Best Games by Year
By Bulby33 0 Comments
2013
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96.1% | The Last of Us | PS3 | Naughty Dog | SCEA |
| 2 | 92.6% | BioShock Infinite | X360, PS3, PC | Irrational Games | 2K Games |
| 3 | 92.5% | Fire Emblem: Awakening | 3DS | Intelligent Systems | Nintendo |
| 4 | 87.4% | Tomb Raider | X360, PS3, PC | Crystal Dynamics | Square-Enix |
| 5 | 87.2% | MLB 13: The Show | PS3, PSVita | Sony San Diego | SCEA |
| 6 | 87.0% | Animal Crossing: New Leaf | 3DS | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 7 | 86.6% | Guacamelee! | PS3, PSVita | Drinkbox Studios | SCEA |
| 8 | 86.4% | Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm | PC | Blizzard | Blizzard |
| 9 | 86.3% | DMC Devil May Cry | X360, PS3, PC | Ninja Theory | Capcom |
| 10 | 86.0% | Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon | 3DS | Next Level Games | Nintendo |
2012
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 92.6% | Journey | PS3 | thatgamecompany | SCEA |
| 2 | 92.2% | Mass Effect 3 | X360, PS3, PC | BioWare | Electronic Arts |
| 3 | 91.7% | Xenoblade Chronicles | Wii | Monolith Soft | Nintendo |
| 4 | 91.5% | Trials Evolution | X360 | RedLynx | Microsoft Studios |
| 5 | 90.5% | Borderlands 2 | X360, PS3, PC | Gearbox Software | 2K Games |
| 6 | 90.4% | Mark of the Ninja | X360, PC | Klei Entertainment | Microsoft Studios |
| 7 | 90.0% | Guild Wars 2 | PC | ArenaNet | NCSoft |
| 8 | 89.6% | Dishonored | X360, PS3, PC | Arkane Studios | Bethesda Softworks |
| 9 | 89.5% | FIFA Soccer 13 | X360, PS3 | EA Sports Canada | Electronic Arts |
| 10 | 89.2% | XCOM: Enemy Unknown | X360, PS3, PC | Firaxis | 2K Games |
2011
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96.1% | Batman: Arkham City | X360, PS3, PC | Rocksteady | Warner Bros. |
| 2 | 95.2% | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | X360, PS3, PC | Bethesda Games | Bethesda Softworks |
| 3 | 95.2% | Portal 2 | X360, PS3, PC | Valve Software | Valve Corp. |
| 4 | 93.3% | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | Wii | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 5 | 92.8% | Minecraft | PC | Mojang | Mojang |
| 6 | 92.0% | LittleBigPlanet 2 | PS3 | Media Molecule | SCEA |
| 7 | 91.8% | Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | PS3 | Naughty Dog | SCEA |
| 8 | 91.5% | Pushmo | 3DS | Intelligent Systems | Nintendo |
| 9 | 91.5% | Gears of War 3 | X360 | Epic Games | Microsoft Studios |
| 10 | 90.7% | Forza Motorsport 4 | X360 | Turn-10 Studios | Microsoft Studios |
2010
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97.3% | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Wii | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo |
| 2 | 95.6% | Mass Effect 2 | X360, PC | BioWare | Electronic Arts |
| 3 | 94.7% | Red Dead Redemption | X360, PS3 | Rockstar San Diego | Rockstar Games |
| 4 | 92.5% | God of War III | PS3 | Sony Santa Monica | SCEA |
| 5 | 92.4% | Rock Band 3 | X360, PS3, Wii | Harmonix | MTV Games |
| 6 | 92.3% | Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty | PC | Blizzard | Blizzard |
| 7 | 91.8% | Halo: Reach | X360 | Bungie | Microsoft Studios |
| 8 | 91.5% | World of Warcraft: Cataclysm | PC | Blizzard | Blizzard |
| 9 | 91.4% | Super Street Fighter IV | X360, PS3, PC | Capcom | Capcom |
| 10 | 90.9% | Pac-Man Championship Edition DX | X360, PS3 | Namco | Namco-Bandai |
2009
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96.3% | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | PS3 | Naughty Dog | SCEA |
| 2 | 93.6% | Street Fighter IV | X360, PS3 | Capcom | Capcom |
| 3 | 93.5% | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | X360, PS3, PC | Infinity Ward | Activision |
| 4 | 92.9% | Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars | DS, PSP | Rockstar Leeds | Rockstar Games |
| 5 | 92.3% | Forza Motorsport 3 | X360 | Turn-10 Studios | Microsoft Studios |
| 5 | 92.2% | Batman: Arkham Asylum | X360, PS3, PC | Rocksteady | Warner Bros. |
| 7 | 91.0% | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story | DS | Alpha Dream | Nintendo |
| 8 | 90.7% | Assassin's Creed II | X360, PS3 | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 9 | 90.6% | Killzone 2 | PS3 | Guerilla Games | SCEA |
| 10 | 90.3% | Dragon Age: Origins | X360, PS3, PC | BioWare | Electronic Arts |
2008
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97.1% | Grand Theft Auto IV | X360, PS3, PC | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games |
| 2 | 94.7% | LittleBigPlanet | PS3 | Media Molecule | SCEA |
| 3 | 94.0% | World of Goo | Wii, PC | 2D Boy | 2D Boy |
| 4 | 93.5% | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | PS3 | Kojima Pro. | Konami |
| 5 | 93.3% | Gears of War 2 | X360 | Epic Games | Microsoft Studios |
| 6 | 92.9% | Fallout 3 | X360, PS3, PC | Bethesda Games | Bethesda Softworks |
| 7 | 92.8% | Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Wii | Sora | Nintendo |
| 8 | 92.7% | World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King | PC | Blizzard | Blizzard |
| 9 | 92.3% | Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 | PS2 | Atlus | Atlus |
| 10 | 92.3% | Rock Band 2 | X360, PS3, Wii | Harmonix | MTV Games |
2007
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97.6% | Super Mario Galaxy | Wii | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo |
| 2 | 96.4% | The Orange Box | X360, PS3, PC | Valve | Valve Corp. |
| 3 | 95.0% | BioShock | X360, PC | Irrational Games | 2K Games |
| 4 | 94.2% | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | X360, PS3, PC | Infinity Ward | Activision |
| 5 | 93.5% | Halo 3 | X360 | Bungie | Microsoft Studios |
| 6 | 92.6% | God of War II | PS2 | Sony Santa Monica | SCEA |
| 7 | 92.3% | Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar | PC | Stardock | Stardock |
| 8 | 91.9% | Rock Band | X360, PS3, Wii, PS2 | Harmonix | MTV Games |
| 9 | 91.2% | Mass Effect | X360 | BioWare | Microsoft Studios |
| 10 | 91.0% | World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade | PC | Blizzard | Blizzard |
2006
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94.5% | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Wii, GCN | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 2 | 94.0% | Gears of War | X360 | Epic Games | Microsoft Studios |
| 3 | 93.9% | Company of Heroes | PC | Relic Entertainment | THQ |
| 4 | 93.8% | The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion | X360, PC | Bethesda Game Studios | 2K Games |
| 5 | 93.2% | Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence | PS2 | Kojima Productions | Konami |
| 6 | 92.7% | Okami | PS2 | Clover Studios | Capcom |
| 7 | 92.1% | Guitar Hero II | PS2 | Harmonix | RedOctane |
| 8 | 90.8% | Final Fantasy XII | PS2 | Square-Enix | Square-Enix |
| 9 | 90.6% | Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter | X360, PC | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 10 | 89.4% | GTR 2 | PC | SimBin | 10actle Studios |
2005
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95.8% | Resident Evil 4 | GCN, PS2 | Capcom | Capcom |
| 2 | 94.8% | Ninja Gaiden Black | Xbox | Team Ninja | Tecmo |
| 3 | 93.9% | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory | PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 4 | 93.6% | God of War | PS2 | Sony Santa Monica | SCEA |
| 5 | 93.2% | Sid Meier's Civilization IV | PC | Firaxis | 2K Games |
| 6 | 93.0% | Forza Motorsport | Xbox | Turn-10 Studios | Microsoft Studios |
| 7 | 92.1% | Guitar Hero | PS2 | Harmonix | RedOctane |
| 8 | 91.4% | Shadow of the Colossus | PS2 | SCE Japan Studios | SCEA |
| 9 | 91.3% | Mario Kart DS | DS | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 10 | 90.8% | World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 | PS2 | KCET | Konami |
2004
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95.5% | Half-Life 2 | PC | Valve | Valve Corp. |
| 2 | 95.1% | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | PS2 | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games |
| 3 | 94.6% | Halo 2 | Xbox | Bungie | Microsoft Studios |
| 4 | 93.3% | Burnout 3: Takedown | PS2, Xbox | Criterion | Electronic Arts |
| 5 | 93.0% | World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 | PS2 | KCET | Konami |
| 6 | 92.6% | Unreal Tournament 2004 | PC | Epic Games | Atari |
| 7 | 92.5% | Ninja Gaiden | Xbox | Team Ninja | Tecmo |
| 8 | 92.2% | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow | PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC | Ubisoft Shanghai | Ubisoft |
| 9 | 92.1% | Metroid Prime 2: Echoes | GCN | Retro Studios | Nintendo |
| 10 | 91.9% | World of Warcraft | PC | Blizzard | Blizzard |
2003
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94.5% | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | GCN | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 2 | 94.3% | Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | Xbox, PC | BioWare | LucasArts |
| 3 | 93.4% | NCAA Football 2004 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | EA Sports | Electronic Arts |
| 4 | 93.2% | Project Gotham Racing 2 | Xbox | Bizarre Creations | Microsoft Studios |
| 5 | 92.7% | Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time | PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 6 | 92.3% | SSX 3 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | EA Canada | Electronic Arts |
| 7 | 92.3% | Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 | GBA | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 8 | 92.1% | Madden NFL 2004 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | EA Sports | Electronic Arts |
| 9 | 92.1% | Soul Calibur II | PS2, Xbox, GCN | Namco | Namco |
| 10 | 91.7% | Call of Duty | PC | Infinity Ward | Activision |
2002
| # | Score | Name | Platform | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96.4% | Metroid Prime | GCN | Retro Studios | Nintendo |
| 2 | 94.4% | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2 | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games |
| 3 | 93.1% | Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos | PC | Blizzard | Blizzard |
| 4 | 92.6% | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell | Xbox | Ubisoft Montreal | Ubisoft |
| 5 | 92.6% | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | Neversoft | Activision |
| 6 | 92.4% | Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 | GBA | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 7 | 91.7% | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Last & Four Swords | GBA | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 8 | 91.7% | TimeSplitters 2 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | Free Radical | Eidos |
| 9 | 91.4% | Metroid Fusion | GBA | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 10 | 91.4% | Super Mario Sunshine | GCN | Nintendo | Nintendo |
2001
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95.6% | Halo: Combat Evolved | Xbox | Bungie | Microsoft Studios |
| 2 | 95.3% | Grand Theft Auto III | PS2 | Rockstar North | Rockstar Games |
| 3 | 95.0% | Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | PS2 | Kojima Productions | Konami |
| 4 | 94.5% | Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | PS2 | Polyphony Digital | SCEA |
| 5 | 93.6% | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | PS2, GCN, PS | Neversoft | Activision |
| 6 | 92.7% | Advance Wars | GBA | Intelligent Systems | Nintendo |
| 7 | 92.6% | Devil May Cry | PS2 | Capcom | Capcom |
| 8 | 92.5% | SSX Tricky | PS2, Xbox, GCN | EA Canada | Electronic Arts |
| 9 | 92.5% | Madden NFL 2002 | PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC, PS, N64 | EA Sports | Electronic Arts |
| 10 | 91.8% | Final Fantasy X | PS2 | SquareSoft | Square |
2000
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95.6% | Metal Gear Solid | GBC | TOSE | Konami |
| 2 | 94.9% | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | PS, DC | Neversoft | Activision |
| 3 | 94.5% | NFL 2K1 | DC | Visual Concepts | SEGA |
| 4 | 94.2% | Perfect Dark | N64 | Rare | Nintendo |
| 5 | 94.0% | Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn | PC | BioWare | Interplay |
| 6 | 93.6% | Resident Evil Code: Veronica | DC | Capcom | Capcom |
| 7 | 93.3% | Final Fantasy IX | PS | SquareSoft | Square |
| 8 | 92.2% | Chrono Cross | PS | SquareSoft | Square |
| 9 | 92.2% | SSX | PS2 | EA Canada | Electronic Arts |
| 10 | 92.0% | Vagrant Story | PS | SquareSoft | Square |
1999
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96.9% | Soul Calibur | DC | Namco | Namco |
| 2 | 93.7% | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | PS | Neversoft | Activision |
| 3 | 93.6% | Unreal Tournament | PC | Epic Games | GT Interactive |
| 4 | 92.6% | Super Mario Bros. Deluxe | GBC | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 5 | 92.4% | Gran Turismo 2 | PS | Polyphony Digital | SCEA |
| 6 | 92.1% | System Shock 2 | PC | Irrational Games | Looking Glass |
| 7 | 91.9% | Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri | PC | Firaxis | Electronic Arts |
| 8 | 91.8% | Age of Empires II: Age of Kings | PC | Ensemble Studios | Microsoft |
| 9 | 91.8% | Crash Team Racing | PS | Naughty Dog | SCEA |
| 10 | 91.7% | Street Fighter Alpha 3 | DC | Capcom | Capcom |
1998
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97.6% | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | N64 | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 2 | 96.3% | Tekken 3 | PS | Namco | Namco |
| 3 | 95.1% | Gran Turismo | PS | Polyphony Digital | SCEA |
| 4 | 94.3% | Half-Life | PC | Valve | Valve Corp. |
| 5 | 93.8% | Metal Gear Solid | PS | Kojima Productions | Konami |
| 6 | 92.9% | StarCraft | PC | Blizzard | Blizzard |
| 7 | 92.8% | Grim Fandango | PC | LucasArts | LucasArts |
| 8 | 92.6% | Resident Evil 2 | PS | Capcom | Capcom |
| 9 | 92.6% | Banjo-Kazooie | N64 | Rare | Nintendo |
| 10 | 91.9% | Baldur's Gate | PC | BioWare | Interplay |
1997
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94.6% | GoldenEye 007 | N64 | Rare | Nintendo |
| 2 | 92.6% | Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | PS | Konami | SCEA |
| 3 | 92.6% | Colony Wars | PS | Psygnosis | SCEA |
| 4 | 92.1% | Final Fantasy VII | PS | SquareSoft | Square-Enix |
| 5 | 91.6% | Fallout | PC | Black Isle Studios | Interplay |
| 6 | 91.5% | Soul Blade | PS | Project Soul | Namco |
| 7 | 89.9% | The Curse of Monkey Island | PC | LucasArts | LucasArts |
| 8 | 89.3% | Star Fox 64 | N64 | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 9 | 89.0% | International Superstar Soccer 64 | N64 | Konami | Konami |
| 10 | 88.9% | Blast Corps | N64 | Rare | Nintendo |
NOTES
- Game scores are taken from Gamerankings.com
- Games must have at least 20 reviews to count from 2001-Present. 2000 and earlier need at least 10 reviews.
- Dates are North American only.
- Lists do not include the following:
- Games which have been released in a previous year. (Example: BioShock was released on the X360 and PC in 2007, but on the PS3 in 2008)
- HD collections. (Examples: God of War Collection, Prince of Persia Trilogy, ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, Metal Gear Solid Collection)
- Other collections of old games. (Example: Metroid Prime Trilogy)
- The best score is taken if the game has appeared on more than one platform. Grand Theft Auto IV, for example, is a 97.0% on the PS3, but only 96.7% on the Xbox 360. The PlayStation 3 version is the score taken. This is to clear the mess of multiplatform games on the list.
