We’ve still got 18 months to go, but the 2010s have been a pretty great decade for games. To make sure they stand the test of time, all games released after January 1, 2014 are ineligible for Version 2.0 of the Video Game Canon, but you’ll find several very important games in the decade’s earlier years.
Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo extended the lifespans of the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii beyond the standard five years in 2010, and developers used this extra time to produce software that took full advantage of each platform’s quirks. That was especially true of the 2013 launch of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, which took the top spot on this list. But it was Rockstar Games that might have had the biggest impact on the decade so far. The publisher controlled the rest of the Top 3 thanks to strong showings from Grand Theft Auto V (#2) and Red Dead Redemption (#3).
And while 2017’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still too new to qualify for the Video Game Canon, I have a feeling this category will get very interesting once its eligible.
Find out where all of your favorite games released between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013 placed after the break.
Zoom in on specific portions of the Video Game Canon and explore alternate sorting options from the Version 2.0 Update with Listology 2.0.
This Listology article is based on an earlier Version of the Video Game Canon. Visit the Top 1000 to see the most recent changes to the full list.
Video Game Canon (Version 2.0): The Best Games From the 2010s
C-Score = Average Ranking + (100 – Appearance Frequency)