Using Math and Science, Someone Figured Out the 100 Best Games Ever Made

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A dedicated gamer compiled over 900 “best of” lists to determine the ultimate video game rankings. While everyone has their own favorites, this project aimed to find the highest-rated games by combining scores from both critics and players.

Websites like OpenCritic and Metacritic monitor new video game releases and calculate average scores based on reviews from many gaming websites. According to OpenCritic, which has data from 2013 onward, the five highest-rated games of all time are Super Mario Odyssey (97), Baldur’s Gate 3 (96), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (96), Red Dead Redemption 2 (95), and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (95). Metacritic, with a longer history and different scoring criteria, lists a different top five: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (99), SoulCalibur (98), Grand Theft Auto 4 (98), Super Mario Galaxy (97), and Super Mario Galaxy 2 (97).

Gaming websites often create their own rankings of the best video games, separate from traditional review scores. Recently, a Reddit user named IlmeniAVG went above and beyond by gathering over 900 “greatest games” lists and combining the data to create a comprehensive top 1,000 list. They then shared the top 100 on Reddit (a full list of 1,000 is also available). According to their research, the top 10 games of all time are: Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Resident Evil 4, Super Mario 64, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Half-Life 2, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Last of Us, Tetris, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which took the number one spot.

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List of 100 Best Games Ever Made

100. Donkey Kong Bananza (2025)

99. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018)

98. Mega Man 2 (1988)

97. Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)

96. Fortnite (2017)

95. The Sims (2000)

94. Braid (2008)

93. Persona 5 (2016)

92. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)

91. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

90. Grim Fandango (1998)

89. Persona 4 / Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (2008)

88. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (1995)

87. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002)

86. The Legend of Zelda (1986)

85. The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)

84. Spelunky (2012)

83. Halo 3 (2007)

82. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000)

81. Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)

80. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)

79. Undertale (2015)

78. SimCity 2000 (1993)

77. System Shock 2 (1999)

76. NieR: Automata (2017)

75. Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)

74. Resident Evil (1996)

73. Inside (2016)

72. Batman: Arkham City (2011)

71. The Walking Dead (2012)

70. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)

69. Outer Wilds (2019)

68. Counter-Strike / Counter-Strike 1.6 (2000)

67. Ōkami (2006)

66. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010)

65. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)

64. Tomb Raider (1996)

63. Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)

62. Disco Elysium (2019)

61. Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow (1996)

60. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002)

59. Overwatch (2016)

58. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)

57. Ico (2001)

56. Super Mario Bros. (1985)

55. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (2025)

54. The Last of Us Part II (2020)

53. Fallout 3 (2008)

52. Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023)

51. Super Mario Galaxy (2007)

50. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003)

49. Super Mario Kart (1992)

48. Super Mario Odyssey (2017)

47. Diablo II (2000)

46. Final Fantasy VI (1994)

45. Hades (2020)

44. Silent Hill 2 (2001)

43. StarCraft (1998)

42. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)

41. Journey (2012)

40. Metroid Prime (2002)

39. Minecraft (2011)

38. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)

37. Deus Ex (2000)

36. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)

35. GoldenEye 007 (1997)

34. Half-Life (1998)

33. Bloodborne (2015)

32. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)

31. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)

30. Chrono Trigger (1995)

29. God of War (2018)

28. Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)

27. Dark Souls (2011)

26. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)

25. Metal Gear Solid (1998)

24. Portal (2007)

23. Street Fighter II (1991)

22. Red Dead Redemption (2010)

21. Super Metroid (1994)

20. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)

19. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)

18. World of Warcraft (2004)

17. Doom (1993)

16. Elden Ring (2022)

15. Portal 2 (2011)

14. Final Fantasy VII (1997)

13. BioShock (2007)

12. Mass Effect 2 (2010)

11. Shadow of the Colossus (2005)

10. Super Mario World (1990)

9. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991)

8. Resident Evil 4 (2005)

7. Super Mario 64 (1996)

6. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (2015)

5. Half-Life 2 (2004)

4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

3. The Last of Us (2013)

2. Tetris (1985)

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

Nintendo games make up half of the top 10 list, with classics like Super Mario World and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past leading the way. Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time also appear, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild takes the number one spot. Other highly-ranked games include Capcom’s Resident Evil 4, CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Valve’s Half-Life 2, PlayStation’s The Last of Us, and the timeless puzzle game Tetris, created by Alexey Pajitnov.

The top 100 games list includes several titles released in 2020 or later, such as The Last of Us Part 2, Hades, Elden Ring, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur’s Gate 3, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which won Game of the Year. It will be fascinating to see how the list changes over the next five years as more recent games are added to top game lists. While it’s probably difficult for any game to crack the current top 10, future releases could certainly shake things up.

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2026-02-15 03:06