Best Games by Year
By WightnNerdy 0 Comments
2017
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97.3% | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Switch, WiiU | Nintendo |
| 2 | 96.3% | Divinity: Original Sin II | PC | Larian Studios |
| 3 | 93.4% | Persona 5 | PS4, PS3 | Atlus |
| 4 | 92.4% | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Switch | Nintendo |
| 5 | 89.5% | What Remains of Edith Finch | PS4, PC | Giant Sparrow |
| 6 | 89.4% | Metroid: Samus Returns | 3DS | Nintendo |
| 7 | 88.8% | Nioh | PS4 | Team Ninja |
| 8 | 88.7% | NieR: Automata | PS4 | Platinum Games |
| 9 | 88.6% | Nex Machina: Death Machine | PS4, PC | Housemarque |
| 10 | 88.5% | Horizon: Zero Dawn | PS4 | Guerilla Games |
2016
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 92.8% | INSIDE | PS4, XONE, PC | PlayDead |
| 2 | 92.7% | Uncharted 4: A Thief's End | PS4 | Naughty Dog |
| 3 | 92.1% | Forza Horizon 3 | XONE, PC | Microsoft |
| 4 | 91.6% | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood & Wine | PS4, XONE, PC | CD Projekt Red |
| 5 | 91.3% | Overwatch | PS4, XONE, PC | Blizzard |
| 6 | 90.4% | Owlboy | PC | D-Pad Studio |
| 7 | 89.5% | Stardew Valley | PC | ConcernedApe |
| 8 | 89.4% | Titanfall 2 | PS4, XONE, PC | Respawn Entertainment |
| 9 | 89.1% | Fire Emblem Fates | 3DS | Intelligent Systems |
| 10 | 89.0% | DOOM | PS4, XONE, PC | id Software |
2015
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94.1% | Undertale | PC | tobyfox |
| 2 | 92.2% | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | PS4, XONE, PC | CD Projekt Red |
| 3 | 91.6% | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | PS4, XONE, PC | Kojima Productions |
| 4 | 91.2% | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Heart of Stone | PS4, XONE, PC | CD Projekt Red |
| 5 | 90.7% | Bloodborne | PS4 | From Software |
| 6 | 89.8% | Fallout 4 | PS4, XONE, PC | Bethesda Game Studios |
| 7 | 89.4% | Super Mario Maker | WiiU | Nintendo |
| 8 | 88.7% | Pillars of Eternity | PC | Obsidian Entertainment |
| 9 | 88.7% | Tales from the Borderlands | PS4, XONE, PC | Telltale Games |
| 10 | 88.6% | Forza Motorsport 6 | XONE | Turn-10 Studios |
2014
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 92.4% | Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | WiiU | Nintendo |
| 2 | 91.4% | Bayonetta 2 | WiiU | Platinum Games |
| 3 | 90.1% | Monument Valley | iOS | ustwo |
| 4 | 90.0% | Shovel Knight | WiiU, PC, 3DS | Yacht Club |
| 5 | 89.8% | The Last of Us: Left Behind | PS3 | Naughty Dog |
| 6 | 89.7% | Dark Souls II | X360, PS3, PC | Namco-Bandai |
| 7 | 89.7% | Dragon Age: Inquisition | PS4, XONE, PC | BioWare |
| 8 | 88.4% | Mario Kart 8 | WiiU | Nintendo |
| 9 | 88.0% | The Wolf Among Us | X360, PS3, PC, iOS | Telltale Games |
| 10 | 87.6% | Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft | PC, iOS | Blizzard |
2013
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97.0% | Grand Theft Auto V | X360, PS3 | Rockstar Games |
| 2 | 95.1% | The Last of Us | PS3 | Naughty Dog |
| 3 | 92.6% | BioShock Infinite | X360, PS3, PC | Irrational Games |
| 4 | 92.6% | Super Mario 3D World | WiiU | Nintendo |
| 5 | 92.5% | Fire Emblem: Awakening | 3DS | Nintendo |
| 6 | 90.6% | The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds | 3DS | Nintendo |
| 7 | 90.3% | The Stanley Parable | PC | Galactic Cafe |
| 8 | 88.9% | Rayman Legends | X360, PS3, PC, WiiU | Ubisoft |
| 9 | 88.8% | Saints Row IV | X360, PS3, PC | Volition Inc. |
| 10 | 87.9% | Pokemon X/Y | 3DS | Nintendo |
2012
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 92.6% | Journey | PS3 | thatgamecompany |
| 2 | 92.2% | Mass Effect 3 | X360, PS3, PC, WiiU | BioWare |
| 3 | 91.7% | Xenoblade Chronicles | Wii | Monolith Soft |
| 4 | 91.5% | Trials Evolution | X360 | RedLynx |
| 5 | 90.5% | Borderlands 2 | X360, PS3, PC | Gearbox Software |
| 6 | 90.4% | Mark of the Ninja | X360, PC | Klei Entertainment |
| 7 | 90.0% | Guild Wars 2 | PC | ArenaNet |
| 8 | 89.6% | Dishonored | X360, PS3, PC | Arkane Studios |
| 9 | 89.5% | FIFA Soccer 13 | X360, PS3 | EA Sports |
| 10 | 89.2% | XCOM: Enemy Unknown | X360, PS3, PC | Firaxis |
2011
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95.9% | Batman: Arkham City | X360, PS3, PC | Rocksteady |
| 2 | 95.2% | Portal 2 | X360, PS3, PC | Valve Corp. |
| 3 | 95.2% | The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | X360, PS3, PC | Bethesda |
| 4 | 93.2% | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword | Wii | Nintendo |
| 5 | 92.8% | Minecraft | PC | Mojang |
| 6 | 92.0% | LittleBigPlanet 2 | PS3 | Media Molecule |
| 7 | 91.8% | Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception | PS3 | Naughty Dog |
| 8 | 91.5% | Pushmo | 3DS | Nintendo |
| 9 | 91.5% | Gears of War 3 | X360 | Epic Games |
| 10 | 90.7% | Forza Motorsport 4 | X360 | Turn-10 Studios |
2010
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97.4% | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Wii | Nintendo |
| 2 | 95.8% | Mass Effect 2 | X360, PC | BioWare |
| 3 | 94.7% | Red Dead Redemption | X360, PS3 | Rockstar Games |
| 4 | 92.4% | StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty | PC | Blizzard |
| 5 | 92.4% | Rock Band 3 | X360, PS3 | Harmonix |
| 6 | 92.1% | God of War III | PS3 | Sony Santa Monica |
| 7 | 91.8% | Halo: Reach | X360 | Bungie |
| 8 | 91.5% | World of Warcraft: Cataclysm | PC | Blizzard |
| 9 | 90.9% | Pac-Man Championship Edition DX | X360, PS3 | Namco-Bandai |
| 10 | 90.7% | LIMBO | X360 | Playdead |
2009
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96.4% | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | PS3 | Naughty Dog |
| 2 | 93.6% | Street Fighter IV | X360, PS3, PC | Capcom |
| 3 | 93.6% | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | X360, PS3, PC | Infinity Ward |
| 4 | 92.7% | Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars | DS, PSP | Rockstar Games |
| 5 | 92.3% | Batman: Arkham Asylum | X360, PS3, PC | Rocksteady |
| 6 | 92.3% | Forza Motorsport 3 | X360 | Turn-10 Studios |
| 7 | 91.0% | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story | DS | Nintendo |
| 8 | 90.7% | Assassin's Creed II | X360, PS3, PC | Ubisoft |
| 9 | 90.6% | Dragon Age: Origins | X360, PS3, PC | BioWare |
| 10 | 90.6% | Killzone 2 | PS3 | Guerilla |
2008
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97.0% | Grand Theft Auto IV | X360, PS3, PC | Rockstar Games |
| 2 | 94.8% | LittleBigPlanet | PS3 | Media Molecule |
| 3 | 94.0% | World of Goo | Wii, PC | 2D Boy |
| 4 | 93.5% | Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | PS3 | Kojima Productions |
| 5 | 93.3% | Gears of War 2 | X360 | Epic Games |
| 6 | 92.9% | Fallout 3 | X360, PS3, PC | Bethesda |
| 7 | 92.8% | Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Wii | Nintendo |
| 8 | 92.7% | World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King | PC | Blizzard |
| 9 | 92.6% | Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 | PS2 | Atlus |
| 10 | 92.3% | Rock Band 2 | X360, PS3, Wii, PS2 | Harmonix |
2007
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 97.6% | Super Mario Galaxy | Wii | Nintendo |
| 2 | 96.4% | The Orange Box | X360, PS3, PC | Valve Corp. |
| 3 | 95.1% | BioShock | X360, PC | Irrational Games |
| 4 | 94.2% | Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare | X360, PS3, PC | Infinity Ward |
| 5 | 93.5% | Halo 3 | X360 | Bungie |
| 6 | 92.8% | God of War II | PS2 | Sony Santa Monica |
| 7 | 92.6% | Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar | PC | Stardock |
| 8 | 92.0% | Rock Band | X360, PS3, Wii, PS2 | Harmonix |
| 9 | 91.5% | World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade | PC | Blizzard |
| 10 | 91.2% | Mass Effect | X360 | BioWare |
2006
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94.6% | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | Wii, GCN | Nintendo |
| 2 | 94.0% | Gears of War | X360 | Epic Games |
| 3 | 93.9% | Company of Heroes | PC | Relic |
| 4 | 93.9% | The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion | X360, PC | Bethesda Games |
| 5 | 92.7% | Okami | PS2 | Capcom |
| 6 | 92.1% | Guitar Hero II | PS2 | Harmonix |
| 7 | 90.8% | Final Fantasy XII | PS2 | Square-Enix |
| 8 | 90.5% | Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter | X360, PC | Ubisoft |
| 9 | 89.4% | GTR 2 | PC | SimBin |
| 10 | 89.4% | Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas | X360, PC | Ubisoft |
2005
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95.9% | Resident Evil 4 | GCN, PS2 | Capcom |
| 2 | 94.0% | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory | Xbox, PS2, GCN, PC | Team Ninja |
| 3 | 93.7% | God of War | PS2 | Sony Santa Monica |
| 4 | 93.4% | Sid Meier's Civilization IV | PC | Firaxis |
| 5 | 93.1% | Forza Motorsport | Xbox | Turn-10 Studios |
| 6 | 92.0% | Guitar Hero | PS2 | Harmonix |
| 7 | 91.4% | Shadow of the Colossus | PS2 | Team ICO |
| 8 | 91.4% | Mario Kart DS | DS | Nintendo |
| 9 | 91.1% | World Soccer Winning Eleven 8 | PS2 | Konami |
| 10 | 90.4% | The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap | GBA | Nintendo |
2004
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95.5% | Half-Life 2 | PC | Valve Corp. |
| 2 | 95.1% | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | PS2 | Rockstar Games |
| 3 | 94.6% | Halo 2 | Xbox | Bungie |
| 4 | 93.3% | Burnout 3: Takedown | PS2, Xbox, GCN | Criterion |
| 5 | 93.0% | World Soccer Winning Eleven 7 | PS2 | Konami |
| 6 | 92.6% | Unreal Tournament 2004 | PC | Epic Games |
| 7 | 92.4% | Ninja Gaiden | Xbox | Team Ninja |
| 8 | 92.4% | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow | PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC | Ubisoft |
| 9 | 91.9% | World of Warcraft | PC | Blizzard |
| 10 | 91.9% | Metroid Prime 2: Echoes | GCN | Retro Studios |
2003
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94.4% | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | GCN | Nintendo |
| 2 | 94.2% | Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic | Xbox, PC | BioWare |
| 3 | 93.3% | NCAA Football 2004 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | EA Sports |
| 4 | 93.2% | Project Gotham Racing 2 | Xbox | Bizarre Creations |
| 5 | 92.7% | Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time | PS2, Xbox, GCN | Ubisoft |
| 6 | 92.3% | SSX 3 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | EA Canada |
| 7 | 92.2% | SoulCalibur II | PS2, Xbox, GCN | Namco |
| 8 | 91.8% | Madden NFL 2004 | PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC | EA Sports |
| 9 | 91.5% | Call of Duty | PC | Infinity Ward |
| 10 | 91.2% | Viewtiful Joe | PS2, GCN | Capcom |
2002
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96.3% | Metroid Prime | GCN | Nintendo |
| 2 | 94.4% | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | PS2 | Rockstar Games |
| 3 | 93.0% | Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos | PC | Blizzard |
| 4 | 92.5% | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 | PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC | Neversoft |
| 5 | 92.5% | Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell | PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC | Ubisoft |
| 6 | 91.7% | Timesplitters 2 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | Free Radical |
| 7 | 91.5% | Super Mario Sunshine | GCN | Nintendo |
| 8 | 91.4% | NCAA Football 2003 | PS2, Xbox, GCN | EA Sports |
| 9 | 91.4% | Virtua Fighter 4 | PS2 | SEGA |
| 10 | 91.2% | Metroid Fusion | GBA | Nintendo |
2001
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 95.5% | Halo: Combat Evolved | Xbox | Bungie |
| 2 | 95.2% | Grand Theft Auto III | PS2 | Rockstar Games |
| 3 | 95.1% | Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty | PS2 | Kojima Productions |
| 4 | 94.5% | Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | PS2 | Polyphony Digital |
| 5 | 93.4% | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | PS2, GCN | Neversoft |
| 6 | 92.6% | Devil May Cry | PS2 | Capcom |
| 7 | 92.5% | SSX Tricky | PS2, Xbox, GCN | EA Sports |
| 8 | 92.4% | Advanced Wars | GBA | Nintendo |
| 9 | 92.3% | Madden NFL 2002 | PS2, Xbox, GCN, PC | EA Sports |
| 10 | 92.2% | The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages | GBC | Nintendo |
2000
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94.8% | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | PS, DC, PC | Neversoft |
| 2 | 94.6% | Perfect Dark | N64 | Rare |
| 3 | 94.5% | NFL 2K1 | DC | SEGA |
| 4 | 94.0% | Baldur's Gate II: Shadow of Amn | PC | BioWare |
| 5 | 93.8% | Resident Evil Code: Veronica | DC | Capcom |
| 6 | 92.7% | Final Fantasy IX | PS | SquareSoft |
| 7 | 92.4% | SSX | PS2 | EA Sports |
| 8 | 92.3% | Chrono Cross | PS | SquareSoft |
| 9 | 92.0% | Vagrant Story | PS | SquareSoft |
| 10 | 92.0% | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | N64 | Nintendo |
1999
| # | Score | Name | Platform(s) | Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96.6% | SoulCalibur | DC | Namco |
| 2 | 93.7% | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | PS | Neversoft |
| 3 | 93.6% | Unreal Tournament | PC | Epic Games |
| 4 | 92.6% | Super Mario Bros. Deluxe | GBC | Nintendo |
| 5 | 92.4% | Gran Turismo 2 | PS | Polyphony Digital |
| 6 | 92.0% | System Shock 2 | PC | Irrational Games |
| 7 | 91.9% | Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri | PC | Firaxis Games |
| 8 | 91.8% | Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | PC | Ensemble Studios |
| 9 | 91.8% | Crash Team Racing | PS | Naughty Dog |
| 10 | 91.6% | FreeSpace 2 | PC | Volition Inc. |
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 | SCE |
| 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 | 93.0% | Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | PS | Konami | SCE |
| 3 | 92.6% | Colony Wars | PS | Psygnosis | SCE |
| 4 | 92.4% | Final Fantasy VII | PS | SquareSoft | Square-Enix |
| 5 | 92.2% | Dungeon Keeper | PC | Bullfrog | Electronic Arts |
| 6 | 91.5% | Soul Blade | PS | Project Soul | Namco |
| 7 | 90.0% | NFL Gameday 98 | PS | 989 Studios | SCE |
| 8 | 89.9% | The Curse of Monkey Island | PC | LucasArts | LucasArts |
| 9 | 89.7% | Fallout | PC | Black Isle | Interplay |
| 10 | 89.6% | Carmageddon | PC | SCi | Interplay |
1996
| # | Score | Name | Console | Developer | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 96.4% | Super Mario 64 | N64 | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 2 | 94.6% | WipeOut XL | PS | Psychosis | SCE |
| 3 | 93.2% | Quake | PC | id Software | id Software |
| 4 | 92.5% | Tekken 2 | PS | Namco | Namco |
| 5 | 91.7% | Tomb Raider | PS, PC | Core Design | Eidos |
| 6 | 91.3% | Sid Meier's Civilization II | PC | MPS Labs | MicroPose |
| 7 | 90.9% | Command & Conquer: Red Alert | PC | Westwood Studios | Virgin Interactive |
| 8 | 90.7% | Wave Race 64 | N64 | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| 9 | 90.5% | Realms of the Haunting | PC | Gremlin Interactive | Interplay |
| 10 | 89.6% | Dragon Force | SAT | SEGA | SEGA |
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)
- Remasters of old games. (Examples: The Last of Us Remastered)
- 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)
- Re-releases of old games with added content. (Examples: Super Street Fighter IV, Persona 4: Golden)
- The best score is taken if the game has appeared on more than one platform. Grand Theft Auto V, for example, is a 97.0% on the PS3, but only 96.2% on the Xbox 360. The PlayStation 3 version is the score taken. This is to clear the mess of multiplatform games on the list.