Most Popular Video Games of All Time: The Ultimate List
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Video games are a universal way to have fun. Whether you have just started playing video games or trying to wind down after a stressful day, or you’re trying to beat your high score, there’s always going to be a video game that fits the bill.
You can lose yourself in your favorite game for hours on end, and no matter what game you’re playing, you’ll be coming back for more.
But sometimes, it’s the journey itself that keeps you coming back for more.
So, we dug into the data to find the most popular video game franchises of all time, and which games came out on top.
Release: March 20, 2020
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
In the year 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has become a true cultural phenomenon. New Horizons virtual shores were created in unique conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. And they have offered gamers all around the world a platform to connect with loved ones and celebrate important events when they would otherwise be unable to.
Current Horizons has attracted newbies and old players alike and has become the second best-selling Switch game of all time, thanks to a redesign for the new generation including several new features. The triumphant return of the long-running Nintendo series speaks of the incredible 34 million copies sold since launch.
Release: October 2, 2018
Platform(s): PS4, Xbox One, & PC
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey expands on the RPG features of Assassin’s Creed Origins to deliver you an endless journey in Ancient Greece. Odyssey puts you at the heart of a truly magical trip, with more customization possibilities than ever before, including upgradable and customized weapons and gear.
For the first time in the series’ history, you may pick between protagonists Kassandra and Alexios to dig deeper into Odysseus’ narrative, which takes place years before The Order entered the scene. Assassin’s Creeds Odyssey, with its romance, numerous side tasks, conversation, and fascinating characters, put the series in a new and intriguing direction.
Release: January 26, 2010
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360
Mass Effect, a space saga, is usually compared to Star Wars. The Empire Strikes Back, a larger and more dramatic sequel that expands on the mythology of its predecessor is the second (and, in this instance, the greatest) part of the trilogy.
The protagonist travels on the ship “Normandy” to strange worlds, gathers a team to fight the universal danger, and gets himself into a lot of problems. A masterpiece that the developer, the Canadian studio BioWare, never managed to surpass.
Release: January 26, 2010
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360
The pixelated design of Fez is a love letter to the classic platformers of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras. Under its shiny surface, though, is a super-intelligent dimension-breaking, landscape-shifting puzzle game that gives the old-school scrolling formula a new life. Fez is an exploratory game that skips limited lives and boss fights in favor of encouraging players to try new things.
To restore the fabric of space-time, you must travel through a genuinely stunning environment, talk to a range of quirky characters, and interact with a variety of glyphs, go through treasure paths, and secret places. Fez’s unique rotation mechanics are effectively a 2D puzzle in a 3D universe, and as a result, it’s a lot of fun to play.
Release: September 26, 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Android
Simply put, Fortnite is the definition of “runaway success.” It’s hard to think it’s just been a little over four years since Epic Games’ ubiquitous video game became so popular – a game that has inspired real-world merchandising, pop star crossovers, street fashion, among other extracurricular activities.
Fortnite immediately took on a life of its own, with over 350 million accounts, thanks to its tried and tested battle royale methodology, which included adding construction features to 100-player PvP fights. Fortnite now exemplifies gaming’s ultimate power: it’s a dynamic sandbox for community and competitiveness.
It is a battle for survival, a playground, and a social place, but maybe most significantly, it is a game about teamwork.
Release: November 18, 2011
Platforms: Xbox Series, Windows, Android devices, Apple devices, New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Amazon phones and tablets, VR Headsets, Mac, Linux
An indie sandbox game featuring survival simulation and open-world components. Minecraft gives the player access to a 3D randomly generated environment made entirely of cube blocks, as well as the ability to reconstruct it, allowing them to create complex constructions out of blocks. However, this element of the game makes Minecraft similar to the LEGO constructor.
The game does not provide the player with any clear objectives, but it does provide him with several chances and activities, such as exploring the planet, building various structures and objects, and fighting various opponents.
Release: November 11, 2011
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
The game that’s been with us forever – its publisher, Bethesda, continues to release Skyrim on all sorts of platforms, including smart toilets. This is a huge universe in which you wish to live: fishing from the river, watching sunsets, exploring dungeons, and hunting dragons.
Skyrim has revolutionized the way current role-playing games are designed, as well as the world and mission development. The best version is still reserved for computer owners, who may use amateur mods to transform Skyrim into the ultimate role-playing game, with only the players’ imaginations limiting their range of choice.
Release: August 25, 2009
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows Mac OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
The superhero game altered the way people think about superheroes. Rocksteady’s first Batman was a great hit back in 2009. It is dark, gritty, sinister, yet wonderfully amusing from start to finish. Arkham Asylum is known for creating new battle standards and introducing traditional Metroidvania elements to the world.
Arkham Asylum’s stealthy stalking and fisticuffs are fun, as they are pushing the game’s claustrophobic boundaries with Batman’s useful devices. In terms of storytelling, Rocksteady has done an excellent job of capturing the dark and twisted sides of its protagonists and antagonists, and the hideout itself is frequently just as terrifying as the criminals.
Release: January 25, 2011
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Dead Space 2 is the ideal example of a well-executed sequel. Since everything about the previous game was amazing in 2008, it is quick, chaotic, sometimes cruel, and always very strong. A few years later Dead Space 2 rose a few steps higher. Few games have been able to capture the claustrophobia of horror with such precision, timing, and refinement since Visceral Games’ second entry in the series ten years ago.
Dead Space 2 and its predecessor, like Resident Evil 4, wear their influences on their sleeves, but they do it right. That’s how it went previously, and that’s where we’re going today. Dead Space 2 is the peak of the action-horror genre, and it will undoubtedly continue to keep its place in the genre’s top ranks in another ten years.
Release: April 20, 2018
Platforms: PlayStation 2, Java ME, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows
After Mariah Carey, it’s hard to imagine a more impressive comeback than what Kratos was strong enough to pull off in the 2018 reimagining of God of War. The original series’ boy student’s pranks have been replaced with an immensely complex of emotion, Scandinavian mythology, and pleasure.
This new Kratos was just as violent and physically capable of causing chaos on the planet and its warriors as the old Kratos, but we were more interested in why he was doing it and confused about his relationship with his son Atreus. Tears and blood were shed, thanks in large part to Christoper Judge and Sunny Sulic’s outstanding performances.
Release: April 18, 2011
Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch
This is a fascinating puzzle game from the authors of Half-Life. The basics are simple: the hero has a cannon that fires blue and orange portals. The girl may travel through space with its assistance. By jumping through portals and considering the rules of physics, the player must figure out how to go further.
The escape from the Aperture Science research lab and the GLaDOS supercomputer is also a beautiful and surprisingly emotional story in Portal 2.
Release: May 17, 2011
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
The LA Noire idea is still remarkable over a decade after its release. The authors used motion capture technology to record the facial expressions of dozens of actors. All in the name of creating the most realistic police simulator possible.
The action takes place in Los Angeles in 1947. The creators suggest that you practice becoming a detective. Players will have to examine murder scenes for clues, interview witnesses, and evaluate whether or not they are lying based on their looks, intonations, and behavior, which will not be simple. It is possible to make a mistake and unintentionally imprison an innocent person (then you will also have to listen to the opinion of a disgruntled boss).
All of this is blended with a powerful story of human vices in postwar Los Angeles. There are still no conventional competitors for LA Noire.
Release: March 13, 2012
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, iOS
A philosophical story that everyone understands differently depending on their perspective. The protagonist, a strange entity dressed in a cloak, hood, and scarf, walks through the desert toward a distant peak. Other players are on their way, but you won’t be able to interact with them because there is no chat and no nicknames.
Composer Austin Wintory, who was nominated for a Grammy for his work on Journey, provides relaxing music throughout the journey. Everyone should play one of the most meditative, meaningful, and unusual games of this decade.
Release: July 9, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux. OS X
Thousands of kids and students skipped lessons to play the game, dreaming of becoming wealthy cyber sportsmen. Esports, particularly Dota 2, have increased in popularity in the past years and have become a phenomenon that cannot be ignored. The Dota World Championships sometimes outnumber the World Football Championships in terms of passion.
Furthermore, Dota 2 has had a significant impact on memes and modern online slang. Of course, “Dota” might be replaced on this list with League of Legends, which is a more popular game in other countries.
Release: June 14, 2013
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
An unexpected drama about personal growth, selfishness, and choice from the founders of the adventure Uncharted – Studio Naughty Dog.
A mentally strong Joel, along with a clever adult girl named Ellie, travels across a ruined America, fighting off scary zombies and dishonest bandits. This is a poignant story disguised as a zombie apocalypse action movie with a non-Hollywood ending. In the end, it’s impossible not to cry.
Release: August 21, 2007
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Mac OS X, iOS
Would you agree that few games challenge us as much as BioShock did in 2007 in terms of both skill and moral decision-making? Irrational Games’ spiritual successor to the System Shock series, forces us to choose whether or not we want to collect the souls of innocent children. In addition to exploring Rapture’s collapsing the undersea world, we try to fight its psychotic and aggressive inhabitants and introduce ourselves with copious amounts of DNA-altering drugs.
It may seem like a no-brainer, but it may come in handy if you have any hope of beating Big Daddy’s massive, virtually impenetrable guardians, which these little “rascals” will one day swallow. BioShock is one of the most thought-provoking first-person shooters ever made, and few have come close to matching it afterward.
Release: September 22, 2011
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Dark Souls is no longer a game or a series, but rather an autonomous video game genre created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, a Japanese game designer. This is a unique simulator in which players can be defeated by any opponent, even the smallest.
What can we say about the all-powerful bosses, which may take up to three hours to defeat? Dark Souls and its sequels, such as Miyazaki’s Bloodborne, are games about making mistakes, being patient, and overcoming difficulties. You may learn a lot about yourself from its passage.