Online gaming forums have been a staple to the Internet since its inception. Gamers could get together and talk shop, provide walkthroughs for those tough to get through sections of their favorite game, and swap tips and tricks.
Video game forums are bigger than ever, with multiple avenues for people to interact with their fellow gamers. Here’s a more comprehensive look at the most active video game forums today.
NeoGAF
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/
Launched in 1999 as Game-Age Forums, NeoGAF hosts several forums ranging from gaming to Off-Topic for those times you and those online want to goof off or address critical issues like ‘Is there intelligent life out in the universe?’ While lurking, I came across a topic about Red Dead Redemption II Online mode.
The poster endearingly addressed the community as ‘Gaffers’ and asked about Red Dead’s Online mode, (something that has been a bit controversial due to its many technical issues).
GameFAQS
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards
A personal favorite of mine, GameFAQs was and is the definitive source for detailed walkthroughs of games. Stuck in an impossible dungeon? Not sure where the final piece of the Triforce is in Zelda? GameFAQs has walkthroughs and a supportive, tight-knit community for you to talk games in general, or specific help you need with a game.
There’s a reason the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ are right in the name. Keeping a simplistic yet timeless design, the site still proves it’s going strong for 23 years.
IGN
https://www.ign.com/boards/categories/gaming.80142/
A classic and a current powerhouse in gaming, IGN’s video game forum is all quality. It’s easily organized by gaming platforms, (Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, etc.), and further into more specific topics.
A quick peruse of the PC forum showed a staggering amount of topics with gamers helping other gamers by giving good PC build recommendations and great deals on games.
The community is as good as any gaming forum can hope to be.
Gamespot
http://www.gamespot.com/forums/
A very active video game forum with a teeming, passionate population. Specific topics are chosen from the larger whole and displayed on the page, while other boards, such as the controversial ‘System Wars’ and the giant ‘Retro Gaming’ populate the site.
Some interesting topics I came across were ‘What’s the oldest video game system you have?’ to which a poster unbelievably replied with ‘the original Pong’. That right there should show how dedicated these gamers are.
Reddit Gaming Subreddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming
In recent years, r/gaming has become a massive gathering place for gamers sharing knowledge, funny pictures, and other assorted gaming fun.
Around releases of big games like Red Dead Redemption II and Super Smash Brothers, r/gaming goes into a frenzy, sharing game secrets and sharing their personal stories with the games.
People are always outdoing each other with humorous pictures, relatable stories, and a love of games that keeps the site chugging with traffic. As of 2018, r/gaming has nearly 20 million subscribers.
MMORPG.com
http://forums.mmorpg.com/
Massively multiplayer online RPG’s have some of the most dedicated fans in gaming, and this forum is no exception. With helpful links to buy, play, and preorder games right from the sidebar, this forum has easy accessibility.
There’s even a forum dedicated to site suggestions, helping the web developers with suggestions from the actual users of the site. ‘The Pub’, the general MMORPG forum on the site currently has a whopping 1.3 million comments and 60.1 thousand discussions.
Minecraft Forum
http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums
Minecraft is beloved by millions of all ages, and this is the definitive place for all of those die-hard fans to gather and talk about Minecraft. Clad in the iconic design of the game it represents, the Minecraft forum hosts hundreds of topics regarding the extensive mods and skins used in the game.
Sharing is the name of the game on this forum; maps, like the breathtaking Mines of Moria, rebuild, skins of marvel heroes are shared daily. Minecraft Forum has nearly 5.1 million members and nearly 5 billion views.
The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/forums/gaming/
A stylish design, The Verge evokes a fashionable, cool, and sleek appearance for visitors. The gaming community is just as present as the design, with people creating topics like ‘STARDEW VALLEY IS LIFE (And your fav game of 2017)’ to kick off some well-meaning and fun discussions.
VGR
https://www.vgr.com/forum/
I like VGR for its approach to the community. On the site, there’s an ‘Introductions’ board to meet and greet new members and talk about favorite games. There are also two very important forums on the site: Video Game Deals and Esports & Competitive Gaming. Who doesn’t need great deals on games, especially when they can cost a fortune?
Users will create posts listing certain games that are on sale and where to get them for that price. It’s a helpful way to help out your fellow gamer. The Esports forum is going to be a huge discussion when the new Super Smash Bros. comes out.
AVForums
https://www.avforums.com/forums/general-video-gaming-chat.100/
Av deals in other forums for another tech, in fact citing themselves as ‘The No. 1 Home Entertainment Tech Company’. They go beyond to blend in all tech into one site. Along with having a solid gaming forum, they host reviews for different games and other hardware like surround sound speakers and TVs.
StudentEdge
https://studentedge.org/forums/gaming
Student edge, in their own words, ‘seeks to enrich the lives of students across the country. The company aims to do this by helping students save and manage money, prepare for the workplace, find jobs and make informed career and life decisions.’ They offer deals on tech and try to help students out, (those textbooks are highway robbery!).
Their gaming forum, although simple in setup, is filled with passionate gamers engaging with other student gamers. It’s super simple to start a discussion about games, with the text field right at the top of the screen—a real ‘grab and go’ type of situation for students and gamers to get down to business.
Videogamer
https://www.videogamer.com/forums/
Right off the bat, the minimalist, no-nonsense design appeals to me. And, of course, a Red Dead Redemption II thread is stickied at the top. People passionately discuss their thoughts on the story of the game, what they thought could be improved, and the humorous stories of a guy who can’t keep his horse alive.
Gaming Latest
https://gaminglatest.com/
I really dig this site, it boasts a ‘Content Creator Lounge’ where actual game creators can converge and share their ideas and their content to other gamers. It’s a great community where sharing content and others’ channels is key and a large part of the forum’s identity.
Steam
https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/#games
Steam’s unbelievable reputation precedes itself, so when it comes to games forums, of course, Steam knocks it out of the park. Users have access to hundreds of forums for each game hosted on Steam, all framed in the iconic black/blue/white color scheme we’ve all grown familiar with. Steam forums allow others to share gaming guides, FAQs, and modding walkthroughs.
Blizzard Forums
https://us.battle.net/forums/en/
Blizzard is known for its quality games, and the forums that accompany games like Warcraft, Overwatch, and Starcraft are no strangers to that quality. Blizzard puts so much time and effort into the forums on their games, with basic forums like ‘character class’ and ‘Guild Recruitment’ to help flesh out almost every aspect of their games.
Ubisoft Forums
https://forums.ubi.com/forum.php
Like Blizzard, Ubisoft forums have quality in line with their games. The specific forums for each Ubisoft game are such a nice touch. You would never have to worry about searching endlessly through certain forums looking for a place to post something about Assassin’s Creed II when it’s all consolidated in one place.
Hundreds of thousands of users access the site daily to talk about their favorite Ubisoft titles.
Adventure Gamers
https://adventuregamers.com/forums/
Adventure games were huge in the 1990s. This place seems like a haven for all lovers of those unique and artistic titles. A hot topic ‘What’s your favorite adventure Game?’ is one of the site’s most popular topics, with adventure gaming fanatics listing titles ranging from old LucasArts games to more recent titles.
Polygon
https://www.polygon.com/forums
Famous gaming site Polygon hosts a great forum on games. The community truly cares about each other. I came across a topic in which a gamer felt lonely and asked for someone to play online with, with responders not only offering to play with him but to help him out with his personal issues.
Sometimes we need a good support system and those in the community help can really make a difference.
Rock Paper Shotgun
https://forum.rockpapershotgun.com/
Popular blog Rock Paper Shotgun hosts several forums running the gamut on games. My personal favorite is the PC Gaming thread simply named ‘The Screenshot thread’ where users post amazing images from in-game footage. Seeing the incredible details in games like Assassin’s Creed Origins and Endless Space 2 really took my breath away.
Eurogamer
https://community.eurogamer.net/
This site, although simplistic in its design, has users commenting minute to minute. A particular thread I liked was the ‘recently completed game’ thread, where people tended to complete older games, spiraling the discussion into a great nostalgia-filled party.
Giant Bomb
https://www.giantbomb.com/forums/
A good friend of mine actually pointed me in this forum’s direction, and I’m glad he did. Its sleek, black design hosts countless forum posts, with people eagerly discussing their most anticipated game releases and future speculation on different gaming franchises.
It makes sense that they know games; Giant Bomb was formed from a former staffer of GameSpot, another great site.
Escapist Magazine
https://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/
Escapist puts out great content. With productions like ‘No Punctuation’, I knew Escapist was going to be a solid forum.
Its gaming discussion says, “Talk about the games you love, from indie browser games to big-budget MMOGs.” Sometimes simpler is better. A standout to me is ‘User Reviews’ where we get to hear unpaid opinions about games, old and new.
Racketboy
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/
Racketboy advertises themselves as made for retro gamers and it shows how much effort they put into it. A particular standout to me is a forum dedicated to the philosophical, artistic, and cultural influence of games on our society. Deep discussion and gaming? Count me in!
Newgrounds
https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/
Newgrounds is a great site that dominated pop culture in gaming and animation during the early and mid-‘00s. Their forum, which I’ve actually been a member of, is a fun, sometimes wild ride into edgy gaming opinions and colorful online characters. Much like its host site, these forums are raw but loveable and absolutely hilarious.
Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/civis/viewforum.php?f=22
A minimalist design doesn’t take away from the content of this forum. This forum is a staggeringly impressive list of places where you could find nearly anything to talk about in games. They have countless threads about gaming setups, operating programs, and PCs. There’s so much meat to these forums, the content will never be in short supply.
Penny-Arcade
https://forums.penny-arcade.com/
Internet Comic comedians Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, AKA ‘Tycho and Gabe’, have created an iconic brand in Penny-Arcade. This extended to their forums as well. With 9.6 million posts, their gaming forum is very online-gaming heavy: Overwatch and Warframe are dominant topics.
Game Revolution
https://forums.gamerevolution.com/
Another simplistic design but rich in content. The forums for games are split into two tiers: Gaming and Retro Gaming which I think is a great method of categorizing and keeping the community orderly.
More positive questions asked of the community, “What game are you best at?’ are some things I like to see when browsing forums, things that engage the rest of the community.
Something Awful
https://forums.somethingawful.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=44
The famous website Something Awful’s forum, known for spawning the phenomenon of Slender-Man, the game forums are packed with content. My favorite topic I came across is a mega thread regarding getting a job in games. With over 3600 replies, it’s proven to be a hot topic, and I’m glad it has.
Epic Games
https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/forums
Along with forums designated to their iconic games, Epic Games also allow you to download theirfree software to edit content. Their game forums are much like Blizzard and Ubisoft in that they focus heavily on a single game, funneling resources into FAQs and discussion on that game.
Gearbox Software
https://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/
Gearbox focuses its forums on its games and franchises like Borderlands and Battleborn. Forums like Borderlands are wild, with people sharing stories of raids, items, and asking for help with a particularly difficult boss. However, there is a general gaming discussion, as to not keep other, non-Gearbox games out of the discussion.
4 Bonus Gaming Forums
DoubleFine
https://forums.doublefine.com/
From the makers of classics like Psychonauts and Grim Fandango, Double Fine hosts specific forums for each of their games. Games that have been out for years still have dedicated fan bases that are posting at this exact moment. It’s a very active forum for a very dedicated fanbase.
Square Enix
https://forums.eu.square-enix.com/
Legendary developer Square Enix, no surprise, has a massive forum dedicated to their games. Final Fantasy alone could fill hundreds of thousands of internet pages, with each game and derivative having their own forum.
Bethesda Video Game Community
https://bethesda.net/community/
It’s no surprise, with the recent release of Fallout 76, that the Bethesda forums are on fire, the Fallout forums specifically have over 60,000 posts. Other Bethesda games like those in the Elder Scrolls Series and Dishonored are serviced here as well.
Pinoy Gamer Forum
https://pinoygamer.ph/forums/
Pinoy gamer is a Filipino gaming forum stating that they’re the dedicated gaming and news forum of the Philippines. Pinoy gamer has forums dedicated to gaming, gaming events, and buying & trading software and hardware.
Other positive aspects like the lively ‘welcome’ forum for those new to the site offer a refreshing look on online communities.
This is extremely useful, and the Filipino community is better off for its existence.
These are the heavy hitters of the online gaming community. You’ll find nowhere more teeming with love and passion for gaming than these sites.
The Best PC Gaming Communities of 2023
If you are anything like me, you like to engage with fellow gamers about your favorite game, PC build, or anything else having to do with gaming. Going it alone on PC can be fun too, but there is something so satisfying about going to a community of gamers and immersing yourself in it.
Have you ever had a serious hardware issue, or need tips to get through a tough level in a game? Chances are that there is a gaming community at your fingertips ready to help and give you tips.
Games like Team Fortress 2, Overwatch, and the Total War franchise all have amazing communities in which you can share your awesome gaming stories and make some great friends. I know I have. That’s why I am here to guide you, to find:
PC Gamer Club
PC Gamer is a famous gaming magazine dealing with, you guessed it, PC games. It was founded in 1993 and has been a tour de force in gaming ever since. I personally owe PC Gamer a lot. During a YouTube loop where I couldn’t sleep, I was cycling through videos and found one about the game Crusader Kings II.
It was a review, and it changed my life. The reviewer talked about how the game engages you in your own personal narratives as you plot, steal, and marry off family members through medieval Europe. The game is now one of my favorites, and it made me check out PC Gamer. This includes their community, the PC Gamer Club.
The Club is a community where you get some serious perks. Upon joining, (either a $4 or $5 price tag), you get in-game items, Steam keys for certain games, a subscription to their magazine, and a cool little guide to RPGs. Of course, you also get access to their vibrant community of gamers.
Granted, joining isn’t free, but for the price of a discounted Steam game, you could get some serious benefits, not to mention access to their popular Discord channel.
Patient Gamers
For gamers behind the times…: I’m absolutely in love with this community. It’s a subreddit, which we all know are great sources of info. Patient Gamers is no exception. Have you ever not gotten on the hype train for a game? Missed a popular release like Bastion and never got it but now you picked it up on sale?
This community absolutely thrives on gamers who are just now playing through games that are at least 6 months old. But they’re not just new games. Many gamers on the subreddit talk about playing GTA San Andreas and other titles like those in the Devil May Cry franchise and Shadow of the Colossus.
One topic that caught my attention was a heated debate between lovers of Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy VII. I opened the link expecting a veritable blood bath; people defending Sephiroth, Cloud, and Tifa against the onslaught of FFT characters. It was miraculous.
These members were being completely respectful, listening to others’ opinions and deep analyses of characters and themes of both games. It was beautiful, and it sold me on the community 100%.
Regardless of your allegiance to either Final Fantasy title, the community is very active; touting nearly 275,000 subscribed members. They post reviews of games and others will reminisce about titles gone by. It’s such a unique concept to what I’m used to, I had to pass it along to you all.
Game Detectives:
Another unique community, Game Detectives dedicate themselves to solving mysteries and puzzles surrounding alternate reality games and other games. An ARG uses clues and Easter eggs in the game as well as real-life to make a more memorable, engaging gaming experience.
Being an amateur internet investigator myself, (okay, I primarily just end up watching creepy conspiracy videos on YouTube, but STILL), I was immediately drawn in by the passion that these gamers had.
I dove deep into this community, especially enjoying topics like someone trying to decode Morse code in the b. It’s stuff like this that makes you keep clicking through different topics and honestly makes you think about games differently. You’ll find yourself thinking more critically while playing and engaging with these users seems to be a real joy.
They are always on the lookout for any hidden meanings or mysteries. Right now, I’m looking at a topic where a user believes to have found some hidden message in the Borderlands Mask of Mayhem trailer. If you consider yourself a sleuth and love games, this is a match made in heaven.
PC Gaming Subreddit:
This was kind of a no-brainer here. PC Gaming subreddit boasts over 1.2 million subscribers, making it one of the largest pc gaming forums online. It should be the one-stop shop for PC gamers looking for a community. There are thousands of topics to view, constantly being updated.
It could lead you down different wormholes into different subreddits, allowing you to hone your interests more clearly and find others who feel the same. They post news, opinions, and patch updates for all to see. Some of my favorite topics are the ones like “What game blew all expectations you had going into it?” in which the users divulge some of their new favorite games.
More topics range from ‘when will the new next big MMORPG be released’ to ‘My mouse arm hurts!’. This eclectic mix of super helpful information and personal nuances makes this a community you don’t want to skip out on.
Those are some of the most highly recommended gaming communities for 2023, both in general and potentially going forward. They show no signs of stopping and have a great positive vibe to all of them. Don’t be shy, go join or lurk for some great gaming discussions! Now for a little something different…
Game-Specific Communities
Now I know that finding a broader category of community is a great thing, but I couldn’t resist adding some online gaming communities that I myself have been a part of for specific games. Sure, broad categories may help, but these communities may be right up your alley without you even knowing it. Think of them as honorable mentions of sorts to the above communities.
Total War Franchise:
I’ve made it no secret that I am a huge RPG and history fanatic, so for me, this was a slam dunk. I first played Shogun: Total War back when I was a budding PC gamer, and the subsequent releases I dutifully got and immersed myself in them. As I got older, I got into modding, and the Total War community delivers, which is how I got into the community.
Specifically, the forum twcenter.net/forums was an extreme help to me regarding mods. The community is also filled with history buffs who will simply discuss the historic periods based on the games. I remember getting pulled into a conversation about the Third Punic War between Rome and ancient Carthage.
You’ll meet some characters, people who are into history and making the game as historically accurate as possible. With the recent release of Total War: Three Kingdoms, the player is transported to the Three Kingdoms period of China, battling it out with the three major factions of that time, all while boasting in-depth diplomacy and graphical overhaul.
The time is now! If any of that sounds great to you, what are you waiting for? Some good forums are: forums.totalwar.com and www.twcenter.net/forums
Dark Souls Franchise
There’s something about the insane, blistering difficulty that will bring people together in a crisis. Maybe it’s a case of misery-loving company, but I found in my own personal experience that the Dark Souls community, specifically the official Reddit, is a great meeting place for players of the iconic series by From Software.
I remember getting stuck on so many bosses, especially the Four Kings in the first game in the series, and the community helping me out with tips, glitches, and tricks that I didn’t feel so alone in my extreme frustration and desperation. They even often offered to join in your game personally to help you beat the different boss’s co-op style. I found that to be a great help in the game. It’s people like that who really make the Dark Souls community shine.
The difficulty alone makes the community more cohesive, friendly, and approachable. Spent hours on a level and finally defeated that boss that was making you pull your hair out? If you post on the subreddit, you’ll receive congratulations and encouragement. I believe that is something we need more of, especially in PC gaming. Check out their subreddit!
Ready to Join?
Those were just some of the interesting, positive communities that I found and even took part in. These communities have a robust user base that won’t slow down anytime soon and will help you through your gaming quests not only in 2023 but for a long time coming.
Video Game Community Infographic
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