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Ever since the Pong craze took hold in the early 70s, video games have become more and more ingrained into our culture. For some people, gaming has become a way of life, and it's a technology that's constantly evolving, getting better and better. So asking ourselves "What are the best video games EVER?" is a bit of a loaded question. It's a very tough list to compile, cramming all of the genres into one giant pool to decipher what games have truly stood the test of time. It's like asking "What is the best book ever written?"
There are no wrong answers. So obviously, this is completely subjective, and you might feel entirely different based on your own video game history. But make no mistake - every game on this list, at the time they were released, influenced the games that would follow, and they are without a doubt some of the most important games to have ever been made.
So without further ado - The 10 Best Video Games of ALL Time!
Click the video at the top of the page to watch our choices or scroll down to read about 'em, and see if your favorite video game made it to the top.
10. Goldeneye 007
Starting off at No. 10 we’ve got Goldeneye 007 for the N64. This might be the only case in video game history where a game tied to a movie turned out better than the movie. With so many games today being played online, split screen almost seems a thing of the past. It’s easy to forget just how fun it was as a kid to sit around a TV and play a good shooter with all of your buddies, and Goldeneye might have been the best.
With today's vibrant modding scene there's actually more ways than ever to enjoy this all-time classic. Time for another gaming night with the buds like old times!
9. The Last of Us
To date, there is still arguably no game that is as emotionally complex as this instant classic. While the gameplay itself in The Last of Us is fantastic, it also effortlessly blended in a cinema quality story that turned it into one of the biggest hits of the last gen. Naughty Dog was already on the map with the wild success of the Uncharted series, but it was The Last of Us which proved that they were among the very best story-tellers in this medium. If this is where video games are headed, then yes please. Check this one out if you haven't yet.
8. World of Warcraft
Considering this MMO has been out since 2004, and millions of people are still, to this day, regularly devoting huge chunks of their life to it is a testament to how great it truly is. Seriously, name another game that has had the longevity along with the consistent, feverish popularity of World of Warcraft. For many people, its immersive world became downright addicting.
New expansions and new content is till rolling out to this day, and Blizzard has even committed to bringing back a classic "vanilla" server for those wanting to relive the glory days of WoW's launch! There's never been a better time to jump in.
7. Street Fighter II
Anyone who loves a good fighting game owes Street Fighter II a big debt of gratitude. There's often an argument about which game proved to be more popular between this and Mortal Kombat, and while MK was insanely popular, it came out a year later, but also brought a lot of negative attention to video games due to its graphic violence. So we gave the nod to Street Fighter for being a lot more palatable and featured a ton of colorful fighters who are still remembered fondly to this day. In fact, Street Fighter is mainly responsible for the competitive arcade fighting scene genesis, so it deserves a spot on our list for that fact alone!
6. Doom
While Wolfenstein 3D might have come out first, it stayed relatively under the radar and involved little fanfare. It was the popularity and gore of DOOM that made first person shooters one of the most popular gaming genres there’s ever been. No matter what your favorite classic first person shooter is, from Call of Duty to Halo to Half Life 2 - they all might have never happened had DOOM not caught fire the way that it did.
By the way, we can't think of any other game that has received the kind of revival that DOOM did with its 2016 reboot. It's one Hell of a roller-coaster that shouldn't be missed.
5. Pac-Man
This all time classic is synonymous with the term “video games.” It’s a crime to not include it on any best of all time list. Whether you're a casual gamer needing something to idly pass the time, or a hardcore high score chaser, PAC-MAN has something for you.
I know we said that Street Fighter was largely responsible for the competitive arcade gaming scene, but anyone who was there back in the 80s and early 90s knows that the competitive PAC-MAN scene was just as lively, and almost as brutal!
4. Grand Theft Auto III
When Grand Theft Auto III came out, it changed everything, putting players in an open world sandbox where you could practically do anything. Like, literally anything. While the GTA franchise have continued to deliver amazing new installments with each additional game becoming better than before, none have changed the landscape of games the way this one did. Very few games have influenced modern games the way GTA III has.
Plus, who can forget the countless hours spent in front of the TV, cheat codes enabled, just wailing away on cops and causing mass hysteria with unlimited ammunition and insane weaponry?
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Any number of Zelda games could have probably landed on this list, but it's Ocarina of Time that seems to be most fondly remembered by fans of the series. And anyone who played it on N64 when it came out knows exactly why it’s one of the best ever. It gave us a massive open world to explore. It was filled with secrets and mysterious characters. The music was breathtaking, and the bosses were legendary.
Everyone who loves adventure games owes a debt of gratitude to Ocarina of Time, because it inspired generations of developers and artists. We still love to play this one.
2. Tetris
There’s hardly a person alive that hasn’t played Tetris since it was created in 1984, and it single-handedly put Nintendo's Gameboy on the map making it the granddaddy of all puzzle games. No other game has remained as consistently relevant as Tetris, appearing on every platform since it's inception and still a big seller today.
In fact, it's still the best seller. Look up any comprehensive list of the best-selling games of all-time, and Tetris is always in the top spot once all of the platforms are taken into consideration. We know that Minecraft is trying hard to catch up, but we doubt any game will ever out-sell Tetris.
1. Super Mario Bros 3
We've arrived. The GOAT of video games goes to Super Mario Bros 3. An argument could totally be made for the original Super Mario Bros, which made the pipe traveling plumber a household name. But after a disappointing sequel, Super Mario Bros 3 came along and improved upon the franchise in every conceivable way, pushing 8-bit to it’s limits, and turning Mario into the unofficial mascot of video games forever.
Even among hardcore Nintendo fans, it's common to see a unanimous nod to Super Mario Bros. 3 as the best in the series, and that's saying something in a world where Super Mario Galaxy and Odyssey exist!
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