It took a little extra time, but the Version 8.0 update to the Video Game Canon is finally here.
With the addition of a handful of new lists since the last update, the Video Game Canon’s critical consensus is now aggregated using data from 80 Best Video Games of All Time lists published across the last four decades. That includes one list published just a few weeks ago (Rolling Stone’s “The 50 Greatest Video Games of All Time“) and one from 2024 Dexerto’s “These Are the 100 Best Games of All Time“).
Data from two older lists (The Sydney Morning Herald’s “Top 50 Video Games of All Time” from 2002 and Gamereactor’s “Best Ever: Games” from 2022) were also added to the dataset, as was the annual update to the “Shacknews Hall of Fame“.
If you’re new to the Video Game Canon, here’s a quick primer on how it all works.
The titles that populate these Best Games lists are ranked against each other using a formula that adds together each one’s Average Ranking and the complementary percentage of its Appearance Frequency across all lists. So, for example, Alexey Pajitnov’s Tetris has an Average Ranking of 17.44 and an Appearance Frequency of 94.94%. Combining these numbers gives us Video Game Canon’s C-Score, and Tetris‘s 22.51 is far and away the best mark of any game.
Tetris long ago became entrenched as a popular pick among the editors and journalists and bloggers who create these Best Games lists, and it’s been #1 on the Video Game Canon since I started this project in 2017. It’s possible (and maybe even likely) that nothing will ever be able to topple it.
That said, there was still a massive shakeup in the Video Game Canon’s Top 10 with the Version 8.0 update.
To prevent newer titles from taking over the ranking, a game must be available to appear on at least ten lists before it can receive a C-Score. Currently, that means any game released on or before September 30, 2020 is eligible to earn a spot on the Video Game Canon.
I think you can guess where this is going, but with a C-Score of 41.30, Hades has debuted at #7 on the Video Game Canon. Supergiant’s roguelike earned an Average Ranking of 31.30 and an Appearance Frequency of 90% across ten lists.
With this new entry in the upper echelon of the Video Game Canon, a few other games got moved around slightly. The Last of Us and Half-Life 2 both moved up The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild dropped from #3 to #5. And two mainstays of the Nintendo 64’s library, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 swapped places.
- 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)
Mass Effect 2 also moved into the Top 10, which helped push out The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (now at #11) and BioShock (now at #12).
Hades dominated the Game of the Year discussion in 2020, so it’s not surprising to see it also doing well on the Best Games lists produced since its release. But it wasn’t the only game from the decade to debut in the Top 100.
The Last of Us Part II was polarizing upon release, but it earned a place on the Video Game Canon at #46. Though I’m not sure how long it’ll be able to hold onto its spot, as most listmakers who picked Part II ranked it well below The Last of Us.
Also earning a spot in the Top 100 was the most important game from 2020, Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which has put down roots at #64. It’s still hard to talk about why Animal Crossing: New Horizons was so important to plyers in 2020, but the UK’s National Videogame Museum did a great job with their “Animal Crossing Diaries” online exhibition.
You’re not going to find any other big swings going down the rest of the Top 100, but it is interesting that 2019’s Outer Wilds moved up into this section of the Video Game Canon, going from #102 in Version 7.0 to #94 in Version 8.0. It’s definitely one to keep an eye on.
- 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)
However, a slight uptick for Outer Wilds and a handful of debuts means that a few games can no longer say they’re part of the Top 100. Persona 5, Super Mario Galaxy, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, and X-COM: UFO Defense all put up strong C-Scores, but each one missed out on the Top 100 by less than a point.
After more than eight years of updates, the Video Game Canon now includes a grand total of 1,563 games, and more games from 2020 peppered the remainder of the Top 1000. That list includes Half-Life: Alyx (#106), Genshin Impact (#132), Crusader Kings III (#141), Spelunky 2 (#181), 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (#185), Ori and the Will of the Wisps (#193), and Doom Eternal (#199).
Yakuza: Like A Dragon and Cyberpunk 2077 also made the cut on several Best Games lists, but neither has been eligible to appear on ten lists just yet.
This is just a small taste of what the 2025 Update to the Video Game Canon has to offer. You’ve probably played most of the games in the Top 100, so feel free to dig a little deeper into the Top 1000 or even stretch yourself with a title way down in the 1550s (which includes Hyper Light Drifter, Street Fighter V, and XCOM 2) or something. You’ll be glad you did.