The 40 Best Games Of All Time

Here are the best video games of all time, as evaluated by Screen Rant‘s gaming editors. The full list spans the most important genres, franchises, innovations, and just-plain-fun entries into gaming’s storied pantheon of best releases.

Assembling a list of the best games ever made can be a daunting exercise for anyone, and there are plenty of rankings that are based purely on one writer’s opinion. To best achieve a level of objective quality evaluation (factoring in both the quality of the game itself and its cultural impact), Screen Rant‘s ranking uses a multi-tiered voting system contributed to by seven gaming editors spanning four countries and many walks of life.

We started with an open-answer survey among all seven editors, asking them to compile a list of their most influential and best games of all time, factoring in audience reviews, critical reviews, and their impact on the gaming landscape. From there, any games that were voted for multiple times were added to a tier list above any game with a single vote. A second survey conducted a month later compiled these games and once again asked editors to vote, this time for games already in the highest tier.

After this, a list of the 35 games total was finally ready, where editors once again used an internally determined points system to assign a score to every single game based on the above criteria, ultimately resulting in a list of 35 games ranked by their combined scores. Any ties were then broken by discussion.

40 Death Stranding

Kojima Productions (2019)

Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding managed to deliver a revolutionary experience for modern gaming with its unique combination of adventure, action, survival, and even horror. The game earned itself the title of 2019 Game of the Year here at Screen Rant, particularly for its creativity, solid pacing of storytelling, and the praiseworthy innovations in gameplay. Mixed in with all of these qualities are impressive visuals and a stand-out soundtrack.

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.

39 Diablo 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.

While there are certainly newer games in the Diablo franchise, Diablo 2 has long 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.

38 Grand 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.

37 Portal 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.

Learning how to solve the particular puzzles in each level, while learning new concepts and mechanics to apply to future levels, gives the game a steady progression where each test chamber feels difficult but not overly so. The solutions require critical thinking from players, yet provide such an incredible sense of satisfaction once successful. Combined with an engaging story of scientific testing, robots, and companion cubes, Portal 2 remains a heavily played title.

36 Star 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.

35 The 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.

34 Counter-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.

Gameplay features terrorist and counter-terrorist roles, with teams swapping sides mid-game between planting a bomb or attempting to prevent that or defuse it after the fact.

Few games can lay claim to the storied history that
CSGO
has.

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.

33 Halo 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.

Luckily for them – and everyone who just wanted another great Bungie shooter – Halo 3 made good on the hype. A short Halo 3 campaign mode with a more tangible ending, multiplayer with perhaps the best map pool in the series to date, and the addition of the Forge Editor to create custom maps all raised the bar for Halo. Its first-day sales reached $170 million – somehow more than quadrupling its ridiculous marketing budget – and it became a staple multiplayer game at both high school LAN parties and professional video game tournaments.

32 Street 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.

Street Fighter 2 featured eight playable characters and the same one-on-one combat first established by its predecessor. It’s also credited with establishing combos as a staple of the franchise – the game has certain unblockable attacks when timed correctly, but the razor-thin margins meant that players had to train and practice against similarly talented competitors in order to get them down with any amount of frequency. This adherence to practice and repetition has become a staple of FGC competitors and is just another element of the legacy of Street Fighter 2.

31 Silent 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.

Gameplay was captivating and terrifying, with a healthy dose of jump scares supplemented by a more psychological brand of dread during frantic escapes or puzzle solving.

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.

30 GoldenEye 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.

29 God 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.

God of War didn’t just shake up the series’ narrative – it was one of the most visually arresting games in its release year. Its gameplay, featuring Kratos now wielding an axe among huge innovations to camera work, combos, and the addition of RPG elements, also helped bring the franchise into the new era of gaming while immediately creating a game of the year contender that did, eventually, make good on that promise across a number of award shows.

28 Resident 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.

On his own and immediately thrust into a hotbed of monstrous villagers and a scheming cabal, Leon’s adventure is exciting from step one and never stalls out.

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.

27 BioShock

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.

That gripping story is accompanied by first-person shooter gameplay with RPG influences, allowing for customization and combinations to suit player style. Exploration of Rapture is equal parts fascinating and horrifying, with small, scary moments helping to highlight the disarray the city finds itself in. Voice acting is another highlight, with some excellent performances immersing players under the waves that Rapture hides in. There’s even a BioShock movie on the way, as it remains as culturally important in video games in 2024 as it was on release.

26 The 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.

The Last of Us is, at its core, a survival horror action game, but it has so many innovative elements for its time period. Tactical positioning during fire fights with other humans or zombie monsters littering the environment is necessary, and players can desperately craft makeshift solutions from what’s around them to try to salvage a win. Beautiful graphics and set pieces make for a cinematic adventure, too, and its no surprise that one of the best games of all time also got its due as an equally successful television show in The Last of Us on HBO.

25 League 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.

Tactical engagements, using the available resources that spawn on the map, and managing gold and item economy are just some of the difficulties that make it so fun.

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.

24 Doom

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.

Beyond being the blueprint for the first-person shooter genre that would soon become one of the most popular in the industry, it also helped legitimize video games as more than a niche hobby, gradually adjusting how people viewed the burgeoning medium.

It’s an addictive design that has withstood the test of time.

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.

23 Persona 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.

Persona 5 Royal follows protagonist Joker and his gang of students-turned-supernatural-thieves as they attempt to expose the hypocrisy and greed of adults who hold power in society. Manifesting their desires as mythological interpretations of historic figures that can then fight, the game is over-the-top in the most compelling way, dripping with anime aesthetic and style that makes it instantly memorable. A strong social sim backdrop including romance only adds to the amount of things to do (and do well), and one of gaming’s best soundtracks scores an unforgettable journey.

22 Mario 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?

To start, it’s accessible. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is by far the most successful Mario Kart in terms of sales, and it’s easy to see why – any age can play, and catch-up mechanics mean any age can win, too. The game contains the series’ best pool of tracks, a strong roster of the Mario franchise’s heaviest hitters (and a few sleeper picks), and the kind of gameplay that’s easy to pick up but genuinely difficult to master. Oh, and it’s also a multiplayer smash hit that is never out of place at a gathering of friends and/or family.

21 Dark 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.

It’s not just the depth of combat that makes Dark Souls so iconic, however. Its level design is sublime even today, but especially for its time period, containing plenty of hidden secrets (and even fights) and haunting visions of crumbling civilization. The unforgiving nature of its design also makes it a great host for its approach to lore, which complements the minute, detailed combat with obscure, vague world-building that gives players just enough that they desperately want to know more. Dark Souls pioneered an entire genre and changed gaming forever, and it’s one of the best games ever made.