The 40 Best Games Of All Time

Set in the United States where a cataclysmic event has unleashed dangerous creatures known as BTs, players see the story from the viewpoint of Sam as he makes his way delivering supplies to Knot City colonies and faces terrifying situations. The unique and emotional story that is told through the game stuck with many players long after the game ended, leading to a sequel being expected in 2025, as well as a film adaptation which is currently in production.

39Diablo 2

Blizzard (2000)

The Diablo franchise offers some of the most classic gameplay for dungeon crawler ARPGs, set in a dark world known as Sanctuary, where hordes of demons are continuously making the lives of all humans quite hopeless. After the hero of the first Diablo game recklessly presumed he could contain Diablo’s essence within himself, Diablo 2 picks up where that hero has become corrupted. This title includes all the most iconic characters in the franchise, including Deckard Cain, Baal, Mephisto, and more.

ong been touted as the best of the series. Originally released in 2000, the game has continued to be played by many even after Diablo 3 and Diablo 4 were released. Because of this, in 2021, Blizzard released Diablo 2: Resurrected, which is a remastered and expanded version of the same game for modern platforms.

38Grand Theft Auto 4

Rockstar (2008)

The Grand Theft Auto series is one of the most well known video games, even among people who don’t play, and GTA 4 is currently one of the most beloved for its strong emotional connection in its narrative focusing on Niko Bellic’s life. Although it is far from a happy tale, the somber story draws players in. Prior to GTA 4, Grand Theft Auto games did not have as much of an emphasis on moving, emotional stories, and yet this change struck just the right balance in narrative and gameplay.

GTA 4, unfortunately, may not be the best in the series for its driving controls, which is a significant drawback for many in a game where driving plays a large role, but the story can help make up for this. Even with less-than-perfect driving controls, the game still has solid mechanics and interesting missions, which all blend together to create an iconic game.

37Portal 2

Valve (2011)

Both Portal and Portal 2 gave players phenomenal blends of intriguing puzzle mechanics, comedy, and story with timeless and original gameplay. While both are classics worthy of being experienced, Portal 2 offers just a little bit more with two-player multiplayer, larger puzzles, and a more involved story behind the puzzles. Armed with the special portal gun, players have to make their way across levels by shooting portals into walls that can be stepped or fallen through.

36Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (KOTOR)

BioWare (2003)

There have been numerous Star Wars video games made over the years, but Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) is widely considered to be the best. The RPG from 2003 masterfully walks the line between being an iconic Star Wars tale and being an engaging game built off of a system adapted from Dungeons & Dragons. Characters in the game are crafted with deep story arcs, often full of surprises, and the use of Force powers is smooth and natural.

KOTOR gives its players the ability to customize their characters and immerse themselves in the intergalactic story. Sadly, the game is no longer considered canon in the Star Wars universe, although some of its characters are still recognized in the greater lore of the franchise.

35The Oregon Trail

Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium, 1985

Yes, that game – The Oregon Trail was a staple of growing up for many children across the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, featured in countless elementary school libraries as part of their meager PC gaming offerings. The Oregon Trail is an excellent example of the staying power of text-based gaming, having been the blueprint for other successful entries that innovated or created new features of the genre later, like Douglas Adams’ Starship Titanic.

The Oregon Trail is exactly what it sounds like, placing players in the shoes of a 19th-century pioneer traveling on the Oregon Trail. Unforgiving but interesting, many players became intimately familiar with the harsh realities facing people in that time period, such as dying from dysentery. Newer versions of The Oregon Trail have also acknowledged problematic depictions of Native Americans, cleaning up a dated perception and making the game much more accessible today.

34Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Valve, 2012

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – more popularly known as CSGO – completely changed the world of esports and tactical shooters. As the followup to the already popular Source, CSGO had big shoes to fill, but after a two-year development period, it emerged as a timeless tactical FPS that presented a more polished, accessible, and deep version of the gameplay that made Source such a staying power in PC gaming.

The biggest impact CSGO had on video games was in competition, however. Few games can lay claim to the storied history that CSGO has, and its reputation as a game of razor-thin edges and mindbending outplays from pro players like s1mple made it must-see viewing all the way up until the release of Counter-Strike 2. Even now, the legacy of CSGO can be seen in CS2‘s competitors, like Valorant, which borrow heavily from the concepts implemented in Valve’s 2012 shooter.

33Halo 3

Bungie, 2007

Unlike some other games on this list, which were more unexpected successes, everyone knew Halo 3 was going to be big from the very beginning. The third entry in a series that already had two renowned titles didn’t even launch before it was a major story – Bungie supplemented the build-up to release with developer diaries, while Microsoft spent a reported $40 million on marketing for the game. As the first Halo for the Xbox 360, and one of Microsoft’s biggest exclusive games, that gaudy budget made sense.

32Street Fighter 2 (SNES)

Capcom, 1992

One need only look at the many, many versions of Street Fighter 2 that exist to understand how important it was for both its franchise and for video games. As one of the best Street Fighter games ever made, it’s also one of the greatest of all-time in any genre. It’s widely credited as one of the most influential fighting games ever released, launching the genre to new heights in the 1990s while also helping establish a keener eye for balance among characters that helped kickstart fighting game competitions being more hotly pursued by soon-to-be professionals.

31Silent Hill 2

Team Silent, 2001

Silent Hill 2 is a survival horror game released in 2001 that, for some, still stands as the best its genre has ever produced. The premise is certainly a memorable one – protagonist James Sunderland journeys to the town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his dead wife, beginning a descent into madness that is unapologetically incisive about humanity’s flaws.

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Silent Hill 2 also left a legacy as one of the releases that really helped establish video games as an art form. It’s a debate that took decades to really settle – some would say it really hasn’t even now – but the game’s focus on symbolism, inspirations like Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and its exploration of the occult and taboo all helped cement the medium as a place that’s just as good at exploring emotion and psyche as film and literature.

30GoldenEye 007

Rare, 1997

GoldenEye 007 is the rare case of a video game adaptation surpassing its film inspiration. While little was expected of the game prior to launch, it quickly became a success, and cemented itself as one of the most influential multiplayer shooters of its era – and, later, all time. GoldenEye 007 featured a campaign mode tie-in to the film that was, in itself, an entertaining gameplay mode that would’ve already changed the perception of the adaptation, but it really was the multiplayer aspect that was revolutionary.

GoldenEye 007‘s multiplayer placed more of a focus on stealth-based, spy-like maneuvering around the map than shooters in its era. That, coupled with graphics that, at the time, were considered highly detailed and immersive, helped engage players for years and placed the Bond console adventure on the same pedestal as other N64 multiplayer greats like Mario Kart 64. Just don’t ask veterans of that era their opinion on OddJob in GoldenEye 007 unless there’s a need for an hours-long debate.

29God Of War

Santa Monica Studio, 2018

God of War‘s 2018 soft reboot launched Kratos back into the spotlight and completely changed the approach to the titular Greek god. Some of the cheesier elements of the series’ earlier entries were replaced with a greater focus on narrative, and transplanting Kratos from the Greek pantheon into Norse mythology worked wonders for creating a refreshing, innovative story for his adventure to take place within. The game follows Kratos and his son, Atreus, on what starts as a journey to spread their respective wife and mother’s ashes that eventually becomes something that could impact the world.

28Resident Evil 4

Capcom, 2005

Resident Evil 4 is one of the best video games of all time because it is also the best entry in a franchise that makes a strong case for containing multiples of them. The game follows Leon Kennedy, returning from a starring role in the also-excellent Resident Evil 2, as he attempts to rescue the United States President’s kidnapped daughter, who has been abducted by cultists.

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Resident Evil 4 complements its great narrative with over-the-shoulder third-person shooting and the usual survival horror and puzzle solving that many have come to expect from Capcom’s long-running series. In particular, the shooting in Resident Evil 4 helped elevate this entry, with tighter controls and more dynamic fights made possible by excellent mechanics. Quick time events are implemented here to great success, especially in boss fights, where a missed button press can often spell instant death for Leon.

27BioShock

2K/Irrational Games, 2007

BioShock is another entry on this list that made a strong case for video games as an art form. The game follows protagonist Jack as he survives a plane crash and ends up in the underwater city of Rapture, which has slipped from a utopian, scientifically advanced stronghold into a chaotic, war-torn place filled with genetically altered monsters and few survivors. The game grapples with heavy concepts like freedom of choice, resource control, capitalism, and much more – its inspirations range from Ayn Rand to Walt Disney.

26The Last Of Us

Naughty Dog, 2013

The Last of Us is one of many Naughty Dog games to influence the scope of video game development and reception, but it might be the best one from a studio full of hits. The Last of Us follows protagonists Joel and Ellie as they navigate the ravaged American landscape following a catastrophic outbreak of a viral fungus that mutates people into zombies. Ellie is immune from infection, and provides hope for the settlements of survivors across the country as her and Joel journey to figure out if she can be the source of a cure.

25League Of Legends

Riot Games, 2009

League of Legends‘ cultural impact can’t be overstated. The gargantuan success from developer Riot Games is genre-defining, the biggest esport in the world, and a revenue-generating machine thanks to its live-service leanings and deep pool of champions and skins. League of Legends is a MOBA game that places players in a 5v5 battle to destroy the enemy Nexus, with different roles assigned to players based on their champions’ strengths.

League of Legends is also the esport that created (arguably) the most recognizable competitive gaming player in the world – Faker. His dominance in early competitions created a narrative that made watching the game compelling viewing, as time after time, challengers would rise and fail to unseat the undisputed king of the game. That’s not to say that things haven’t changed, however, even if Faker did recently win a World Championship again – multiple reworks, graphics updates, and additions to League of Legends have made it as relevant today as it has ever been.

24Doom

id Software, 1993

Doom is a first-person shooter that changed everything in the world of gaming. Both a critical and commercial success, even its many accolades don’t accurately convey just how influential the game has been, for others in its genre and well beyond that scope.

Doom seems laughably simple today, but that doesn’t change its sublime design. Featuring quick-paced, accurate gunplay and the basics of powerups like health, ammo, and shields, it’s an addictive design that has withstood the test of time. In 1993, the game’s graphics were also revolutionary, blending 3D level design with detailed sprites to immerse players in its hellish landscape. Doom was also created by John Romero, who went on to be a visible presence in the industry and one of its first “rock star” video game developers.

23Persona 5 Royal

P-Studio, 2019

Persona 5 Royal is the best version of one of the best JRPGs ever made, adding a slew of additional content, brand-new heroes and villains, and refinements to the game’s combat and exploration that make it more palatable than its already enjoyable original offering. What felt like a victory lap before it released quickly revealed itself to be a significant upgrade, and Persona 5 Royal has become the bar against which other JRPG releases are now measured.

22Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Nintendo, 2017

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of the strongest cases for not needing to change what’s working. Already a little dated as an expanded version of a Wii U game, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has stuck around since its 2017 launch as one of the Nintendo Switch’s most consistent best-sellers, in spite of the fact that it’s basically been around since the console was released (debuting just under two months after). So what makes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continue to draw in audiences and keep people playing its brand of chaotic racing?

21Dark Souls

FromSoftware, 2011

Dark Souls isn’t the first Soulsborne game – that honor goes to FromSoftware’s Demon’s Souls – but it’s the one that put the genre on the map. It’s a third-person action roleplaying game with an absurdly high floor for difficulty, challenging the cursed undead to navigate an army of well-trained and frustrating foot soldiers only to get beaten down by a boss who is twice as hard to combat. While the gameplay loop of Dark Souls, and by extension its genre, can be daunting at first, the satisfaction of victory in this FromSoft game is unlike any other genre. We wouldn’t have Elden Ring without Dark Souls.

20Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

Neversoft, 1999

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater probably did more to make Tony Hawk a household name than the legendary skater’s long list of professional accomplishments. That’s not underselling just how ubiquitous he was in competition – it’s simply contextualizing just how much of a cultural impact THPS had when it released in 1999 as a daring take on a niche sport that opened the door for some of gaming’s best extreme sport sims (and Jet Set Radio, which may not have found as big an audience without THPS becoming so well-loved earlier).

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater had an unbelievable track list to back up its immaculate vibes. Here are just a few songs from that score:

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater allowed players to jump into courses and experiment with a wide array of true-to-life skate maneuvers, challenging them to get the hang of grinding on rails or sticking landings. Player select featured a gallery of pros and their bios, lending a feeling of legitimacy to the game. The gameplay itself was addictive and the pacing sublime; challenges could be difficult, but things never felt as frenetic as, say, a racing game, even during time trials.

19Tetris

Alexey Pajitnov, 1985

The fact that Tetris probably needs no explanation for anyone even vaguely familiar with the idea of a video game is why it’s one of the best games ever made. The simplicity of a game about rearranging falling blocks shaped in simple, four-tile designs has persisted throughout game design ever since. Match-four games? At least partially inspired by Tetris. Mobile games that hone in on one specific mechanic and get as much out of it as they can? Sounds a little like Tetris. The “less is more” approach of the game’s strong belief in its core concept remains a compelling design philosophy even now.

Tetris also helped change the perception of video games in popular culture; its accessibility and lack of main characters meant it truly was something anyone could play. The hi-score system common in arcade games was exceptional here, pitting players against the scores of their friends and creating in-house competition among families once it became available on other platforms beyond the cabinet. And there’s just something about the replayability of Tetris – not just from game-to-game on one night, but across years or decades – that exemplifies its incredible staying power and inspirational design.

18Super Metroid

Nintendo & Intelligent Systems, 1994

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Super Metroid also iterated on the formula of the original Metroid and Metroid 2: Return of Samus and evolved beyond a cool side-scrolling shooter into something more. Backtracking was made more interesting with new items and hidden rooms, and the improvements made to graphics, music, environmental design, and gameplay were all massive leaps forward for the series. While its predecessors laid the groundwork for metroidvania, Super Metroid built the monument.

17Slay The Spire

Mega Crit, 2019

Slay the Spire is a roguelike deck-building game that is the reason that description feels so commonplace when discussing indie darlings in the 2020s. It’s a dazzling spin on strategy and metaprogression that has become the blueprint for many studios chasing a similar combination of replayability and deft design. Even now, with so many excellent games competing in that niche space, Slay the Spire is the game that many think of when they’re asked to name a deck-builder.

Slay the Spire allows players to choose between playable classes of character and embark on a dungeon run with a set deck assigned to each class. They can manipulate these runs by altering their deck, whether its by adding or removing cards, upgrading them, or by changing mechanics from the outside with items and accessories that can significantly switch a strategy’s potency depending on when it’s found.

Death is expected in Slay the Spire and gradual learning and unlocks make things easier, creating a satisfying gameplay loop that maintains interest across hundreds of runs – not to mention leaderboards and difficulty increases that only add to that replayability more.

16The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

Bethesda Game Studios, 2011

Long before it was the punchline of many jokes about video game ports, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim was a revolutionary video game that completely shifted our understanding of open-world design and quest progression. Skyrim puts players in the role of the Dovahkin (Dragonborn), a chosen one protagonist meant to save the land from the threat of dragons. A simple fantasy approach quickly becomes lost in a dizzying, expanding landscape that contains possibilities all over the place – and no need to chase anything at a specific time, creating a lot of side journeys along the way.

15Pokémon Red & Blue

Game Freak, 1998

Pokémon Red and Blue are the Western adaptations of Pokémon Red and Green, which were released two years earlier in Japan. We’re choosing these games because they represent the moment when Pokémon became a global phenomenon in the world of video games, a year when Pikachu became a mascot that rivaled even Mickey Mouse in how often kids were talking about it.

Pokémon Red and Blue introduced the world to creature battling and training, two gameplay design elements that have become immensely potent whenever done well. The RPG systems and battle design at play in Game Freak’s early efforts are also remarkable for how little they’ve needed to be changed in the decades that have passed, with stat values, move set designs, evolutions, and more simply getting iterated on rather than outright replaced.

Then there’s the trading and friend battling element – something that dominated playground discussions for years and creates a sense of connection between players who just want to share their love of their imaginary pets with other like-minded trainers. So much of Pokémon understands that creating a connection between the people in its community is important, and to get it so right in its first try – spawning a series of games that remain, to this day, similar to their first entry in the franchise – is nothing short of incredible.

14Super Mario World

Nintendo, 1991

Super Mario World was the first Mario game for the SNES, and took full advantage of the console’s impressive capabilities. The game is considered one of the best in franchise history, and was a killer app for the SNES, helping propel that console to great sales numbers and a lasting reputation as a classic. There’s also the matter of Super Mario World‘s sales in its own right – the game was the best-selling SNES title of all-time, moving more than 20 million copies across the globe and constantly receiving ports and remasters across console generations.

13Super Mario Bros.

Nintendo, 1985

Super Marios Bros. isn’t just one of the best games ever made – it might have also saved the games industry. Following the 1983 recession in the industry, developers were looking for something that could alter the perception of video games for the better. Super Mario Bros., alongside the NES, did just that – beyond just making the side-scrolling genre a force to be reckoned with, it also introduced other major elements that would go on to become staples of platformers, like co-op play, tutorial levels, innovative power-ups, and even music that was memorable rather than an afterthought.

12World Of Warcraft

Blizzard Entertainment, 2004

World of Warcraft fundamentally changed the way people experience video games. The MMORPG genre wasn’t new – EverQuest, for instance, had been a staple just years prior – but the sheer reach of the cultural phenomenon that was WoW completely altered the perception of online play. People were making friends, meeting romantic partners, forming progression groups across multiple continents, and treating content seriously enough to consider it a job. World of Warcraft was a force, and it rapidly evolved the online communities in video games such that it garnered an absurd number of subscribers, hitting 1.5 million active players in 2005 before exceeding 10 million in 2007.

11Metal Gear Solid

Konami, 1998

Metal Gear Solid served as the introduction for most of the world to Solid Snake, despite it being his third game overall. The plot was crucial to perceiving more video games as cinematic experiences on par with, or at least adjacent to, film – and the in-engine cutscenes helped further drive that point home.

Metal Gear Solid is also credited as the innovator of the stealth and espionage genre of gaming. Having players actively avoid combat was a novel idea, and one that, executed as well as it was in MGS, became an inspiration for developers to continue to push what a video game can do. Finally, Metal Gear Solid also helped take Hideo Kojima’s career to the next level, which, decades later, has yielded a slew of beloved Metal Gear Solid sequels and a game in Death Stranding that once again challenged genre conventions and innovated in new spaces.

10The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Nintendo, 2017

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild isn’t just one of the best games of all-time, it’s comfortably the best console launch title ever, too. Released alongside the Nintendo Switch as the first game for the system – as well as the last for the Wii U – it was the first major console release for the series since Skyward Sword. After five years of development and the recruitment of Monolith Soft to help design the new-look world of Hyrule, Breath of the Wild set out to innovate The Legend of Zelda in a way that hadn’t happened since it made the leap to 3D.

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Breath of the Wild later became an inspiration for countless other titles, from Genshin Impact‘s spin on open-world live-service gameplay, to the crafting and weapon damage mechanics in other popular titles, and even endearing indie games built entirely around emergent exploration like Tchia and Sable. Breath of the Wild also spawned a sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, that rivaled it in terms of expansiveness and awe-inspiring freedom. The impact of Breath of the Wild is one we still haven’t fully felt, but it’s a milestone achievement in the industry.

9Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age

Square Enix, 2017

If Breath of the Wild was innovative in breathtaking ways, Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age was traditionalist in a surprisingly effective manner. It’s the Dragon Quest game that finally helped it fully break through in the West, which is especially amusing given how little it changed about its identity to achieve that fact.

For all its adherence to tradition, though, Dragon Quest 11 is an incredible JRPG that maximizes the qualities of its genre that have made it one that continously spawns exciting releases. Excellent graphics that never lose the charm of Akira Toriyama’s design work, a beautiful story teeming with fully realized characters, and turn-based combat true to the series’ identity that keeps things fresh all make a strong case for this as not only the most popular Dragon Quest, but also the best.

8Baldur’s Gate 3

Larian Studios, 2023

Baldur’s Gate 3 is Larian Studios’ masterwork; an obvious blend of everything the studio had learned up to that point through the Divinity: Original Sin franchise, combined with the potency of Wizards of the Coast’s dark, gritty fantasy IP.

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The result is nothing short of one of the best RPGs ever made. Baldur’s Gate 3‘s sprawling choices, which can begin as early as the first few hours of the beginning act and impact something nearer the end of the game, are mind-boggling in their sheer number. The tactical gameplay in BG3 makes everything seem possible, from spilling water to create a surface to conduct electricity to simply punting a goblin off a bridge. Characters all receive their own intricate storylines that are more than they appear to be, and the character customization system for original heroes – whether appearance or skill – is deep enough to warrant multiple playthroughs in spite of its staggering playtime.

7Fallout: New Vegas

Obsidian Entertainment, 2010

Fallout: New Vegas is a landmark RPG in the series that Bethesda popularized, but it was actually developed by Obsidian Entertainment – at that point, perhaps best known for its work on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords. To say it was under-appreciated at launch would be a stretch – it won awards for RPG categories and sold well – but in the time after it released, it has garnered a much greater and widely shared reputation as perhaps the best Fallout game and one of the best RPGs ever made.

put in the shoes of a character referred to as the Courier as they navigate the post-apocalyptic landscape of the Mojave Desert, which includes a rebuilt Sin City known as New Vegas. The story is a tightly-knit narrative with betrayals, surprises, and wonderfully written characters – arguably the best and most compact Fallout narrative. It’s huge world and improved gameplay (from Fallout 3 specifically) made it a step up in many’s eyes, though perhaps time has softened the largest criticism of the game on its way to becoming a cult classic and RPG standout – its many bugs and glitches are a detriment to its experience, though not an uncommon feature in these kinds of ambitious games.

6Stardew Valley

ConcernedApe, 2016

Stardew Valley is perhaps the best game that never should have managed to get made – it was developed by Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone as a solo project that took four years to create. Somehow, what he managed to individually craft was one of the greatest life sim games ever made, stretching the concept of genre giants like Story of Seasons and creating something much more captivating in scope. The game has sold over 30 million copies by 2024, making it one of the bestselling games ever made also.

Stardew Valley sees a player move to the small village of Pelican Town after inheriting a farm. They are then free to develop a farm type of their choice while also clearing debris and fixing up their property. Along the way, they can develop meaningful relationships with townsfolk, fish, cook, craft, explore caves, and even conceive or adopt a child. Stardew Valley took a genre that had mostly been dominated by Story of Seasons and shook things up on the way to dramatically increasing its reach, and the game is still immensely popular eight years after its release thanks to its timeless nature.

5Final Fantasy 7

Square, 1997

Final Fantasy 7 is one of the best video games ever made, at least in part, because of what it represents for both its franchise and for the landscape of development as a whole. The leap into 3D graphics revitalized the Final Fantasy series and popularized it in the West, while also serving as a demonstration of the scope now afforded to those making games when it came to eye-popping visuals and character designs.

Of course, Final Fantasy 7 is also one of the best RPGs ever. Featuring a Materia system that provided inspiration for a number of RPG talent trees and skill distribution ideas, the combat was sublime, with some memorable boss battles and side quests thrown in to heighten difficulty. The many minigames present in FF7 also set the bar for future releases in the genre, popularizing the idea of the RPG as a game capable of housing many different influences, even if only sporadically.

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The OST remains memorable, with plenty of remixes on top of the original versions getting play to this day. And the characters – Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa and Aerith were some of the most interesting gaming characters ever, and the latter’s spoiler-laden moment was a turning point in gaming stories forever. The fingerprints of Final Fantasy 7 are everywhere in gaming, far beyond just its own genre, and as of this writing, it’s even changing the industry once again with sublime remakes that are challenging conventional retellings.

4Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar Games, 2018

Red Dead Redemption 2 might be Rockstar’s masterpiece – which is saying a lot, given the pedigree of the developer behind the Grand Theft Auto series. If there’s one thing that RDR2 did to solidify development standards, it’s that when given the choice between implementing an extra, obscure detail and not, it should always be the former. The game’s reputation as a classic is perhaps only surpassed by its perception as one of the most detailed games ever created, including physics for horses and the fictional American Western environment that took months or years to be discovered. It’s the type of game people explore for years and find new parts of.

3Minecraft

Mojang Studios, 2011

Minecraft goes beyond just being one of the best video games of all-time – it might be the most influential, it’s certainly one of the most creative, and it also has a strong case for being one of the best social games, too. For a game that’s about endless possibilities, it’s appropriate that it can seemingly do it all. The little, blocky, sometimes aesthetically challenged sandbox game first appeared on people’s radars in 2009 before it was fully launched in 2011. Since then, it has never looked back, expanding its cultural impact and challenging would-be artists to create increasingly more impossible adaptations of real-world or fictional locations within Minecraft.

2The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

Nintendo, 1998

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of the biggest reasons the franchise remained as relevant and well-loved as it did until Breath of the Wild. It laid the groundwork for so much of what made a 3D Legend of Zelda game what it was: the jump in graphics; the larger, more ambitious representations of Hyrule; the overworld exploration that complemented the busywork in between dungeon exploration; the actual dungeons themselves, which have become iconic in gaming, especially the Water Temple; the list goes on, but it’s an extensive one, and the blueprint was sketched out in this 1998 N64 release.

1Elden Ring

FromSoftware, 2022

FromSoftware is one of the few studios to grace this list twice, and its keeping good company among Nintendo and Rockstar Games. Everything Dark Souls did for its genre was innovated on, improved upon, and made grander with the release of Elden Ring, a 2022 juggernaut that redefined what was possible in a Soulslike.

It also featured a story that was collaborated on by George R. R. Martin, and Elden Ring‘s lore is perhaps the best its studio has ever produced. That isn’t to say it’s any less obscure than previous Souls titles, but its lore-rich, impossibly huge universe created a foundation expanded upon by gorgeous renderings of a diverse landscape. Enemy designs are memorable and often tied directly to their location, so each area has its own version of Dark Souls 2‘s Frozen Reindeer.

A content-rich gameplay design also features an incredible variety in builds for the player to explore, and Elden Ring features what might be the best ability system in a FromSoft game yet. While combat remains just as difficult as one might expect from the studio, the ability to turn around and inspect a whole other corner of a sprawling map if something was too challenging helps keep the game more approachable. The existence of side content dungeons and other small surprises to discover also rewards this exploration, so the gameplay loop fuels all of its best elements on its own.

The hardest part of analyzing Elden Ring in 2024 is that its impact on gaming is still very much in flux. In fact, its legacy isn’t even set in stone, with the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC on the horizon. It’s absolutely one of the best games ever made – arguably the best ever – but its recency makes it hard to fully understand what it’s done for the industry as a whole without more time for retrospectives. What we do know is this: Elden Ring changed gaming forever with best-in-class open-world design, combat depth, story-telling, and environmental aesthetic. Whatever surpasses it – and that will happen – will somehow be even better, and we simply can’t wait.