500 Best Games of All Time
Publication Region: North America
Published: November 27, 2017
Cut-Off: January 31, 2017
Ranking for Railroad Tycoon (#467) is superseded by the duplicate inclusion of Railroad Tycoon (#112).
Ranking for Guitar Hero II (#94) is superseded by Guitar Hero (#44) in the C-Score calculation for Guitar Hero (Series).
Ranking for Rock Band (#129) is superseded by Rock Band 2 (#124) in the C-Score calculation for Rock Band (Series).
Rankings for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (#348), Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (#220), and Tony Hawk’s Underground (#215) are superseded by Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (#102) in the C-Score calculation for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series).
- 1. Tetris
- 2. Super Mario Bros. 3
- 3. The Legend of Zelda
- 4. Doom (1993)
- 5. Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow
Ranked As: Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow (1998) / Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen (2004) - 6. Ms. Pac-Man
- 7. World of Warcraft
- 8. Minecraft
- 9. Street Fighter II
- 10. Super Metroid
- 11. Final Fantasy VI (AKA Final Fantasy III [US])
- 12. Grand Theft Auto III
- 13. StarCraft
- 14. Half-Life 2
- 15. SimCity
- 16. Super Mario 64
- 17. Portal
- 18. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
- 19. Civilization II
- 20. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
- 21. Super Mario Bros.
- 22. FIFA 12
Ranked As: FIFA Soccer (Series) - 23. Rogue
- 24. Dwarf Fortress
- 25. Metal Gear Solid
- 26. NBA Jam
Ranked As: NBA Jam (Series) - 27. Journey
- 28. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
- 29. EarthBound
- 30. Spelunky
- 31. Gone Home
- 32. Zork
- 33. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
- 34. Super Mario World
- 35. Donkey Kong
- 36. Resident Evil 4
- 37. Grand Theft Auto V
- 38. Diablo II
- 39. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- 40. Dark Souls
- 41. Wii Sports
- 42. Halo: Combat Evolved
- 43. The Sims
- 44. Guitar Hero
Ranked As: Guitar Hero (Series) - 45. Super Mario Kart
- 46. Mother 3
- 47. Quest For Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero
- 48. Shadow of the Colossus
- 49. Defense of the Anicents (AKA DotA)
- 50. Mass Effect 2
- 51. Football Manager
Ranked As: Football Manager [1982-1992] (Series) - 52. Half-Life
- 53. Dance Dance Revolution
Ranked As: Dance Dance Revolution (Series) - 54. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- 55. SimCity 2000
- 56. Civilization V
- 57. Elite Beat Agents
- 58. NHL ’94
Ranked As: NHL Hockey (Series) - 59. Super Mario Galaxy 2
- 60. GoldenEye 007
- 61. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- 62. Chrono Trigger
- 63. Super Mario Galaxy
- 64. Pong
- 65. ESPN NFL 2K5
Ranked As: NFL 2K (Series) - 66. Madden NFL 2005
Ranked As: Madden NFL Football (Series) - 67. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
- 68. League of Legends
- 69. Harvest Moon
- 70. Final Fantasy VII
- 71. Super Smash Bros. Melee
- 72. Burnout 3: Takedown
- 73. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- 74. Dota 2
- 75. Ultima Online
- 76. Habitat
- 77. MULE
- 78. Secret of Mana
- 79. Space Invaders
- 80. Guild Wars 2
- 81. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- 82. Adventure
- 83. Silent Hill 2
- 84. Portal 2
- 85. Katamari Damacy
- 86. Doom II
- 87. NetHack
- 88. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- 89. Metroid
- 90. Eve Online
- 91. Dragon Warrior
- 92. Robotron 2084
- 93. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
- 94. Guitar Hero II
Ranked As: Guitar Hero (Series) - 95. Grand Theft Auto IV
- 96. Homeworld
- 97. Manic Miner
- 98. Suikoden II
- 99. The Sentinel
- 100. Warlords
- 101. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- 102. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
Ranked As: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series) - 103. Elite
- 104. Burnout Paradise
- 105. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- 106. Final Fantasy Tactics
- 107. Papers Please
- 108. Super Mario Maker
- 109. Kentucky Route Zero
- 110. Counter-Strike
- 111. Hitman: Blood Money
- 112. Railroad Tycoon
- 113. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
- 114. Herzog Zwei
- 115. BioShock
- 116. Call of Duty 2
- 117. Gunstar Heroes
- 118. Mario Kart 8
Ranked As: Mario Kart 8 (2014) / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) - 119. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
- 120. Device 6
- 121. Frog Fractions
- 122. Quake
- 123. Diablo
- 124. Rock Band 2
Ranked As: Rock Band (Series) - 125. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (1987) / Punch-Out!! (1990)
- 126. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- 127. Cart Life
- 128. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
- 129. Undertale
- 130. Rock Band
Ranked As: Rock Band (Series) - 131. Her Story
- 132. Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption
- 133. Kirby: Canvas Curse
- 134. Street Fighter III
- 135. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
- 136. Kirby’s Adventure
- 137. Phantasy Star Online
- 138. Resident Evil (1996)
Ranked As: Resident Evil (1996) / Resident Evil (2002) - 139. The Oregon Trail
- 140. EverQuest
- 141. Super Smash Bros.
- 142. The Operative: No One Lives Forever
- 143. Unreal Tournament
- 144. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
- 145. Team Fortress 2
- 146. Mortal Kombat II
- 147. Wolfenstein 3D
- 148. Super Mario 3D World
- 149. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
- 150. Soul Calibur II
- 151. Metroid Prime
- 152. The Walking Dead
- 153. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
- 154. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
- 155. Assassin’s Creed II
- 156. 80 Days
- 157. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
- 158. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
- 159. Civilization IV
- 160. Crusader Kings II
- 161. DEFCON
- 162. Defender
- 163. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
- 164. FS1 Flight Simulator
- 165. Galaga
- 166. Giants: Citizen Kabuto
- 167. Homeworld 2
- 168. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
- 169. Phantasy Star IV
- 170. Planescape: Torment
- 171. Red Faction: Guerrilla
- 172. Spacewar!
- 173. Star Wars: The Arcade Game
- 174. Streets of Rage 2
- 175. Superhot VR
- 176. System Shock 2
- 177. The Last of Us
- 178. The Secret of Monkey Island
- 179. Star Wars: TIE Fighter
- 180. Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
- 181. Vagrant Story
- 182. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
- 183. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
- 184. Rez (2002) / Rez Infinite (2016)
- 185. City of Heroes
- 186. Fallout 3
- 187. Left 4 Dead
- 188. PT
- 189. Myst
- 190. Command & Conquer
- 191. Sonic the Hedgehog
- 192. Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal
Ranked As: Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal (2000) / Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver (2010) - 193. Star Wars: X-Wing vs TIE Fighter
- 194. Dragon’s Dogma
- 195. Final Fantasy IX
- 196. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
- 197. Mario Kart 64
- 198. Overwatch
- 199. Halo 3
- 200. Thirty Flights of Loving
- 201. Animal Crossing
- 202. Bushido Blade 2
- 203. Fallout: New Vegas
- 204. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
- 205. Virtua Fighter 2
- 206. WarioWare Inc: Mega Microgames!
- 207. Mega Man X
- 208. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- 209. Stardew Valley
- 210. Batman: Arkham Asylum
- 211. Mini Metro
- 212. Star Raiders
- 213. Street Fighter Alpha 3
- 214. Super Mario 3D Land
- 215. Tony Hawk’s Underground
Ranked As: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series) - 216. WarioWare: Twisted!
- 217. Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward
- 218. Burnout Revenge
- 219. Doom (2016)
- 220. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
Ranked As: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series) - 221. Mind Forever Voyaging, A
- 222. Gran Turismo
- 223. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge
- 224. Red Dead Redemption
- 225. Virtua Racing
- 226. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
- 227. Left 4 Dead 2
- 228. Jet Grind Radio (AKA Jet Set Radio)
- 229. Halo 2
- 230. Soul Calibur
- 231. Tomb Raider (1996)
- 232. Mass Effect
- 233. Dishonored
- 234. Flashback
- 235. Impossible Mission
- 236. Monster Hunter Generations
- 237. Sensible Soccer
Ranked As: Sensible Soccer (Series) - 238. Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
- 239. Wing Commander
- 240. X-COM: UFO Defense (AKA UFO: Enemy Unknown)
- 241. Shenmue
- 242. Gears of War
- 243. Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
- 244. Asteroids
- 245. Psychonauts
- 246. Out of This World (AKA Another World)
- 247. Castlevania
- 248. The Jackbox Party Pack
- 249. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
- 250. Fallout
- 251. Pokemon Go
- 252. Maniac Mansion
- 253. Star Control
- 254. King’s Quest
- 255. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- 256. Donkey Kong Country
- 257. Inside
- 258. Final Fantasy VIII
- 259. Bloodborne
- 260. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
- 261. Demon’s Souls
- 262. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
- 263. Fez
- 264. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- 265. Demon Attack
- 266. Event 0
- 267. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
- 268. Heroes of Might and Magic III
- 269. Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
- 270. MVP Baseball 2005
- 271. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
- 272. Quake III Arena
- 273. Shadow Hearts: Covenant
- 274. Snake
- 275. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
- 276. The Stanley Parable
- 277. Ultima VII: The Black Gate
- 278. Wasteland
- 279. Dark Souls II
- 280. Ico
- 281. Max Payne
- 282. Super Mario Sunshine
- 283. Gauntlet
- 284. Forza Horizon 3
- 285. Kirby’s Dream Land
- 286. Kingdom Hearts
- 287. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
- 288. Tennis For Two
- 289. Combat
- 290. Final Fantasy
- 291. God Hand
- 292. NBA 2K12
Ranked As: NBA 2K (Series) - 293. Proteus
- 294. Sonic CD
- 295. Super Mario Bros. 2
- 296. The World Ends With You
- 297. Thief: Deadly Shadows
- 298. Diablo III
- 299. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
- 300. Microsoft Flight Simulator
- 301. Resident Evil 2 (1998)
Ranked As: Resident Evil 2 (1998) / Resident Evil 2 (2019) - 302. Day of the Tentacle
- 303. Tempest 2000
- 304. Tekken 3
- 305. Age of Empires
- 306. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
- 307. Split Second
- 308. Chrono Cross
- 309. Flower
- 310. TowerFall (AKA TowerFall: Ascension)
- 311. Battlefield 1942
- 312. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- 313. Breakout
- 314. Paradroid
- 315. Ikaruga
- 316. Battlezone
- 317. Computer Space
- 318. Descent
- 319. Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
- 320. Dungeon Keeper
- 321. Empire: Total War
- 322. God of War
- 323. Gran Trak 10
- 324. Gunpoint
- 325. Lunar Lander
- 326. Marvel Vs Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
- 327. Miner 2049er
- 328. Panzer Dragoon II Zwei
- 329. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
- 330. Samurai Shodown
- 331. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
- 332. Deus Ex
- 333. Hot Shots Golf
Ranked As: Hot Shots Golf (Series) - 334. Populous
- 335. Dishonored 2
- 336. Quadrilateral Cowboy
- 337. Threes
- 338. Yakuza 0
- 339. Bayonetta 2
- 340. Dead Space
- 341. Dungeons & Dragons: Pool of Radiance
- 342. Ninja Gaiden (2004)
- 343. RollerCoaster Tycoon
- 344. Fruit Ninja
- 345. Bastion
- 346. Hitman
- 347. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
- 348. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
Ranked As: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series) - 349. Forza Motorsport 4
- 350. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
- 351. Call of Duty
- 352. Panzer Dragoon Orta
- 353. Return to Castle Wolfenstein
- 354. Rocket League
- 355. Stunt Car Racer
- 356. Balance of Power
- 357. Valkyria Chronicles
- 358. Far Cry 2
- 359. Fantastic Contraption
- 360. Super Bomberman
- 361. Contra III: The Alien Wars (AKA Super Probotector)
- 362. Joust
- 363. Castle Crashers
- 364. Lemmings
- 365. Limbo
- 366. Parapet the Rapper
- 367. Pokemon X / Y
- 368. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
- 369. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
- 370. Star Wars: X-Wing
- 371. FTL: Faster Than Light
- 372. Daytona USA
- 373. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- 374. Prince of Persia
- 375. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
- 376. Lumines
- 377. Mortal Kombat (1992)
- 378. Ant Attack
- 379. BeatMania
- 380. Crazy Taxi
- 381. Hunt the Wumpus
- 382. Devil’s Crush
- 383. Fallout 2
- 384. Fire Emblem: Awakening
- 385. God of War II
- 386. International Karate +
- 387. Jumpman Junior
- 388. Koronis Rift
- 389. Mega Man 2
- 390. Pillars of Eternity
- 391. Silent Hill
- 392. Stephen’s Sausage Roll
- 393. Syberia
- 394. Uridium
- 395. Wizardry
- 396. Nights Into Dreams
- 397. Frogger
- 398. Shovel Knight
- 399. Braid
- 400. Mirror’s Edge
- 401. LittleBigPlanet
- 402. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12
Ranked As: PGA Tour Golf / Tiger Woods PGA Tour (Series) - 403. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords
- 404. Thief: The Dark Project
- 405. Deus Ex Machina
- 406. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
- 407. Destiny
- 408. Command & Conquer: Red Alert
- 409. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
- 410. Power Stone
- 411. Kingdom Rush
- 412. Drop7
- 413. Rhythm Heaven
- 414. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- 415. Grim Fandango
- 416. Alpha Centauri
- 417. Final Fantasy XIV
- 418. Fire Emblem Fates
- 419. Metro 2033
- 420. Military Madness
- 421. Missile Command
- 422. Pole Position
- 423. Just Cause 2
- 424. Power Stone 2
- 425. Qix
- 426. Sam & Max Hit the Road
- 427. Snatcher
- 428. Bejeweled
- 429. Nidhogg
- 430. Fallout 4
- 431. Street Fighter IV
- 432. Double Dragon
- 433. Galaxian
- 434. Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
- 435. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
- 436. Devil May Cry
- 437. WWF No Mercy
- 438. Kerbal Space Program
- 439. Need For Speed: Most Wanted
- 440. Super Castlevania IV
- 441. Mario Paint
- 442. Jetpack Joyride
- 443. Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
- 444. Wolfenstein: The New Order
- 445. Vanquish
- 446. Sonic Colors
- 447. BioShock 2
- 448. Final Fantasy X
- 449. Hitman Go
- 450. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
- 451. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
- 452. Angry Birds
- 453. Dragon Age: Origins
- 454. Archon: The Light and the Dark
- 455. Boulderdash
- 456. Cities: Skylines
- 457. Plants vs Zombies
- 458. Electroplankton
- 459. Paper Mario
- 460. Picross 3D
- 461. River City Ransom
- 462. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
- 463. Donkey Kong Jr
- 464. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
- 465. Medal of Honor
- 466. Depression Quest
- 467. Railroad Tycoon
- 468. TimeSplitters 2
- 469. Ninja Gaiden (1988)
- 470. Peggle
- 471. Earth Defense Force 2017
- 472. Aladdin
- 473. Firewatch
- 474. Monument Valley
- 475. Borderlands
- 476. Gravity Rush
- 477. Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors
- 478. Marble Madness
- 479. Splatoon
- 480. QWOP
- 481. Garry’s Mod
- 482. Batman: Arkham City
- 483. Company of Heroes
- 484. Star Fox 64 (AKA Star Fox: Lylat Wars)
- 485. Fable II
- 486. Ori and the Blind Forest
- 487. Cave Story
- 488. Space Channel 5
- 489. Spider-Man 2
- 490. Alone in the Dark
- 491. Metroid II: Return of Samus
- 492. Catherine
- 493. Bully
- 494. Wipeout
- 495. F-Zero
- 496. Super Meat Boy
- 497. Dragon Age: Inquisition
- 498. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
- 499. Arkanoid
- 500. Ballblazer