We’ve reached the midpoint of the 2020s, and gaming communities across Reddit and beyond are having the conversation: what’s actually been the best game of this decade so far? With five years of releases behind us, patterns are emerging about which titles have staying power and which faded into obscurity despite initial hype.
The responses reveal fascinating splits across genres, platforms, and gaming philosophies. Some players champion massive open-world epics that consumed hundreds of hours. Others celebrate tight, focused experiences that respected their time. A few brave souls are even defending games that launched disastrously but redeemed themselves through years of updates. Here’s what the gaming community is picking as the definitive experiences of 2020-2025.
The Big Three Dominating Conversations
Elden Ring
If there’s one game that appears in nearly every single list, it’s Elden Ring. FromSoftware’s 2022 masterpiece took the Souls formula and unleashed it into a massive open world designed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding assistance from George R.R. Martin. The result was gaming magic that somehow made one of the most punishing genres accessible to mainstream audiences without compromising what made it special.
Elden Ring won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022 and maintains overwhelming positive reviews on Steam years later. Players praise its formidable bosses, endless build variety with weapons and spells, legacy dungeon design, and flawless art direction. The open-world structure lets frustrated players wander off to find something else rather than bashing their heads against impossible walls, solving one of the Souls series’ biggest accessibility issues without adding an easy mode.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Larian Studios spent years in early access perfecting Baldur’s Gate 3 before its full 2023 launch, and that patience paid off spectacularly. The game delivers an immersive interactive experience with strategic turn-based combat, wealth of RPG choices, impressive writing, stunning visuals, and outstanding character performances that make you genuinely care about your companions.
What sets BG3 apart is how it makes every choice feel meaningful. Side quests aren’t just distractions but significant stories in their own right. The world design features layered environments rewarding exploration. Multiple playthroughs reveal entirely different perspectives on events. It’s the kind of game that consumed entire friend groups for months as everyone compared wildly different experiences from the same game.
Cyberpunk 2077
This one’s controversial, but hear out the passionate defenders. Yes, Cyberpunk 2077 launched in December 2020 as an absolute disaster on last-gen consoles. Yes, CD Projekt Red had to pull it from the PlayStation Store. Yes, the launch was one of gaming’s biggest PR nightmares. But here’s the thing – the people who stuck with it or came back after years of patches insist the current version is legitimately one of the decade’s best RPGs.
The 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty expansion transformed Cyberpunk into what it should have been at launch. Night City is jaw-droppingly detailed and atmospheric. The main story hits emotional beats that land powerfully. The Phantom Liberty spy thriller storyline with Idris Elba is fantastic. Players who experienced the full journey from disaster to redemption have a special attachment to this one that goes beyond the game itself.
The Surprise Indie Darlings
Hades
Supergiant Games’ roguelike dungeon crawler took 2020 by storm and never really left. Hades combines buttery-smooth combat, gorgeous art direction, incredible voice acting, and a story that actually progresses through repeated deaths in ways that make narrative sense. Every run teaches you more about Zagreus and the dysfunctional family of Greek gods surrounding him.
The game won Best Action Game, Best Indie Game, and Best Game Direction at The Game Awards 2020. Its 2025 sequel Hades 2 emerged from early access to similar acclaim, proving Supergiant’s formula has serious staying power. For many players, Hades represents the platonic ideal of what roguelikes should be – endlessly replayable without feeling repetitive.
Balatro
Nobody expected a poker-inspired roguelike deck builder to become one of 2024’s biggest indie hits, but Balatro proved that brilliant game design can come from the most unexpected places. The game takes poker hands and transforms them into a mathematical puzzle where you’re building increasingly absurd multipliers through joker cards and modifiers.
What makes Balatro special is how it tricks your brain into learning complex probability while you think you’re just playing cards. One more run turns into three hours because you’re convinced this build will finally crack that impossible ante. It won Best Independent Game at The Game Awards 2024 and represents the kind of creative risk-taking that defines great indie development.
Blue Prince
The 2025 surprise that swept awards lists, Blue Prince is a puzzle adventure from solo developer Dogubomb that delivers tight, focused design without an ounce of bloat. The game took home multiple Game of the Year awards from outlets like The Guardian and GamesIndustry.biz, beating massive AAA productions through sheer creative excellence.
Blue Prince proves you don’t need a massive budget or team to create something that resonates deeply with players. Its success alongside Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 and other mid-budget titles suggests the industry is ready to celebrate games that prioritize vision over scale.
The Nintendo Standouts
Metroid Dread
After nearly two decades of waiting, Nintendo and MercurySteam finally delivered a new 2D Metroid game in 2021, and Metroid Dread exceeded every expectation. The game combines pixel-perfect platforming, intense boss battles, and E.M.M.I. sections that generate genuine tension as these invincible robots hunt you through corridors.
Metroid Dread nails the feeling of gradually becoming more powerful as you collect abilities, transforming from prey running from E.M.M.I. encounters to predator destroying everything in your path. For longtime Nintendo fans starving for Samus’s return to 2D adventures, Dread was worth the 19-year wait.
Tears of the Kingdom
The 2023 sequel to Breath of the Wild divided players between those who think it’s one of the best open-world games ever made and those who felt it was more of the same with building mechanics. The former camp dominates decade-best lists, praising the highly interactive gameplay, top-tier traversal system, and creative building that lets you solve problems in wildly different ways.
Tears of the Kingdom won Game of the Year at multiple outlets and demonstrates Nintendo’s mastery of game design fundamentals. The Fuse and Ultrahand abilities transform how you interact with the world, creating emergent gameplay moments that feel genuinely magical. Whether you’re building elaborate machines or just duct-taping rocks to sticks, there’s nothing quite like it.
The Technical Marvels
Half-Life Alyx
Valve’s VR-exclusive Half-Life game initially disappointed fans hoping for Half-Life 3, but those who actually played it in VR discovered one of the medium’s defining experiences. Half-Life Alyx doesn’t just port traditional FPS mechanics to VR – it reimagines what first-person gameplay can be when you have hands in the space.
The intimacy of VR brings you closer to City 17 in ways that fundamentally change how you experience the world. Reloading weapons by physically manipulating magazines, solving environmental puzzles by actually reaching into spaces, and the game’s unforgettable ending that transcends VR tropes for one of gaming’s greatest moments. For VR enthusiasts, this is the title that justifies the entire platform.
Doom Eternal
id Software took 2016’s Doom reboot and cranked every dial to 11 for 2020’s Doom Eternal. The result is perhaps the most perfectly tuned first-person shooter of the decade, demanding constant movement, weapon swapping, and resource management that transforms demon slaying into a brutal ballet.
Doom Eternal commits completely to its vision of aggressive, in-your-face combat where the only way forward is through. No cover shooting, no regenerating health, no holding back. Glory kills, chainsaw fuel, flame belch for armor – every system pushes you to engage rather than retreat. It’s exhausting in the best possible way.
The Narrative Powerhouses
The Last of Us Part II
No game this decade generated more passionate debate than The Last of Us Part II. Released in 2020 amid unprecedented pre-launch leaks and controversy, Naughty Dog’s sequel divided players between those who found it a masterpiece of mature storytelling and those who hated its narrative choices.
Setting aside the plot arguments, the gameplay represents a significant evolution from the first game. Combat feels more visceral and desperate, with improved stealth mechanics and enemy AI that makes every encounter tense. The technical achievement of making this run on PS4 hardware remains impressive. Love it or hate it, nobody who played it walked away feeling neutral.
God of War Ragnarok
The 2022 sequel to God of War 2018 continued Kratos and Atreus’s journey through Norse mythology with the same cinematic presentation and emotional depth that made the reboot special. Ragnarok makes small gameplay tweaks that all work really well while delivering a story that stuck with players long after credits rolled.
For new parents especially, the father-son relationship at the game’s core hits differently. Kratos trying to be a better father while preparing Atreus for a world that wants to use him creates genuine emotional stakes beyond just saving the world from apocalypse. The game makes you care about these relationships in ways most blockbusters can’t achieve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best game of the 2020s so far?
Elden Ring appears most frequently on best-of-decade lists, winning Game of the Year 2022 at The Game Awards. However, Baldur’s Gate 3, Hades, The Last of Us Part II, and Tears of the Kingdom all have strong claims depending on genre preferences.
What was Game of the Year for each year of the 2020s?
The Game Awards winners were: The Last of Us Part II in 2020, It Takes Two in 2021, Elden Ring in 2022, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in 2023, Astro Bot in 2024, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in 2025.
Is Cyberpunk 2077 good now?
Yes, after years of patches and the 2.0 update with Phantom Liberty expansion, Cyberpunk 2077 is now considered one of the decade’s best RPGs by players who stuck with it. The current version fixes most launch problems and delivers the experience CD Projekt Red originally promised.
What are the best indie games of the 2020s?
Hades, Balatro, Blue Prince, The Forgotten City, Immortality, and Inscryption lead indie conversations. These games prove that creative vision and tight design can compete with massive AAA budgets.
What Nintendo games define the 2020s?
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Metroid Dread, and to a lesser extent Metroid Prime 4 represent Nintendo’s strongest decade contributions. Animal Crossing: New Horizons also dominated 2020 as the pandemic game everyone played.
What are the most controversial games of the 2020s?
The Last of Us Part II generated massive debate over its narrative choices. Cyberpunk 2077’s disastrous launch became a cautionary tale. Starfield disappointed many after years of hype. Each sparked passionate arguments that continue years later.
Which game has the best combat of the 2020s?
Doom Eternal, Elden Ring, and Hades dominate combat discussions across different genres. Monster Hunter Wilds would be in this conversation if not for technical issues. God of War Ragnarok and Devil May Cry 5 also earn praise for satisfying combat systems.
The Second Half Awaits
Looking at community picks for the decade’s first half reveals something encouraging about gaming’s current state. Despite industry challenges with layoffs, live service failures, and broken launches, the 2020s have delivered an impressive number of genuinely excellent games across every genre and budget level.
From FromSoftware’s open-world masterpiece to Larian’s CRPG triumph, from Supergiant’s roguelike perfection to Nintendo’s innovative sequels, the variety in these lists shows gaming’s creative health remains strong. Small teams can still compete with massive studios. Single-player narrative experiences thrive alongside competitive multiplayer. VR found its killer app. Indies continue punching above their weight.
The second half of the decade promises even more. Grand Theft Auto VI finally arrives. The Elder Scrolls VI moves closer to reality. New hardware like Switch 2 expands what’s possible on portable devices. Whatever your favorite game of 2020-2025 is, chances are something even better awaits in 2026-2029. And honestly, after seeing what developers accomplished in the first half despite pandemic development and industry upheaval, that’s genuinely exciting to think about.