Greatest Video Games of All Time - Tier List & Versus
(1971–2023)
Published
This list has 367 characters from Greatest Video Games of All Time.
Greatest Video Games of All Time - Official Tier
Editorial placements for Greatest Video Games of All Time, with the reasoning behind each list.
The GOAT Board
Every game on this page earned its spot somewhere: the roster collects the titles named on best-ever lists by more than a hundred outlets. This board is the short version, the names that keep resurfacing decade after decade, from arcade originators to the open worlds of the 2020s.
The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild
Elden Ring
The Last Of Us
Red Dead Redemption 2
Grand Theft Auto V
Super Mario 64
The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time
Tetris
Dark Souls
Half Life 2
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt
Chrono Trigger
Super Metroid
Metal Gear Solid
Portal 2
Minecraft
Final Fantasy Vii
Super Mario World
Disco Elysium
Bloodborne
Doom
Half Life
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
Mass Effect 2
Red Dead Redemption
Bioshock
Shadow Of The Colossus
Resident Evil 4
Baldur S Gate 3
Halo Combat Evolved
Street Fighter Ii
Castlevania Symphony Of The Night
Civilization Ii
Super Mario Bros 3
God Of War 2018
Uncharted 2 Among Thieves
The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim
Metroid Prime
Silent Hill 2
Hades
Hollow Knight
Celeste
Journey
Outer Wilds
Return Of The Obra Dinn
The Stanley Parable
Persona 5
Stardew Valley
Portal
Grand Theft Auto Iv
Arcade Origins (1971–1989)
The first two decades of the medium, when a game had to earn its quarter in a crowded room. From text adventures and vector tanks to the golden age of cabinets and the first console icons, these are the titles that built the vocabulary every later game still speaks.
Pac Man
Space Invaders
Pong
Donkey Kong
Tetris
Galaga
Asteroids
Defender
Centipede
Ms Pac Man
Joust
Robotron 2084
Missile Command
Battlezone
Tempest
Arkanoid
Bubble Bobble
Frogger
Super Mario Bros
Super Mario Bros 3
The Legend Of Zelda
Metroid
Contra
Mega Man 2
Ninja Gaiden
Double Dragon
R Type
Out Run
Pitfall
Marble Madness
Gauntlet
Ghosts N Goblins
Super Castlevania Iv
Lode Runner
M U L E
Elite
Archon The Light And The Dark
Adventure
Zork
Wizardry Proving Grounds Of The Mad Overlord
Dungeon Master
Head Over Heels
Combat
The Oregon Trail
Simcity
Prince Of Persia
Populous
A Mind Forever Voyaging
Ultima Iv Quest Of The Avatar
Sid Meier S Pirates
Mike Tyson S Punch Out
The 90s Golden Age
The decade that turned gaming into a mass medium: 16-bit classics, the arrival of 3D, the first great shooters and the role-playing epics that still top rankings. This cut gathers the 1990s titles from the roster, from the Mega Drive and SNES to the PlayStation and the family PC.
The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time
Super Metroid
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy Vii
Super Mario World
Metal Gear Solid
Street Fighter Ii
Half Life
Sonic The Hedgehog
Doom
Super Mario 64
Castlevania Symphony Of The Night
Goldeneye 007
Starcraft
Resident Evil 2
Final Fantasy Vi
Secret Of Mana
Super Mario Kart
Donkey Kong Country
Final Fantasy Tactics
Warcraft Ii Tides Of Darkness
Age Of Empires
Civilization Ii
Diablo
Fallout
Baldur S Gate
Grim Fandango
The Secret Of Monkey Island
Monkey Island 2 Lechuck S Revenge
Day Of The Tentacle
Sam Max Hit The Road
Myst
Simcity 2000
X Com Ufo Defense
System Shock 2
Thief The Dark Project
Silent Hill
Tony Hawk S Pro Skater
Gran Turismo
Tekken 3
Virtua Fighter 2
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Suikoden Ii
Xenogears
Planescape Torment
Everquest
Banjo Kazooie
Crash Bandicoot Warped
Wipeout
Wipeout 2097
Virtua Racing
Daytona Usa
Sega Rally Championship
Street Fighter Iii 3rd Strike
Ridge Racer
Syndicate
Ultima Vii The Black Gate
Ultima Online
Total Annihilation
Command Conquer
Command Conquer Red Alert
Duke Nukem 3d
Quake
Quake Ii
Quake Iii Arena
Unreal Tournament
Counter Strike
Heroes Of Might And Magic Iii
Homeworld
Final Fantasy Viii
Parappa The Rapper
Dance Dance Revolution
Puzzle Bobble
Earthbound
Contra Iii The Alien Wars
Streets Of Rage 2
Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Sonic Cd
Gunstar Heroes
Mega Man X
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat Ii
Nba Jam
Star Wars Tie Fighter
Star Wars Jedi Knight Dark Forces Ii
Yoshi S Island
Tempest 2000
Worms
Theme Park
Lemmings
Micro Machines
Another World
Flashback
Alone In The Dark
Indiana Jones And The Fate Of Atlantis
Star Control Ii
Pilotwings
The 2000s Blockbusters
The decade of the living-room console at its peak and the first true online worlds: cinematic shooters, sprawling open cities and the games that made HD television worth buying. This board ranks the 2000s entries of the roster by how much they still shape the medium.
Half Life 2
Bioshock
Portal
Resident Evil 4
Shadow Of The Colossus
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
Halo Combat Evolved
Mass Effect 2
Halo 2
Halo 3
Mass Effect
The Elder Scrolls Iii Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls Iv Oblivion
Grand Theft Auto Iii
Grand Theft Auto Vice City
Metroid Prime
The Legend Of Zelda The Wind Waker
Final Fantasy X
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts Ii
God Of War 2005
Devil May Cry 3 Dante S Awakening
Psychonauts
Gears Of War
Gears Of War 2
Call Of Duty 4 Modern Warfare
Wii Sports
Team Fortress 2
World Of Warcraft
The Sims
The Sims 2
Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons Of Liberty
Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater
Ico
Max Payne
Max Payne 2 The Fall Of Max Payne
Prince Of Persia The Sands Of Time
Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 2
Civilization Iv
Guitar Hero
Rock Band
Katamari Damacy
Burnout 3 Takedown
Dragon Quest Viii
Gran Turismo 3 A Spec
Gran Turismo 4
Beyond Good Evil
Fable Ii
Batman Arkham Asylum
Uncharted 2 Among Thieves
Demon S Souls
Plants Vs Zombies
Assassin S Creed Ii
Dead Space
Persona 4
Street Fighter Iv
Super Smash Bros Melee
Super Smash Bros Brawl
Warioware Inc Mega Microgames
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney
Lumines Puzzle Fusion
Rez
F Zero Gx
Soulcalibur Ii
Virtua Fighter 4
Jet Set Radio
Skies Of Arcadia
Perfect Dark
Tony Hawk S Pro Skater 2
Tony Hawk S Pro Skater 3
Animal Crossing
Burnout Paradise
Braid
Spelunky
Littlebigplanet
Valkyria Chronicles
The World Ends With You
Devil May Cry
Call Of Duty 2
Hitman Blood Money
Tom Clancy S Splinter Cell
Tom Clancy S Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
Company Of Heroes
Rome Total War
The Chronicles Of Riddick Escape From Butcher Bay
Ikaruga
Peggle
Modern Era (2010–2023)
From the indie boom to the open-world arms race, this is the most recent stretch of the roster: the 2010s and early 2020s games that defined streaming, speedrunning and the modern blockbuster, ranked by lasting impact on players and the industry alike.
The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild
Elden Ring
The Last Of Us
Red Dead Redemption 2
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt
Dark Souls
Minecraft
Grand Theft Auto V
The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim
Baldur S Gate 3
Hollow Knight
Disco Elysium
Hades
Persona 5
Bloodborne
Portal 2
Batman Arkham City
Outer Wilds
Celeste
Super Mario Odyssey
God Of War 2018
Fortnite
Uncharted 4 A Thief S End
The Last Of Us Part Ii
Dishonored
Dishonored 2
Xcom Enemy Unknown
Divinity Original Sin Ii
Alien Isolation
Shovel Knight
Inside
Return Of The Obra Dinn
The Witness
Stardew Valley
Journey
Overwatch
Hearthstone
Dota 2
League Of Legends
Counter Strike Global Offensive
Destiny
Far Cry 3
Bioshock Infinite
Borderlands 2
Heavy Rain
Life Is Strange
Hotline Miami
Limbo
The Walking Dead
The Stanley Parable
Papers Please
Super Meat Boy
Xenoblade Chronicles
Fire Emblem Awakening
Final Fantasy Xiv A Realm Reborn
Mario Kart 8
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Animal Crossing New Horizons
Horizon Zero Dawn
Borderlands
Fallout New Vegas
Braid
Demon S Souls
PC & Online Legends
The games that built the keyboard-and-mouse canon and the online worlds that never logged off: strategy and simulation mainstays, the shooters that defined LAN culture and the MMOs that turned games into second homes.
World Of Warcraft
Minecraft
Starcraft
Half Life
Counter Strike
League Of Legends
Dota 2
Doom
Quake
Half Life 2
Warcraft Iii Reign Of Chaos
Warcraft Ii Tides Of Darkness
Age Of Empires Ii
Civilization
The Sims
Diablo Ii
Baldur S Gate Ii Shadows Of Amn
Planescape Torment
Deus Ex
System Shock 2
Hearthstone
Fortnite
Overwatch
Team Fortress 2
Portal
Portal 2
Simcity
Ultima Online
Everquest
Myst
X Com Ufo Defense
Total Annihilation
Homeworld
Command Conquer
Command Conquer Red Alert
Starcraft Ii Wings Of Liberty
Counter Strike Global Offensive
Rocket League
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead 2
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 2
Unreal Tournament
Quake Iii Arena
Quake Ii
Duke Nukem 3d
Wolfenstein 3d
Thief The Dark Project
Thief Ii The Metal Age
Fallout
Fallout 2
Fallout 3
Fallout New Vegas
The Elder Scrolls Iii Morrowind
The Elder Scrolls Iv Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim
Civilization Ii
Civilization Iv
Civilization V
Rome Total War
Company Of Heroes
Mechwarrior 2 31st Century Combat
Wing Commander
Freespace 2
Dune Ii
Populous
Lemmings
Worms
Theme Park
Sid Meier S Pirates
Heroes Of Might And Magic Iii
Diablo
Grim Fandango
The Secret Of Monkey Island
Day Of The Tentacle
Sam Max Hit The Road
The Stanley Parable
Papers Please
The Sims 2
The Sims 3
Age Of Empires
Syndicate
Dungeon Master
Star Control Ii
Ultima Vii The Black Gate
Ultima Iv Quest Of The Avatar
Zork
A Mind Forever Voyaging
Elite
Prince Of Persia
Another World
Flashback
Indiana Jones And The Fate Of Atlantis
The Oregon Trail
Combat
Adventure
Archon The Light And The Dark
Lode Runner
M U L E
Indie & Auteurs
Small teams and singular visions: the roster's independent and creator-driven games, from the pixel-art revival and puzzle experiments to the farming sims and metroidvanias that outshone their budgets.
Hollow Knight
Hades
Undertale
Stardew Valley
Celeste
Outer Wilds
Disco Elysium
Minecraft
Journey
Inside
Limbo
Return Of The Obra Dinn
The Witness
Papers Please
Braid
Super Meat Boy
Spelunky
Shovel Knight
The Stanley Parable
Hotline Miami
The Walking Dead
Katamari Damacy
Rez
Ico
Shadow Of The Colossus
Psychonauts
Grim Fandango
Parappa The Rapper
Peggle
Angry Birds
Plants Vs Zombies
Puzzle Bobble
Lemmings
Worms
Another World
Flashback
Head Over Heels
Marble Madness
M U L E
Want to rank them yourself? Open the Tier Maker tab.
Greatest Video Games of All Time - Tier Maker
Characters (367)
Greatest Video Games of All Time - Blind Rank
The next character from Greatest Video Games of All Time is drawn for you, so you never pick who comes next. Top 5 holds one per slot. The Tier List works like the regular board, with several characters in each row.
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