Top 50 Games of the Decade - Final 10 - Article
by Lee Mehr , posted on 31 January 2020 / 12,150 Views
We’ve finally reached the zenith of the VGChartz staff's Top 50 Games lists. If you’ve missed any of our previous list articles - #50-#41, #40-#31, #30-#21, or #20-#11 - then I’d advise you do so. Beyond just getting “the clicks,” it’s more of an opportunity to have a wider perspective about where & why we ranked certain games. And while our top 10 often harmonizes with enthusiastic gaming communities, here and elsewhere, it’s still an eclectic list with respect to genre and popularity.
As a reminder: our top 50 isn’t a weighted list favored by any one person. Each staff member was given the opportunity to post their top 25 games of the 2010s and each title was given a number value dependent on where they ranked it. The totals were then tallied to produce an overall top 50.
With all of this noted, here’s our overall top 10:
10th
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto IV was always a weird specimen to me. It showed a writing team looking to ape from cinematic titans like Scorsese, De Palma, and Michael Mann, yet couldn’t go an hour without your ‘comedic’ cousin interrupting the dramatic story beats. Technological improvements aside, story changes was one of the most notable considerations Grand Theft Auto V took into account. Out with Nico Bellic and in with the criminal triumvirate Franklin, Michael, and Trevor. How this was incorporated both within GTAV’s satirical game world and story remains impressive to this day.
And this doesn’t even scratch the surface of what developer Rockstar North accomplished here. Whether it’s the gameplay improvements, the incredible technology, or the online mode added a short time afterwards, there’s no denying Grand Theft Auto V’s value and the indelible mark it’s made on the gaming landscape since 2013.
9th
Batman: Arkham City
Developer Rocksteady proved itself by making a phenomenal licensed video game - and one of the best games of the 2000s decade - in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Sure, it helped turn the “makes you feel like Batman” phrase into a game critic meme, but even now that feels like an appropriate encapsulation of his crime-fighting demeanor and detective skills in this series. Arkham City took that excellent foundation and built upon it in every feasible way: better technology, larger world, more playable characters, and more of The Dark Knight’s venerable rouges’ gallery.
One doesn’t even need to be a superhero fan to appreciate its design. The way Rocksteady utilized rhythm within hand-to-hand combat changed the nebulous ‘action-adventure’ landscape for an entire generation. If your third-person action-adventure game released between 2010 and 2019, betting odds favor you following in the Arkham series' footsteps, though never with the same amount of work put into the animations. It’s been one of the most consistent gameplay staples in its respective genre and Arkham City still hasn’t been topped - by either its competitors or its own respective sequels.
8th
Persona 5
There’s not a single turn-based JPRG more universally praised than Persona 5, in the previous decade at least. I’ve lost count of how many anecdotal instances I've heard from various posters, YouTube content creators, and more who openly dislike turn-based combat but ended up loving this game. The adored Hatsura Hashino and P-Studio hit it out of the park with a strange melding of high-school life and supernatural dungeon-crawling through the Metaverse. Whether it’s the visual design, soundtrack, gameplay, or motley crew of characters, expect to be deluged with reasons why this game spoke to so many people.
It’s currently the best-selling entry in the Megami Tensei franchise and millions believe it handedly deserves that success.
7th
Bloodborne
Not since Demon’s Souls had From Software made a PlayStation-exclusive title. As was the case in 2009, Bloodborne became another must-have for any fan of the genre. Transplanting the Souls-like design ethos & world-building into a Lovecraftian atmosphere is something you can't believe no one tried sooner. The world of Yharnam is an absolutely vicious one, filled to the brim with nightmarish creatures that are just as exciting to extinguish as the Souls games’ medieval counterparts.
Bloodborne wasn’t one to strictly rest on its laurels either. Quickly re-attacking an enemy to gain lost health is a deceptively simple idea that brings a new risk/reward strategy into the mix and keeps the action flowing faster than any Souls game before it. A hearty applause to the From Software team for their most beloved title by the VGChartz staff.
6th
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
I believe this may be the most surprising entry in the top 10, though by no means less worthy for that reason. If you were to poll any room of handheld gamers, expect to see A Link Between Worlds to be universally considered one of the best games Nintendo has ever made. Whether it’s the wall-merging mechanic or the item rental system, it’s clear this team had inspired ideas of where to take the series next. It’s a follow-up to A Link to the Past and it honors that legacy in every specifiable category: visuals, audio design, dungeon structure, soundtrack, and on and on.
Some may scoff at a handheld game being placed so high, but that’d be unfair. Whether it’s the 3DS, PS Vita, or anything else, those technological limitations can be a crucial way to challenge a team’s creativity. Nintendo passed that test with flying colors here.
5th
Super Mario Odyssey
More Mario! Yes, the story of saving Princess Peach from a forced marriage with Bowser remains the same here, but what sets entries apart is the means by which Mario will save the day. With Super Mario Odyssey, it’s with a sentient hat named “Cappy”, who’s able to possess other objects and characters. What could potentially be a more twisted idea about possession, Odyssey utilizes its unique concept to be one of the most enjoyable platformers ever made. Even with the surfeit of baubles this collect-a-thon is so rewarding to 100% thanks to a reinvigorated take on traversal, level design, and more.
An instant commercial, critical, and fan success across the board. As with A Link Between Worlds before it, Super Mario Odyssey exemplifies Nintendo’s penchant for fashioning nuanced takes on its storied franchises.
4th
The Last of Us
To emphasize how democratized the staff lists were: The Last of Us is the only one from my personal top ten to be included here. It’s no surprise why it’s universally adored: the post-pandemic journey shaping Joel and Ellie’s relationship. This game would’ve sank considerably lower were it not for the character writing and the acting of the two leads. That shouldn’t discount the rewarding gameplay either; the mix of brutal stealth-action combat with real-time crafting kept every encounter tense and worthwhile. And when considering the time it released? It did a better job honoring survival-horror than many of its contemporaries. All of that doesn’t even include what I consider to be Naughty Dog’s best multiplayer component yet.
The Last of Us was one of the most successful new IPs of the seventh generation. Whether it’s considering the attention to detail in the story, acting performances, directing, music, animations, and more, the success is deserved.
3rd
Portal 2
One of the few games Valve developed during the 2010s is also one of the best. What started out as a humble supplement to the collection known as The Orange Box, Portal became an instant classic that any puzzle gamer had to try. Its unique concept broke players’ collective minds upon arrival, mine included, by forcing us to reconsider puzzle-solving and linear momentum.
The concept of firing an enter/exit portal was expanded upon in Portal 2 with more witty writing, engaging puzzles, a fitting visual tone, and two-player co-op multiplayer (local or online). For someone who doesn’t have a word of dialogue, Chell’s struggle to escape Aperture Labs (and GLaDOS by extension) feels just as palpable here as in the original. A superb addition that solidified Portal as the best puzzle game series.
2nd
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Even more Mario! Just when you thought Bowser was defeated in Super Mario Galaxy, he’s at it again - recapturing Princess Peach in the hopes of remaking his empire. Galaxy 2 takes the excellent groundwork laid in the first and builds upon the gravity-defying fun to an unexpected degree. New suits, new planets, greater amount of challenges, and inclusion of Yoshi just show you how excited Nintendo was to keep playing with this galaxy-hopping template. The mere act of watching it is enough to raise one’s pulse. From the colorful design to the exuberant tone, there are few games that can measure up.
After the first’s success, Shigeru Miyamoto approached Nintendo EAD Tokyo about making a follow-up. Super Mario Galaxy 2 isn’t merely an honorable update; it’s credited as the best 3D Mario game by numerous fans.
1st
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
C’mon… you probably knew this was coming. One can’t overstate how cosmically planned Breath of the Wild feels. To think of how Skyrim reshaped gamers’ expectations for open-world games towards the beginning of the 2010s and how Nintendo refashioned that structure with their own personality is a sight to behold. The Legend of Zelda series had been getting some criticism for its reserved approach to level design since Ocarina of Time released over two decades ago—discounting the zany follow-up Majora’s Mask; I doubt anyone could’ve thought of a better way to upend that well-worn arrangement.
Whether it’s with fighting a stamina meter while climbing nearly any object or slashing common enemies throughout the vast land of Hyrule, the revolutions to the Zelda formula have been met with hundreds of awards and virtually every word that’s remotely synonymous with ‘groundbreaking’ or ‘fantastic.’ The best part of the story? Having this as one of the launch titles for the brand-new Nintendo Switch console.
I think it’s most fitting to quote Evan’s Overall Game of the Year 2017 article regarding this win: “As with most games in the long-running franchise, Breath of the Wild achieves greatness not via one monumental mechanic, but through several systems and engines communicating with and responding to each other. Physics, chemistry, artificial intelligence, weapon durability, locomotion, and player choice combine to create a gaming experience for the ages.”
On behalf of the VGChartz staff, we’d like to thank you for allowing us to indulge you with our Top 50 list. But what do you think? Have there been any surprises or snubs found here? Please feel free to comment below.
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It hurts not to see on the entire list the first Xenoblade Chronicles. An easy pick in my opinion. One of my fav games of all time
It may just be my number one of the decade.
Funny. Super Mario 3D World beat out both Grand Theft Auto V and The Last of Us for Game of the Year in 2013 on this site yet both placed higher on this list of best of the decade. I know the lineup of staff making decisions is different between then and now and the voting system is different but I just thought it was worth pointing out the reversal.
Staff change + sometimes a game ages better than another.
It's possible that staff change had an effect. They mainly made the list with fanboys in mind.
I'm glad to see BOTW at #1. Revolutionary open world, game mechanics, and a great expansion to the Zelda series.
I'm so happy ALBW made it in. Such a deceptively fun game...
Glad that Arkham City is in the top 10. It's my #3 game of all time and by far my favourite super hero game.
Portal 2 was also awesome. It was a great continuation of the first game. The humour was also top notch and meme-worthy.
I liked The Last of Us (minus Naughty Dog selling weapons for the multiplayer), but the DLC was incredibly disappointing and I'm not looking forward to the sequel.
I am yet to play Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, but they are on my backlog and I plan to give them a try this year.
Good list imo, it is well represented by Sony and Nintendo since they both had really strong first party games this decade. Of course not everyone can agree, a list is still an opinion, but overall I think the most memorable games made it to the list and no matter the order, each game here is a big gem that had an impact on the decade. That said, I'm beyond excited to see what they make of the BotW sequel. This game opened so many doors in the open world genre and the Zelda franchise I can't wait to see where it goes next. Cause yea, even tho SS was great, they pretty much used the OoT formula to the bone and it was really time for a change, but I wasn't expecting something as amazing as Botw.
Nintendo and Valve owning the top 3 spots, not surprised. Well deserved.
I could pick a lot of bones with this list overall, but I'm only gonna ask one question instead. Every single FromSoft game of the decade made it in, including Dark Souls 2....but not Sekiro? That's patently absurd.
I can only speak from personal perspective, but I had Dark Soul 1-3 and Bloodborne on my list, but not Sekiro simply because I have not played it yet. I can't speak for others, but I would guess that for quite a few of them the reason why Sekiro wasn't in the top 50 were quite similar.
I've played half the games on this top 10 list and feel the only one that isn't overrated is Breath of the Wild. They were decent games, mind you, just not what I would consider game of the decade material. Ah well, we all have different taste.
Yawn At this point, I'm just so exhausted to keep seeing BotW at the top of these lists. As an open world game, I'd say GTAV has way more experience at it and has way more going on within its environment with more technical graphics at that. Zelda gets away with having an "interactive" environment because it uses a cel-shaded aesthetic which doesn't involve many detailed mountain textures or grounds, walls, etc.
So hey, no one is gonna select GTAV because it's just too popular....and Zelda, is just the equivalent of selecting something that feels right. Like those classic movies that always get high praise like Gone with the Wind or Godfather. If Zelda is out any given year, you know you just gotta go Zelda.
Honestly, I do think they are good games but I think it's just something about that "world" Nintendo created that speaks volumes to gamers. For me? I don't care for the world of Hyrule nor Link...so naturally, I'm not gonna relate to the game at all if I'm not attracted to the aesthetic and look of the world.
Just me, though.
I cant deny the fact that Botw is excellent in design and gameplay. But it is also an RPG and RPGs are know for their story and characters. And Botw was mediocre in these to say the least. A great game? -yes. Best of the decade? -no way
It is below mediocre. This is just to show that those top 50 and top 1000 games of the decade are absolutely meaningless this is just the opinion of whoever wrote this article so I wouldn't really take it seriously
Yeah well your personal top 10 list sucks as bad as this top 50
Mario Odyssey as number 2? It’s. It’s not even the best Mario game from the last decade... O_o
That's just to show you that the crew who made this list had no clue whatsoever. They choice of games and the ranks are completely random
This list is a joke
Exactly! This list seems completely random by random people just to please some fanboys so I wouldn't take it seriously
