Best Video Games Ever (31 pics)
- Category: Pics |
- 9 Sep, 2026 |
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From pixelated platformers that consumed entire summer afternoons to sprawling open-world epics that swallowed hundreds of hours without mercy, this tribute honors the titles that shaped generations of players. Nostalgic cartridges, iconic loading screens, beloved protagonists frozen mid-jump, and controller layouts memorized by muscle memory alone all earn their spotlight here. Whether your formative experience involved blowing into a cartridge slot or queuing for a midnight launch, these images tap directly into that electric feeling of pressing start for the very first time. Gaming history is rich, weird, and deeply personal, and this gallery treats every era with equal reverence.
31. Super Mario Bros.
Release Date: September 13, 1985
Genre: Platformer
Game Modes: Single-Player, Two-Player
Metacritic Score: 84 (Gameboy Advance, Nintendo Switch)
30. Fallout 3
Release Date: Oct. 28, 2008
Genre: FPS, RPG
Game modes: Single-Player
Metacritic Score: 91 (PC), 90 (PlayStation 3), 93 (Xbox 360)
29. Resident Evil 4
Release Date: January 11, 2005
Genre: Action, Third-Person Shooter
Game Modes: Single-Player
Metacritic: 96 (GameCube), 96 (PlayStation 2)
28. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Release Date: March 24, 2003
Genre: Action-adventure
Game Modes: Single-player
Metacritic: 96 (GameCube), 90 (Wii U)
27. Super Mario Galaxy 2
Release Date: May 23, 2010
Genre: Platformer
Game Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer (Up to 2)
Metacritic: 97 (Wii)
26. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Release Date: November 5, 2007
Genre: First-person shooter
Game modes: Single-player, online multiplayer, local multiplayer
Metacritic Score: 92 (PC), 94 (PS3), 94 (Xbox 360)
25. Grand Theft Auto 5
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Genre: Sandbox, Action
Game Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
Metacritic: 97 (Xbox 360), 97 (Xbox One), 79 (Xbox Series X|S), 97 (PS3), 97 (PS4), 82 (PS5), 96 (PC)
24. Super Smash Bros. Melee
Release Date: December 2, 2001
Genre: Platform Fighting Game
Game modes: Single-Player, Multiplayer
Metacritic Score: 92 (GameCube)
23. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Release Date: November 17, 2004
Genre: Action, Stealth
Game Modes: Single-Player
Metacritic: 94 (PS2)
22. Silent Hill 2
Release Date: Sept 24, 2001
Genre: Survival Horror
Game Modes: Single-Player
Metacritic: 89 (PS2), 84 (XBOX)
21. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
Release Date: Nov. 11, 2011
Genre: Action-adventure, RPG, Fantasy
Game modes: Single-Player
Metacritic Score: 94 (PC), 92 (PS3), 96 (Xbox 360)
20. Metroid Prime
Release Date: November 17, 2002
Genre: Action adventure
Game modes: Single-player
Metacritic Score: 97 (GameCube)
19. World of Warcraft
Release Date: November 23, 2004
Genre: MMO
Game Modes: Always Online Multiplayer
Metacritic Score: 93 (PC)
18. Halo 3
Release Date: September 25, 2007
Genre: First-person shooter
Game modes: Single-player, online multiplayer, local multiplayer
Metacritic Score: 94 (Xbox), 88 (PC)
17. Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Release Date: November 21, 1998
Genre: Action Adventure
Game Modes: Single-Player
Metacritic Score: 99 (Nintendo 64), 94 (3DS)
16. Half-Life 2
Release Date: November 16, 2004
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Game Modes: Single-Player
Metacritic Score: 96 (PC)
15. Dark Souls
Release Date: September 22, 2011
Genre: Action RPG, Soulslike
Game Modes: Single-Player, Online
Multiplayer Metacritic Score: 89 (Xbox 360), 89 (PS3), 85 (PC)
14. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Release Date: March 20, 1997
Genre: Platformer Game
Modes: Single-Player
Metacritic Score: 93 (PS1), 89 (Xbox 360), 74 (PS4), 88 (iOS)
13. Street Fighter 2
Release Date: February 6, 1991
Genre: Fighting Game
Game modes: Multiplayer
12. Red Dead Redemption 2
Release Date: October 26, 2018
Genre: Action, adventure
Game Modes: Single-player, online multiplayer
Metacritic Score: 93 (PC), 97 (Xbox One), 97 (PS4)
11. Minecraft
Release Date: Nov. 18, 2011
Genre: Simulation, World building
Game modes: Single-Player, Online Multiplayer
Metacritic Score: 93 (PC)
10. Shadow of the Colossus
Release Date: October 18, 2005
Genre: Action Adventure
Game Modes: Single-Player
Metacritic Score: 91 (PS2)
9. Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green
Release Date: September 7, 2004
Genre: RPG
Game modes: Single-Player
Metacritic Score: 81 (“Fire Red,” GBA), 81 (“Leaf Green,” GBA)
8. Chrono Trigger
Release Date: March 11, 1995
Genre: JRPG
Game modes: Single-Player
Metacritic Score: 92 (DS)
7. Final Fantasy 7
Release Date: September 3, 1997
Genre: JRPG
Game modes: Single-player
Metacritic Score: 92 (PlayStation), 81 (Switch), 77 (iOS)
6. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Release Date: November 21, 1992
Genre: Platformer
Game modes: Single-player, local multiplayer
5: Super Metroid
Release Date: March 19, 1994
Genre: Action-Adventure, Platformer
Game Modes: Single-Player
4: Portal 2
Release Date: April 18, 2011
Genre: FPS, Puzzle
Game modes: Single-Player, Two player Co-op
Metacritic Score: 95 (PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
3. The Last of Us
Release Date: June 14, 2013
Genre: Action, Survival Horror
Game Modes: Single-Player, Competitive Multiplayer
Metacritic: 95 (PS3), 95 (PS4)
2. Breath of the Wild
Release Date: March 3, 2017
Genre: Action-adventure, RPG
Game modes: Single-Player
Metacritic Score: 97 (Switch)
1. Super Mario 64
Release Date: September 26, 1996
Genre: Platformer
Game Modes: Single-player
Metacritic: 94 (N64)
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