Best Games of the 2010s – Our Favorite 210 Titles

This is it, folks. The end of the line. Here are our favorite 210 games of the 2010s.

November 22, 2019
The 2010s was probably the most eventful decade in the history of gaming. It saw the rise and fall of crowdfunded games, the advent of independent video game development, the birth of the Early Access program, the downfall and renaissance of Ubisoft, and EA’s uninspired Reddit comment which became the most downvoted comment in the history of the platform.

The 2010s also marked the decade when we (as in myself and Tania) came of age and started viewing video games with a more critical eye. To celebrate this wonderful decade of gaming, we took the time to choose the 210 games that we believe are the best. See you in 2029.

210. OBSERVATION

best games of 2010s observation
Release Date May 21, 2019
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Developer: No Code
Genre Adventure

TANIA PREDA ➞ A space adventure-puzzle like no other, Observation is a sci-fi geeks’ dream come true, as it’s riddled with references to many cult sci-fi films and features a captivating plot that puts you in the role of a space station AI trying to uncover the mysterious loss of its crew. It’s very atmospheric, expertly paced and mesmerizing from start to finish. The only downside is that the game is relatively short.

209. Northgard

top 200 games of 2010s northgard
Release Date February 22, 2017
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Shiro Games
Genre Strategy
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ The 2010s had a thing for norse-inspired games. Northgard is a strategy game based on norse-mythology in which you control a clan of Vikings in the midst of colonizing a newfound continent. It’s up to you to manage resources properly and prevent your vikings from getting slaughtered by mythological monsters. It’s pretty basic as a city-builder, but what it does, it does very well.

208. Forza Horizon 4

best games of 2010s forza horizon
Release Date September 12, 2018
Platforms: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Turn 10 Studios, Playground Games
Genre Racing
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ The 2010s were good for racing games, and Forza Horizon is amongst the best entries in the genre. Car enthusiasts can drive their dream cars through condensed versions of real world locations, and unlock over 450 cars. We’re not going to get into the mechanics of the game here, but suffice to say, if you’re into racing games, this is a must-try.

207. Unravel

best games of 2010s unravel
Release Date February 9, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: ColdWood Interactive
Genre Puzzle Platforms:er

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ A cute puzzle-platformer released by Swedish company Coldwood Interactive, Unravel was one of the pleasant surprises of the 2010s. Though some critics raised concers about its controls and puzzle variety, Unravel has been universally praised for its visuals, story, protagonist, pacing and soundtrack. It’s a great choice if you like your platformers and charming visuals in one package.

206. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

best games of 2010s dragon's dogma
Release Date April 23, 2013
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Capcom
Genre Action RPG

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Challenging combat, great world design and entertaining boss fights. This is the essence of Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, both the original version and the expanded edition, which is the one that made our list. The setting is a mishmash between realism and fantasy, emulating elements from both Western and Japanese RPGs. If you like open-world RPGs and you’ve somehow missed Dragon’s Dogma, you definitely have to give it a try.

205. Crypt of the NecroDancer

best games of 2010s crypt of the necrodancer
Release Date April 23, 2015
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Brace Yourself Games
Genre Roguelike

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Crypt of the NecroDancer is your average, run-of-the-mill… well, actually, it’s not. It’s a roguelike where you have your character move or attack only if said action matches the beat of the music. It is one of the more novel entries in the roguelike genre, and the best thing about Crypt of the NecroDancer is that, even if you remove the gimmick, it’s still a great game on its own. It’s charming, engaging and highly entertaining. Not to mention that the soundtrack is up there with the likes of Hotline Miami.

204. E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy

best games of 2010s eye
Release Date July 29, 2011
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Streum On Studio
Genre Action RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Let’s put it this way: E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy is a very, very weird game, and hard to summarise in a few words. It also has issues in terms of balancing, a confusing interface, steep learning curve and poorly translated English texts. That being said, as far as experimental games are concerned, Divine Cybermancy deserves praise for its originality, versatile gameplay, eerie and engrossing atmosphere and cyberpunk aesthetic. Underneath its lack of focus and half-baked ideas lies a great RPG. But this game is not for everybody – you’ve been warned.

203.Tropico 4

best games of 2010s tropico
Release Date August 26, 2011
Platforms: Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Haemimont Games, Feral Interactive
Genre Management

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ The 2010s saw 3 (three) entries in the acclaimed management/political sim series, but out of them all, Tropico 4 is probably the best. Choose one of the premade avatars inspired by real-life leaders such as Pinochet or Castro or create your own, tend to your citizen’s needs, squash rebellions and lead your nation to prosperity. Of course, that is easier said than done, so it’s up to you whether you choose to become a benevolent ruler or a tyrannical asshole.

202. Anno 1800

best games of 2010s anno 1800
Release Date April 16, 2019
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Blue Byte
Genre City-builder
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ The 2010s saw the Anno series going in the near (Anno 2070) and distant (Anno 2205) future, so going back to a quasihistorical setting was, ironically enough, a breath of fresh air for the series. This time around, the Industrial Revolution is in full swing, so it’s up to the players to build trade routes, establish supply chains, satisfy the needs of artisans and citizens and, overall, oversee the economic output of the faction. It integrates both classic city-building elements and combat on randomly-generated maps. Players also have to worry about tourism this time around, a big money-maker for savvy rulers who know how to manage it.

201. The Forest

best games of 2010s the forest
Release Date May 30, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Endnight Games Ltd
Genre Survival
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Drawing inspiration from cult films such as Cannibal Holocaust and The Descent, and video games like Don’t Starve, The Forest is a unique take on the survival genre. After crashing on a forested peninsula and having his son kidnapped by an unknown man, the player must survive by exploiting local resources and, eventually, save their kid. Apart from standard survival gameplay elements, the game goes the extra mile by throwing in some moral dilemmas, like whether the island’s cannibalistic tribe is the true enemy and if any action is justified as long as one’s survival is at stake. The Forest shines amongst the plethora of survival games released in the 2010s with beautiful visuals and an engaging, empowering and nonlinear gameplay.

200. Company of Heroes 2

best games of 2010s company of heroes
Release Date June 25, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Relic Entertainment
Genre RTS

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Company of Heroes 2 received a lukewarm reception upon release due to its bugs, poor optimization and lack of content. Fortunately, after several patches and content updates, it became one of the last relics of a dying genre (RTS). Company of Heroes 2 boasts a painstakingly realistic recreation of World War 2 to the tiniest of details, from gun sounds, uniforms to random chatter amongst the soldiers. The meat of the game is the multiplayer, where players can test their tactical prowess in intense 1v1 matches, or obliterate each other in 4v4 battles with mortars, artillery strikes and tanks. If you’re a WW2 history buff and like RTSs, this game is a must-play.

199. Eurotruck Simulator 2

best games of 2010s eurotruck simulator
Release Date October 19, 2012
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: SCS Software
Genre Simulation

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ When it comes to relaxing games, few can beat Euro Truck Simulator 2. However, underneath its deceptive simplicity lies a deeply mechanically complex game with great attention to detail and a high variety of roads and sceneries that offers a great sense of individuality and freedom. These may seem like big words for a trucking game, but trust us, you have to play it to truly feel it. Just writing about it makes me want to install it.

198. Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time

best games of 2010s plants vs zombies
Release Date July 9, 2013
Platforms: iOs, Android
Developer: PopCap Games
Genre Tower defense

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Look, we know – it’s a mobile game. A free-to-play mobile game. Published by Electronic freaking Arts. But out of all the random trash that one can find on mobile stores, Plants vs Zombies 2 shines not only due to the power of its brand, but also because of its strong gameplay, which needs no introduction after so many years. So if there is one thing we have to be grateful for, it’s that the 2010s gave us a mobile game that we can play during our commutes that’s not a flaming pile of garbage.

197.VVVVVV

best games of 2010s vvvvvv
Release Date January 11, 2010
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
Developer: Terry Cavanagh, Nicalis
Genre Puzzle Platforms:er
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ 2D perspective? Check. Zany name? Check. Physics based platforming elements not seen since 1986’s Terminus? Check. Steep learning curve? Oh my god, yes. Released in January 2010, VVVVVV (that’s six of them) kicked-off the indie explosion of the 2010s in big style boasting a retro aesthetic, engaging gameplay and a literal elephant in the room. It’s difficult, but not unfair. It may be a little dated by current standards, but nobody can deny its cultural and historical significance.

196. Satisfactory

best games of 2010s satisfactory
Release Date March 19, 2019
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Coffee Stain Studios
Genre Simulation

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ “Hey, not fair, this game’s in Early Access and Epic Store exclusive”. We know, dog, who do you think wrote this damn thing? Anyway, us including Satisfactory in our list of the best games of the 2010s despite being in Early Access should be a testament to its quality. It’s a first-person open world factory building game (basically Factorio with better graphics) with some 4X elements thrown in for good measure. Players are tasked with, well, building factories, exploring and exploiting the alien planet and, of course, battling alien life forms. It’s deep, it’s engaging and there’s not a lot of games like this one out there.

195. Splatoon 2

best games of 2010s splatoon
Release Date July 21, 2017
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development
Genre Shooter
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Who would’ve thought that a third-person shooter with anthropomorphic squids would do so well to warrant (an even more ridiculous) sequel? And who cares at this point? You have jetpacks, dual-wield pistols, dodge rolls, shotguns, Inkjets that do exactly what you would expect them to do and oh, did I mention the anthropomorphic squids? It’s great. Like, best games of the 2010s great. Go play it.

194. Skate 3

best games of 2010s skate 3
Release Date May 11, 2010
Platforms: PlayStation 3
Developer: EA Black Box
Genre Sports

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Back when you whippersnappers were playing with your Tamagotchis or whatever, the Tony Hawk series was the thing when it came to skateboarding games. Then came Skate, with its great physics system and relatively realistic approach to skating and turned the genre upside-down. Sadly, its best entry, released in 2010, was also the last, and I would give a hand and an arm for a sequel. Until then, Skate 3 will go down in history as not only as one of the best titles of the decade, but also one of the greatest skating games of all time.

193. The Talos Principle

best games of 2010s talos principle
Release Date December 11, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Croteam
Genre Puzzle
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ From the makers of a little-known shooter called Serious Sam, The Talos Principle centers around an unnamed android tasked with exploring the worlds made for it by an entity named Elohim. At its core, The Talos Principle is a first-person puzzle game that delves into some pretty intense subjects – global warming, A.I. sentience, and the nature of humanity. Many people have deservedly called this game transformative, not only due to its captivating plot, but also the quality of its puzzles and engrossing atmosphere.

192. Cooked Served Delicious

best games of 2010s cooked served delicious
Release Date October 5, 2012
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Vertigo Gaming
Genre Simulation

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Ever make a plate of carbonara thinking it would be easy, only to screw it up royally? That’s basically Cook, Serve, Delicious – a restaurant sim that is easy to learn, but hard to master. Cook, Serve, Delicious has players building a restaurant from start to finish and handling the logistics. It’s also accompanied by a charming aesthetic and tons of humor that make you forget how stressful this business is, only to pull you back to reality when chaos strikes and several clients yell that they want their food. It’s deceptively simple, addictive and engrossing.

191. Destiny 2

best games of 2010s destiny 2
Release Date September 6, 2017
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Bungie
Genre FPS

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ At release, Destiny 2 was an objective improvement over its precedessor – better graphics, better gameplay, better story. But if we were to pinpoint the one department where Destiny 2 excelled was the post-launch support. This alone turned Destiny 2 from a so-and-so MMOFPS into one of the best this genre has to offer. And with its recent transition to Steam, things can only go up for Destiny 2.

190. Frozen Synapse

best games of 2010s frozen synapse
Release Date May 26, 2011
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Mode 7 Games
Genre Turn-based tactics

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Turn-based tactics game also experienced a mini-renaissance in the 2010s, with Frozen Synapse being one of the first. Players assume the role of a commander assisting a resistance movement against a corporate government regime, in a dystopian-cyberpunk setting. The premise of the game is simple: eliminate the other squad before they eliminate you. The graphics may be a tad dated even as indie-retro games go, but the soundtrack is probably one of the best there is, up there with the original Deus Ex, Journey and Hotline Miami.

189. Long Live the Queen

best games of 2010s long live the queen
Release Date June 2, 2012
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Hanako Games, Spiky Caterpillar
Genre RPG

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Wait, no, don’t scroll down. No, really, don’t get fooled by appearances – Long Live the Queen is not what you think it is. In Long Live the Queen, you assume the role of a princess whose mother (the queen) has suffered an untimely death. Being the official heir, you’d think everything is set in stone. However, the queen’s death has triggered a power vacuum, and everything is up for grabs. Your sole job is to survive until coronation day, but trust us when we say that’s easier said than done. Power-hungry nobles will not hesistate to poison, stab, strangle, throw you off the balcony or all of the above if they get the chance. Obviously, you won’t make it to coronation on your first try, and each subsequent failed run will steer you more and more into the dark side until you become a ruthless sociopath with no moral qualms about eliminating both allies and opponents. Oh, by the way – you’re 14 years old.

188. Monument Valley 2

best games of 2010s monument valley 2
Release Date June 5, 2017
Platforms: iOs, Android
Developer: Ustwo Games
Genre Puzzle
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Similar to its predecessor, Monument Valley 2 was a few steps short of achieving greatness. However, one can’t deny its long-standing influence in the gaming industry. From a visual, mechanical and narrative standpoint, Monument Valley is nearly flawless. The puzzles are built around optical illusions, with players needing to surpass them in order to advance the story. The narrative and the emotional component of the game were influenced by the fact that the devs became parents between the two games. Overall, it’s a deeply emotional, visually stunning puzzle game, one of the best of the 2010s.

187. Super Mario Odyssey

best games of 2010s super mario odyssey
Release Date October 27, 2017
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development
Genre Platforms:er
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ After all these years, Nintendo still manages to drop Mario hit after Mario hit. However good they were, the title of masterpiece (at least in this decade) has to go to Super Mario Odyssey. It introduced several new mechanics, such as the capturing mechanic, put more focus on exploration and hidden secrets and a banging soundtrack directed by none other than Koji Kondo. This has been an extraordinary decade for the Super Mario series, and we can’t wait to see what Nintendo has in store in the 2020s.

186. Metroid Samus Returns

best games of 2010s metroid samus returns
Release Date September 15, 2017
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: Mercury Steam, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development
Genre Action-Adventure

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Metroid: Samus Returns is essentially a reimagining of 1991’s Super Metroid 2, with improved visuals, new controls and several new gameplay mechanics such as the ability to fire freely at any range. It’s considered by many fans and critics alike as a return to form for the series, and rightfully so. There’s really not much else to say about this game other than if you own a 3DS and would like the see where the whole Metroidvania trend started, you should check this out.

185. Gone Home

best games of 2010s gone home
Release Date August 15, 2013
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: The Fullbright Company
Genre Interactive Story

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ What Gone Home lacks in gameplay makes up with a compelling narrative, engrossing atmosphere and a infectious sense of familiarity. No matter where you’re from or when you were born, Gone Home’s mid 90’s Washington State setting and comically bland characters feel deeply relatable, on a personal level. Exploring every nook and cranny of the house and revealing bits and pieces of the family’s history, as well as the personalities of the protagonist’s relatives feels weirdly satisfying, even though you’re essentially rummaging through bland household items and 90’s memorabilia. By the way, this game is a time capsule – the devs absolutely NAILED the mid-90’s setting to a point where it makes me feel nostalgic for a period I barely remember. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go watch Daria for the 4th time.

184. Warhammer 40k: Space Marine

best games of 2010s warhammer
Release Date September 6, 2011
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Developer: Relic Entertainment
Genre Third-person shooter
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ While Warhammer 40k’s incursions outside of the RTS realm have not been too successful, Space Marine is one of the few lucky exceptions. Space Marine is a simple, honest-to-god third person action game where, in true Warhammer fashion, you smash and kill orks left and right. It may not be too complex, but it does the job well. It’s entertaining enough to satisfy outsiders, and true enough to the Warhammer lore to attract fans. If you’re up for some good ol’ fashioned ork killing, be sure to check this out.

183. The Swapper

best games of 2010s swapper
Release Date May 30, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One
Developer: Facepalm Games, Curve Studios
Genre Puzzle Platforms:er

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ A side-scrolling puzzle-platformer set in the far reaches of space, The Swapper impressed critics and gamers alike for the way it innovated on established game mechanics. You play as a female scavenger stranded on an abandoned researched station who gains the ability (through a device) to clone herself and switch her consciousness between them. The puzzles, and the overall gameplay, are built around this mechanic. The Swapper also deserves praise for its atmosphere, soundtrack and visuals. Fun fact: rather than digital textures, they used handcrafted art assets and clay, which explains the novel visuals.

182. Shadow Warrior

best games of 2010s shadow warrior
Release Date September 26, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Flying Wild Hog
Genre FPS
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Any game that lets you play as a mercenary ninja-assassin will find a home on our website. But all nepotisms aside, Shadow Warrior, while not being ground-breaking, is entertaining and mechanically satisfying enough to keep players glued to the screen from start to finish. Apart from the stellar sound and visuals, Shadow Warrior has one of the best melee combats in this list. Couple that with the ability to slice enemies into multiple parts, and you get one of the most satisfying first-person shooters of the 2010s.

181. Specs Ops: The Line

best games of 2010s specs ops
Release Date June 26, 2012
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Yager Development
Genre Shooter

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Oh, boy. Back in 2012, much ink has been spilled about Spec Ops: The Line, in particular its anti-war stance, the way it mechanically conveyed the desensitization of soldiers by making the gameplay linear and boring, the subtle way in which it portrayed the gradual mental degradation of the main character, and that scene. Spec: Ops The Line feels more like an interactive version of Generation Kill than a video game, and in the best possible way. It’s shocking, unpredictable, even meta in parts, and it wastes no opportunity to make players feel bad about their actions. As far as anti-war-war games, Spec Ops: The Line is up there with This War of Mine.

180. Watch Dogs 2

best games of 2010s watch dogs 2
Release Date November 15, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Genre Action-Adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ I think we can all agree that the Watch Dogs franchise benefited greatly from ditching its bland original protagonist and the dirt and grit of Chicago. The second installment is an objective improvement in every possible way, from the gameplay to the story and characters. There’s more hacking, more exploration, more interactivity and if I’m completely honest, more well-rounded characters that feel like actual people and not extras from a bad Black Mirror episode. However, its biggest merit is its self-awareness and the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you were disappointed by the first one, we highly suggest you try out Watch Dogs 2.

179. FEZ

best games of 2010s fez
Release Date April 13, 2012
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Polytron Corporation
Genre Puzzle Platforms:er

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ FEZ, and especially its main designer Phil Fish, got a lot of exposure through Indie Game: The Movie. The debates revolving around whether or not FEZ is overrated and Phil Fish’s propensity to causing controversy aside, no one can deny the fact that it brought a lot of interesting things to the table. The gameplay revolves around the rotation mechanic, which allows players to alternate between four 2D views of the 3D world, revealing new paths and platforms and opening previously innaccessible routes. The puzzles are built around this mechanic, and the plane-switches are as fun to play and fiddle around with as listening to a Madlib beat switch. It may not be a ground-breaking masterpiece, but it’s certainly novel.

178. Rayman Legends

best games of 2010s rayman legends
Release Date August 29, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Genre Platforms:er

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ What can we say about Rayman Legends that hasn’t already been said? It’s a stellar game from start to finish – stunning visuals, tight controls, catchy soundtrack and ingenious level design and a wide variety of content. Several outlets and many consumers went as far as calling it one of best platformers of all time, and deservedly so.

177. Monster Hunter: World

best games of 2010s monster hunter world
Release Date January 26, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Capcom
Genre Action RPG

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Monster Hunter: World has all the elements that the series has been praised for in one attractive, and more accessible package. The premise of the game is simple: players take control of a monster hunter and are tasked with hunting down monsters, by either trapping them or killing them, in one of the game’s various environments. The player is then rewarded with loot and items to craft better gear to hunt more powerful monsters. It’s an enjoyable and satisfying gameplay loop that encourages players to be persistent and constantly update and revise their hunting strategies. The gameplay itself, combined with the beautifully designed living ecosystems, makes it one of the best games of the 2010s.

176. Jackbox Party

best games of 2010s jackbox party
Release Date November 26, 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Jackbox Games
Genre Party Game
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Look man, you may not find The Jackbox Party Pack in many top of all-time lists, but let me tell you something: it’s fun. And stupid. Outrageously stupid. But they can also be an ideal bonding exercise. As our beloved Jum Jum put in his editorial/review of Jackbox “a lot of these games can help you to learn more about your friends, and what they all think about each other”. To grossly misquote an Outkast lyric, sometimes “ya just want to dance”. Or tell stupid jokes. Or deliver elaborately-constructed non-sequiturs. And Jackbox lets you do all of the above.

175. Injustice: Gods Among Us

best games of 2010s injustice gods among us
Release Date April 3, 2013
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Android, PlayStation 3, iOS, Xbox 360
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Genre Fighting

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Say what you will about their latest cinematic efforts, but when it comes to video games, DC has more than delivered these past few years. Injustice: Gods Among Us is a tight and highly entertaining fighting game that offers a wide roster of both notorious and more “obscure” DC characters – really, Solomon Grundy? Who the hell is that? Each character has its own movements, combos, and fighting styles, so every fight feels unique. It may not have the gore and violence of something like Mortal Kombat, but it doesn’t have to. It’s definitely one of the best fighting games of the 2010s.

174. Banished

best games of 2010s banishes
Release Date February 18, 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Shining Rock Software
Genre City-builder
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Labelling Banished as a city-builder is not only a stretch, but also goes against what the game is trying to achieve. In Banished, you don’t work towards building bustling cities with complex infrastructures. You’re simply aiding a group of outcasts in their efforts to build a new life for themselves, and making sure they and subsequent generations don’t die of starvation, frost, food poisoning, nasty diseases or all of the above. It may be limited in scope and lacking late-game content, but what it does it does well.

173. Axiom Verge

best games of 2010s axiom verge
Release Date March 31, 2015
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Thomas Happ Games
Genre Metroidvania
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Axiom Verge is, above anything else, a love letter to the Metroid series, as Geoff put it. While it lacks somewhat in the map design department and the story is forgettable at best, Axiom Verge compensates with stunning retro visuals and compelling gameplay. It’s certainly not on the same level as something like Dead Cells or Hollow Knight, which are masterpieces in their own right, but as far as Metroidvania games are concerned, Axiom Verge is one of the best the genre has to offer.

172. Halo Reach

best games of 2010s halo reach
Release Date September 14, 2010
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
Developer: Bungie
Genre FPS

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ While the 2010s saw the release of several great Halo games, Halo: Reach was the true turning point of the series. Halo: Reach upped the ante in every possible way by increasing the production value, taking all the elements that made the previous games modern classics and improving them and adding tons of new gameplay mechanics. However, its biggest merit is that it attracted an entirely new generation of players to the series. Halo 4 and 5 may be great games on their own, but neither of them has achieved the same level of cultural and historical impact.

171. Devil May Cry 5

best games of 2010s devil may cry
Release Date March 8, 2019
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Capcom
Genre Action-adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Some have gone so far as to call Devil May Cry 5 a masterpiece of the action genre, up there with the likes of Bayonetta. It features not one, but three playable characters, including fan-favorites Dante and Nero, each with their unique style of fighting and progressions. It has been lauded as a return to form for the franchise, and rightfully so. It’s not only great as a Devil May Cry game, but also one of the best hack and slashes of this decade.

170. This is the Police

best games of 2010s this is the police
Release Date August 2, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Weappy Studio
Genre Strategy
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ A hardboiled detective adventure/ management/ simulator where the lead character is voiced by none other than Jon St. John, a.k.a. Duke Nukem himself? A tale of political intrigue and systemic corruption? What is this, Chinatown? Sign me up!

169. Risk of Rain

best games of 2010s risk of rain
Release Date November 19, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Hopoo Games
Genre Roguelike
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Developed by two students at the University Of Washington, Risk of Rain went on to become one of the most critically and commercially acclaimed roguelikes of the 2010s. The biggest hook of the game, apart from the visuals and the gameplay, is that it’s incredibly well-balanced. The devs basically created an AI system just for scaling the difficulty. We’re not smart enough to explain it, but suffice to say, it’s designed to keep players on the edge of their seats, and it works like a charm. The sequel, Risk of Rain 2, which adds a third dimension, is currently in Early Access, but the original is worth a shot.

168. Amnesia: The Dark Descent

best games of 2010s amnesia
Release Date September 8, 2010
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Frictional Games
Genre Survival Horror
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ I don’t know if you’re old enough to remember (let’s be honest, you are), but back in 2010, Amnesia: The Dark Descent was all over the place. You couldn’t open a news outlet without seeing an editorial praising it, or browse YouTube without the-then archaic algorithm recommending cringey reaction videos. But all snarkiness aside, while retrospectively, Amnesia wasn’t that groundbreaking, it did manage to revive a comatose genre and lay the groundwork for future horror games. I sincerely don’t think Outlast would exist without Amnesia. It may not be a masterpiece, but its influence can’t be denied.

167. Thomas Was Alone

best games of 2010s thomas was alone
Release Date June 30, 2012
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Mike Bithell
Genre Puzzle Platforms:er

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Think fast: what’s the last thing that made you cry? A kitten snuggling with a duck? A video of a Golden Retriever carrying a baby back to its crib? Hachiko’s Wikipedia page? How about some geometrical shapes? Yeah, you heard me right. Thomas Was Alone is the kind of game that will make you weep for an overweight cube who can’t climb up a platform, or a rectangle who’s either too slim or too chonky to fit anywhere. But in a weird way, it’s also a game about friendship and acceptance – to solve most puzzles and advance the storyline, players have to arrange the shapes in certain combinations… You know what, now I’m realizing that I’m starting to sound like a madman. Just play the damn game and leave me alone.

166. Tomb Raider

best games of 2010s tomb raider
Release Date March 5, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Genre Action-Adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ After the disaster called The Angel of Darkness, my expectations for the franchise plummeted to an all time low. I was officially done with the franchise and ready to move on. Naturally, I welcomed the prospect of a reboot with a healthy dose of skepticism, and in a weird twist of fate, it ended up being quite decent. More than decent, actually. It’s polished; it has a great story; graphics that still hold up six years later; engaging combat; decent QTEs; tight platforming elements; Lara managed to gain back her personality lost somewhere between The Curse of the Sword and Underworld. And, most importantly, it’s fun.

165. The Last Guardian

best games of 2010s last guardian
Release Date December 6, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment, SIE Japan Studio, Team Ico
Genre Action-adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ The spiritual successor to Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian shares many thematic, stylistic and gameplay elements with the acclaimed 2004 classic. The story follows the connection between a boy and Trico, a gentle, half-bird half-mammal creature. While gameplay is not the strongest feature of the game, The Last Guardian offers probably one of the most emotional experiences in video game history. The bond between the boy and the creature, which grows stronger throughout the story, as well as the character development, are works of art in and of themselves.

164. Nuclear Throne

best games of 2010s nuclear throne
Release Date December 5, 2015
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Vlambeer
Genre Roguelike

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Looking back, it wouldn’t be a stretch calling the 2010s “The Decade of the Roguelike”. One of the roguelikes that stood out from the crowd was Nuclear Throne. Boasting the chaos of classic bullet hell games, tight controls, a well-developed perk system and a weird setting, Nuclear Throne was a breath of fresh air and it still holds up today. Oh, and the guns in this game sound AMAZING, so I want to give a big shout out to Joonas Truner, the sound effect designer.

163. Kentucky Route Zero

best games of 2010s kentucky route zero
Release Date January 7, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Cardboard Computer
Genre Adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Kentucky Route Zero is a point and click game that follows the story of Conway, a truck driver that works as a delivery man for an antique shop. Aaaaand that’s the most boring way to describe this game. This is not a bootleg version of Euro Truck Simulator 2, rather an adventure game with no puzzles or challenges – the focus is put solely on the story and the atmosphere. I’m fully aware that ”David Lynch”-esque is thrown around a lot these days, but honestly, there’s no better way to describe Kentucky Route Zero. It also draws bits and pieces from the likes of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Flannery O’Connor. They’ve released two additional acts since 2013, with a fourth one dropping next year, so make sure to keep an eye on it.

162. Insurgency

best games of 2010s insurgency
Release Date January 22, 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: New World Interctive
Genre FPS
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ As far as multiplayer shooters are concerned, Insurgency is somewhere between Arma 3 and Rainbow Six: Siege. It’s realistic enough to keep even veteran players on the edge of their seat, but accessible and easy enough to pick up for new players. The sound effects and the presentation, in general, deserve special praise – when a flashbang hits you in the face, you really feel it. It may have been overshadowed by the likes of Rainbow Six: Siege and even Counter Strike: Global Offensive, but if you want to try something in between, give this one a shot (pun totally intended).

161. Darksiders II

best games of 2010s darksiders 2
Release Date August 14, 2012
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PalyStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Developer: Vigil Games, Gunfire Games
Genre Action RPG

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Darksiders II is a great example of how to make an Action Adventure game with RPG elements. In addition to the tight gameplay mechanics, Darksiders II puts forward vast maps that can be explored either on foot or by horse, with a plethora of dungeons, side quests, mini-bosses and some puzzles, for good measure. Plus, it’s always a pleasure to play as Death itself – you double wield scythes, for crying out loud. How cool is that?

160. Doki Doki Literature Club

best games of 2010s doki doki
Release Date September 22, 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Team Salvato
Genre Graphic Adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ If you’ve been following the gaming industry for long enough, you probably already know by now that Doki Doki Literature Club is not what it seems. What starts out as a cutesy, innocent dating sim turns into a creepy, fourth-wall-breaking meta horror. I was one of the naive people going into Doki thinking ”Come on, how bad could it be?”. Let me tell you something: the scars left by Doki will never heal. As one Steam user put it “It’s not free; you just don’t pay with money”.

159. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

best games of 2010s cs go
Release Date August 21, 2012
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment, Valve Corporation
Genre FPS

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ We couldn’t have done an honest job without including the juggernaut called Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This game needs no introduction – it’s freaking huge, people are making a living from playing it competitively, Rush B, give me AWP, you know the drill. And please, for the love of God, don’t smoke mid on dust_2 if one of your teammates buys an AWP.

158. Xenonauts

best games of 2010s xenonauts
Release Date June 17, 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Goldhawk Interactive
Genre Turn-based Strategy

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Xenonauts is basically X-Com for people who either didn’t like the reboot, or miss the originals. Of course, Xenonauts isn’t just a shoddy clone – the devs took the template of the old series and put their own spin on it. Just like in X-Com, you control a multi-national military organization (called Xenonauts) defending the Earth of an alien invasion, only instead of being set in modern times, the action takes place during the Cold War. You’ll have to balance the needs of your own nation versus the needs of the Earth, manage your funds, recruit scientists and soldiers and, overall, make sure that aliens don’t conquer the world. As always, make sure you don’t name your soldiers after loved ones.

157. Valiant Hearts: The Great War

best games of 2010s valiant hearts
Release Date June 24, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, Xbox One, iOS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Genre Puzzle
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Valiant Hearts: The Great War managed to somehow convey the brutality and misery of World War I without graphic depictions of blood, gore and violence. The plot, inspired by letters sent by soldiers from the battlefield during the war, centers on four characters who decide to hep a young German soldier find his love. As quirky as that may sound (and the game has a fair share of humour), this is far from your average bittersweet Richard Linkater story. It’s a story about friendship, sacrifice and survival in the face of unspeakable horrors. It’s charming, sad, funny and tragic at the same time. The industry definitely needs more games like Valiant Hearts: The Great War.

156. War for the Overworld

best games of 2010s war for the overworld
Release Date April 2, 2015
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Brightrock Games
Genre God Game

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Remember the first two Dungeon Keeper games? Pretty sad the third one was canceled, right? Don’t worry then – War for the Overworld is here to save the day. This is the true spiritual successor to the cult hit series of dungeon sims. Similar to Dungeon Keeper, players build intricate dungeons with deadly traps to kill heroes that enter. Since not even Underlods rule alone, players have to hire armies of dastardly minions to dig, build, and fight foes. The funniest thing to me is that the minions are actually paid contractors and not enslaved, which leads me to believe that the undeworld must have some strong labor laws in place. Or maybe the minions managed to unionize sometime before the events of the game? Whatever. You can still slap the minions, tho.

155. Soma

best games of 2010s soma
Release Date September 22, 2015
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Frictional Games
Genre Survival Horror

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ When I said the 2010s were good for horror games, I wasn’t exaggerating – we got Amnesia, Outlast and Soma in the span of just five years. Soma, made by the same guys who made Amnesia, takes the story from the early Victorian Era to an underwater research facility in the year 2104. Initially a sophisticated facility built by two major conglomerates, it has fallen in disrepair after a comet devastated the Earth and became the last outpost of humanity. The game employs a System Shock-like system of delivering lore, and most of the horror elements, through audio logs, tapes and notes scattered throughout the station. It also delves into heavy subjects such as what it really means to be human, but saying more would spoil the whole fun. If you’re looking for Blade Runner mashed psychological horror, make sure to check out Soma.

154. Oxenfree

best games of 2010s oxenfree
Release Date January 15, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Night School Studio
Genre Graphic Adventure

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Even in the context of the indie explosion of this weekend incentivizing more developers to experiment than ever, games with coming-of-age stories are still relatively rare. Oxenfree is a wonderfully-written and paced supernatural thriller coming of age story that takes elements from all over the place – especially 1980s teenage horror films. It also has an intelligent conversation system which changes the story and other elements based on your decisions, a catchy synth-pop soundtrack, and tons of voice talent from other acclaimed games, like The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead. If you liked Always Sometimes Monsters and Night in the Woods, Oxenfree is a must-play.

153. Limbo

best games of 2010s limbo
Release Date July 21, 2010
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Playdead
Genre Puzzle

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Melancholic, artfully designed and uncannily creepy in parts, Limbo is one of the games that defined the 2010s. At its core, Limbo is a straightforward 2D side-scrolling puzzle adventure thingy that requires players to take a creative approach to advance the story. However, Limbo subverted the tropes of the genre right from the get-go, with its twisted, dark world filled with traps, creepy enemies, and terrifying, oppressive vistas. Weirdly enough, the puzzles, as well as the death animations, reveal a bleak and twisted sense of humour, as if the devs realized that players will need the occasional relief from the horror and dread.

152. Legend of Grimrock 2

best games of 2010s legend grimrock
Release Date March 18, 2015
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Almost Human
Genre RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ While Legend of Grimrock revived a dead genre, the sequel improved it, refreshed it and made it appealing for the current generation. Like its predecessor, Legend of Grimrock II is a tile-based real-time dungeon crawler (a real tongue-twister, I know). You control a party of four adventurers through a 3D grid-based world, in first person view through numerous biomes, dungeons and multi-height levels. Progression revolves around a healthy mix of puzzle solving and combat. Legend of Grimrock 2 is a fresh and modern take on a rare genre, so if you want to play a modern version of Dungeon Master, make sure to check this out.

151. Firewatch

best games of 2010s firewatch
Release Date February 9, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Campo Santo
Genre Adventure

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Say what you want about Firewatch, but nobody thought it would become so popular. The story follows Henry, a fire lookout in the Shoshone National Forest. Set one year after the real-life Yellowstone fires of 1988, the story revolves around a series of suspicious events and Henry’s efforts to uncover the mystery. Though criticized for its myriad of bugs and ending, Firewatch is a pinnacle of the adventure genre (or walking sims, whatever you want to call them), together with Gone Home and What Remains of Edith Finch. It has stunning visuals inspired by New Deal advertisments, an intriguing story and flawless writing – one of the best of the decade, without a doubt.

150. Fable 3

best games of 2010s fable 3
Release Date October 26, 2010
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
Developer: Lionhead Studios
Genre Action RPG

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ In some ways, Fable III is more of a lateral step than a step forward – it’s basically Fable II with higher production values and simplified gameplay. While the game suffers from lackluster combat mechanics and repetitive side-quests, Fable III compensates with a compelling story and clever writing. The world is gorgeous and brimming with humour and personality, even more so than previous entries in the series. Fable III manages to pull players into its world and make them care about the story and characters. Plus, look at the voice cast – Ben Kingsley, Stephen Fry, Simon Pegg, Michal Fassbender. It’s ridiculous.

149. Enter the Gungeon

best games of 2010s enter the gungeon
Release Date 2016
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Dodge Roll
Genre Roguelike
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ In a decade stacked with roguelikes, Enter the Gungeon managed to stand out from the crowd by adopting elements from bullet hell shooters and focusing the gameplay around building the most ridiculous weapons imaginable. Equally ridiculous is the gun-themed aesthetic of the game, as Enter the Gungeon has you fight all manners of gun-related creatures – like living bullets. It’s a compelling and mechanically flawless roguelike. It’s brutally difficult, but chances are you’ll be too busy laughing at the absurdity of the world to be angry.

148. A Way Out

best games of 2010s way out
Release Date March 23, 2018
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Hazelight Studios
Genre Action-adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Ever wanted to see how it’s like to escape from a maximum-security prison with your buddy in a split-screen cooperative multiplayer action-adventure third-person game but you never could because you, well, live in the real world? Then you have to play A Way Out. Players control Vincent and Leo, two convicted prisoners who must break out of prison and avoid getting caught by authorities. What’s interesting about this game is that, though the players need to collaborate to achieve their goals, their stories are often desynchronized – one may play the game while the other is watching a cutscene. It also comes with a plethora of minigames and a surprisingly emotional and well-written story, so players who aren’t necessarily attracted by the gimmick can enjoy the compelling plot.

147. Terraria

best games of 2010s terraria
Release Date May 16, 2011
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Re-Logic
Genre Action-adventure

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Since its release, Terraria, together with Half Life 2 and Left 4 Dead, has joined the ranks of the games that absolutely everyone owns on Steam (no, really, show me a person who doesn’t). Terraria is essentially the ultimate basebuilding/survival/sandbox game. You exploit the resources in a procedurally generated 2D world, build stuff and fight waves upon waves of monsters and critters, all while trying to survive. It’s pretty straightforward compared to other survival games, but that’s precisely what makes it so appealing.

146. Tyranny

best games of 2010s tyranny
Release Date November 10, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre RPG

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Tyrrany is essentially a high-fantasy RPG, but in reverse. The forces of evil led by Kyros have already conquered most of the world, and the only thing standing between him and total domination is a rebellion brewing amongst his forces. You, the Fatebinder, one of the higher-ranked members of Kyro’s circle, are sent to impose order and squash the rebellion. The game presents the player with a multitude of options and choices, with the most interesting being deciding how the Fatebinder influenced the previous 3 years of conquest during character creation. Though short, Tyranny is an interesting experiment in game development that subverts most of the genre’s tropes

145. The Division 2

best games of 2010s the division 2
Release Date March 15, 2019
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Google Stadia
Developer: Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft Reflections, Red Storm Entertainment, FreeStyle Games
Genre Action RPG
TANIA PREDA ➞ What the first The Division game couldn’t achieve was successfully implemented by its sequel. The Division 2 takes place in a post-apocalyptic world after an outbreak wipes out a large part of humanity. However, there are no zombies in it. Instead, it’s a really fun co-op, online game that has good weapon mechanics, beautiful visuals, and takes place in destroyed Washington that, ironically, feels alive and dynamic.

144. Prey

best games of 2010s prey
Release Date 5 May 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Arkane Studios
Genre FPS

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Some critics described Talos 1, a space station which serves as the setting of Prey, as a “luxurious sci-fi playground”, while many criticized its combat and parts of the story. That’s fair. So why is Prey so high on this list? Because once every ten years, there comes a game that is so marvelously executed in some parts that you’re willing to forgive it for its other shortcomings. Prey falls into that category. The setting is so well-crafted that the lackluster combat and thin plot can become minor inconveniences rather than full-on dealbreakers.

143. Starcraft II

best games of 2010s starcraft 2
Release Date July 27, 2010
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Genre RTS
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ With its second installment, Starcraft went from a popular classic to a worldwide phenomenon. In fact, it became almost synonymous with the concept of esports and wise-cracking sports anchors belittling competitive gaming. Starcraft 2’s success is all the more baffling considering the fact that it belongs to a genre that has been clinically dead for the last ten to 15 years. But, whether we like it or not, Starcraft 2 has had a huge cultural impact in the 2010s and will probably continue to do so in the following decade.

142. Return of the Obra Dinn

best games of 2010s return of the obra dinn
Release Date October 18, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Lucas Pope
Genre Puzzle

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ If you were surprised by how entertaining playing a border agent is in Papers Please, wait until you pick up Return of the Obra Dinn. You play as an insurance adjuster who is trying to determine what happened aboard the Obra Dinn after it disappeared for five years and returned to port. Boring, right? Wrong. Return of the Obra Dinn plays out as a classic whodunit, where players are tasked with working out the sequence of events aboard the ship by either using the Memento Mortem, a device that when activated plays back the audio of certain events, or by finding clues. Return of the Obra Dinn comes with a stunning aesthetic and an intriguing plot, and uncovering the mystery bit by bit was one of the best gaming moments I’ve experienced this decade.

141. Octopath Traveler

best games of 2010s octopath traveler
Release Date July 13, 2018
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Square Enix
Genre RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Octopath Traveler has all the makings of a classic RPG, but with a modern twist. It features a stunning aesthetic termed “HD-2D” by the devs, which combines Super NES character sprites with high-definition effects. It’s a gorgeous game with equally solid gameplay, nail-biting turn-based battles, and tons of stuff to do and explore. If you’re looking for an old-school NES/SNES RPG made for modern audiences, look no further than Octopath Traveler.

140. Observer

best games of 2010s observer
Release Date August 15, 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Bloober Team
Genre Psychological Horrror
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Observer, starring the late Rutger Hauer of Blade Runner fame, is a psychological cyberpunk detective game set in Krakow, in 2084 (wink wink), after a ”digital plague” killed thousands of people and led to war and rampant drug use. Though small in scope, the game has received praise for its minimalistic setting, terrifying hacking sequences, visual and sound effects, puzzles, labyrinthian plot and the performance of the late Rutger Hauer. It may favor style over substance in parts, but the overall execution is masterful.

139. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

best games of 2010s middle earth shadow of mordor
Release Date September 30, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Monolith Productions, Feral Interactive
Genre Action-adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Let’s be honest here: without the nemesis system, Shadow of Mordor could’ve joined the ranks of average, but forgettable action-adventure games. And if the rest of the game wasn’t mechanically tight and fun to play, the nemesis system could’ve been just a gimmick. The nemesis system is so novel and interesting that it’s easy to forget how good a game Shadow of Mordor is overall. But yeah, pitting orcs against each other is much more satisfying than slashing them up.

138. Kerbal Space Program

best games of 2010s kerbal space program
Release Date April 27, 2015
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Squad
Genre Simulation
TANIA PREDA ➞ Build your very own space program and launch your cute little astronauts into space. If it only were as simple as it sounds. Kerbal Space Program appeals to the aspiring engineers in all of us who want to take a shot at buildings rockets. Until it all goes to hell and explosions happen. There’s nothing quite like it. Perhaps something like Space Engineers, but it doesn’t quite get as specific as Kerbal Space Program. Luckily, a sequel is coming.

137. Infamous Second Son

best games of 2010s infamous second son
Release Date March 21, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Genre Action-adventure
TANIA PREDA ➞ This game can really make you feel like a superhero or a villain depending on your choices. The story is classic and mostly what you’d expect. You won’t be getting any twists or surprises, but the gameplay is truly entertaining and it gives you options on how you want to play the game. Will you be using your cool, shiny powers for good or bad? Each one is worth playing through. It’s very satisfying to play and one of the better superhero-like games out there.

136. Frostpunk

best games of 2010s frostpunk
Release Date April 24, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: 11 bit Studios
Genre City-builder
TANIA PREDA ➞ Rule over a frozen city in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and see how well you’d manage. Frostpunk has an interesting way of showing the consequences of your actions and proving that you can’t make everyone happy, no matter your good intentions. Each law you choose can make matters better or worse. Each time you try to save up energy, people will freeze and suffer. It challenges you to reign during times of impoverishment, sickness, and harsh weather. And most of the time, you will lose people on the way. Or at least, they’ll lose a couple of limbs to frostbite.

135. Dust: An Elysian Tail

best games of 2010s dust an elysian tail
Release Date August 15, 2012
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Limited Run Games
Genre Action RPG

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ More of a platforming game at heart than a metroidvania, Dust: An Elysian Tail is a gorgeous, hand-drawn game that follows the story of an amnesiac warrior known as Dust and his flying fox Fidget. The game offers a fluid and masterfully animated combat system, tight platforming, and an incredible soundtrack. Our colleague Smoghtown also lauded Dust for its exploration elements, while noting that the game can get repetitive – which is a fair assessment. It’s one of the most gorgeous games to bless our screens this decade, so make sure to give it a shot.

134. Darkwood

best games of 2010s darkwood
Release Date August 18, 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Acid Wizard Studio
Genre Survival horror
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ The twisted Soviet life simulator Darkwood impressed audiences with its surreal visuals, psychological horror elements, and twisted characters. The first few minutes of the game have you (a demented doctor) kill your dying dog, abduct a stranger, interrogate him, switch to the stranger’s perspective, engineer an escape from the doctor, black out, and wake up in a new place. Yeah, it’s crazy. Darkwood features a semi-open world brimmed with side-quests and NPCs to trade and interact with, and a day/night cycle. During the night, players must retreat to their hideout and defend against intruders. And that’s just scratching the surface. Darkwood is a gloriously twisted game that will definitely leave a mark on you.

133. Doom 2016

best games of 2010s doom 2016
Release Date May 13, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: id Software
Genre FPS
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Doom 2016, the long-awaited reboot of the franchise, was everything people were hoping and expecting. It recaptures the spirit of the classic Doom while adding in some much-needed modern elements and a plot that I actually gave a damn about. Everything from the graphics, exploration, level design to shooting mechanics and soundtrack (MAN DOES IT SLAP) is excellent. Killing demons and other nondescript abominations from hell has never felt better. Can’t wait for the next one.

132. Celeste

best games of 2010s celeste
Release Date January 25, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Matt Makes Games
Genre Platforms:er
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Celeste a modern classic. It’s been universally praised for its story, gameplay, atmosphere and beautiful pixelated aesthetic, with many considering it a landmark title. A lot of ink has been spilled on the merits of Celeste – the tight platforming mechanics, emotional storyline, fleshed-out protagonist, there’s really not much to complain about. It’s excellent. Celeste is an essential gaming experience.

131. Torchlight II

best games of 2010s torchlight 2
Release Date September 20, 2012
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
Developer: Runic Games
Genre Action RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ If the first Torchlight was nothing more than a decent alternative to Diablo III, the franchise bloomed with the sequel and finally became its own thing. The sequel is a marked improvement over the first one – more loot, more monsters, more spells, more skills, more hub towns, more loot, you get the idea. Not only is the campaign longer, but you can now play it with friends. If you like hack and slash RPGs and sorting through tons of loot, Torchlight II is a must-play.

130. The Stanley Parable

best games of 2010s stanley parable
Release Date October 17, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Galactic Cafe
Genre Interactive Story
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ The Stanley Parable was a trope-subverting, genre-bending, fourth-wall-breaking, meta overnight sensation that essentially turned the gaming industry upside down. It plays around with player expectations and well-established gaming conventions with the nonchalance of a master puppeteer. And now I’m realizing that talking about this game is so hard without spoiling the experience, so I’ll leave you with this: The Stanley Parable is a masterpiece of experimental gaming, and you owe it to yourself to try it out.

129. Overcooked 2

best games of 2010s overcooked 2
Release Date August 7, 2018
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Team17 Digital Limited
Genre Simulation

TANIA PREDA ➞ Overcooked 2 manages to bring a lot of silly fun that can get surprisingly intense. It encourages cooperation, coordination, and communication in a way that few games really can without severe consequences. And some proper yelling, but what’s a fight between friends when they forgot to chop that freaking salad? And it’s all fun and games until the floor starts moving. The developers also keep it updated, add DLCs, and special events that just the host player needs to own.

128. That Dragon Cancer

best games of 2010s that dragon cancer
Release Date January 12, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Numinous
Genre Adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ That Dragon Cancer was inspired by the experiences that Ryan (lead designer) and Amy Green (lead writer) had after their third child Joel was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at just twelve months of age. The Greens’ story, which stretches from the moment Joel was born to his diagnosis and his death, is presented through a series of vignettes that oscillate between grittily realistic to highly abstracted. To say that this game is an emotional rollercoaster is an understatement. But as tragic as the story is, the game’s central message is that people should not be afraid to open up to others about the loss of loved ones. That Dragon Cancer’s greatest merit is that it helped thousands of other people cope and share their experiences.

127. Final Fantasy XV

best games of 2010s final fantasy 15
Release Date November 29, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Square Enix Business Division 2
Genre Action RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Final Fantasy XV is not only one of the best games of the 2010s, but also one of the greatest the franchise has produced. The 15th entry of the series has all the makings of a high-quality Final Fantasy game – great character interactions, interesting side-activities, eye-catching design, catchy soundtrack, and well-written companions. Though the story is not on par with previous games, it’s good enough to keep players interested.

126. Sunless Sea

best games of 2010s sunless sea
Release Date 6 February 2015
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4
Developer: Failbetter Games
Genre Roguelike
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Sunless Sea is a Lovecraftian, cosmic-horror roguelike game where you navigate the shady, monster-infested waters of an underground sea (sorry, ZEE) and meet various eccentric characters and take quests from several settlements including Fallen London and transport mummies and oh my god, what is this? I’ll tell you what it is – it’s one of the best written and most interesting games of the decade. It’s funny and twisted, and terrifying at the same time. Granted, Sunless Skies, the sequel, is in many ways superior, but Sunless Seas takes the crown this time. Maybe Sunless Grounds will make our list in 2029?

125. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

best games of 2010s sekiro
Release Date March 22, 2019
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: FromSoftware
Genre Action-adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Sekiro deserves the first spot in a separate article titled “Top X Games that Fooled Its Fans”. It’s similar enough to Dark Souls to instill a fake sense of security in veterans of the series but derivative enough to offer a fresh challenge. I fell into the same trap. I thought I had Sekiro nailed from the first moments, only to get absolutely crushed halfway through the tutorial level. And let’s be honest, you too (yes, you, reading this) had the same experience. You absolute buffoon.

124. Superhot

best games of 2010s superhot
Release Date February 25, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Superhot Team
Genre FPS
TANIA PREDA ➞ Superhot was an innovator and a John Wick simulator before John Wick was even a thing. It may look simple, but some of the levels can be quite challenging, considering you’re almost literally a glass cannon. However, beyond the very futuristic-like aesthetic, Superhot will make you feel really, really cool as you shoot down bad guys and skillfully avoid attacks in slow motion. It will take all your attention and just a tiny bit of strategy, but at its core, it’s meant to make you feel like a badass and succeeds.

123. Xenoblade Chronicles

best games of 2010s xenoblade chronicles
Release Date June 10, 2010
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Wii
Developer: Monolith Soft
Genre Action RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ The explosive debut of one of the most critically and commercially successful series of all time, Xenoblade Chronicles essentially took all the things that fans loved about Final Fantasy and put their own spin on them. Everything, from the battle system, quest design, and UI was refreshed and made more accessible (not dumbed down) for modern audiences. Xenoblade Chronicles was a breath of fresh air in a genre that was becoming stale, and for that, it deserves a spot in our best games of the decade list.

122. Gunpoint

best games of 2010s gunpoint
Release Date 3 June 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Suspicious Developments
Genre Platforms:er
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Gunpoint is a wonderfully animated and stylized stealth-based platforming game where you play as an Inspector Gadget-type private detective. The majority of your in-game time is spent infiltrating buildings, avoiding guards, bypassing security systems using a wide range of high-tech gadgets and overall being a suave, cigarette-smoking, trenchcoat-wearing badass. The writing is good, the story excellent and the characters range from stock-noir archetypes to… okay, I guess? It’s short but sweet. We need more games like Gunpoint.

121. Gris

best games of 2010s gris
Release Date December 13, 2018
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, iOS, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Nomada Studio
Genre Platforms:er
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ An emotional, visual and mechanical masterpiece, Gris is one of those games that will draw at least a tear or two from you. It deals with all manners of heavy subjects, like loss, grief, depression, mental anguish and all that with absolutely no text. The story is conveyed through the soundtrack and the gameplay. Similar to Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Gris managed to find a way to tell its story by using the tools of the medium, and not through bouts of empty, endless exposition. Gris is striking, emotional and hauntingly beautiful.

120. Atom RPG

best games of 2010s atom rpg
Release Date December 19, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: AtomTeam
Genre RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ If you miss the spirit and feel of the classic Fallout games, you have to try Wasteland 2… wait, wrong entry. I meant to say ATOM RPG. This time around, you’re not roaming the retro-futuristic 50s wasteland of the United States, but the decrepit, less glitzy and tongue-in-cheek wastelands of the Soviet Union. The devs went full in with the setting, so lovers of deep lore will have a blast with this game. The more you play it, the more you realize how close in spirit it is to its inspiration, as it has all the perks, quirks and mishaps of classic Fallout. If you love old-school CRPGs, you owe it to yourself to give ATOM RPG a shot.

119. Astroneer

best games of 2010s astroneer
Release Date February 6, 2019
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: System Era Softworks
Genre Adventure
TANIA PREDA ➞ This little indie game oozes with charm. The visuals in Astroneer are polygon-based with a beautiful color palette and a remarkably satisfying sound design. As cute, little astronauts, you and your friends get to build a base for yourselves, using the resources you find on the odd and seemingly innocent planet. The world is procedurally generated, so you’ll get different terrain each time you start a new game. It offers replayability and a really fun time to play with friends.

118. Europa Universalis 4

best games of 2010s europa universalis 4
Release Date 13 August, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Paradox Development Studio
Genre Grand Strategy
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ I think we can all agree that, as of 2019, Europa Universalis 4 is a totally different game than it was six years ago at release. That’s the nature of a Paradox game: evershifting, everchanging, ever chock-full of DLCs. Thankfully, most of the changes benefited the game, and Europa Universalis 4 is in a better shape than ever. If you’ve never heard of Europa Universalis 4, it’s a grand strategy game where players can take control of one of the over 500 nations from the Late Middle Ages through the Early modern period. You conduct trade, strike diplomatic deals, conquer territory, colonize the New World, establish supply lines and yeah, this game is too massive to cover here. Despite its sheer size and complexity, it’s much easier to pick up than other grand strategy games. It strikes the perfect balance between Civilization and hardcore Paradox titles such as Victoria II. Pro tip: turn off Iroman Mode on your first run and read a couple of guides before buying any DLC.

117. Wasteland 2

best games of 2010s wasteland 2
Release Date September 19, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: inXile Entertainment
Genre RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ If the prospect of a post-apocalyptic Soviet wasteland doesn’t seem enticing, then you have to play Wasteland 2. In a weird way, it’s the spiritual predecessor to Fallout, because the first Fallout started out as a spin-off series to the original Wasteland, which came out in 1988. This is public knowledge by now, but I wanted you to know that I know, m’kay? Anyway, in Wasteland 2, you take control of a squad of Desert Rangers (basically desert cops) and set out to discover why a fellow ranger was killed. On your way, you get to interact with a variety of weird factions, like nuke-worshipping monks, nomads, robots, raiders over two major areas, Arizona and Los Angeles. It’s a rich, detailed and twisted world made all the juicier by the great writing and compelling characters. As always, make sure to read a couple of guides before diving into Wasteland 2, as this is the kind of game where you can create useless characters if you don’t know what you’re doing.

116. Civilization V

best games of 2010s civilization 5
Release Date September 21, 2010
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Firaxis Games
Genre Turn-based strategy
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Though Civ 6 was improved by subsequent updates and DLCs, we feel like the Civ 5 package with all of its additions, is better as a whole and worthy of a spot in our list. Civ 5 was the one to strike the perfect balance between complexity and accessibility, and it was also the one that brought an entirely new generation to the series.

115. Arma 3

best games of 2010s arma 3
Release Date September 12, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Bohemia Interactive
Genre FPS
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Arma 3, the pinnacle of the Arma series, is the Operation Flashpoint 2 that we never got. To say that Arma 3 is a deeply complex and realistic military first-person shooter would be, quite frankly, redundant. It has a ridiculously steep learning curve, and I don’t mean hard in the sense that it takes a couple of hours to get the hang of it, rather hard in the sense that you have to take a physics course to learn how bullet trajectories and ballistics work. The game offers two large islands, Atlis and Tanoa (with the first covering 270 sq kilometers), which feature photo-realistic terrain and water environments. While the single-player campaign is serviceable and has you conduct everything from lone wolf infiltrations to large scale armored operations, the real meat of the game is multiplayer. It’s not the run and gun type of shooter and it’ll take you several hours before scoring the first kill, but when you master it, man, does it feel good.

114. Beyond Two Souls

best games of 2010s beyond two souls
Release Date October 8, 2013
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Quantic Dream
Genre Adventure
TANIA PREDA ➞ The story of a young girl who seems completely normal, going through the usual motions and drama of any teenager. Except she’s tethered to the other side by a spirit. And developed by Quantic Dreams. You can already imagine the stunning visuals and brilliant cinematics that come out of this game, likely thinking that this could’ve done well as a movie. While the gameplay might not seem the most exciting considering the player’s input is sometimes minimal, the transition between “entities” is handled so well that it makes Beyond Two Souls an incredibly fun experience. The story is heartwrenching, brutal, and wonderful at the same time. It’s unique at its core and a twist to the coming-of-age narrative.

113. Yakuza 0

best games of 2010s yakuza 0
Release Date March 12, 2015
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Sega
Genre Action-adventure

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Yakuza 0 is a stylish crime story set between 1988 and 1989 in fictionalized recreations of Tokyo and Osaka where players take control of two up-and-coming criminals who are eager to climb the ladder of Japan’s underworld. Yakuza 0 marked the debut of the series on PC, and it’s the best game the series has so far produced. It features a stellar cast of voice actors, excellent writing and storytelling, fun brawling-focused gameplay mechanics, a variety of side missions that range from funny to absolutely ridiculous and a bustling, gorgeously recreated nightlife that deserves its own article. Yakuza 0 is a highly entertaining gangster epic that, unlike Mafia 2 and 3, is actually fun to play.

112. Control

best games of 2010s control
Release Date 27 August 2019
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Genre Third-person shooter
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Written by none other than Sam Lake, Control is a return to form by a company that produced the ambitious, but mildly disappointing Alan Wake and Quantum Break. Control takes place inside the Oldest House, a massive, nondescript Brutalist skyscraper in New York City with a constantly shifting interior and also the headquarters of FBC (basically an FBI that investigates paranormal activities). You control (hah!) Jesse, an FBC agent that eventually learns to exploit the paranatural elements inside the building – which is the basis of the gameplay. The Oldest House has a Metroidvania-like design, with areas unlocking once players hit a certain point in the story or obtaining the proper abilities. Control is a great action-adventure game, probably the best Remedy Entertainment has produced, with stellar production values, great writing, and a fleshed-out protagonist. Plus, smashing stuff via paranormal powers is always fun.

111. Total War: Three Kingdoms

best games of 2010s total war three kingdoms
Release Date May 23, 2019
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Creative Assembly
Genre Strategy
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ With twelve factions, a refined diplomatic system and a focus on character interaction and development, you can’t help but wonder if the people Creative Assembly are avid Crusader Kings 2 players. That’s because Total War: Three Kingdoms feels more like a Paradox-style grand strategy game built on the template of Total War than, well, a Total War game. And it works like a charm. The devs took full advantage of the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), managing to convey the political intrigue and machinations of the period in gameplay form. There are lots of facets to cover here, but the fact that the generals form relationships with other characters and have unique personalities and needs that players need to address is by the far the best feature of the game. Three Kingdoms is the peak of the series and I hope the devs will use it as a model for future sequels.

110. Shadowrun: Hong Kong

best games of 2010s shadowrun
Release Date August 20, 2015
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Harebrained Schemes
Genre RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Due to the fact that it essentially resurrected a dormant series and genre, consumers and reviewers alike were willing to forgive Shadowrun Returns’ many shortcomings. After Dragonfall, Shadowrun: Hong Kong is the grand finale and the peak of the series. The story takes place in a near-future version of Hong Kong, which is effectively controlled by corporations. The game is as cyberpunk as it can get, from cool-sounding classes like Street Samurai, shady characters, sleazy slums to plots involving corporate espionage and neon-lit alleyways. It may pale in comparison to more recent cRPGs in certain areas, but the story, writing, and style compensate for that. If you like cyberpunk, old-school isometric RPGs and dwarf hackers, you have to try this game out.

109. Salt and Sanctuary

best games of 2010s salt and sanctuary
Release Date March 15, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Nintnedo Switch, Xbox One
Developer: Ska Studios
Genre Action RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ These days, the term “souls-like game” is thrown around so much that it lost any meaning. However, when it comes to Salt and Sanctuary, labeling it as such is fair – because it is basically Dark Souls in 2D. The two games share the same themes, atmosphere, asynchronous multiplayer and brutal, but fair combat. It’s moody, atmospheric and challenging – exactly like its inspiration.

108. Hyper Light Drifter

best games of 2010s hyper light drifter
Release Date March 31, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch,
Developer: Heart Machine
Genre Action RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Hyper Light Drifter is based on the vision of the lead developer, Alex Preston, who had been born with congenital heart disease and spent most of his life in and out of the hospital. He envisioned the game as an outlet to express something personal, but identifiable to a larger audience. Hyper Light Drifter is a game of contrasts – scenes of intense action broken by moments of quiet and abstract story-telling and a subverted, but intoxicating atmosphere punctured by a booming soundtrack. Hyper Light Drifter is the kind of game that will stick with you long after you finish it.

107. Journey

best games of 2010s journey
Release Date March 13, 2012
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Thatgamecompany
Genre Adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Journey is a legendary example of video game craftsmanship: excellent pacing, beautiful music, engrossing atmosphere, and stunning visuals. Journey feels like playing a painting canvas that you can control, or watching an expertly directed short film. What’s more, Journey tells its emotional, heartbreaking story without a single word – it does so through the gameplay and visual-only cutscenes. This is the kind of gameplay that comes out only once every few years, so you owe it to yourself to try it out.

106. Jazzpunk

best games of 2010s jazzpunk
Release Date February 7, 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4
Developer: Necrophone Games
Genre Adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Taking something as cerebral and subjective as comedy and implementing it in something as mechanically-focused as video games can be tricky without falling into the ”gimmick trap” (see Goat Simulator). Jazzpunk pulled it off, as it manages to be both funny and fun to play. You play as a secret agent trying to uncover some kind of Soviet plot, and that’s about as much clarity as you’ll get. The world is populated with a plethora of NPCs, each with their own gag, and your tasks include assassinating cowboys, killing a pig with a ukulele, and smuggling pigeons, among others. Jazzpunk is a hodgepodge of references and influences, taking cues from the work of Josef Albers and Saul Bass for its cartoony art style and films such as Blade Runner and Alien. It’s freaking bonkers, and the 1950s themed aesthetic makes it all the more endearing.

105. What Remains of Edith Finch

best games of 2010s what remains of edith finch
Release Date April 25, 2017
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Giant Sparrow
Genre Adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ You play as Edith Finch, the last in the Finch family line, returning to her family’s home off the coast of Washington state (what’s with games and their fascination with that state?). She believes that her family is under a curse that causes all but one member of each generation to die in unusual ways. The game is built out of several vignettes (or mini-anthologies), that show the fate of her relatives, which are uncovered as the player visits their bedrooms. Their stories, one more tragic than the next, are narrated by Edith, and possibly interpreted through her bias. What Remains of Edith Finch offers a beautiful and heartbreaking experience which, like any good Wes Anderson film, it will make you both cry and smile.

104. Fire Emblem: Awakening

best games of 2010s fire emblem
Release Date April 19, 2012
Platforms: Nintendo RDS
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Genre Tactical RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Fire Emblem: Awakening was so critically and commercially successful that it effectively saved the series from cancellation. Awakening offers a mish-mash of elements from multiple genres, such as a relationship system that can lead characters to form families and have children, deep, tactical gameplay, a huge map, and even some roguelike elements in the form of permadeath (which the devs eventually made optional, to the chagrin of many fans). Fire Emblem: Awakening is a full package that contains something for everybody.

103. Dying Light

best games of 2010s dying light
Release Date January 27, 2015
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Techland
Genre Action-adventure
TANIA PREDA ➞ The parkour is what really separated this game from its competition. The industry was filled with zombie games, but Dying Light managed to stand out not just with its excellent visuals, but the ability to run through the city, over fences, cars, buildings, people, and pretty much anything else in first-person made it stand out. The story can be considered decent, but the gameplay completely sold it. It’s infinitely fun and the way they approached true dark in terms of nighttime enhanced that horror feeling whenever you had to go for a run outside.

102. Horizon: Zero Dawn

best games of 2010s horizon zero dawn
Release Date 28 February 2017
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Developer: Guerilla Games
Genre Action RPG
TANIA PREDA ➞ You play in a fantasy-like world with sci-fi enemies, where you hunt cybernetic creatures with your bow. I mean that’s cool, right? The aesthetic and world of Horizon: Zero Dawn is fascinating in itself. However, you also get to go on a journey with the protagonist, Aloy. It’s a beautiful story, often filled with lessons of human nature, where no extreme can be good for us as people.

101. Factorio

best games of 2010s factorio
Release Date 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Wube Software
Genre Management Simulation
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ In Factorio, you “control” a crash-landed engineer who must harvest the resources of the alien planet to create an industry to build a rocket. If that isn’t the most Rube Godlberesque premise for a game, I don’t know what is. While building (or rather failing to build) your industry, you must protect it from waves upon waves of indigenous fauna and critters, which can cause great damage to your infrastructure. While the end goal is to build a rocket and leave the planet, being an open world game, you can safely ignore it continue researching tech and building your factory until either boredom or disaster inevitably ensues. And let’s be honest, the prospect of a lonely, disembodied engineer constructing an increasingly complex factory on a deserted planet, growing a little bit crazier with each pillar built is funnier than it should.

100. Alien: Isolation

best games of 2010s alien isolation
Release Date October 7, 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Creative Assembly
Genre Survival Horror
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Alien: Isolation wasn’t the definitive, instant modern classic that people hoped for, but god damn me if exploring the 70s retro-futuristic environments of Sevastopol and playing as Ripley’s daughter wasn’t cool. Not that you can enjoy the environments too much with a blood-thirsty alien constantly on your tail, of course, but at least you have time for a short tour before it inevitably disembowels you. Alien: Isolation is far from being perfect, but it tried and succeeded to capture the spirit of the film franchise – it sounds, looks and feels like a part of the Alien universe. It isn’t the best Alien game that we could get, but it’s best that we got.

99. Alpha Protocol

best games of 2010s alpha protocol
Release Date May 27, 2010
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre Action RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Together with Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, Alpha Protocol is one of those games that deserves praise not for what it is, but for what it could’ve been given more time, polish and resources. Sadly, unlike Bloodlines which benefited from years of community support, Alpha Protocol was released broken beyond repair. However, underneath the cracked surface lies a flawed masterpiece. It’s an espionage-themed RPG inspired by characters such as James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Jack Bauer, cult films like Ronin, Syriana and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and games like Deus Ex, System Shock 2 and Fallout. That’s some pedigree, so what went wrong? Well, almost everything – the gunplay is broken, the main plot is lackluster even after being rewritten by Chris Avellone and the graphics are dated even by 2010 standards. But the setting, customization, lore, and reactivity in the form of the dialogue system and resulting outcomes are some of the best the industry has ever seen. I hope Obsidian will someday manage to obtain the rights from Sega and develop a sequel. Out of all the games released in the 2010s, Alpha Protocol is the most worthy of a sequel.

98. Dead Cells

best games of 2010s dead cells
Release Date August 7, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Motion Twin
Genre Metroidvania
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ With Dead Cells, the devs managed to avoid the classic roguelike trappings of locking all the cool content behind a laborious progression system and make the game fun and engaging right from the get-go. Of course, there’s a lot of stuff to unlock, but they give you enough interesting weapons and abilities at the beginning to keep you hooked until you discover the next thing. It’s as if the devs knew that the average gamer doesn’t have the time and energy to invest in a roguelike and threw them a bone. Even more, the Metroidvania elements add another layer of complexity to an already content-rich game. The controls are tight, the platforming is smooth as butter, and the combat gets progressively better with each subsequent unlock. It wouldn’t be a stretch to declare that Dead Cells is one of the best roguelikes of this generation.

97. Heavy Rain

best games of 2010s heavy rain
Release Date February 18, 2010
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3
Developer: Quantic Dream
Genre Action-adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Being a David Cage game, you would expect Heavy Rain to come with its fair share of Cagesque weirdness and craziness (holy shit, remember Fahrenheit?). But out of all his games, Heavy Rain is undoubtedly the most grounded or, rather, as grounded as a game about a serial killer who leaves origami figures behind can be. While in terms of plot and writing, Heavy Rain is one step above your average crime/noire thriller, the visuals, voice acting, music, emotional impact, and setting are the elements that solidified its status as a modern classic. The game may suffer from clunky controls and several glaring plot holes, but hey, at least, there’s no Theory of a Deadman in the soundtrack.

96. Hitman 2

best games of 2010s hitman 2
Release Date November 13, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: IO Interactive
Genre Action stealth

TANIA PREDA ➞ The Hitman series was ahead of its time back in the day. They were some of the first to properly introduce us to different ways of resolving a quest or task, straying a bit from the familiar linearity that we were used to seeing. Hitman 2 has some of the most interesting missions in the game and the mechanics have vastly improved over its predecessors. Each target has a story that you’ll want to know more about and the locations you travel to are absolutely spectacular. The variety it offers makes Hitman 2 the most entertaining entry in the series from skillful stealth options to ridiculously reckless methods. Seriously. Grab a fish and start smacking people dead.

95. Oxygen Not Included

best games of 2010s oxygen not included
Release Date February 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Klei Entertainment
Genre Survival
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Oxygen Not Included is the cutesy, colony/disaster simulator that we never knew we wanted and needed until Klei Entertainment revealed they’re making one. Oxygen Not included is easy to get into, but brutally hard to master. Getting a colony running and setting up the basic necessities is only a quarter of the battle. The more time and effort you invest in your colony, the higher the risk of your colonists suffocating, drowning in their own poop or a combination between these two gets. Oxygen Not Included is a game of logistics, and the only way to win it is by striking the perfect balance between the needs of the individuals and the well-being of the colony. That, or watch one of your people freak out and set the colony on fire because Colonist #8531 has a nicer bed than them.

94. Nier: Automata

best games of 2010s nier automata
Release Date February 23, 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Platinum Games
Genre Action RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ I never thought a game about a bunch of robots fighting other robots in a post-apocalyptic wasteland would make me weep, but here I am, trying to recalibrate my emotions module. Nier: Automata is an expertly paced hack and slash/action RPG with an engrossing atmosphere and setting. As a game, it has a crazy amount of momentum – there’s always something to do, enemies to fight, side quests to pursue, abilities to unlock, and skill points to invest. Even after you beat it you’re not quite done. Now you have to pursue the “true endings” and of course you’ll have to do that because who could leave that beautiful, haunting soundtrack and decrepit, melancholic world behind? Nier: Automata wastes none of your time – it’s engrossing, emotional and highly addictive.

93. Rainbow: Six Siege

best games of 2010s rainbow six siege
Release Date December 1, 2015
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Ubisoft
Genre FPS
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Like 2019 Kanye, 2015 Rainbow: Six Siege is an entirely different game than it was five years ago. Not only did they add a buttload of content in the form of operators and maps, it runs smoother than it did at release and the infuriating netcode issues are a distant memory. Breach doors, destroy walls, plant cameras in hidden spots, create choke points with turrets, really, the tactical possibilities are endless. When it comes to tactical first-person shooters, there’s really no better option than Rainbow Six: Siege.

92. Prison Architect

best games of 2010s prion architect
Release Date 6 October 2015
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Introversion Software
Genre Simulation
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Your job as a warden in Prison Architect is to access as many government grants as possible and build a pleasant and safe environment where your prisoners can be transformed into productive members of society. Or you can say “screw you” to rehabilitation and build a slimy, drug-infested hellhole that would make the writers of Oz squeamish. It’s really up to you. I usually go for the former. That is, until the prisoners surreptitiously organize an armed uprising because I somehow placed the armory right next to the maximum-security wing of the prison. And by “surreptitiously” I mean it’s been going on for an hour but I haven’t noticed because I was too busy setting up the pipping infrastructure on the opposite side of the prison. Oh well.

91. Super Meat Boy

best games of 2010s super meat boy
Release Date October 20, 2010
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Team Meat
Genre Platforms:er
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Did you know that before The Binding of Isaac, Edmund McMillen developed another smaller, lesser-known platforming game? And by “small” and “lesser-known” I mean it’s considered one of the greatest video games of all time. Yes, I’m talking about Super Meat Boy. Yes, the tough as nails platforming game with a distinctive visual style that kicked-off the indie renaissance of the 2010s. And yes, even in retrospect, it still holds up and deserves all the praise that it got. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to grab my controller and play some Super Meat Boy.

90. The Long Dark

best games of 2010s the long dark
Release Date August 1, 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Hinterland Studio
Genre Survival
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Unlike many survival games this decade, The Long Dark went on a different route, throwing your character not in the middle of a werezombie apocalypse or whatever, but in the lonely, hauntingly beautiful Canadian wilderness. The Long Dark is essentially a simulation game wherein players have to manage factors such as fatigue, body temperature, caloric intake, hunger/thirst, etc. Your objective (in the sandbox mode, there’s also a story mode) is to survive as much as possible by scavenging whatever resources you find, which includes commodities like food, medicine, firewood, water, or other items essential to your survival such as knives, weapons, axes, temperature-appropriate clothing, etc. Everything apart from the map itself, which is composed of several interconnected areas, is randomly generated, so no run is similar to the next. Environmental factors, which are also randomly generated, such as wolves, bears, blizzards, and snowstorms will make your job harder. And may I add that this game is drop-dead gorgeous? I sincerely can’t think of a piece of media that reflected the beauty, melancholy, and loneliness of the winter better than The Long Dark – except maybe Fargo. If you’re a winter person AND like survival games, this game was made for you.

89. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

best games of 2010s shadow tactics
Release Date December 6, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Mimimi Productions
Genre RTT
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Remember the satisfaction of executing a meticulously-planned ambush in Desperados and storming a machine gun nest in Commandos? Then this is the game for you. Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun managed to scratch the collective itch of gamers who were longing for an old-school RTT (Real Time Tactics) game. Loosely based on Japan’s Edo period, the player controls a team of assassins (which includes a ninja, a samurai, a thief and old sharpshooter with a cute tanuki) and performs a wide variety of activities involving espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination. The game features huge, sprawling, highly detailed and beautifully designed maps with a host of environmental factors that players can use to accomplish their objectives as stealthily as possible – bushes and crates to hide bodies, traps, throwable objects, and so on. Few games offer such a wide variety of tactical possibilities and approaches to accomplish objectives. It may have a steep learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel like a master tactician.

88. Thronebreaker: Witcher Tales

best games of 2010s thronebreaker
Release Date October 23, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Genre Card Game RPG
TANIA PREDA ➞ For anyone who loved the world of The Witcher series, Thronebreaker is excellent at expanding upon the world while keeping a lot of familiar elements. It’s a card game RPG, which is interesting enough in itself. You have choices that impact the story and battles that can keep your mind engaged. Queen Meve’s story will keep you hooked and interested in everyone around her. The card games itself can be tense battles or challenging puzzles, and the narrative is as expertly crafted as you’d expect from CD Projekt Red.

87. Guild Wars 2

best games of 2010s guild wars 2
Release Date August 28, 2012
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: ArenaNet
Genre RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ With the sequel, Guild Wars went from “a decent alternative to WoW” with no subscription fee to a fully-fledged MMO in its own right. While other MMOs slowly faded in the background, absorbed by Blizzard’s behemoth, Guild Wars 2 distinguished itself with a dynamic questing system responsive to player actions, a persistent world, a compelling professions system that promotes synergy between each other, and a skill-based combat system that supports both small and large scale battles. It was, and still is to some degree, a breath of fresh air in an MMO scene where World of Warcraft holds a steady monopoly.

86. Titanfall 2

best games of 2010s titanfall 2
Release Date October 28, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Respawn Entertainment
Genre FPS
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Titanfall 2 was meant to correct the faults of its ambitious predecessor and propel the series to mainstream stardom. While it managed to achieve the former, ultimately, Titanfall 2 suffered immensely from EA’s dubious decision to release it close to Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Being a relatively new IP with no chances of competing with the two giants, Titanfall 2 was essentially dead on arrival. Which is a shame, really, as the game was packed with creativity and fresh ideas, a wider range of Titans, gadgets, weapons, and abilities, and an updated parkour system that added an even deeper level of verticality to the maps. Fortunately, Respawn Entertainment had a second (third?) chance in the form of the hugely popular Apex Legends. The Titanfall may have suffered a tragic and untimely death, but its spirit lives on.

85. Duck Game

best games of 2010s duck game
Release Date May 13, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Landon Podbielski
Genre Action
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Duck Game is an action 2D game where four players are pitted against each other in increasingly elaborate, trap-littered 2D environments. Players shoot, stab, slash, burn or fry each other with a wide assortment of weapons and tools and oh, did I mention you’re playing a freaking duck? And you have a dedicated quack button, multiple unlockable hats, and a ragdoll button. Duck Game is by far the stupidest game I’ve played this decade. At the same time, it was also the basis of some, if not most of my fondest recent memories, like the time I mowed two of my friends with a chainsaw and taunted the third one with a series of strategic quacks while I held the high ground. It’s great.

84. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

best games of 2010s brothers a tale of two sons
Release Date August 7, 2013
Platforms: Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows Phone, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Starbreeze Studios
Genre Adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Oh man, if you have a sibling, this game will make you cry like a baby. I’m an only child and still, this game was an emotional rollercoaster for me. Brothers is a simple, yet impactful story about two brothers who leave their home village to seek a cure for their ailing father. The puzzles are built around the two siblings helping out each other – for example, having the bigger, stronger brother push a heavy object while the smaller one crawls through a tight space. Each brother has a dedicated thumbstick, which feels increasingly more natural as the game progresses. In a weird way, the control scheme also forms the basis of the game’s most emotional moments, which I won’t spoil, so you have to trust me on this one. Brothers is also one of the few games that managed to use the tools of the medium to tell a story. The story is the gameplay, and the gameplay is the story; they’re deeply, fully intertwined. Brothers is a charming and heartbreaking game that communicates its story through interaction.

83. Night in the Woods

best games of 2010s night in the woods
Release Date February 21, 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Infinite Fall
Genre Adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Night in the Woods is a platforming game set in a small American town populated by anthropomorphic animals with a quirky story that deals with subjects such as mental illness, depression, anxiety, loneliness, the death of small-town America, the economic perils of low and middle-class people and oh, did I say quirky? Sorry about that. While Night in the Woods approaches some rather heavy subjects, it’s not all doom and gloom. On a larger level, the story is about stagnation (reflected in the state of the town itself) and our tendency to get stuck in our old ways and not look to the future. On a more personal level, it’s about our flaws as humans and the way we approach them. But the thing that impressed me the most was how the devs managed to capture that small-town atmosphere, and as someone who left his hometown to pursue bigger opportunities in the city, I felt right at home exploring the streets of Possum Springs. Night in the Woods is an endearing, excellently written coming of age story. Here are my detailed takes on the protagonist and the game as a whole.

82. Always Sometimes Monsters

best games of 2010s always sometimes monsters
Release Date May 21, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Vagabond Dog
Genre RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Always Sometimes Monsters is the kind of game that likes to mess with your moral values. It’ll make you (nay, CONVINCE you) that the ends justify the means, then slaps you in the face for choosing the easy way out. Not that everybody could blame you for taking the shortcut – you play as a broke, unemployed writer who receives notice that their ex is about to get married across the country. What would you do? Crash the wedding in a last-ditch effort to win your ex back, or let her go? There’s no easy answer, and the game is filled with these kinds of moral dilemmas. Every single decision you take has some effect on later events, whether it’s something as banal as deciding where to sleep or as important as who stab in the back (or not, it’s up to you). Always Sometimes Monsters teaches us that adulthood is an ugly, confusing mess and that there’s nothing much we can do than try to be the best version of ourselves.

81. Battle Brothers

best games of 2010s battle brothers
Release Date March 24, 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: Overhype Studios
Genre Tactical RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Battle Brothers is a high fantasy management/RPG game where you take control of a decrepit mercenary company and try to make it profitable again. Of course, that’s easier said than done. On your way to mercenary stardom, you’ll have to deal with packs of direwolves, hordes of undead, orcs, roaming bandits, greedy village elders, pigly lords who see your men as nothing more than glorified pest control for their realms, and internal squabbles within your company. Then there’s buying and maintaining, equipment, feeding, paying and offering medical attention to your men. Then there’s the issue of turning your recruits from stick-wielding peasants, tailors, and gravediggers to capable warriors. As CEO of the Rowdy Pack of Mercenaries or whatever you want to call it, you’ll have to make some difficult decisions, like dismissing capable men who have suffered crippling injuries or leaving a couple of men to hold the line and possibly die so others can escape. Soon enough, you’ll start viewing your men as resources rather than people, and that’s exactly the intent of the game. After all, you’re no hero – you’re running a business.

80. Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag

best games of 2010s ac black flag
Release Date October 29, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Genre Action-adventure

TANIA PREDA ➞ The Caribbean adventure brought a much-needed breath of fresh air to the franchise. Even with the latest Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey coming out with better graphics and more of an RPG touch, Black Flag is still the best entry in the past 10 years. You get to play as Edward, who is half pirate, half assassin basically, and not be encumbered by your high morals or need for revenge. His motivation is simple through most of the game: loot. Get rich and stay alive, which weirdly made him much more interesting than honor-bound Connor from AC 3. The setting of crystal blue waters and green jungles is gorgeous, and the naval combat is executed perfectly. Personally, this brought me back to Assassin’s Creed after I had completely given up on the franchise.

79. Batman: Arkham City

best games of 2010s batman arkham city
Release Date October 18, 2011
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Genre Action-adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Whether you like it or not, Batman: Arkham City is the pinnacle of the series. It’s an objective improvement over its predecessor in every possible way – bigger, more open environments, more gadgets, better writing, better story and much more stuff to do. I like to think of Arkham City as a playable version of the excellent Batman: The Animated series, not only because they share most of the cast, but they also have the same expertly-crafted noir atmosphere. Playing as the Caped Crusader never felt better.

78. West of Loathing

best games of 2010s west of loathing
Release Date August 10, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Asymmetric Publications
Genre RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ I’m not even sure you can call West of Loathing a “western”. I mean, sure, there are horses, saloons, and cowboy hats, but there’s also magic, ghost horses, sinister clowns, cows, and several non-westerny classes, one of which is fittingly called “cow-puncher”. It’s essentially a parody RPG with a western flavor thrown in for good measure. The game is filled, and I mean FILLED with jokes, gags and callbacks, one more obscure and ridiculous than the next. And yet, despite the sheer number of jokes the game throws at you, they always feel fresh and on-point, which speaks volumes about the talent of the writers. Also, it has more content than you would expect from a $15 indie game that looks like it was drawn by a hungover graphic designer on a deadline – not that there’s anything wrong with the art style, of course – so make sure to try this out if you have some time to spare.

77. The Banner Saga

best games of 2010s banner saga
Release Date January 14, 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Stoic Studio
Genre Tactical RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ My days of blasting Korpiklaani and Windir on full volume may be behind me (I’m more of a Deafheaven and Touche Amore guy now), but I’m a simple man – if I see something with Vikings, I’ll probably give it a shot. But The Banner Saga is not your average Viking-themed game, rather a fully-fledged tactical RPG where your choices have a relevant impact on the world. While the combat suffers from the occasional balancing issue, the quality writing, interesting characters, unique art-style and choose your own adventure type events are the meat of the game. By the way, this entry applies to all three parts of the series, and they must be played in chronological order if you want to get the most out of the story.

76. Stellaris

best games of 2010s stellaris
Release Date May 9, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Developer: Paradox Development Studio
Genre Grand Strategy
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Stellaris is by far the most accessible entry in Paradox’s library of grand strategy titles, which speaks volumes about their difficulty considering this is a game about managing and expanding a galactic empire – no small feat. Stellaris took the classic 4x formula that we’ve all grown to love and hate and put its own spin on it, with Paradox-style events, customization options and intricate diplomatic and management systems. It’s not Crusader Kings 2 level of quality, but it’s a great starting point for people who are new to Paradox games. As usual with Paradox, Stellaris has a fair share of DLC and expansion packs, so make sure to read a couple of guides before buying any.

75. Telltale’s The Walking Dead

best games of 2010s telltale the wlaking dead
Release Date April 24, 2012
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Telltale Games
Genre Action-adventure

TANIA PREDA ➞ As much as we might not want to admit it, this game was a tearjerker and one of the saddest games we can think of. It made us laugh, hope, and cry through its wonderfully-weaved story in a post-apocalyptic world. Telltale’s ability to tell a story and make you become attached to the characters has never shone more brightly than it did for their Walking Dead series. It’s memorable, the characters are complex, and it’s thrilling to see where each of your decision takes you. The art style is classic Telltale and, while the engine never upgraded which likely led to the developer’s demise, in the end, there’s something so charming and recognizable to it that makes this game everlasting.

74. South Park: The Stick of Truth

best games of 2010s south park stick of truth
Release Date March 4, 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre RPG

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ I’m not what you would call a die-hard South Park fan, but once I catch an episode on TV, I can’t help but run to the internet and blast an entire season in one go. South Park: The Stick of Truth is not only a good South Park game, but a good, well, game in general. It’s essentially an interactive South Park season that everybody can enjoy, whether they’re familiar with the series or not. The RPG elements, while adapted to match the tone and humor of the universe, are very well-implemented and fleshed-out. It’s easy to dismiss it as a derivative cash-crab, but if you play it, you soon realize that under the wacky names and fart jokes lies a deceptively complex RPG that could go head-to-head with the likes of Pillars of Eternity and Divinity: Original Sin 2. What? It was developed by Obsidian Entertainment? Oh.

73. L.A. Noire

best games of 2010s la noire
Release Date May 17, 2011
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Rockstar Games
Genre Action-adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ I’ll be the first one to tell you that L.A. Noire is far, and I mean FAR from the masterpiece that gamers and journalists alike thought it was at release. Time hasn’t been kind to this game – muddy textures, lackluster combat that was clearly shoved in the last possible moment to appease publishers and a barren city with nothing to do. Even the MotionScan technology, the game’s main selling point, doesn’t hold up to current standards. But everything else, from the writing, the story, the characters, the painstakingly recreated 1940s Los Angeles, atmosphere, and the cases themselves are just flawless. L.A. Noire oozes style and wears its noir pedigree with the swagger of Humphrey Bogart smoking a cigarette.

72. Persona 5

best games of 2010s persona 5
Release Date September 15, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
Developer: P-Studio
Genre RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ There are two things you need to know about Persona 5: it combines dungeon crawling elements with social simulation scenarios. Now that I think about it, that’s only one thing, but if that’s not enough to pique your interest, I don’t know what is. Taking place in modern-day Tokyo, the game will have you do all sorts of things that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to do in a sprawling urban metropolis, like exploring the Metaverse, fighting monsters, and summon physical manifestations of your psyche. It’s a very weird game, I know. It features a wide cast of characters, one more quirky than another and novel art-style, so if the above-mentioned blend of dungeon crawling and social sim sounds enticing, make sure to check out Persona 5.

71. Grand Theft Auto V

best games of 2010s gta 5
Release Date September 17, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Developer: Rockstar Games
Genre Action-adventure
TANIA PREDA ➞ Grand Theft Auto V veered a bit away from the dark and violent world of Niko Bellic and instead threw us into a satirical (?) version of Los Angeles… that’s actually pretty violent itself. With three protagonists to play with, an easy-to-digest story, excellent graphics, and an intricate world, GTA really raised the bar for games in a modern setting. Not to mention it kept the fun-as-hell shooting and driving. Grand Theft Auto V delves into the lives of Michael, Franklin, and Trevor, who can simply be summarized as the retired killer, reluctant killer, and reckless killer. However, that’s only on the surface. The characters are actually pretty complex, and even though the story is just decent, it’s a really fun game you can throw tens of hours in.

70. Fortnite

best games of 2010s fortnite
Release Date July 25, 2017
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Epic Games
Genre Battle Royale

TANIA PREDA ➞ Fight it as much as you want, but Fortnite has been a gaming phenomenon, at least the Battle Royale mode. Unlike Save The World, which took six years to develop and came out grindy and a little too heavy on the microtransactions, Battle Royale introduced something fresh. It kept the colorful, animated theme, and the fun combat, and made a decent plan to handle the microtransactions. It’s a relatively simple game that can be mastered. When I got into early-access and played the co-op version of the game, I was charmed but ultimately disappointed in the lack of updates when all of Epic Games’ attention went to their battle royale mode. However, I can see its appeal and how the intuitive building and fun gunplay drew in millions of people.

69. Pillars of Eternity

best games of 2010s pillars of eternity
Release Date March 26, 2015
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre RPG

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Pillars of Eternity may seem a bit dated compared to more recent cRPGs, but most people seem to forget that before Pillars was released in 2015 and Wasteland 2 a year earlier, the genre was basically dead. Pillars of Eternity proved that there’s a market hungry for Baldur’s Gate-style high fantasy cRPGs (which is ironic considering how poorly the sequel sold), and for that, we owe our eternal gratitude to the people that made it happen. The game’s knack for lore dump, hard to digest real-time with pause combat and hard to follow plot makes Pillars a hard sell for many people, but I’d still recommend it for the brilliant writing and intricate RPG systems. If you’re looking for an old-school RPG with all the quirks and perks, the original Pillars of Eternity is a must-play.

68. Invisible Inc.

best games of 2010s invisible inc
Release Date October 6, 2016
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4
Developer: Klei Entertainment
Genre Turn-based strategy

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Invisible Inc. is a turn-based tactics/roguelike game developed by Klei Entertainment where you take control of a rogue espionage agency that has come under attack from, what else, tyrannical multinational corporations.This game forces you to think strategically and hack and sneak your way to accomplishing objectives, which can vary from obtaining valuable intelligence to sabotaging corporate infrastructure. All levels and objectives are randomly generated, and once an agent is killed, be becomes unavailable for the rest of the run. Oh, and you have 72 hours to overthrow the corporations or it’s game over. No pressure. If I learned anything from my experience playing Invisible Inc., it would be that spies don’t make for good fighters. So before playing this game, you’d better take a cue from George Smiley instead of Archer.

67. Hollow Knight

best games of 2010s hollow knight
Release Date February 24, 2017
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Team Cherry
Genre Metroidvania
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Hollow Knight reminds me of a time when I could just sit down with a game and get fully absorbed by its world. And what a world Hollow Knight offers, indeed. Everything, from the objects, architecture to its inhabitants is bug-themed – and okay, it’s cute, but also occasionally terrifying. Hollow Knight is packed with creativity, memorable enemies, epic boss fights and beautiful vistas that vary from lush forests to sprawling underground networks and decrepit castles. The world of Hollownest is a masterpiece of level design, up there with the original Dark Souls, and the Metroidvania elements make it even more satisfying to uncover and explore. While the visuals are stunning, the real draw of the game is the challenging, but fair combat, which gets progressively complex as new abilities are unlocked. Hollow Knight is a nearly MARCO GIULIANI ➞ flawless game through and through, and with a sequel on the horizon, there’s no better time to pick it up.

66. Into the Breach

best games of 2010s into the breach
Release Date February 27, 2018
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Subset Games
Genre Turn-based strategy
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Subset Games turned the industry upside down with their indie hit Faster than Light, so I can’t imagine the pressure they felt with their follow-up game. Into the Breach may not be on the same level as Faster than Light (imho), but it’s still a great game on its own. Into the Breach is essentially chess with giants mechs, featuring a turn-based combat system with no numbers, no dice rolling and no RNG. It offers a near-perfect level of information on what will happen on the next turn, so if you screw up, you can’t blame the game for it. Into the Breach is easy to pick up, and most of the gratification comes from mastering its combat system and improving your strategy bit by bit, with each subsequent fight.

65. Mount and Blade: Warband

best games of 2010s mount and blade warband
Release Date March 30, 2010
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Android, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
Developer: TaleWorlds Entertainment
Genre Action RPG
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Out of the 500 or so hours I’ve invested into Mount and Blade: Warband, I’ve spent only 50 in the vanilla version. The rest of my time was filled with mods, one more transformative than the other. And that’s the beauty of Mount and Blade: Warband, more than the intricate RPG systems and the absorbing gameplay loop: the near infinite modding possibilities that, in the right hands, can turn it into a different game altogether. Just writing about this game makes me reinstall it even though I have like a million other games in my library that I bought and never touched.

64. Far Cry 3

best games of 2010s far cry 3
Release Date November 29, 2012
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Genre FPS

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ I don’t know about you, but Far Cry 3 has one of the funniest premises in gaming history: you play as a spoiled, rich dudebro on vacation on a tropical island who is forced by circumstance to become a warrior. That’s why I play video games, man. Anyway, I decided to choose the third entry over the other ones not only because of the ridiculous, tongue in cheek story but also because it brought the biggest jump in quality in the series. It has its fair share of gamey nonsense, like the fact that you need to “upgrade” your wallet to hold more cash, and the last upgrade can be performed only with shark skin, but the rest is just pure, shooty-shooty, get eaten by crocodiles while you’re stealthily scouting an enemy camp fun. And who can forget about that mission?

63. Dead Space 2

best games of 2010s dead space 2
Release Date January 25, 2011
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Visceral Games
Genre Survival Horror
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Dead Space 2 is to Dead Space what Aliens was to Alien: same universe, same feeling, same atmosphere, only this time around you feel like you actually stand a chance against the necromorphs. Dead Space 2 ditches the survival-ish, psychological horror aspects of the first one for a more action-oriented gameplay. Gone are your days of a nerdy engineer who was struggling to fight zombies and aliens with improvised tools, now you have a wide arsenal of actual weapons at your disposal to blast, dismember, crush, slash and burn those nasty necromorphs. Dead Space 2 is the stuff of power fantasies, and few games released this decade have made me feel more in control.

62. The Outer Worlds

best games of 2010s the outer worlds
Release Date October 25, 2019
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre RPG
TANIA PREDA ➞ The Outer Worlds doesn’t need the comparison to the trainwreck that was Fallout 76. It stands on its own, and it stands pretty tall. From the nicely detailed character creation to the dialogue choices, I found myself thrown into the nostalgia of a classic RPG. To me, it felt more like an ode to Obsidian Entertainment’s style than I could see the game as a middle finger to Bethesda. The dialogue, the companion system, the leveling, and many other elements brought me back to a style of RPG that I love. The colorful sci-fi aesthetic and detailed visuals are stunning to look at, even if limited in traversing. Each NPC has their own interesting story, intertwined in a world where corporations rule this multi-planet system and, while the humor is hit or miss, will make you want to do every single sidequest you can get to help them get out of their misery just a little bit. Go through every dialogue choice, learn about the world’s lore and its people, explore every path. The gunplay is admittedly not the greatest, but just invest in Charisma and you’ll barely have to fight anything anyway. Seriously. You can finish the game without killing anyone.

61. Borderlands 2

best games of 2010s borderlands 2
Release Date September 18, 2012
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Gearbox Software
Genre FPS

TANIA PREDA ➞ Shoot things. In the face. THE FACE! From the comic-like graphic style to the highly interesting characters and weapons, Borderlands 2 deserves its place on this list without a question. It’s all about enjoying an FPS with your friends, with plenty of ‘wtf’ moments. The NPCs are over the top, comical, and questionable in every sense of the word. But as you play around as a Vault Hunter and do missions, you start to understand them a little better. This is the world of Borderlands. It’s different, exaggerated, loud, Mad Max-esque, and crazy. It definitely distinguishes itself from the myriad of FPS co-op games out there. It might not be the newest installment in the game, but the story makes it worth it and the devs released an Enhanced Edition so you can enjoy it without enduring older graphics.

60. Bayonetta

best games of 2010s bayonetta
Release Date October 29, 2009
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch
Developer: SEGA of America, PlatinumGames, Nex Entertainment
Genre Action-adventure
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Bayonetta is a balls-out action game that will make you feel like the most powerful m-fer that’s ever existed. Everything, from the presentation, gameplay, animations to the visuals and soundtrack oozes confidence. The main character has the versatility and swagger of someone like Dante from Devil May Cry, only with a grace and visually-creative fighting style that I haven’t seen in other video games. I loved every second I spent in Bayonetta, and I highly suggest you try it out.

59. Warframe

best games of 2010s warframe
Release Date March 25, 2013
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Developer: Digital Extremes
Genre Action RPG

TANIA PREDA ➞ Create your customized, badass character, otherwise known as a warframe. This is the game that did microtransactions right, that was updated on a constant basis and that kept our hope alive that devs can be fair. Warframe set the standard for the rest of the world on how to make a game fun and how to keep the players coming back each time. You wouldn’t think this wonder also looks good and plays well, but it does. The combat and world traversing are entertaining as all hell, the quests are interesting, and this game just seems to get better and better. The effort the devs put in this game is admirable, from the updates to the hauntingly beautiful anthem of capitalism. Did I mention it’s free to play?

58. Wolfenstein: The New Order

best games of 2010s wolfenstein
Release Date 20 May 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Developer: Machine Games
Genre FPS
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Somehow, Wolfenstein: The New Order managed to make killing nazis even more satisfying than it normally is. Taking place in an alternate timeline where the nazis won the Second World War, you play as the member of a resistance movement who’s trying to overthrow the tyrannical regime. The main draw of the game for me, besides the retro-futuristic 60s visuals, is the over the top combat. If you like games that allow you to dual wield submachine guns and shotguns, drive mechs and attach ridiculous modules on your weapons (like a rocket launcher on a submachine gun), this is your jam. But as bombastic as the gameplay may be, the game treats its heavy subject matter respectfully. Wolfenstein shows the full extent of the nazi regime’s inhumane acts, while at the same time mocking and calling them out for the murderous and racist pieces of shit they are.

57. Transistor

best games of 2010s transistor
Release Date May 20, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
Developer: Supergiant Games
Genre Action RPG

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Transistor is Supergiant Games’ stylish and melancholic follow-up to Bastion. Though quite linear and short, Transistor never wastes a single second of your time – no filler, full of substance. The combat, which is turn-based, is perfectly balanced, never feeling too difficult or simplistic. But the real draw of the game is the setting and the atmosphere, and like every great work of art, Transistor tells its story through them rather than bouts of endless exposition. The environments that you explore ooze with a romantic, melancholic cyberpunkish aesthetic comparable to Blade Runner’s version of near-future Los Angeles. Transistor is a haunting, beautiful game that will stick to you long after you beat it.

56. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

best games of 2010s uncharted 4
Release Date May 10, 2016
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Developer: Naughty Dog
Genre Action Adventure
TANIA PREDA ➞ Join Nathan Drake for one last adventure into an exotic world after a lost treasure that turns out to be nearly unreasonably complicated to even get to. And how he finds it, but actually loses it and wounds up with nothing. Or does he? While Uncharted 2 is arguably the best of the series, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End brought back some of the elements that made previous games so interesting. The stealthy-style, puzzle-solving, sometimes-gun-shooting mechanics are still there and it just feels like an Uncharted game. It may seem odd to say, but so many sequels lose their identity somewhere along the way. The story of Uncharted 4 is touching and more grounded than its predecessors, the visuals are heavily enhanced, and the smooth gameplay makes for a solid 15 hours of fun. The voice actors, the improved gunplay, the details, the lighting, oh my the lighting, and the emotional storytelling made for the perfect last chapter of this exciting franchise.

55. This War of Mine

best games of 2010s this war of mine
Release Date November 14, 2014
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Android, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One
Developer: 11 Bit Studios
Genre Survival
MARCO GIULIANI ➞ I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but historically speaking, video games haven’t taken a very nuanced approach when it comes to war. This War of Mine took a different route by showing the horrors and trauma of war from the perspective of the average civilian trying to survive and make sense of the chaos. At its core, This War of Mine is a survival/management game where you tend to the physical, medical and psychological needs of a group of civilians. You spend the daytime upgrading/repairing the shelter, and the nights scavenging for basic commodities. However, every action you have your people make will affect their current and post-war lives – for example, forcing someone who’s against murder to kill will lead to them becoming depressed and possibly commit suicide. This game is not for the faint of heart, as it treats its subject matter with a brutal realism that many people won’t stomach. A DLC even added kids into the mix, so ya know, have fun?

54. The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth

best games of 2010s the binding of isaac
Release Date September 28, 2011
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
Developer: Nicalus
Genre Roguelike

MARCO GIULIANI ➞ Some may call The Binding of Isaac the ultimate roguelike, and who can blame them? Even in its original state, this game had near infinite replayability, and the subsequent updates and DLCs have only extended its longevity. The sheer number of item synergies in this game is mind-boggling, and together with the randomly generated levels and item order, no run is similar to the next. It’s the perfect “Whatever” game, as Jum aptly put it.

53. Door Kickers

best games of 2010s door kickers
Release Date October 20, 2014
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Developer: KillHouse Games
Genre RTS