The best 100 games of all time, ranked
Opinions. We all have them, and ours aren’t always the same as other peoples'. In our team, we have over a century of experience working in games, so we put our heads together to come up with a list of the 100 greatest games of all time.
With a list this long, you might not agree with all of it, but your favorite should definitely be here somewhere. If it’s not, don't worry. Just imagine it was number 101.
Here’s our list of the top 100 games of all time.
100. Among Us (2018)
Whatever you feel about the “sussy baka” meme culture Among Us created, you can’t deny that it is a cultural phenomenon. It was widely played for good reason. It has tight, social gameplay, which everyone wanted to be involved with.
The deduction of a murder mystery, which sparked heated debates and family feuds. Among Us should be rewarded for its effect on the industry, and pop culture overall.
99. Danganronpa (2010)
Speaking of murder mysteries, Danganronpa led the way for games to pull an unseeable plot twist on its players. A bunch of kids are trapped in a school for the gifted, where they must murder each other in order to escape.
Gameplay is half visual novel, half point-and-click, and half courtroom drama. If you think that’s too many halves, just add them up and you’ll see Danganronpa is just a series and a half.
98. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (2010)
Back in the day when military shooters didn’t all look like a beige blur, we were given Battlefield: Bad Company 2. It gave us the ability to play our way, which includes strapping a pack of C4 to a jetski and going kamikaze on your opponents.
Whether attempted by your team or the opponent, every round you’re sure to see a play that you’ve never seen before. Destruction of the arena was at its peak here, and the multiplayer expansion was the icing on the top.
97. Medieval 2: Total War (2006)
Total War has changed a lot as a series over the years, with each giving a different historical era to conquer. Medieval 2 was particularly memorable, with its colorful armies charging and clashing together, holding the walls of old Istanbul against the Mongols.
This is of course before you wipe out all those in Milan, who lead the Pope to excommunicate you. Ever heard of the antipope? Well neither had we until Medieval 2.
96. Max Payne 2 (2003)
Max Payne 2 is widely remembered as a third-person shooter that was ahead of its time. While the originals introduced Matrix-style slow-motion bullet dodging, the sequel turns it up to eleven.
It introduced gamers to bombastic action movie-style shootouts, never really seen before on the small screen. Bodies jerk like the Spandau ballet when you shoot them, and the environment crumbles around you with the action players longed for.
95. Crusader Kings 3 (2020)
While you can take on the world in many games, few let you take over the world quite like Crusader Kings 3. Betray your friends, murder your family, and get the land you have always deserved.
With amazing replayability due to how luck plays a role in each playthrough, you can choose different places to conquer. Crusader Kings 3 makes Game of Thrones look like child’s play, and we love it.
94. Fortnite (2018)
Another game that has a bad reputation purely due to its popularity and meme potential, Fortnite is a tightly made game at its core. Releasing free-to-play boosted its popularity making it available to all, and its unapologetic sense of fun kept people playing.
It doesn’t focus on gritty realism like PUBG before it. Instead, you play around as cartoon characters carrying wacky weapons. We would say the building set it apart, but now the ‘no build mode’ has its own distinct following, showing that Fortnite just wants you to have fun.
93. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
While it may feel like all Call of Duty games are the same these days, the first Modern Warfare game broke the mold. Modern Warfare tried to balance spectacle and player agency to give its players a memorable experience.
In particular, the mission where you creep through Chernobyl with a sniper rifle is fondly remembered by fans for allowing you to make mistakes, react, and recover. It depicts war as it often is: detached, cold, and waged by an unknown evil.
92. Mega Man 2 (1988)
This series created its own genre: the too-tough 2D platformer also known as the Mega Man clone. Shovel Knight, Super Meat Boy, and Celeste all took inspiration from our humble NES cyborg, which asks you to give each level just “one more try”.
Despite the difficulty, Mega Man — and in particular Mega Man 2 — wowed fans with its choice of boss order, and game-changing weapon upgrades. The Legacy Collection of the first six games adds a life-saving ‘save state’ option so everyone can take on Wiley for themselves.
91. The Binding of Isaac (2011)
Explaining The Binding of Isaac to people who don’t play video games can be a little embarrassing. You play as a baby who is abused by his Evangelical Christian mum.
Isaac escapes the abuse by tunneling through the basement and ending up in a number of places including heaven, hell, or even crawling back up into mum’s womb. It’s a roguelike, and each attempt you make brings you more weapons, upgrades, and bosses, making you hungry to come back for more.
90. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (2002)
The Robin Hood of raccoons, Sly Cooper and his teammates Bentley and Murray, gang up and go on the rob. The way Sly platforms on the narrowest of edges with ease makes you feel like a super spy, that no one can stop.
3D platforming at its best. Sly feels like a trapeze artist, while Bentley brings the brains, and Murray the brawn. Great level and boss design is the icing on the cake of a game that just feels so delicious to play.
89. Devil May Cry 3 (2005)
While Hideki Kamiya is perhaps best known as the creator of sexy Umbra witch Bayonetta, Devil May Cry’s Dante was the framework from which she was built. The third game perfected the style of gameplay Kamiya was trying to develop, where you score is based on how cool you look.
While the fanbase isn’t as rabid as it once was, Devil May Cry offered an experience that was rare in games at the time. Taking down demons as a hybrid of both a human and a devil has never been more fun.
88. Streets of Rage 2 (1992)
Back when the arcade was king, limited lives were needed to extend players’ game time. These limitations led to precise control schemes which were easy to play and difficult to master.
Streets of Rage 2 stands out among all the side-scrolling brawlers of the time, not only for its masterful soundtrack, but for the risk-reward of trading health for big damage. The co-op remains a great option for couch play. Balancing who picks up extra lives and health drops, teamwork is necessary to take down the mob.
87. Batman: Arkham Knight (2015)
While Arkham Asylum is often considered the fan favorite if you play both these games in a row you will see the huge jump in quality when it comes to Knight. Some of the platforming with the Batmobile is off-message, but you get the full Batman experience here instead of being trapped in a prison.
You can hit enemies quickly, without being locked into long vulnerable animations, which adds significantly to the quality of the gameplay. The side missions are also a high point of the series here as you face down unexpected DC villains.
86. Fallout 3 (2008)
People were wary when Bethesda announced it was bringing Fallout back, only this time it would be in first-person. Using the template from The Elder Scrolls series, Bethesda applied the winning formula to Fallout’s post-apocalyptic America.
When you leave your vault for the first time and look out onto the barren world is one that sticks with the player. Along the road you’re faced with moral dilemmas such as “Should I nuke a city in order to live in a posh apartment?”, and only you have the answer.
85. Dead Rising (2006)
For the time, Dead Rising stretched consoles to their limits by rendering hundreds of zombies at once. You play as a journalist saving survivors while holding back the waves of zombies who have overpowered your local mall.
Everything becomes a weapon, and you soon realize that there are things in the mall far creepier than any zombie hoard. On your first playthrough, it’s impossible to save everyone, to fight every boss, to see every ending, but that dream of a perfect run will keep you coming back.
84. Genshin Impact (2020)
Few games have taken over people’s lives in quite the way Genshin Impact has its fans. Offering hundreds of hours of exploration in its gorgeous open world, all while following a surprisingly compelling story.
Despite being free-to-play, Genshin offers a premium experience to its players, with high-class combat, and frequent updates. It even runs on mobile despite how intensive a game of this quality looks.
83. Invisible, Inc. (2015)
Invisible, Inc. offers turn-based strategy, but in a way that is uniquely different to other games in the genre. Rather than flanking and shooting down enemies with your squadron of soldiers, you take control of a small number of elite spies.
Every mission is against the clock, giving an extra level of difficulty and you attempt to commit corporate espionage. As soon as the guns are out, you’ve already lost, giving a level of purity to the genre.
82. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)
Adding decision-making into its stealth gameplay, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory was one of the first games that made you feel as if your choices mattered. Everything felt raw, like you were really a special operative out on the field, waiting in anticipation for every kill.
Combat is the last thing on your mind, as you scout out each level, on the lookout for the optimal way to infiltrate without being spotted. Teamwork makes it all the more satisfying, as you whistle a guard over, only for your friend to take him down from above.
81. Skies of Arcadia (2000)
Sadly underrated due to being released on the often-overlooked Sega Dreamcast, Skies of Arcadia is a game like no other. You play as part of a group of sky pirates making key discoveries about the world, even some as big as the Earth being round.
Soar through the sky on your flying galleon, or take part in turn-based combat in dungeons. You can even combine the two, and fight other ships you encounter on your travels.
80. Pokémon Emerald (2004)
While the first two generations usually hit people right in the nostalgia, but Pokémon Emerald is where the series hit the sweet spot. The addition of abilities is now a series staple, and the world-building, gyms, and new Pokémon are some of the best in the series.
Some joke that it's “7/10 too much water”, but Emerald also introduced the Battle Frontier, one of the best parts of Pokémon to this day. Take off your rose-tinted glasses. Pokémon Red and Blue were very broken games. Pokémon Emerald is the one.
79. Deus Ex (2000)
It could be argued that many modern games could never have been created without the influence of Deus Ex. It blended genres between RPG, stealth, and FPS, to create a masterpiece where player expression is paramount.
The shooting doesn’t compare favorably to games these days, but for the time the gameplay was incredibly ambitious. If you don’t know why shooters have character stats and level-ups, Deus Ex is the why.
78. GoldenEye 007 (1997)
The remaster has unlocked a lot of memories for older gamers and playing GoldenEye 007 in four-player split screen on one ancient CRT. It was one of the first games that got FPS multiplayer right, and it quickly became a must-own game for the N64.
Even better than the tight single-player campaign, was unlocking Oddjob and using him to chase your friends around the map. We’ll soon see if it’s as good as we remembered, or it has been brightened by our rose-tinted shades.
77. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (2000)
There are a huge number of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games, but the second entry simply blows the rest away. While we may be tainted with early 2000’s nostalgia goggles, Pro Skater 2 was such a nostalgic part of so many people’s childhoods.
The soundtrack is iconic, and is half the reason that the game has held so firm in people’s hearts. Sports games don’t feature heavily on this list, but Tony Hawk certainly deserves our respect.
76. Slay the Spire (2017)
While card games aren’t for everyone, Slay the Spire has such a satisfying gameplay loop, it hooks you in whether you like them or not. It’s a roguelite deck-builder, where you look for the perfect cards to round out your hand, and deal big damage on the perfect turn.
You will need good cards too, as the final boss in Slay the Spire is not for the faint of heart. Yet there is so much flexibility and different ways to build a strong deck, you’ll always find an excuse to give it another go.
75. World of Warcraft (2004)
No game has influenced the gaming landscape quite like World of Warcraft has. While Ultima and Everquest were popular MMO formats that came before, World of Warcraft put the genre into a user-friendly package.
By preventing you from losing experience when you die, and adding more helpful features, it took years before another MMO could supersede its popularity. Still played all around the world to this day, World of Warcraft is hard to ignore.
74. Apex Legends (2019)
In a world that is saturated in battle royale games, Apex Legends stands out amongst the crowd. It offers players slick movement, punchy gunfeel, and a high skill ceiling for those who want to play competitively.
There is a lot of meta potential to Apex, where different character skills, weapon differences, and map rotations combine to make no two games the same. Winning a close match in the final zone provides a rush like no other.
73. Silent Hill 2 (2001)
If you want to understand peak horror game design, then you owe it to yourself to play Silent Hill 2. The limitations of the PS2 hardware worked in its favor, as the fog surrounding Silent Hill gives the perfect atmosphere to make you scared out of your skin.
It portrays depression and psychological trauma in a way that few developers have dared to attempt since. Silent Hill 2 uses traditional tropes of humility and redemption to teach us all a lesson about taking responsibility for your guilt.
72. Uncharted 2 (2009)
While Nathan Drake might just be a male version of Lara Croft, he improved on the formula by adding a keen sense of humor. Uncharted 2 separated the series from Tomb Raider by whittling a niche in historical loot-raiding missions based on real-world mysteries.
As the set pieces became bigger and better, soon Croft was sprinting to keep up with her wittier counterpart. He made climbing so much more satisfying, and the train chase is still one of the best scenes action games have to offer.
71. Wii Sports (2006)
You’ve played Wii Sports. I know this because everyone has played Wii Sports. Even your nan has played Wii Sports because that is the influence that Wii Sports had on the world.
Bringing physicality back into gaming, it is the reason why developers changed how virtual reality was being developed. A number of TVs lost out in a fight with the Wii-mote, but it was worth it for the greater good.
70. Rocket League (2015)
When you hear the term “football but with cars”, it sounds absurd, but it's an absurdity that just works. Just like when Mr Reese dipped his dairy milk into a jar of peanut butter, Psyonix knew they’d hit on something special.
In a way the purest esport, you fly across the pitch in your rocket-powered car attempting, often in vain, to get the ball in the goal. It seems futile at first but it is a thing of magic to see a good player launch off the ceiling and land a perfect mid-air volley.
69. Journey (2012)
Many people think of guns and fighting when they think of video games, but this represents a small, yet extremely popular part of the medium. Journey is the opposite of this. A wordless adventure, where you glide through an ever-changing landscape.
What is most beautiful about Journey is the multiplayer, where you can see other people who are in the game at the same place and time. Ten years on, there are still experienced players, who hang out amongst the sand dunes waiting for new players so they can show them Journey’s secrets.
68. The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)
Point-and-click adventure games may not be en vogue anymore, but they are an important part of gaming history. Standing above them all is The Secret of Monkey Island, which wowed players with its unique puzzles and quirky sense of humor.
More than all of this, Monkey Island will be remembered for its plot twists, turning common gaming tropes on their head. While games have moved on from this specific genre of adventure game, Monkey Island’s writing and legacy live on.
67. Final Fantasy 14 (2010)
There are few games that have a comeback story quite like the story of Square Enix’s MMORPG, Final Fantasy 14. While it almost put the company out of business when it first launched, today it’s one of the most popular games in the long-running series.
Whether you are wearily trudging across Heavensward's snow-covered peaks or staring down the embodiment of nihilism in Endwalker, nearly every storyline culminates in a staggeringly satisfying way. The critically acclaimed game is free-to-play up until level 60, so you can play in a life-consuming way for yourself.
66. Suikoden 2 (1998)
While the Final Fantasy series gets the majority of affection these days, back on the PS1 there were a number of great JRPG series. Suikoden is just one of them, and it’s refreshing to see it get more love with the remasters.
Two friends on the opposite side of a war, there are over 100 characters you can recruit and play with. This strategy meets RPG game changed up the meaning of the genre for those who played it.
65. Old School Runescape (2007)
When we talk about games that have altered how we play, you have to mention Old School Runescape. As a kid, it was all about forming a guild with strangers online and taking down tough bosses.
Now people have rejuvenated the game playing in different ways, one of the more popular being Hardcore Ironman. Playing this way, you have a number of restrictions, such as not storing items, bringing a whole new take on each playthrough.
64. Undertale (2015)
Undertale might have coined the term ‘indie darling’ as so few indie games hit the mainstream quite as it did. Toby Fox created every part of the game. Music, art, design, and programming was all made by this one guy.
If that’s not impressive enough, so many aspect of it have changed the way people make games to this day. While fourth-wall breaks have been done before, no game made you question the genre quite like Undertale.
63. Kirby Super Star (1996)
Kirby has always been a popular round friend, but not all of his games are winners. While he has made a comeback with great titles like Forgotten Land, it was the SNES game Super Star which helped him grow in popularity.
This was the first Kirby game where you could play with friends, and it offered eight different ways to play. Is Kirby a platformer, Metroidvania, or a selection of mini-games? In Super Star he was all of these.
62. Resident Evil 7 (2017)
Every three games, Resident Evil reinvents itself. One of the best reinventions was Resident Evil 7. Taking the horror series into first-person made the games scarier than ever before, and the antagonists, the Baker family, were more terrifying than any hoard of bin bag beasts.
Giving a number of difficulty settings, the rush you feel as you enter a safe room is only dampened by the realization that you’re running low on cassettes. They even updated it for VR if players really want to poop their pants.
61. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (2001)
Another game that has become a cultural phenomenon, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney can be found in memes across the world. Despite its tiny budget, Ace Attorney has turned into an enduring franchise with spin-offs entering many other series.
Visual novel meets courtroom drama, no matter how ridiculous the law in these games seems, players couldn’t get enough. It’s drama at its finest, even if most of it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
60. Super Metroid (1994)
Putting the Metroid into Metroidvania, you know a game is good when it lends its name for an entire genre. Metroid Prime receives its fair share of love, but it is the SNES’ Super Metroid, which launched the whole shebang.
It may be a personal preference, but Samus really shines most when she’s in 2D, one of the reasons why Metroid Dread was such a success. Not only did it lend its name to a genre but also is a trope. Samus’ reveal at the end of Metroid and Super Metroid was so mind-blowing, you see the “Samus is a girl” trope used frequently in media for when the creators use the viewers' expectations against them.
59. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (2013)
The Assassin’s Creed series has certainly had its ups and downs, but Black Flag was certainly the highest point. It broke free from a formula that had become boring after a deceptive number of game releases.
Moving from the amorphous action-adventure genre, Black Flag suddenly turned the series into a pirate-themed RPG. Sailing the Caribbean sea as your crew sings shanties long into the night is one of those experiences that just feels right.
58. Fire Emblem Awakening (2012)
Fire Emblem may be a series from family-friendly Nintendo, but when your characters die in battle, they die in real life. While not the first strategy game to feature permadeath, it certainly made it hurt the most, and Awakening is the best the series has to offer.
In Fire Emblem you don’t just get attached to your characters because of their impressive stats, but because of their impressive hearts. Not only does Fire Emblem kill off characters after letting you get close to them, but it puts the blood in your hands.
57. The Last of Us (2013 & 2020)
You may think it’s cheating but as the games are labeled Part 1 and Part 2 we’ve decided to judge them as one complete package. We think Part 2 is the better half, as it’s more open, has better combat, improved AI, and more opportunities for stealth.
However, you can’t judge the latest game without respecting the groundwork that was laid in Part 1. It set the bar for every PlayStation exclusive that followed, with standout characters and performances alongside terrifying mushroom men.
56. Hotline Miami (2012)
Hotline Miami is a puzzle-based rhythm game. You don’t believe me? Just try playing it with the sound off and see your strategy fall apart. Wearing differently powered animal masks to give you the edge up on your opponents, you have to take down houses of thugs where one hit can kill.
Restarting is fast, so no matter how many times you get knocked down you get back up again with ease. Discover the layout of each room as you peep through doors and slaughter all those curious to see who’s there.
55. Thief 2 (2000)
One of the most influential stealth games ever created, without Thief 2 there would be no Alien Isolation, Far Cry, or Deus Ex. Studio Looking Glass used submarines as inspiration for the game’s stealth mechanics, waiting in the dark for the perfect moment to strike.
Your only weapons are your hands, arrows, and blackjack melee weapon making head-on combat impossible. Thief 2 is the father of stealth games, and well worth playing even in 2022.
54. Ori and the Blind Forest (2015)
2D platformers have been around for a long time (see number 92 on this list), and we continue to improve the formula with every year that goes by. Ori and the Blind Forest is also a Metroidvania (see 60) and is easily one of the genre’s best.
Indie developers love making games in this genre as 2D is by far the cheaper medium to work with. With its razor-sharp platforming, dreamy art style, and emotional silent story-telling, Ori is not only one of the best indies ever, but one of the best Xbox exclusives.
53. Yakuza 0 (2015)
Over the course of the seven mainline games in the original Yakuza games, we get to know Kazuma Kiryu. The former leader of a notorious arm of the Japanese mafia, who could crush a guy's skull with a motorbike one minute, and be singing karaoke the next.
Yakuza games draw the fine line of serious, gritty drama, and over-the-top laugh-out-loud humor perfectly. You owe it to yourself to play at least one Yakuza game, and 0 is the perfect place to start.
52. Fable (2004)
While Peter Molyneux may have made some questionable decisions over the years, Fable proves what he is capable of at his best. It was the essential Xbox RPG at the time, and fans are still eagerly awaiting a trilogy box set.
In true Molyneux style, there were a number of promises made before launch that the game didn’t live up to. But what it did deliver on changed the way we think video game protagonists should interact with the world.
51. Shovel Knight (2014)
Shovel Knight kicked off the Kickstarter boom of the early 2010s by not only fulfilling but over-fulfilling its Kickstarter promises. While the base game is exceptional in its own right, it offers Mega Man style gameplay with a more forgiving checkpoint system.
Over the next three updates for the game, new playable characters were added, reworking the levels and adding so much more to the story. If you want to get into difficult 2D games, Shovel Knight is the perfect place to start.
50. Hollow Knight (2017)
If we were to teach boss design, we would make all of our students play the Mantis boss fight from Hollow Knight. Instead of any upgrade or new area to discover, this fight earns you respect of the mantis’ meaning these enemies will never attack you again.
It takes the genre to the extreme, with an enormous world filled with multiple pathways to a number of endings. Even after you reach one, you can go back and take on additional bosses to achieve a happier ending.
49. XCOM (2012)
If Thief 2 is the father of stealth games, then XCOM is the father of strategy. As a commander in the human resistance against the intruding alien invasion, you lead the people into battle.
Like Fire Emblem you level up, building bonds between your favorite soldiers only to have them cruelly ripped away in the heat of battle. Research and develop new tech to give you the advantage, XCOM is as brutal as it is satisfying.
48. Sid Meier’s Civilization 4 (2005)
As with all the games in the Civilization series, when you start this game up you know what you are getting into. We are currently on Civ 6, but 4 is often the game that 4X fans think of as the high point of the series.
The systems are complex, and yet work together perfectly to create the right depth and degree of difficulty. Whether you want to manage your empire or diplomatically negotiate a war, Civ 4 has it all.
47. Alien Isolation (2014)
Many of the games based on Alien have been a disappointment, but in 2014 Creative Assembly broke the trend by developing one of the scariest games of all time. Much like how Resident Evil 7 struck fear with the Bakers, it's the single, unkillable xenomorph at the heart of Alien Isolation that had us shaking.
Instead of scripted encounters, the xenomorph is an advanced AI that stalks you across the map. This means that Isolation is just as terrifying even on your hundredth playthrough.
46. Unpacking (2021)
If Hollow Knight is a lesson in boss fights then Unpacking is a lesson in environmental storytelling. You play as a person unpacking their things as they move through every significant juncture in their lives.
What’s so great about Unpacking, is that you find out so much about the protagonist, their thoughts and feelings, without a word ever being spoken or written. Never before have we seen someone’s life told so completely just by the things that they keep or throw away.
45. Super Mario World (1990)
While the NES games may be more fondly remembered when it comes to the Italian plumber, the fourth game on the SNES is where he entered his stride. Super Mario World has the best platforming in the series, arguably even today.
Another easy-to-play, difficult-to-master game, once you got a hang of how to use the cape you could fly through levels with ease. With all the secret levels to uncover, it’s one of the most expansive and exhilarating Mario games.
44. Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)
While creator Lucas Pope may prefer his former work – Papers, Please – people fell in love with Return of the Obra Dinn. You play an insurance broker, who determines how each member of a ship’s crew died via a snapshot of their last moments.
Obra Dinn doesn’t tell you if you got it right until you get three deaths correct, which then opens the door to more answers. Noone makes paperwork quite as exciting as Pope does.
43. Hitman 3 (2021)
While every game in the Hitman trilogy is outstanding in its own right, Hitman 3 goes above and beyond letting you play all the levels from the previous games. Every single level is intricately designed, full of NPCs and their intertwining routines and stories.
Even with this level of detail, there are still numerous ways to complete each level. From stealing the clothes off someone's back, to finding an imaginative way to approach your target, developing Hitman is like building a train track while you’re driving the train.
42. Portal (2007)
The sequel with its super fun multiplayer is probably the most popular of the two Portal games, but the original is a masterpiece in story-telling. While only a few hours long, the humor and puzzle design is simply perfection.
Our protagonist Chell, never speaks a word, but through her actions, you slowly understand the person she is. The ending is also one of the greatest plot twists in any media, so if you haven’t, go play it now.
41. Sonic 3 & Knuckles (1994)
For a game that came out originally on the Sega Mega Drive, Sonic 3 and Knuckles was so large in scope it had to be sold on two interconnecting cartridges. We thank Sega for its efforts though, and this remains the most impressive Sonic game to date.
It has three playable characters, and some of the best levels in the series. You could also plug in your Sonic 2 cartridge to play that game as Knuckles the Echidna, giving you three ways to play for the price of one.
40. Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (1999)
Despite coming out in 1999, Heroes of Might and Magic 3 completely reinvigorated the long-established turn-based strategy genre. While real-time games, like StarCraft and Age of Empires, were quickly gaining popularity, turn-based games remained stagnant.
It mixed 4X gameplay with light RPG elements to breathe life into the gameplay, and hours of engaging multiplayer added to its appeal. Expansions earned it the devotion of the modding community, and since then it has only gotten better.
39. Nier Automata (2017)
It’s hard to describe the impact that Nier Automata has on the player, and it will be different for everyone depending on how deep you venture. The game takes you on a rollercoaster of a story that questions everything from what makes us human to if you should uninstall SYSTEM32.
However, it’s the story mixed with its complex fighting mechanics which make Nier: Automata an all-time great. It will destroy you emotionally, before lifting you up with its optimistic outlook on the world.
38. Dark Souls (2011)
The phrase “the Dark Souls of…” has become a synonym for challenging, but it didn’t actually do anything that revolutionary to RPG combat. It simply slows everything down, and places an emphasis on dodging while looking for an opening to attack.
Dark Souls is difficult mostly because it plays counterintuitively to all games you know that look similar. Combine this new style of gameplay with a fantasy world thick with atmosphere, and you create a game that gamers love.
37. Stardew Valley (2016)
Taking gaming in a completely different direction, few games are able to let you relax as Stardew Valley. While farming sims are nothing new, developer Eric Barone took the Harvest Moon formula and perfected it.
Between the fishing, farming, festivals, and flirting, there is always some new goal to achieve every time you boot it up. The game is done only when you decide it to be, so you are free to escape to the valley for as long as you want.
36. Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition (2019)
While the original was released in 1999, the 2019 Definitive Edition is the best way to experience Age of Empires. The campaigns have taught its players historical lessons they wouldn’t have learned in any other setting.
Skirmish mode also allows you to build the fortress of your dreams, and also drive around in a sports car with roof-mounted machine guns. There is even a competitive esports scene for Age of Empires 2, meaning it will likely be updated for decades yet.
35. Grand Theft Auto 5 (2013)
While it’s nine years since Grand Theft Auto V first released, the fact that there have been numerous versions and upgrades since, shows Rockstar knew it was on to a winner. Fans have been eager to get their hands on a sixth game in the GTA series, GTA 5 is as popular as it always has been.
The multiplayer mode GTA Online has proven a huge success with players, as they complete heists in the sprawling open world. We can’t wait to see what Rockstar has next in store for us, but we’re sure that it’s going to be bigger and better than ever.
34. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
One of the most iconic games in the history of games let alone in The Legend of Zelda series. While it is debatable whether Ocarina or Majora’s Mask is the better game, Ocarina of Time stood out as the game which shaped all Zelda games to come.
The huge number of dungeons in the open 3D world, set this apart from its predecessors, and was truly ahead of its time. Even now, almost 25 years on, it is still thoroughly enjoyable to play.
33. FTL: Faster than Light (2012)
While roguelikes have had their fair share of love on this list FTL is one like no other. Like many roguelikes it brings with it hardcore difficulty, where you can spend hours piloting your spaceship, recruiting crew and upgrading, and still never see the end.
This all works together to give you the feeling that the next run will be the one. With so many elements to manage to ensure a safe voyage, you’ll want to try for the perfect run again and again.
32. Dishonored 2 (2016)
Dishonored 2 paints the scene of an alien and yet oddly familiar world in caricature. From the Clockwork Mansion to A Crack in the Slab, it’s jam-packed with missions which are then crammed with finer details.
The game compels you to discover more; to see what only a small number of players have ever seen. Everything feels handcrafted, and whether you pick Emily or Corvo, the world is in your hands.
31. Earthbound (1995)
The original Mother was certainly a risk for Nintendo, warping the boundaries of what an RPG should be. Stripping back the magic and positions and replacing them with hamburger and skip sandwiches, Earthbound is never what you expect.
While the gameplay and rolling damage counter were innovative at the time, it is the quirky humor that gave this game cult status. It’s a firm favorite with almost everyone who’s played it, even 30 years after its release.
30. Super Mario 64 (1996)
Platformers had been around a very long time by Super Mario 64’s release, but by giving the genre another dimension they would never be the same again. While it wasn’t the first 3D platformer, it set the standard for how they should play.
An open world with hidden levels, and so many different jumps to learn, Mario 64 set the standard for easy to play and difficult to master. It also pioneered the floating camera that follows your character, a technique used in 3D game design to this day.
29. Dragon Age: Origins (2009)
Dragon Age: Origins is one of the few RPGs that truly delivered on everything it promised. The scale is huge, and your decisions hold weight with obvious repercussions.
There are two choices for combat, either action or tactical depending on the style you favor the most. With a number of memorable fantasy characters to befriend and romance, Origins has it all.
28. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (2020)
All of the games in Xenoblade Chronicles are a masterpiece in storytelling, and the originals definitive edition is the best way to experience it. Even when its dialogue feels a little clunky, and the voice performances are a little lacking, it irresistibly pulls you into the world and connects you with its characters.
Every character is so fully-fleshed out, that each game will leave you in floods of tears by the finale. That’s not even mentioning the top-tier open-world design, engaging side quests, and unique battle system that is still fun even after 100 hours.
27. Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)
Super Smash Bros. games have come before and since Melee, but this is the game that has remained the favorite with the fanbase. There is a dedicated competitive scene that formed around it, that thrives even 20 years later.
Wavedashes, dash-dancing, L-cancelling, and even more competitively viable fighting techniques make Melee one of the fastest and most intense fighting games. With all the playable characters from all your favorite Nintendo franchises, where else can you see Kirby take down Ganondorf.
26. League of Legends (2009)
League of Legends may be over a decade old but it still remains not only one of the biggest MOBA’s but one of the biggest games in the world. It’s sharp, complex, competitive, and it all works together to create compelling gameplay.
The huge cast of characters drew in fans with a variety of different ways to battle. Every studio wishes they could compete with League in the MOBA scene, but no one even gets close.
25. Mass Effect 2 (2011)
You might have noticed we value great story-telling in this list, and the Mass Effect series offers some of gaming’s best. It peaked in Mass Effect 2, not only brought significant gameplay improvements, but the structure is a stroke of genius.
You travel the galaxy recruiting your team together, only for it to end in a suicide mission, where everyone including you can perish in just a few bad decisions. There are many games where the stakes are high, but when they become this personal it hits you where it hurts.
24. BioShock (2007)
The world of BioShock brought Steampunk back into fashion, bringing a huge number of Victorian Industrial-style games in its wake. However you feel about that, BioShock gave the world a game that balanced action and exploration perfectly, ensuring you were gripped through every moment in Rapture.
It's conflicting in its options, with different endings based on whether your morals overrode your desire for strength. 2K had no trouble questioning the political status quo, a theme it would carry on throughout the series.
23. Bloodborne (2015)
While which one of FromSoftware’s masterpieces you prefer is down to a matter of taste, Bloodborne is almost always a contender. It’s one of the most fleshed-out gaming worlds, as imposing and intimidating as the studio’s notorious difficulty.
Bloodborne plays far more aggressively than FromSoft’s previous games, as you dodge quickly and press forward with interrupting attacks. Mix all of this with the overall Victorian-era vibe, and Bloodborne becomes a firm gaming favorite.
22. Half-Life 2 (2004)
Half-Life 2 is one of the most influential games of all time and showed the power of Valve as a developer, before they stuck to maintaining Steam. With its state-of-the-art physics engine, objects moved and interacted with each other in a way they had never before in games.
It may not look shiny by today’s standards, but if you were there at the time you will know just how ground-breaking it was. At this point, Half-Life 3 appears destined to never come out, but that will never stop fans forever wanting more.
21. Doom (2016)
The original Doom cemented the first-person shooter genre in gaming history, where it remains a firm favorite with developers and fans alike. But even better than this is the 2016 reboot, which did everything gamers have long been wanting studios to do with a rebooted series.
All the staples are there, but the new system encourages aggressive gameplay, where you go immediately from slaughtering one demon to the next. There’s almost no downtime, and the heavy metal soundtrack works perfectly to keep your heart racing.
20. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
There have been a few years since the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, and yet almost no game has managed to touch it in terms of its open world and scale. Arthur Morgan, who despite his crooked tendencies is one of the most likable protagonists in all of gaming, and his story is equally heart-warming and bitter-sweet.
Every lonely shack, every cave, every landmark came with a story of its own, meaning that not only is the world vast, but also filled with character. You could spend hundreds of hours lost in the beautiful, untamed world of RDR2 and still have secrets to uncover.
19. StarCraft 2 (2010)
StarCraft 2 marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new, bigger, and better one. It revolutionized the way you designed campaign missions in real-time strategy games, offering intuitive controls that are still unmatched to this day.
This game even started off the competitive esports scene as we know it today. While it was struck with balancing issues that frustrated players, it’s now free-to-play and better than ever, crystallizing it as the ideal for RTS games.
18. Tetris (1984)
Almost no game has entered into the population’s consciousness quite the way that Tetris has. If you close your eyes, you can hear the theme tune and see the blocks falling before you.
Simple ideas crafted perfectly will always be better than some more complex that fails to hit the marks. Tetris has endured almost as long as gaming has been around, and it is still just as easy to lose yourself in it.
17. Hades (2018)
Most roguelikes suffer from the issue of player fatigue, as players face the same set of obstacles over and over. Hades breaks the mold by offering a large number of builds, and offering incentives for playing with different weapons, buffs, and handicaps.
The game truly succeeds through its story. You care about each individual character, despite the sheer number it throws at you. In Hades, the relationships you build can be even more powerful than the Gods themselves.
16. Final Fantasy 7 (1997)
Not only Final Fantasy 7 is many people’s favorite RPG, but also many people’s favorite game of all time. It has arguably the most finely tuned battle system of any Final Fantasy game, with a number of ways to synergize your team for powerful attacks.
FF7 also has one of the series’ best storylines with one of gaming’s most well-loved plot twists right in the middle of the game. The graphics style was truly innovative for the time, and paired with its memorable soundtrack, it rightly deserves to be high on anyone’s list of favorites.
15. Celeste (2018)
Celeste feels like the end point of 2D platformers. It expertly builds up the challenge ensuring nothing is too easy or too difficult to face.
Its hard-hitting story intelligently and honestly tackles mental health issues that millions can relate to.
Celeste teaches you to accept every part of who you are, even if there are parts you don’t wish to face.
It’s one of the most challenging and yet fair platformers that has ever been, making you feel as if you’ve accomplished feats you never thought possible.
14. Chrono Trigger (1995)
Chrono Trigger was one of the first games which made you feel as if your choices actually matter. With a gripping main story, the world in which protagonist Crono inhabits is fleshed out further with seemingly endless side quests.
It’s easy to miss some of the secret bosses or even the hidden party member if you attempt to blast through the game. This makes Chrono Trigger feel endlessly replayable, and with the engaging active time battle system, you’ll want to again and again.
13. God of War (2018)
We’ve already spoken about how Doom (2016) works as a perfect reboot of a classic game, and God of War (2018) can certainly join that list. It’s difficult to redeem a character like Kratos, who has murdered his family, and kills innocent people simply to open doors.
He even doomed the Greek world to seek his revenge, and yet somehow the reboot manages just that. This older, wiser Kratos has learnt from his past temper tantrum, and picked himself up to teach his son to not become the man he once was.
12. Disco Elysium (2019)
As you investigate a murder in a town somewhere that’s not quite France, you build your character to match your ideals. Just like in life, there are multiple solutions to your problems, and brute force is just as valid as intellectualism or charisma.
Even if you don’t have the stats to solve a problem in the way you would like, your success is ultimately dependent on the roll of the dice. Alongside your partner Kim Kitsuragi, it's the writing that’s the key to how real this fantastical adventure feels.
11. Minecraft (2011)
If we are talking about games that have influenced popular culture, few have done so quite like Minecraft. Not only is it the best-selling video game of all time, but it single-handedly created the YouTube gaming boom.
Another game with a simple premise done to perfection, it’s the players that tell the story of Minecraft. With the impressive mausoleums and galaxies that players have built, it’s the creativity it inspired in people that puts it high on this list.
10. Persona 5 Royal (2019)
Every game in the Persona series feels like it builds on its previous entries so it’s hard to believe that the high school simulator part of Persona was only introduced three games ago. It’s a game of two halves: one where you beef up your team and fuse together beasts to unleash powerful attacks on the monsters you find delving through dungeons.
The other is a touching story where you form unbreakable bonds with the people around you who help you develop as a person. Royal expands on the game’s best characters creating one of the biggest and best stories in RPG history, if not gaming as a whole.
9. Elden Ring (2022)
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Another game where the developer, this time FromSoftware, has built and expanded on all of the games it made prior, bringing its biggest and best experience so far. With all the hype surrounding the release of Elden Ring, it felt impossible to live up to the high expectations and yet it surpassed them.
It took the Dark Souls formula, expanded it tenfold, and added in a whole new fantasy world built by George R.R. Martin. Elden Ring offers the most approachable game from FromSoft’s challenging library, giving new players the ability to immerse themselves in the almost endless world.
8. Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Every three games Resident Evil reinvents itself creating the best of the series before gently tapering off. Resident Evil 4 took the series to a third-person perspective, allowing the player to aim more precisely, and putting the player directly in the line of fire.
Leon’s campy dialogue complements the horror perfectly to help alleviate some of the fear. Not only was Resident Evil 5 ahead of its time but it is still the best action horror game ever made.
7. Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver (2010)
Despite the many flaws of the second generation of Pokémon, it is often fondly remembered by many fans as their favorite. However, the remakes Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver do everything a good remake should.
The sprawling open world that expands over two regions, and the best boss fight in all of Pokémon remains, while adding in newer legendaries and all the mechanics Pokémon had added in since. Then you bring back fan-favorite Battle Tower, as well as new ideas such as the Pokéathlon and Voltorb Flip and you have the best Pokémon game to date.
6. Skyrim (2011)
Skyrim has had more editions released than the Oxford Dictionary and yet people continue to buy each one. That’s because in creating Skyrim, Bethesda made a world so vast that you can lead a double life exploring the snowy sandbox.
From assassinating your enemies, to a quest to pick flowers, whatever you want from a fantasy world, Skyrim provides. It launched around the same time as Game of Thrones offering a world hungry for fantastical stories exactly what they wanted.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
If you think “the Dark Souls of…” is a timeless meme then let me introduce you to the world of Breath of the Wild comparisons. What this usually means is a massive open world filled with meaningful experiences, though few other games fail to meet the high expectations Breath of the Wild left in its wake.
The main motivation is curiosity. What is over that next mountain range? Or what happens when I collect all the Korok Seeds? It takes the Zelda formula and says ‘Go on, see if you can beat Ganon?’ right from the word go.
4. The Witcher 3 (2015)
The Breath of the Wild of Western RPGs, The Witcher 3 doesn’t offer the kind of freedom or player expression that Zelda or Skyrim do. In exchange, every decision you make has a weight to it, every character you meet is fully fleshed out, and every side quest is often better quality than many other games’ main stories.
While it felt that the world could not get bigger, the two expansion packs, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine made it even better. Henry Cavill’s Netflix series introduced even more players to the joys of one of the all-time greatest games.
3. Metal Gear Solid (1998)
For many players, this was the game that opened their eyes to the potential the medium had to offer. It popularized the 3D stealth genre of games, while simultaneously surprising players over and over again.
Whether you’re lighting up lasers with cigarette smoke, switching your controller to defeat a mind-reading boss, squirting ketchup on the floor to play dead in a prison cell – Metal Gear Solid consistently subverted your expectations. While you continue to ask yourself ‘can a game really do that?’ Metal Gear Solid continues to steamroll you with new possibilities.
2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
Putting the Vania in Metroidvania marks Castlevania: Symphony of the Night as one of the most influential games in history, influencing games made even today. The fear you feel as you make your way ever closer to the next checkpoint, balancing low health in the face of a barrage of enemies is iconic.
While the way the castle (castles?) slowly unfolds the more abilities you learn is a design used in endless games. SotN is a lesson in not only gaming history, but also in great game design. One for the ages.
1. Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
The first game in the trilogy, Ico, charmed us with its delightful soundtrack and wordless story, as you lead your companion Yorda through the game.
Despite its triumphs, you never forget your first colossus, as the game throws you into the world with little context and nudges you to follow the light that reflects on your sword when you hold it in the air.
Eventually, you reach a dead end and are forced to climb, up and up until you finally crest the last verge, and there it is – a giant of rock and hair, lumbering around an otherwise empty field. You cling on its fur and climb the beast, hanging on for life when it tries to shake you off, never attacking, only defending.
In most games, you’d feel good about this, but it’s clear from the start that none of these creatures deserve your blade.
