner across these different forms of sci-fi game.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
