Top 20 Best Years in Video Games

In 1991, Nintendo finally brought 16 bits to North America through the release of the SNES. Still one of the company’s most fondly remembered consoles, it launched with the stellar “Super Mario World.” However, Nintendo’s plumber had some of his thunder stolen by Sega’s future mascot, a cool blue hedgehog named Sonic. Sonic’s first outing was the best-selling home console release of the year, kick-starting the long-lasting feud between fans. Outside of the home market, Capcom began the golden age of arcade fighters with the juggernaut “Street Fighter II.” It was such a monumental improvement over the first that Capcom would re-release various versions on consoles for years to come.

1994 was a fantastic year for Nintendo fans. The SNES got wonderful and varied releases like “Super Metroid,” “Final Fantasy VI,” and the seminal “Donkey Kong Country.” The Nintendo-Sega rivalry was in high form as the Genesis saw the release of “Sonic the Hedgehog 3.” But while this console war was happening, a new challenger was about to enter the arena; Sony released its first console, the PlayStation, in Japan. Things weren’t quiet on the PC front, either. 1994 saw the release of the highly influential “System Shock” and the start of what would become one of the most popular RPG franchises with “The Elder Scrolls: Arena.” It was just a great year all around.

2008 wasn’t a big year in terms of changing trends or new consoles. But it was an absolute banger of a year when it came to games. The Wii was still dominating with releases like “Super Smash Bros. Brawl,” “Mario Kart Wii,” and “Animal Crossing: City Folk.” However, the competition’s games weren’t anything to sneeze at either. “Grand Theft Auto IV,” “Fallout 3,” and “Metal Gear Solid 4” were each fantastic entries in their respective franchises. If you wanted something new, there was also plenty to choose from. Players could slay hordes of zombies in “Left 4 Dead,” get slayed by Necromorphs in “Dead Space,” or skip the violence all together and build cute platforming levels in “LittleBigPlanet.”

Like most years, 1992 saw some incredible games. The SNES’s second year hit hard with “Super Mario Kart” and the North American release of “A Link to the Past.” Sonic got a sequel that managed to surpass the great original. However, from a historical standpoint, those family-friendly releases were a bit overshadowed by a widespread topic. With the release of “Mortal Kombat” in arcades, video game violence became a frequent talking point. The game was instrumental in leading to the creation of the ESRB, as was Sega’s cult classic “Night Trap.” Violence was becoming more prominent in PC games as well; the grandfather of the FPS, “Wolfenstein 3D,” put players in the shoes of the Nazi-killing B.J. Blazkowicz.

2002 saw several developers release some of their most influential work as well as the beginnings of some exciting new franchises. From Nintendo, we got “Super Mario Sunshine” and the incredible “Metroid Prime.” However, the competition was intense. Third-party games like “GTA: Vice City” and “The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind” were groundbreaking entries in their franchises and kept players busy for hours on end. There were plenty of new options to choose from as well with the likes of “Ratchet & Clank,” “Battlefield,” “Splinter Cell,” and “Kingdom Hearts.” It’s no wonder then that 2002 was a great year of growth for the industry; all video game related sales were up by 10% over the previous year.

#15: 2018

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Some of the best games in their respective genres were released in 2018. The PlayStation 4 churned out two of its most noteworthy exclusives in “Marvel’s Spider-Man” and “God of War.” We also got two of the best fighters in recent memory with “Dragon Ball FighterZ” and the massive celebration of gaming that is “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.” Then you had the highly anticipated “Red Dead Redemption II,” Rockstar’s first major release since 2013’s “Grand Theft Auto V.” All of these releases were met with high acclaim, though smaller developers weren’t outdone. We got a plethora of fantastic indie titles, such as the rougelike “Dead Cells” and the tough yet immensely satisfying “Celeste.”

Speaking of “Red Dead Redemption,” the beloved Western released in 2010, earning a slew of awards in the process. However, it was more a year of sequels than anything else. The Wii received one of the best Mario games in existence. BioWare came back strong with “Mass Effect 2” while Ubisoft continued Ezio’s story with “Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.” Both Sony and Microsoft released outstanding entries in some of their most popular IPs: “God of War III” and “Halo: Reach.” Although they still tried to copy Nintendo with the PlayStation Move and Kinect. Additionally, indie games were beginning to break into the mainstream with releases like “Limbo” and “Super Meat Boy.”

2006 saw the launch of two incredibly different consoles: the Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 3. The Wii would go on to be the most important console of the generation, partially thanks to the pack-in “Wii Sports.” Additionally, “Zelda” fans got “Twilight Princess” as a launch title and a GameCube swan song. Nintendo also took Mario back to his roots with “New Super Mario Bros.” on the DS. But it wasn’t just Nintendo that thrived. Much more mature franchises like “Gears of War,” “Saints Row,” and “Dead Rising” were born in 2006. And they had a proper console to spread their wings thanks to the Xbox 360 having been released the previous year.

If you were a PC player in 2004, you had it made. “DOOM” returned after being gone for a decade while “Half-life 2” essentially re-defined the entire FPS genre. Additionally, “World of Warcraft” set the standard for MMORPGs to the point where numerous expansions have kept people playing for years. At least console players weren’t left out of the fun. “GTA: San Andreas,” “Metal Gear Solid 3,” and “Halo 2” still bring back countless fond memories. We also saw some solid franchise foundations built with “Far Cry” and “Monster Hunter.” It was a quieter year for Nintendo, except for the end when it launched the DS, which would go on to be one of Nintendo’s most profitable endeavors.

From one dimension to the next, Nintendo released the technologically impressive 3DS in 2011. However, even with “Ocarina of Time 3D” and “Super Mario 3D Land,” it struggled initially before finding its footing in later years. 2011 also saw the release of the motion-centric “Skyward Sword,” though it paled in comparison to how grand in scope AAA games were becoming. Developers became more infatuated with the open world as evidenced by “Arkham City,” “Dark Souls,” and “Skyrim,” each of which were must-plays. Elsewhere, creativity and imagination flourished. “LittleBigPlanet 2” led the charge for user-generated content while the puzzles of “Portal 2” were endlessly inventive. And if you wanted to blend creativity with the open world, “Minecraft” also got a full release in 2011.

In 2005, the 7th generation of consoles began with the launch of the Xbox 360, which is still Microsoft’s best console. While it didn’t release until close to the end of the year, we saw a cavalcade of jaw-dropping games beforehand. Coming off of the DS launch the previous year, Nintendo released “Mario Kart DS” and the surprisingly popular “Nintendogs.” It also gave the GameCube some much-needed street cred with the phenomenal “Resident Evil 4,” still one of the best entries in the series. However, it couldn’t outshine the PS2 which got some unbelievably good exclusives. “Shadow of the Colossus,” “Guitar Hero,” and “God of War” all made PlayStation the platform of choice.

In the middle of the original PlayStation’s lifespan, it got some truly remarkable games. “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” is revered as a crowning achievement in the series. So too is “Final Fantasy VII,” whose characters and plot we still adore. Nintendo was out in full force, too. “Star Fox 64” introduced the wider world to rumble via the Rumble Pak peripheral, an immersive feature we’re eternally grateful for. Additionally, “GoldenEye 007” popularized the FPS genre on consoles. It, along with the North American release of “Mario Kart 64,” began to shape the N64 as a haven for multiplayer. PC players weren’t left out as some new franchises took flight, including “Diablo” and “Fallout.”

Although 2001 saw Sega exit the home console market due to the Dreamcast’s failure, it was still an incredible year for games. Microsoft launched the first Xbox with plans to focus on online functionality. Nintendo released the GameCube, its first disc-based console, as well as the Game Boy Advance. In between all of that, there were way too many good games to list. On the Nintendo front, “Super Smash Bros. Melee” improved on the original in every way. And on the Microsoft front, “Halo” revolutionized the console FPS. Elsewhere, “Grand Theft Auto III” took the franchise in exciting new directions while “Final Fantasy X,” “Devil May Cry,” and “Jak and Daxter” made it difficult for PS2 players to narrow down what they wanted to play.

#7: 1996

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More important than Nintendo’s transition to 16-bit was its move to 3D. Although the N64 only launched with a few games, it really only needed one: “Super Mario 64.” Often credited as one of the most important games ever released, it showcased Nintendo’s pristine prowess for game development. However, the North American launch of the PlayStation the previous year meant it had some stiff competition. Sony’s console got franchise starters “Tomb Raider” and “Resident Evil,” as well as its own platforming star in “Crash Bandicoot.” On PC, players were still eating well when it came to FPSs as both “Duke Nukem 3D” and the oft-imitated “Quake” launched that year.

#6: 2000

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Now we have finally come to the launch year of the PlayStation 2, one of the most momentous moments in video games. As of writing, it is still the best-selling console of all time with 155 million units. But it isn’t the only reason 2000 was a great year for video games. For RPG fans, we’ve perhaps seen no greater year in terms of quantity and quality. “Diablo II,” “Baldur’s Gate II,” “Final Fantasy IX,” “Deus Ex,” “Chrono Cross.” There were simply too many to keep track of, which is a wonderful problem to have. Nintendo seemed to be winding down with the upcoming release of the GameCube. But the N64 still got the “GoldenEye” spiritual successor “Perfect Dark” and the beautifully existential “Majora’s Mask.”

#5: 2017

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2017 was a make-or-break year for Nintendo and we were ecstatic to see the Switch take off the way it did. It launched with “Breath of the Wild” which managed to make the open world aspect its own and impact the work of multiple developers. It wasn’t just “Zelda” that had us enamored with the Switch as both “Splatoon 2” and “Super Mario Odyssey” released that year. “Resident Evil” returned stronger than ever with a terrifying seventh entry while Sega went all the way back to Sonic’s roots with “Mania.” For better or worse, 2017 was also the year that led to the Battle Royale craze with “PUBG” and “Fortnite’s” releases. That’s not to mention “Horizon Zero Dawn” and the worldwide launch of “Persona 5.”

Leading up to the launch of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One in late 2013, we received some of the best games of all time. Storytelling was growing to a point where games could match and even surpass movies and TV. On the AAA side, we got “BioShock Infinite,” the adventurous “Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag,” and Naughty Dog’s cherished “The Last of Us.” On the indie side, we got the tragic “Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons” and the imaginative “The Stanley Parable.” Nintendo released the best “Zelda” in years with “A Link Between Worlds” and the multiplayer-centric “Super Mario 3D World.” However, what outshined them all was “GTA V,” one of the most respected and best-selling games of all time.

The early 80s were a great time for arcade games, such as 1980’s releases of “Missile Command” and “Pac-Man”. But once the home console market got over the crash of 1983, that’s when we got something truly special. The North American release of Nintendo’s first console is one of the most vital moments in gaming history. Bringing with it the original “Super Mario Bros.” and “Duck Hunt,” it began to repair the wreckage of what Atari left behind. While much of its impact would carry over to 1986, we also saw the launch of multiple arcade classics in 1985. These included the tough-as-nails “Ghosts ‘n Goblins,” the classic fantasy “Gauntlet,” and Konami’s definitive shoot ‘em up, “Gradius.”

2007 saw more new franchises launch than most. Against all odds, each of them deserved our time. But there were also phenomenal games in established franchises, meaning any type of player could be satisfied. For the more casual crowd, you had “Rock Band” and “Super Mario Galaxy.” For fans of RPGs, you had “The Witcher” and “Mass Effect.” For action-adventure players, you had “Assassin’s Creed” and “Uncharted.” But the genre that thrived the most in 2007 was the FPS. “BioShock” brought something entirely new to the table while “Modern Warfare” and “Halo 3” were incredible additions to their franchises that made some wonderful improvements. Valve got ridiculously creative with the first-person view through the innovative “Portal” and the long-awaited “Team Fortress 2.”

Simply put, it doesn’t get any better than this. No other year had the absurd amount of industry-shaping releases the way 1998 did. From Nintendo, we got the near-perfect “Ocarina of Time” as well as North American releases for the original “Pokémon” games. PlayStation saw the seminal sequels “Resident Evil 2” and “Metal Gear Solid.” Over on PC, “Half-life” turned Valve into an adored developer, while “StarCraft,” “Baldur’s Gate,” and “Grim Fandango” are still some of the most beloved entries in their genres. There were also a ton of games that, while not groundbreaking, were supremely fun to play like “Mario Party,” “Banjo-Kazooie,” and “Spyro the Dragon.” It was a marvelous time to be a player.