Every Metacritic Game of the Year Winner

This surprising commercial hit from Belgian indie studio Larian was the first new game in the Dungeons & Dragons-based fantasy RPG series Baldur's Gate since 2000's Shadows of Amn. Many years of development, including three years in Early Access and the enlistment of 248 actors to voice every on-screen character, paid off handsomely, resulting in one of the deepest and most flexible, involving, innovative, surprising, and rewarding games in recent memory.

"Baldur's Gate 3 is the most successful and authentic take on D&D in the tabletop franchise's 50-year history. Its complexity and size might be daunting for novices, but the breadth and depth of Baldur's Gate 3's world make this a once-in-a-generation achievement." —GamesRadar+

Runner-up: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)

One of just a few brand-new IPs on this list, 2022's Elden Ring is a collaboration between Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin and game designer Hidetaka Miyazaki (of the famed Souls series). Their action/RPG is set in a vast and richly detailed open world and features a fantasy storyline revolving around an all-powerful ring, which, in the game's present, has long been shattered into shards, which your character must track down.

"An uncompromising vision of wonder and terror, Elden Ring is the ultimate dark fantasy odyssey." —Cultured Vultures

Runner-up: God of War: Ragnarok (PS5)

Microsoft's open-world racing franchise reached its apotheosis with this 2021 installment that found a lengthened development cycle resulting in a massive open-world environment. That environment? Mexico, where you can drive through a diverse group of settings including jungles, cities, beaches, deserts, and even a snow-capped volcano, spanning 11 distinct biomes (and nearly 600 roads) in all.

"Forza Horizon 5 looks phenomenal, plays well and is practically flawless. It is undoubtedly the best entry in the series and has the most detailed open world in any game to date." —GameGrin

Runner-up: Chicory: A Colorful Tale (PC)

Released originally as a PS4 exclusive, this greatly expanded/enhanced port of the 2017, Tokyo-set, supernatural high school JRPG Persona 5 (part of the Shin Megami Tensei series) introduced quite a bit of additional content including a pair of new characters, a new neighborhood to explore, and additional story (including a playable third semester).

"Persona 5 Royal is many things: a collection of small inspiring stories, an ambitious harrowing journey with some good friends, a stunning visual and auditory experience, a resounding call to action. By refining what was already great and building on its best qualities with a brilliant new story arc, Persona 5 Royal asserts itself as an unforgettable and empowering RPG that should be recognized as one of the best games of our time." —GameSpot

Runner-up: The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

The self-published debut release from indie Estonian studio ZA/UM, Disco Elysium is a truly original open-world, combat-free RPG/adventure that casts you as a drunk detective who must work their way through a very funny, noir-ish story with an impressive number of choices facing you at every turn. The game picked up numerous awards, including four separate trophies (the most of any title) at The Game Awards 2019, and later came out on consoles as well.

"Disco Elysium is perhaps one of the best role-playing games of all time, and I don't say that lightly. I haven't played a game that has been able to so masterfully flex to my actions as well as ZA/UM's freshman outing. The writing is sharp, the characters genuine, and the choices possess true stakes." —Attack of the Fanboy

Runner-up: Resident Evil 2 (PS4)

It's not quite the best game ever released by Rockstar Games, but it's a close #2. Eight years in the making, the even better prequel to the already-great 2010 open-world western Red Dead Redemption is the highest-scoring title on both the PS4 and XB1 in the history of those consoles. In addition to vacuuming up nearly every game award on the planet in 2018, RDR2 was a massive commercial hit, selling over 63 million copies.

"Criticisms often come easier than compliments, but in the case of Red Dead Redemption 2, I am at a loss. This is one of the most gorgeous, seamless, rootinest, tootinest games ever made, and if you voluntarily miss out on it, you're either not a gamer or in a coma." —EGM

Runner-up: God of War (PS4)

Out of all of the releases in Nintendo's nearly 40-year-old Legend of Zelda action-adventure franchise, only one title scored higher than 2017's breathtaking Breath of the Wild, which featured the largest explorable world in the series to date. A launch title for Nintendo's then-new Switch console, Breath edged out fellow Switch release Super Mario Odyssey by a tiny fraction of a point to take top honors in 2017.

"The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a masterclass in open-world design and a watershed game that reinvents a 30-year-old franchise. It presents a wonderful sandbox full of mystery, dangling dozens upon dozens of tantalizing things in front of you that just beg to be explored." —IGN

Runner-up: Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

Naughty Dog's globetrotting and cinematic action-adventure series Uncharted was an unequivocal success, producing one critical and commercial hit after another. Though the main storyline, centering on treasure hunter Nathan Drake, concluded with this 2016 installment—the #9 all-time release on the PS4 console—a Drake-less expansion/sequel followed in 2017.

"Uncharted 4 is the ultimate video game adventure, a visual masterpiece, and a heartfelt, triumphant conclusion for a PlayStation icon." —PlayStation Universe

Runner-up: Inside (XB1)

Legendary game designer Hideo Kojima's final masterpiece for Konami (before moving on to his own studio and creating Death Stranding) scored highly across multiple platforms, with many critics deeming it the best game to date in the then-28-year-old Metal Gear series. The stealth action-adventure follows the mercenary Snake in 1984 as he seeks vengeance (for events that transpired in the prior game, Ground Zeroes) in Africa and Soviet-occupied Afghanistan.

"What you are getting with Metal Gear Solid V is hours upon hours of the vision of one of the most creative and artistic directors in video game history." —Digitally Downloaded

Runner-up: Bloodborne (PS4)

Released alongside a 3DS version, this fourth game in Nintendo's platform-fighting series allowed up to eight players to fight at once and choose from nearly 60 playable characters drawn from the universe of Nintendo gaming history—including familiar faces Mario, Pikachu, Samus, Kirby, and Link and slightly more obscure characters like the alternate "Dark" version of Pit from Kid Icarus: Uprising. (Even the Wii Fit trainer made an appearance.)

"Smash is fun. That's one of the most boring words to use in a video game review, I know, but I can't sum it up any other way. Nintendo's developers made it an obvious objective and they've unequivocally hit the motherload. You'll feel like you did too, so make sure you're tossing opponents off-stage to explore it all." —Game Revolution

Runner-up: Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)

Set in a fictionalized Los Angeles, the seventh main entry in Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto open-world action-adventure franchise (which includes two unnumbered titles) is the #2 all-time release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles, trailing only the previous GTA game. Was it successful? You might say that: It took Grand Theft Auto V a mere three days to reach $1 billion in sales. (Try doing that, Barbenheimer!) GTA5 also scored highly when it came out the following year for next-gen consoles (and in 2015 for PC) and has continued to perform well financially over the past decade. Now with over 200 million copies shipped worldwide, it is the #2 best-selling video game in history (behind Minecraft).

"A staggering technical achievement that is matched only by the depth and ambition of its gameplay – this is not only the best-looking GTA ever but by far the most fun to play." —Metro GameCentral

Runner-up: The Last of Us (PS3)

An enhanced remake of the 2008 PS2 game Persona 4, this "Golden" edition that, while not changing the core gameplay (about a group of high school friends who investigate murders in Japan's countryside), adds quite a bit around the edges, including new areas, endings, characters, and events. Golden was the highest-scoring game ever released on Sony's PlayStation Vita handheld device—in fact, it was the sole title for the Vita to score above 90. Over a decade after its initial release, P4G was ported to modern consoles, though only the Switch version hit the 90 mark.

"It's the tightest, best-written, and most must-play game Atlus has ever created. Persona 4 started as a strong, singular RPG; with Persona 4 Golden, it is a masterpiece." —Polygon

Runner-up: Mass Effect 3 (X360)

In a great year for games, with 19 different titles scoring 90 or higher, it was Skyrim that ultimately led the pack in 2011. The fifth (and best) installment in Bethesda's open-world action-RPG series set in a fantasy world has been re-released in multiple forms in the decade-plus since its original arrival, selling over 60 million copies along the way. But the highly anticipated sequel is still several years away—at a minimum.

"Skyrim is bigger, better, deeper than it's already excellent predecessor and a true masterpiece. This is not only a contender to be the game of the year, but maybe even the best role-playing game ever." —Gamereactor Sweden

Runner-up: Portal 2 (X360)

A Game of the Year winner like its predecessor three years earlier, SMG2 is another wildly creative physics-based 3D platformer. Featuring nearly 50 "galaxies" (levels), each with multiple missions, the game offered a wealth of new content even if it didn't break as much new ground as the first SMG.

"Super Mario Galaxy 2 doesn't tinker with the established formula very much, but we didn't really want it to. It's huge, brilliant, and gorgeous. It's why you started playing videogames in the first place." —The Escapist

Runner-up: Mass Effect 2 (X360)

The first of two different Uncharted installments to take Metacritic Game of the Year honors, this cinematic 2009 action-adventure from Naughty Dog finds treasure hunter Nathan Drake racing against a Serbian war criminal to recover a treasure thought to be lost by Marco Polo.

"Among Thieves is not a reinvention of the genre, more a definition. A sumptuous adventure that enthrals from start to finish, a cast that you'll fall in love with and a tale that's better scripted, directed and paced than most Hollywood blockbusters. It is a testament to the extraordinary talent at Naughty Dog and a glorious celebration of what video games can be when they play to their enviable strengths." —Telegraph

Runner-up: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (X360)

It's not just the best-reviewed Grand Theft Auto game in that franchise's storied history—or the best title ever made by Rockstar Games. It's also the highest-scoring game of the 21st century so far (and only two games from the prior century score higher). Set in New York stand-in Liberty City like several prior GTA titles but grittier and more realistic than its predecessors, GTA4 is estimated to have had one of the biggest development budgets in gaming history. But that wasn't a problem: It took all of 24 hours for the game to become profitable, and it eventually sold over 25 million copies.

"The very nature of the American Dream is the central theme in Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV, a gaming masterpiece that is a picture-perfect snapshot of the underworld of today's big cities. This is not only the finest title of the generation thus far, it is one of the best games of all-time." —GameSpy

Runner-up: LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

Still Nintendo's highest-scoring game of the 21st century—yes, higher than any Zelda game—the first Super Mario Galaxy brought Super Mario 3D platforming action to the year-old Wii console for the first time. The freedom provided by the game's outer space setting—and the Wii's motion-sensing controller—seemed to inspire Nintendo's development team, who responded with some of the most creative levels in the franchise's history.

"As redefining an experience as 'Super Mario 64' was, and we can all remember how that game made us feel, Super Mario Galaxy is the most profound game since 'Super Mario Bros.' defined action gaming on the NES. There's something almost transcendental about SMG." —Play Magazine

Runner-up: BioShock (X360)

Called "one of the best launch titles in the history of launch titles" by IGN's Matt Casamassina—though it was surpassed, perhaps, by a later Zelda game, 2017's Breath of the Wild—this 2006 release makes good use of the then-new Wii remote's motion controls and nunchuck attachment. The game is best remembered for its horseback battles and, of course, Link's transformation into wolf form whenever he enters the Twilight Realm.

"Rather than drastically reworking the series, Twilight Princess refines and expands almost everything you already love about Zelda, and it looks damn good doing it ... One of the best games of all time." —NintendoWorldReport

Runner-up: Gears of War (X360)

The best game to date in the Resident Evil franchise centers on special agent Leon S. Kennedy, who is sent to Europe to rescue the American president's daughter from a cult under the spell of a mind-controlling parasite. Considered a turning point in the survival horror franchise for its incorporation of elements of the third-person shooter genre (and actually influencing that genre in turn by introducing a now-standard off-center, over-the-shoulder viewpoint), RE4 ultimately sold over 10 million copies worldwide and collected numerous game of the year awards on its way to becoming one of the most influential games of the century. A 2023 remake was also well received but scored a few points lower.

"It's not just an achievement in technical design and visual prowess; it's an entire masterpiece of game engineering. This is one of the finest videogame experiences ever crafted." —Gamestyle

Runner-up: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (Xbox)

A reinvention of the first-person shooter, Valve's 2004 single-player masterpiece incorporated real-world physics (and puzzle-solving) into its sci-fi storyline involving an alien occupation of Earth. Game publications responded by showering Half-Life 2 with Game of the Year awards at the end of 2004. While that should be enough for any game, Half-Life 2 made history again three years later when it was released as part of The Orange Box compilation, possibly the best multi-game package of all time (which also included the debut of another all-time great game, Portal).

"This is a jaw-dropping, exhilarating game. It's the game you'll remember for years." —Yahoo!

Runner-up: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)

Set in a vast sea dotted with small islands long after the events of 1998's Ocarina of Time, The Wind Waker charges a cel-shaded Link with rescuing his sister, solving the mystery of the flooded world and again defeating the menacing Ganon. It still stands as the fourth-highest-scoring Zelda release to date.

"Simply a stunning, magical game." —Eurogamer

Runner-up: Madden NFL 2004 (PS2)

The fifth and best release in the Nintendo-exclusive Metroid series pitting interstellar bounty hunter Samus Aran against Space Pirates and other evils was also a major change for the franchise. Instead of the usual side-scrolling action, Prime features 3D graphics and a first-person perspective. Critics and gamers responded well to the changes, with the former group singling out Prime's visuals while praising the game's emphasis on exploration over shooting.

"The best game to hit any system in the past few years. No game has captivated me more or been more fun than Metroid Prime in a very long time." —Gaming Age

Runner-up: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2)

The only sports game on this list, Pro Skater 3 is the highest-scoring release in the history of the popular skateboarding franchise as well as the #1 all-time game on the PlayStation 2 console. (It's also the answer to the trivia question, "What was the final game released on the Nintendo 64?") In addition to improving the graphics found in the two previous Tony Hawk titles, THPS3 added online multiplayer to the series for the first time—as well as the beloved "Revert" trick that allowed players to create extra-long combos.

"A rare and beautiful thing, a nearly perfect game." —G4 TV

Runner-up: Grand Theft Auto III (PS2)

The #2 game released for the Nintendo 64 (behind only Ocarina of Time), Perfect Dark took the FPS formula established in Rare's fellow all-time classic GoldenEye 007 and molded it to fit an original story involving corporate espionage agent Joanna Dark as she attempts to thwart an alien-led conspiracy. Despite the game's success, only one follow-up title (the 2005 prequel Perfect Dark Zero) was released. A modern reboot of Perfect Dark has been in development for at least four years but is probably still a few years away from release.

"With all the gadgets and alternative goals thrown in, 'Perfect Dark' is more than just a straight-up blastfest; It's a futuristic spy-thriller that also happens to be the best multiplayer shooter on the console market." —GamePro

Runner-up: NFL 2K1 (Dreamcast)