The Adventure Log: VGC Updates, Game History, and More
The Video Game Canon: How It Works
The Video Game Canon is a statistical meta-analysis of 80 Best Games lists that were published between 1985 and 2025. To qualify for inclusion, each list must include at least 50 titles, some form of editorial oversight (lists made up solely of reader polls or fan voting were excluded), and no restrictions on release dates or platforms.
After feeding each Best Games list into the Video Game Canon machine, the games were ranked against each other using the C-Score, a formula that adds together a game’s Average Ranking across all lists with the complementary percentage of its Appearance Frequency.
This means that a lower C-Score results in a higher ranking on the Video Game Canon. Want an example?
Tetris appears on 94.94% of all lists in the most recent update to the Video Game Canon, with with an Average Ranking of 17.44. Plugging those numbers into the formula gives it the lowest C-Score of any game.
17.44 + (100 – 94.94) = 22.51
Average Ranking + (100 – Appearance Frequency) = C-Score
17.44 + (100 – 94.94) = 22.51
More than 1,000 different games were included on at least one Best Games list… where does your favorite rank?
The Video Game Canon: The Top 100
Last Update: 3/5/2025 (Version 8.0)
- 1. Tetris (1988)
- 2. Resident Evil 4 (2005)
- 3. The Last of Us (2013)
- 4. Half-Life 2 (2004)
- 5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
- 6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)
- 7. Hades (2020)
- 8. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)
- 9. Super Mario 64 (1996)
- 10. Mass Effect 2 (2010)
- 11. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1992)
- 12. BioShock (2007)
- 13. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
- 14. Super Metroid (1994)
- 15. Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
- 16. God of War (2018)
- 17. Street Fighter II (1991)
- 18. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
- 19. Final Fantasy VII (1997)
- 20. World of Warcraft (2004)
- 21. Red Dead Redemption (2010)
- 22. Doom (1993)
- 23. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)
- 24. Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
- 25. GoldenEye 007 (1997)
- 26. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
- 27. Chrono Trigger (1995)
- 28. Super Mario World (1991)
- 29. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
- 30. Bloodborne (2015)
- 31. Metal Gear Solid (1998)
- 32. Portal (2007)
- 33. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
- 34. Journey (2012)
- 35. Portal 2 (2011)
- 36. Minecraft (2009)
- 37. Dark Souls (2011)
- 38. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990)
- 39. Metroid Prime (2002)
- 40. StarCraft (1998)
- 41. Super Mario Kart (1992)
- 42. Deus Ex (2000)
- 43. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003)
- 44. Final Fantasy VI / Final Fantasy III [US] (1994)
- 45. Disco Elysium (2019)
- 46. The Last of Us Part II (2020)
- 47. Rock Band (Series – 2007)
- 48. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series – 1999)
- 49. Diablo II (2000)
- 50. Half-Life (1998)
- 51. Counter-Strike (1999)
- 52. Silent Hill 2 (2001)
- 53. Super Mario Bros. (1985)
- 54. Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow (1998) / Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen (2004)
- 55. Inside (2016)
- 56. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
- 57. Tomb Raider (1996) / Tomb Raider Anniversary (2007)
- 58. Ico (2001)
- 59. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
- 60. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
- 61. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018)
- 62. Fallout 3 (2008)
- 63. Donkey Kong (1981)
- 64. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)
- 65. Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
- 66. Celeste (2018)
- 67. Stardew Valley (2016)
- 68. Undertale (2015)
- 69. Ms. Pac-Man (1981)
- 70. Batman: Arkham City (2011)
- 71. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010)
- 72. EarthBound (1995)
- 73. System Shock 2 (1999)
- 74. Overwatch (2016)
- 75. Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)
- 76. SimCity (1989)
- 77. Pac-Man (1980)
- 78. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003)
- 79. Grim Fandango (1998)
- 80. SimCity 2000 (1994)
- 81. Mega Man 2 (1989)
- 82. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (1995)
- 83. Resident Evil (1996) / Resident Evil (2002)
- 84. League of Legends (2009)
- 85. The Sims (2000)
- 86. The Legend of Zelda (1987)
- 87. Space Invaders (1978)
- 88. Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)
- 89. Okami (2006)
- 90. Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)
- 91. Braid (2008)
- 92. The Walking Dead (2012)
- 93. The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)
- 94. Outer Wilds (2019)
- 95. Lemmings (1991)
- 96. Final Fantasy Tactics (1998)
- 97. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003)
- 98. Civilization IV (2005)
- 99. NBA Jam (Series – 1993)
- 100. Galaga (1981)