The 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time

Tetris (Russian: Тетрис) is a puzzle video game created by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet software engineer, in the mid-1980s. In Tetris, falling pieces consisting of four connected blocks, known as tetrominoes, must be sorted into a pile. Once a horizontal line of the playfield is filled with blocks, the line disappears, granting points and preventing the pile from reaching the top.

Polygon 500 #1 · TIME #1 · Next Gen '96 #2 · Rolling Stone #2 · Game Informer #3 · Slant #5 · EDGE #7 · gamesTM #10 · IGN #28 · 1001 Games

Doom is another name for damnation.

Polygon 500 #4 · TIME #4 · Game Informer #13 · Rolling Stone #13 · Next Gen '96 #19 · IGN #29 · gamesTM #29 · Slant #30 · EDGE #53 · 1001 Games · HG101

Super Mario 64 is a 1996 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the first Super Mario game to feature 3D gameplay, combining traditional Super Mario gameplay, visual style, and characters in a large open world. In the game, Bowser invades Princess Peach's castle, kidnaps her, and hides the castle's Power Stars in different worlds inside magical paintings.

Next Gen '96 #1 · TIME #2 · IGN #7 · EDGE #14 · Polygon 500 #16 · Slant #17 · Game Informer #69 · Metacritic #89 · gamesTM #92 · 1001 Games

Super Metroid is a 1994 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the third Metroid game, following the Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991).

IGN #5 · Polygon 500 #10 · Rolling Stone #10 · gamesTM #11 · Slant #13 · Game Informer #20 · EDGE #26 · 1001 Games · HG101

Resident Evil 4 is a 2005 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the GameCube. Players control the special agent Leon S. Kennedy on a mission to rescue the president of the United States's daughter, Ashley Graham, who has been abducted by a religious cult in rural Spain.

gamesTM #7 · Slant #8 · EDGE #10 · Guardian 21C #15 · Metacritic #20 · Rolling Stone #27 · Game Informer #34 · Polygon 500 #36 · IGN #40 · TIME #46 · 1001 Games · HG101

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a 1998 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was the first Legend of Zelda game with 3D graphics. It was released in Japan and North America in November 1998 and in PAL regions the following month.

Metacritic #1 · TIME #3 · EDGE #9 · Slant #11 · gamesTM #27 · IGN #34 · Polygon 500 #39 · Game Informer #39 · 1001 Games · DICE GOTY

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a 2017 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo EPD for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch. Set near the end of the Zelda timeline, it follows Link as he sets out to save Princess Zelda and prevent Calamity Ganon from destroying the world. The player explores the open world of Hyrule, collects items, and completes objectives such as puzzles and side quests.

EDGE #1 · IGN #1 · Rolling Stone #1 · Guardian 21C #2 · Metacritic #6 · gamesTM #38 · Slant #43 · Game Informer #100 · HG101 · TGA GOTY · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY

The Last of Us is an action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic United States ravaged by cannibalistic humans infected by a mutated fungus in the genus Cordyceps.

EDGE #4 · Rolling Stone #5 · gamesTM #12 · IGN #17 · Guardian 21C #24 · Game Informer #25 · Slant #35 · Metacritic #45 · Polygon 500 #177 · HG101 · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY · BAFTA

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‍ is a 2015 action role-playing game developed and published by CD Projekt. It is the sequel to the 2011 game The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and the third game in The Witcher video game series, played in an open world with a third-person perspective. The games follow the Witcher series of fantasy novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.

Guardian 21C #5 · Game Informer #10 · Rolling Stone #15 · IGN #16 · gamesTM #17 · Slant #42 · Polygon 500 #54 · EDGE #56 · Metacritic #165 · HG101 · TGA GOTY · GDC GOTY

Super Mario World is a 1990 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was released in Japan in 1990, in North America in 1991 and PAL territories in 1992. The player controls Mario on his quest to save Princess Peach and Dinosaur Land from the series' antagonist Bowser and the Koopalings.

IGN #2 · Rolling Stone #4 · EDGE #16 · Slant #22 · gamesTM #24 · Game Informer #26 · Polygon 500 #34 · 1001 Games

Mass Effect 2 is a 2010 action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Microsoft Game Studios and Electronic Arts. It was released for Windows and the Xbox 360 in January 2010, as well as the PlayStation 3 the following year. It is the second installment in the Mass Effect series and a sequel to the original Mass Effect.

IGN #6 · gamesTM #13 · Game Informer #19 · Slant #20 · Guardian 21C #21 · Metacritic #24 · Rolling Stone #26 · Polygon 500 #50 · EDGE #61 · 1001 Games · DICE GOTY · BAFTA

Grand Theft Auto V is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV, and the fifteenth instalment overall.

EDGE #3 · Rolling Stone #3 · Game Informer #4 · Guardian 21C #6 · Metacritic #10 · IGN #12 · gamesTM #20 · Polygon 500 #37 · Slant #44

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a 1991 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the third game in The Legend of Zelda series, following Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987). It was released in Japan in 1991, and in North America and Europe in 1992.

Game Informer #1 · gamesTM #1 · IGN #4 · Polygon 500 #20 · Slant #24 · EDGE #35 · Rolling Stone #47 · 1001 Games

Shadow of the Colossus is a 2005 action-adventure game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It takes place in a fantasy setting and follows Wander, a young man who enters an isolated and abandoned region of the realm seeking the power to revive a girl named Mono.

Slant #4 · gamesTM #16 · Guardian 21C #30 · Rolling Stone #38 · IGN #39 · EDGE #40 · Polygon 500 #48 · Game Informer #83 · 1001 Games · HG101 · GDC GOTY

Red Dead Redemption is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. A successor to 2004's Red Dead Revolver, it is the second game in the Red Dead series. Red Dead Redemption is set during the decline of the American frontier in the year 1911.

Game Informer #8 · Slant #10 · EDGE #15 · gamesTM #26 · TIME #34 · IGN #37 · Metacritic #51 · Polygon 500 #224 · 1001 Games · HG101 · GDC GOTY

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a 2011 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), and was released worldwide for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011. Skyrim was developed using the Creation Engine.

Game Informer #9 · Rolling Stone #9 · Guardian 21C #11 · Metacritic #27 · EDGE #28 · IGN #41 · Polygon 500 #73 · 1001 Games · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY

Bloodborne is a 2015 action role-playing game, developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. The game follows a Hunter through the decrepit Gothic, Victorian-era inspired city of Yharnam, whose inhabitants are afflicted with a blood-borne disease.

EDGE #5 · Guardian 21C #10 · IGN #19 · gamesTM #22 · Game Informer #32 · Metacritic #150 · Polygon 500 #259 · HG101

Final Fantasy VI, titled Final Fantasy III in its initial North American release, is a 1994 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Slant #2 · Game Informer #6 · Polygon 500 #11 · TIME #12 · gamesTM #19 · IGN #44 · Metacritic #201 · 1001 Games · HG101

Super Mario Bros. 3 is a 1988 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released in Japan on October 23, 1988, in North America on February 12, 1990, and in Europe on August 29, 1991.

Polygon 500 #2 · Game Informer #2 · Slant #3 · gamesTM #6 · IGN #11 · 1001 Games · HG101

Halo: Combat Evolved is a 2001 first-person shooter game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game was released on November 15, 2001 for the Xbox, with ports to Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X released in 2003. It is the first installment in the Halo franchise.

Guardian 21C #7 · Rolling Stone #11 · Metacritic #14 · TIME #25 · IGN #32 · gamesTM #32 · Polygon 500 #42 · Game Informer #65 · 1001 Games · DICE GOTY

World of Warcraft (WoW) is a 2004 massively multiplayer online role-playing (MMORPG) video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows and macOS. Set in the Warcraft fantasy universe, World of Warcraft takes place within the fictional planet Azeroth, approximately four years after the events of the previous game in the series, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

Game Informer #5 · Polygon 500 #7 · gamesTM #9 · TIME #10 · Rolling Stone #12 · Guardian 21C #13 · IGN #47 · Metacritic #135 · 1001 Games

Portal 2 is a 2011 first person puzzle-platform game developed by Valve for Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The retail versions and PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were distributed by Electronic Arts. A port for the Nintendo Switch was released as part of the Portal: Companion Collection in June 2022.

IGN #3 · Guardian 21C #8 · Slant #15 · TIME #38 · Metacritic #52 · gamesTM #62 · Polygon 500 #84 · Game Informer #147 · 1001 Games · HG101 · BAFTA

Chrono Trigger is a 1995 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the first installment of the Chrono series. The game's plot follows a group of adventurers who travel through time to prevent a global catastrophe.

Slant #6 · Game Informer #16 · gamesTM #23 · IGN #24 · Rolling Stone #40 · Polygon 500 #62 · Metacritic #189 · 1001 Games · HG101

Minecraft is a sandbox game developed and published by the Swedish company Mojang Studios. Following its initial public alpha release as an early access title in 2009, it was formally released in November 2011 for personal computers. The game has since been ported to numerous platforms, including mobile devices and various video game consoles.

TIME #6 · Polygon 500 #8 · EDGE #11 · Game Informer #12 · Rolling Stone #28 · IGN #33 · gamesTM #97 · Metacritic #108 · 1001 Games

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is a 1997 action role-playing game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It is a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, set four years after its events. It was directed and produced by Toru Hagihara, with Koji Igarashi acting as assistant director.

IGN #14 · Polygon 500 #18 · Slant #28 · gamesTM #39 · Game Informer #43 · Rolling Stone #48 · EDGE #70 · 1001 Games · HG101

Journey or journeying may refer to…

Polygon 500 #27 · gamesTM #34 · Slant #40 · EDGE #47 · Guardian 21C #48 · IGN #58 · Game Informer #79 · Metacritic #191 · 1001 Games · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY

Portal may refer to…

gamesTM #4 · EDGE #13 · Polygon 500 #17 · IGN #23 · Game Informer #30 · Slant #38 · 1001 Games · GDC GOTY

Ms. Pac-Man is a 1982 maze video game developed by General Computer Corporation (GCC) and published by Midway Manufacturing for arcades. It is a sequel to Pac-Man (1980), and the first entry in the series to not be made by Namco.

TIME #5 · Polygon 500 #6 · Game Informer #11 · Next Gen '96 #12 · Rolling Stone #32 · Slant #48 · IGN #53 · 1001 Games

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a 2007 first-person shooter game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. It is the fourth main installment in the Call of Duty series. The game breaks away from the World War II setting of previous entries and is instead set in modern times.

Game Informer #7 · gamesTM #8 · Rolling Stone #22 · Guardian 21C #32 · IGN #63 · Metacritic #71 · EDGE #82 · Polygon 500 #88 · 1001 Games · DICE GOTY

EarthBound, originally released in Japan as Mother 2: Gīgu no Gyakushū, is a 1994 role-playing video game developed by Ape Inc. (now Creatures Inc.) and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Slant #16 · Polygon 500 #29 · IGN #50 · EDGE #67 · gamesTM #78 · Game Informer #87 · 1001 Games · HG101

Metroid Prime is a 2002 action-adventure game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the fifth main Metroid game, and the first to use 3D computer graphics and a first-person perspective. It was released in North America in November 2002 and in Japan and Europe the following year.

Slant #7 · Metacritic #11 · Rolling Stone #41 · IGN #42 · gamesTM #50 · EDGE #72 · Game Informer #113 · Polygon 500 #151 · 1001 Games · HG101 · GDC GOTY

Metal Gear (Japanese: METAL GEAR(メタルギア), Hepburn: Metaru Gia) is a Japanese franchise of action-adventure stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, Metal Gear, was released in 1987 for MSX home computers.

gamesTM #2 · Rolling Stone #7 · Polygon 500 #25 · IGN #36 · Metacritic #78 · Game Informer #92 · 1001 Games

BioShock is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston (later Irrational Games) and 2K Australia, and published by 2K. The first game in the BioShock series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 platforms in August 2007; a PlayStation 3 port by Irrational, 2K Marin, 2K Australia and Digital Extremes was released in October 2008.

gamesTM #14 · Game Informer #15 · Metacritic #17 · IGN #18 · TIME #42 · Slant #49 · EDGE #83 · Polygon 500 #115 · 1001 Games · BAFTA

StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment.

Polygon 500 #13 · gamesTM #18 · Slant #26 · Game Informer #38 · IGN #48 · 1001 Games · HG101

Diablo II is a 2000 action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, Classic Mac OS, and OS X. The game, with its dark fantasy and horror themes, was conceptualized and designed by David Brevik and Erich Schaefer, who, with Max Schaefer, acted as project leads on the game.

Game Informer #17 · Rolling Stone #17 · TIME #21 · gamesTM #31 · Polygon 500 #38 · IGN #49 · 1001 Games · HG101 · DICE GOTY

Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation. The seventh main installment in the Final Fantasy series, it was released in Japan by Square and internationally by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first game in the main series to have a PAL release.

Rolling Stone #8 · Slant #18 · TIME #24 · gamesTM #68 · Polygon 500 #70 · Game Informer #80 · IGN #98 · Metacritic #188 · 1001 Games

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the second game in the Uncharted series.

gamesTM #5 · Guardian 21C #16 · Metacritic #19 · Rolling Stone #29 · IGN #57 · Game Informer #112 · Polygon 500 #126 · 1001 Games · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY

Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Directed and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, it is the successor to the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros.

TIME #8 · IGN #21 · Polygon 500 #21 · gamesTM #56 · Game Informer #66 · 1001 Games

Dark Souls is a dark fantasy, action role-playing game series developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the series began with the release of Dark Souls (2011) and has seen two sequels, Dark Souls II (2014) and Dark Souls III (2016).

EDGE #2 · Guardian 21C #3 · Slant #25 · Polygon 500 #40 · IGN #80 · Game Informer #102 · 1001 Games

GoldenEye 007 is a 1997 first-person shooter game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is based on the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, with the player controlling the secret agent James Bond to prevent a criminal syndicate from using a satellite weapon.

Metacritic #18 · TIME #22 · Polygon 500 #60 · Game Informer #68 · gamesTM #72 · Slant #73 · IGN #77 · 1001 Games · DICE GOTY

Super Smash Bros. Melee is a 2001 crossover fighting game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second installment in the Super Smash Bros.

Slant #14 · Guardian 21C #38 · Game Informer #50 · Polygon 500 #71 · Metacritic #168 · 1001 Games · HG101

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a 2010 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It was first announced at E3 2009 and is the sequel to 2007's Super Mario Galaxy. Much like the first game, the story follows Mario as he pursues the Koopa King, Bowser, into outer space, where he has imprisoned Princess Peach and taken control of the universe using Power Stars and Grand Stars.

Metacritic #3 · EDGE #8 · Slant #56 · Polygon 500 #59 · Game Informer #98 · 1001 Games · HG101

Donkey Kong is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. It follows the adventures of Donkey Kong, a large, powerful gorilla, and other members of the Kong family of simians. Donkey Kong games include the original arcade game trilogy by Nintendo R&D1; the Donkey Kong Country series by Rare and Retro Studios; and the Mario vs.

TIME #28 · Game Informer #33 · Polygon 500 #35 · Next Gen '96 #50 · gamesTM #51 · IGN #71 · 1001 Games

Super Mario Kart is a 1992 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The first game in the Mario Kart series, it was released in Japan on August 27, 1992, North America on September 1, 1992, and Europe on January 21, 1993. Selling 8.76 million copies worldwide, the game went on to become the fourth best-selling SNES game of all time.

TIME #33 · Game Informer #35 · Next Gen '96 #37 · gamesTM #43 · Polygon 500 #45 · Slant #58 · 1001 Games

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior is a 1991 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcades. It is the second installment in the Street Fighter series, and the sequel to 1987's Street Fighter. Designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and Akira Yasuda, who had previously worked on the game Final Fight, it is the fourteenth game to use Capcom's CP System arcade system board.

Next Gen '96 #7 · Polygon 500 #9 · Game Informer #14 · Rolling Stone #14 · IGN #22 · gamesTM #30 · Slant #67

Overwatch (abbreviated as OW) is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Overwatch was released in 2016. Overwatch 2 was released in 2023 and the original game was taken offline upon its release, though Blizzard renamed it back to Overwatch in 2026.

Game Informer #23 · Guardian 21C #41 · EDGE #49 · IGN #56 · Polygon 500 #198 · TGA GOTY · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY

Spelunky is a 2008 platform video game created by independent developer Derek Yu and released as source-available freeware for Microsoft Windows. It was remade for the Xbox 360 in 2012, with ports of the new version following for various platforms, including back to Microsoft Windows.

Polygon 500 #30 · Slant #36 · Guardian 21C #36 · EDGE #37 · gamesTM #105 · Game Informer #163 · 1001 Games

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a 2004 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. It was released in late 2004 in North America and Japan, and in early 2005 in Europe and Australia.

gamesTM #25 · IGN #27 · Slant #41 · Game Informer #49 · Polygon 500 #204 · 1001 Games · HG101

Batman: Arkham Asylum is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman and written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, Arkham Asylum was inspired by the long-running comic book mythos.

gamesTM #33 · Guardian 21C #34 · Game Informer #52 · Slant #60 · Metacritic #175 · Polygon 500 #210 · 1001 Games · BAFTA

Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It is the first 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto series. Set in Liberty City, loosely based on New York City, the game follows Claude, a silent protagonist who becomes entangled in a world of crime, drugs, gang warfare, and corruption while pursuing revenge against his ex-girlfriend.

Polygon 500 #12 · Metacritic #12 · TIME #16 · gamesTM #48 · Game Informer #51 · 1001 Games · GDC GOTY

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) is a media franchise of role-playing video games created and developed by BioWare. Games have been released on the original Xbox, Windows, OS X, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iOS, Android and Nintendo Switch. The franchise takes place in the fictional universe of Star Wars by George Lucas.

gamesTM #37 · IGN #46 · Game Informer #55 · Polygon 500 #81 · Metacritic #87 · 1001 Games · GDC GOTY

System Shock 2 is a 1999 action role-playing and survival horror video game designed by Ken Levine and co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios. Originally intended to be a standalone title, its story was changed during production into a sequel to the 1994 game System Shock.

Game Informer #60 · gamesTM #80 · IGN #83 · Metacritic #163 · Polygon 500 #176 · 1001 Games · HG101

Half-life is a mathematical and scientific description of exponential or gradual decay.

Metacritic #28 · IGN #31 · Polygon 500 #52 · Game Informer #103 · 1001 Games

Silent Hill 2 is a 2001 survival horror video game developed by Konami's Team Silent and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. The second installment in the Silent Hill series, Silent Hill 2 centers on James Sunderland, a widower who journeys to the town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his dead wife.

Slant #12 · Guardian 21C #37 · gamesTM #44 · IGN #67 · Polygon 500 #83 · Game Informer #199 · 1001 Games

Final Fantasy Tactics is a 1997 tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan in June 1997 and in North America in January 1998 by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the first game of the Tactics sub-series within the Final Fantasy franchise, and the first entry set in the fictional world later known as Ivalice.

Slant #29 · Game Informer #74 · gamesTM #77 · Polygon 500 #106 · 1001 Games · HG101

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the Red Dead series and a prequel to the 2010 game Red Dead Redemption.

IGN #8 · Metacritic #9 · Rolling Stone #16 · Guardian 21C #18

Civilization IV (also known as Sid Meier's Civilization IV) is a 2005 4X turn-based strategy video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K. It is the fourth installment of the Civilization series and was designed by Soren Johnson. It was released in North America, Europe, and Australia, between October 25 and November 4, 2005, and followed by Civilization V.

TIME #11 · Game Informer #24 · EDGE #74 · gamesTM #91 · Polygon 500 #159 · 1001 Games · HG101

Planescape: Torment is a 1999 role-playing video game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment for Windows. The game takes place in locations from the multiverse of Planescape, a Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy campaign setting.

Slant #19 · gamesTM #52 · Game Informer #86 · Polygon 500 #170 · 1001 Games · HG101

Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and the eleventh entry overall.

Metacritic #4 · Guardian 21C #19 · gamesTM #87 · Polygon 500 #95 · Game Informer #108 · 1001 Games

Hades (; Ancient Greek: ᾍδης, romanised: Hā́idēs, Attic Greek: [háːi̯dεːs], later [háːdeːs]), in the ancient Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the dead and riches and the King of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also made him the last son to be regurgitated by his father.

IGN #13 · Rolling Stone #49 · Metacritic #128 · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY · BAFTA

The Sims is a series of life simulation video games developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts (EA). The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and is one of the best-selling video game series of all time. It is also part of the larger Sim series, started by SimCity in 1989.

Guardian 21C #17 · Rolling Stone #24 · TIME #31 · Polygon 500 #43 · Metacritic #154 · 1001 Games · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY

A god of war is a deity associated with war.

IGN #25 · Rolling Stone #39 · Game Informer #40 · Metacritic #56 · Slant #84 · Polygon 500 #322 · 1001 Games · DICE GOTY

Baldur's Gate 3 (also known as BG3 and Baldur's Gate III) is a role-playing video game by Larian Studios. It is the third installment in the Baldur's Gate series. The game's full release for Windows happened on August 3, 2023, with PlayStation 5, macOS, and Xbox Series X/S later in the same year.

Metacritic #21 · TGA GOTY · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY · BAFTA

Fallout 3 is a 2008 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game, which was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, is set in the Washington metropolitan area 200 years after a devastating nuclear war. The player controls a 19 year old character who leaves a fallout shelter in search of their missing father.

Rolling Stone #21 · TIME #36 · Game Informer #42 · Metacritic #116 · gamesTM #121 · Polygon 500 #186 · 1001 Games · GDC GOTY

The Legend of Zelda is a video game series created by Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, but some installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flagship, Grezzo, and Tantalus Media.

Polygon 500 #3 · TIME #7 · Game Informer #58 · 1001 Games

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a 2002 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. An installment in The Legend of Zelda series, it was released in Japan on December 13, 2002, in North America on March 23, 2003, and in Europe on May 2, 2003. The game is set on a group of islands in a vast sea, a departure for the series.

Metacritic #30 · EDGE #31 · gamesTM #45 · Slant #52 · Polygon 500 #119 · 1001 Games

Deus Ex is a series of action role-playing video games, originally developed by Ion Storm (2000-2003) and later Eidos-Montréal (2011-2017). The series began with the titular first game published by Eidos Interactive in 2000, and continued in three further mainline entries, and multiple spin-off titles.

Guardian 21C #29 · gamesTM #54 · Game Informer #67 · Polygon 500 #332 · 1001 Games · HG101

Burnout 3: Takedown is a 2004 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third instalment in the Burnout series, which is characterised by fast-paced arcade racing. A staple of the series is the use of boost, earned through risky driving, to rapidly increase a car's speed.

Guardian 21C #42 · Polygon 500 #72 · Metacritic #82 · gamesTM #94 · IGN #95 · Game Informer #173 · HG101

The Oregon Trail was a 2,170-mile (3,490 km) east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what is now the states of Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming. The western half crossed the current states of Idaho and Oregon.

TIME #9 · gamesTM #57 · Game Informer #104 · Polygon 500 #139 · 1001 Games

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a 2025 role-playing video game developed by Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive. Set in a dark fantasy Belle Époque setting, the game follows the members of Expedition 33 as they set out to destroy the Paintress, a being causing the yearly Gommage, where those at or above an ever-decreasing age are erased from existence.

Metacritic #138 · TGA GOTY · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY · BAFTA

Elden Ring is a 2022 action role-playing game directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by the American fantasy writer George R. R. Martin. Developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, it was first released on February 25, 2022 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Metacritic #26 · Rolling Stone #44 · TGA GOTY · DICE GOTY · GDC GOTY

Katamari Damacy (lit. 'Clump Spirit') is a 2004 action puzzle video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2. The game's plot concerns a diminutive prince on a mission to rebuild stars, constellations, and the Moon, which were inadvertently destroyed by his father, the King of All Cosmos.

Guardian 21C #49 · Slant #69 · Polygon 500 #85 · EDGE #94 · gamesTM #118 · Game Informer #133 · 1001 Games

Halo 2 is a 2004 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Released for the Xbox in 2004, the game is the second installment in the Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001's Halo: Combat Evolved.

IGN #15 · Metacritic #42 · Game Informer #110 · Polygon 500 #229 · 1001 Games

Guitar Hero is a series of rhythm games first released in 2005, in which players use a guitar-shaped game controller to simulate playing primarily lead, bass, and rhythm guitar across numerous songs. Players match notes that scroll on-screen to colored fret buttons on the controller, strumming the controller in time to the music in order to score points, and keep the virtual audience excited.

Guardian 21C #27 · Polygon 500 #44 · TIME #47 · Game Informer #177 · Metacritic #210 · 1001 Games

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the fifth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series and the seventh overall entry, following 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Set within the fictional U.S.

Metacritic #36 · Polygon 500 #61 · IGN #66 · Slant #88 · Game Informer #90 · 1001 Games

Galaga is a 1981 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It was released by Midway Manufacturing in North America. It is the sequel to 1979's Galaxian, and the second game in the Galaxian series.

Game Informer #22 · TIME #35 · Slant #66 · Next Gen '96 #96 · Polygon 500 #165 · gamesTM #166 · 1001 Games

Super Mario Odyssey is a 2017 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. An installment in the Super Mario series, it follows Mario and his new ally Cappy—a sentient hat—as they journey across various kingdoms to save Princess Peach from Mario's nemesis Bowser's plans of forced marriage.

Metacritic #13 · Guardian 21C #14 · Slant #33 · gamesTM #35 · Game Informer #224 · HG101

Robotron: 2084 (also referred to simply as Robotron) is a twin-stick shooter video game developed by Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar of Vid Kidz and released by Williams Electronics for arcades in 1982. The game is set in the year 2084 in a dystopian future where robots have turned against humans in a cybernetic revolt.

Game Informer #45 · Next Gen '96 #63 · Polygon 500 #92 · gamesTM #146 · 1001 Games

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is a 2002 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the third installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following 1996's The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, and was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox.

Polygon 500 #28 · Game Informer #84 · gamesTM #113 · 1001 Games · HG101

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a 2015 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami. Directed, written, and produced by Hideo Kojima (as his final work at Konami), it is the ninth installment in the Metal Gear franchise, following Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, a stand-alone prologue released the previous year.

Guardian 21C #12 · EDGE #19 · Metacritic #121 · gamesTM #165 · Polygon 500 #208

NBA Jam is a basketball video game series based on the National Basketball Association (NBA). Initially developed as arcade games by Midway, the game found popularity with its photorealistic digitized graphics, over-the-top presentation and exaggerated style of two-on-two basketball play.

Polygon 500 #26 · Game Informer #41 · Next Gen '96 #99 · gamesTM #168 · 1001 Games

Quake may refer to…

Next Gen '96 #9 · TIME #14 · Metacritic #69 · Polygon 500 #122 · 1001 Games

Homeworld is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Studios on September 28, 1999, for Windows. Set in space, the science fiction game follows the Kushan exiles of the planet Kharak after their home planet is destroyed by the Taiidan Empire in retaliation for developing hyperspace jump technology.

Polygon 500 #96 · Metacritic #112 · Game Informer #195 · 1001 Games · HG101

Inside may refer to…

gamesTM #28 · EDGE #41 · Slant #57 · IGN #88 · Game Informer #107 · Metacritic #134 · Polygon 500 #257

Resident Evil, known as Biohazard (バイオハザード, Baiohazādo) in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person games, with players typically surviving in environments inhabited by zombies and other mutated creatures.

gamesTM #36 · Game Informer #59 · Next Gen '96 #91 · Polygon 500 #138 · 1001 Games

Astro Bot is a 2024 platform game developed by Team Asobi and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5 in celebration of PlayStation's 30th anniversary. It is the fifth game in the Astro Bot series, following Astro's Playroom (2020), and Team Asobi's first game since its separation from Japan Studio.

Metacritic #54 · TGA GOTY · DICE GOTY · BAFTA

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the fourth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2001's Grand Theft Auto III, and the sixth entry overall.

Game Informer #28 · Metacritic #38 · Polygon 500 #105 · 1001 Games

Dead Space is a science fiction horror franchise created by Glen Schofield and owned by Electronic Arts. It was developed primarily by Visceral Games.

EDGE #46 · Guardian 21C #47 · Game Informer #111 · Polygon 500 #340 · 1001 Games

Ico (stylized in all caps) is a 2001 action-adventure video game by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game based on a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took approximately four years to develop.

Guardian 21C #25 · EDGE #27 · Slant #100 · gamesTM #134 · Game Informer #135 · Polygon 500 #280

Quake III Arena is a 1999 first-person shooter game developed by id Software. The third installment of the Quake series, Arena differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing primarily on multiplayer gameplay. The single-player mode is played against computer-controlled bots.

gamesTM #58 · Metacritic #111 · Game Informer #114 · Polygon 500 #272 · 1001 Games

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. Released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh in 2001, it is the second game in the Age of Empires series. The Age of Kings is set in the Middle Ages and contains 13 playable civilizations.

Game Informer #139 · Metacritic #180 · Polygon 500 #262 · 1001 Games · HG101

Dishonored is a 2012 action-adventure game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Set in the fictional, plague-ridden industrial city of Dunwall, Dishonored follows the story of Corvo Attano, bodyguard to the Empress of the Isles. He is framed for her murder and forced to become an assassin, seeking revenge on those who conspired against him.

EDGE #33 · Slant #70 · Game Informer #120 · Polygon 500 #233 · 1001 Games · BAFTA

Left 4 Dead is a 2008 first-person shooter game developed by Valve South and published by Valve. It was originally released for Windows and Xbox 360 in November 2008 and for Mac OS X in October 2010, and is the first title in the Left 4 Dead series.

Guardian 21C #26 · gamesTM #70 · Game Informer #174 · Polygon 500 #187 · 1001 Games

Advance Wars is a turn-based strategy video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It is the seventh title in the Wars series of video games, and the first in the Advance Wars sub-series. The game takes place on a fictional continent, where two nations, Orange Star and Blue Moon, have been fighting each other for years.

EDGE #23 · gamesTM #63 · Metacritic #159 · Game Informer #162 · 1001 Games

Rock Band is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero series, the main Rock Band games have players use game controllers modeled after musical instruments and microphones to perform the lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drums and vocal parts of numerous licensed songs across a wide range of genres tho…

EDGE #30 · gamesTM #124 · Polygon 500 #130 · Metacritic #147 · 1001 Games

Pong is a 1972 sports video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for arcades. It was created by Allan Alcorn as a training exercise assigned to him by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell.

TIME #40 · Polygon 500 #64 · Next Gen '96 #68 · Game Informer #136 · gamesTM #200 · 1001 Games

Animal Crossing is a social simulation video-game series developed and published by Nintendo. It was created by Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami. The player character is a human who lives in a village inhabited by various anthropomorphic animals and can engage in various activities such as fishing, insect catching, and fossil hunting.

Slant #46 · gamesTM #55 · Game Informer #82 · Polygon 500 #201 · 1001 Games

A braid (also referred to as a plait; ) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing three or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-stranded structure.

TIME #37 · Slant #63 · Game Informer #71 · gamesTM #85 · Metacritic #102 · Polygon 500 #399 · 1001 Games

Counter-Strike (CS) is a series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games, in which opposing teams attempt to complete various objectives. The series began on Windows in 1999 with the release of the first game, Counter-Strike.

TIME #15 · Game Informer #18 · Rolling Stone #31 · gamesTM #53 · Polygon 500 #110