Even though the 2020s have just begun, the decade has already produced several fantastic games. As the years fly by and studios become more familiar with the limits of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the industry will test what Sony and Microsoft's systems can do. In the meantime, the Nintendo Switch will enter the last stretch of its existence, and the console could go out with a bang.

There is still plenty of gaming to be done this decade, and it could very well be that the best games of the 2020s are still many years away. That being said, things have gotten off to an exciting start. What are the greatest titles to come out in the decade so far?

Updated on May 26, 2024 by Mark Sammut: The last few months have produced plenty of great games, including RPGs (Dragon's Dogma 2), hack and slash/Soulslikes (Stellar Blade), and horror throwbacks (Crow Country). A couple of titles were added to this discussion of the best 2020s games.

Only games that debuted in the 2020s will be considered, so re-releases or expanded editions will be omitted. Games are also listed in reverse chronological order. Finally, no early access titles (Palworld or Hades 2) since those are still works in progress.

Mullet Madjack

Metascore: 88

The 2020s is shaping up to be a brilliant decade for indie first-person shooters, and Mullet Madjack sits comfortably alongside the likes of Ultrakill as a kinetic shooter masterpiece. Drenched in cheesy (but awesome) '80s imagery and featuring a plot device that should be well-known to the Nintendo faithful, Mullet Madjack is built on a simple premise: players have 10 seconds to live. The main way to extend that time is to kill robots, and slowing down is not an option. Therefore, Jack must shoot, kick, finish, and slide through levels as fast as possible, leaving behind a wake of blood-soaked cybernetic monstrosities that were foolish enough to stand in his way.

Mullet Madjack is a roguelite, with each chapter consisting of randomly generated floors that reward completion with a temporary upgrade (which can be weapons, speed boosts, or even HP reductions to the chapter's boss). Dying on a floor resets that chapter, forcing players to start from scratch; however, once a chapter is completed, players can move on and even unlock a permanent upgrade. While the reset might sound unappealing to people who are not fans of roguelikes, the floors are extremely short, usually lasting less than a minute. As a chapter can easily be completed within about 5–10 minutes, it rarely feels like too much progress is lost following a defeat. More importantly, the gameplay is so fun that it does not matter.

Animal Well

Metascore: 90

Indie Metroidvanias are a dime-a-dozen, with most months seemingly producing at least a couple of worthwhile projects that fit the genre. Therefore, Animal Well had to be particularly fantastic to leave a notable mark on the industry. Due to debuting directly on PS Plus Extra, Shared Memory's puzzle game was immediately exposed to a wider audience than might be the norm for these types of smaller releases, and it took full advantage of this opportunity. Right from the first screen, Animal Well instantly showcases its beautiful but also creepy visual style, which is further enhanced by a haunting but not overbearing soundtrack.

The title nails its presentation, but that would mean nothing if the gameplay was not also top-notch. With combat largely a non-factor, Animal Well revolves entirely around platforming, exploration, and puzzles, all of which are handled fantastically. That said, the latter component is the highlight, with most rooms containing clever brain-teasers that challenge players to rethink ways they can utilize their assortment of tools and items.

Unicorn Overlord

Metascore: 87

A Vanillaware release is always a cause for celebration, and Unicorn Overlord continues the developer's hot streak of fantastic RPGs that throw in the occasional genre blend. While not as experimental and hard to define as 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, the 2024 title is nevertheless innovative and ambitious, even if it is framed as a slightly more traditional tactical RPG.

Telling a fairly typical rebellion story that, eventually, goes to unique places, Unicorn Overlord's combat is the main element that is likely to keep players hooked, at least during the campaign's opening hours. The system delivers large-scale tactical warfare by focusing on squad-based armies, with players guiding their units along fairly expansive maps. When a group of soldiers encounters an enemy, a quick automatic battle will take place, its result determined by the decisions and orders given before the encounter. The combat has a lot of depth and can take a while to get used to.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Metascore: 92

The second chapter in Square Enix's remake trilogy, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth expands beautifully on its predecessor, delivering a campaign that feels bigger in more ways than one. The major selling point is that, finally, the story heads away from Midgar, allowing players to experience more of this reimagined universe.

While not far removed from its predecessor, the combat is also fine-tuned and polished, arguably representing Square Enix's peak in the real-time action sphere. Ambitious, gorgeous, and engaging, Rebirth takes an all-time classic and revamps it for a modern age, crafting an experience that can entertain both long-time fans who grew up with FF7 and newcomers who are just familiar with the remake era.

Helldivers 2

Metascore: 83

Helldivers 2's brilliance did not come as a massive surprise since Arrowhead has historically created quality projects, but its commercial success was unexpected, catching even the developers off-guard. Despite debuting in between two major releases (Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Skull & Bones), Helldivers 2 wound up being the bigger game, garnering widespread praise for its addictive combat, engaging loadout system, and community-driven campaign. Except for a period of technical difficulties due to the server being overloaded, Helldivers 2 has been nothing short of a massive triumph.

Casts as Super Earth's soldiers, players are tasked with liberating planets, a process that involves shooting down thousands of Terminids and Automatons. Depending on the community's actions, Arrowhead has been gradually developing a story, a process that has made it very easy to become invested in this universe. More than anything, Helldivers 2 is just fun, and most missions do not overstay their welcome either.

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Metascore: 92

Sega's Like a Dragon is nothing if not consistent, with even the spin-offs being generally top-notch. Infinite Wealth amplifies everything wonderful about the series: storytelling, optional content, and world-building. Building on its predecessor's turn-based foundations, the 2024 release has a more confident combat system that is overflowing with personality, all the while still paying plenty of homage to masterpieces of yesteryear.

As always, Infinite Wealth lives and dies on the strength of its main story, and it ranks among the franchise's best efforts. In a fresh twist, the majority of the campaign is set in Hawaii's Honolulu City, a metropolis dense with content and entertainment. The mini-games and side stories are a blast, as tends to be the case with this IP's releases.

Alan Wake 2

Metascore: 94

It took a while to materialize, but Alan Wake 2 was well worth the wait. Remedy returned to its survival horror license with an ambitious sequel that easily surpassed its 2010 predecessor, a game that is pretty good in its own right. The campaign is told from two perspectives that are connected but still feel different from each other. One half focuses on an FBI agent named Saga Anderson as she investigates a murder in Bright Falls, and these chapters expand beautifully on the ideas of the original Alan Wake. The other half switches over to the eponymous writer, and Alan has been stuck in the Dark Place for more than a decade.

With a captivating storyline that takes quite a few unexpected turns, Alan Wake 2 is worth playing just for its stellar writing and characters. Fortunately, the game also has solid gameplay, immersive sound design, and impeccable visuals.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Metascore: 90

Building on two fantastic games, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 comes very close to perfecting the superhero formula. Insomniac has a well-earned reputation for crafting gorgeous games with fast-paced and satisfying gameplay along with fun narratives, and the 2023 release highlights the studio at its peak powers.

Featuring two protagonists, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, Spider-Man 2's central storyline is among its strongest features, and it does a superb job of highlighting both leads, even if Peter is prioritized slightly more than Miles. The combat system is not that different from its predecessors, but it does have a couple of tweaks and additions that take things up to the next level. While the optional content is still not brilliant, the open-world is generally a joy to explore thanks to the smooth controls.

Baldur's Gate 3

Metascore: 96

As it launched into early access in 2020, Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 was a known quantity long before its full debut, so the game’s brilliance hardly came as a surprise. Similar to the developer’s Divinity: Original Sin 2, the 2023 RPG uses a turn-based battle system that demands strategic planning and holistic thinking. Complex and challenging with a degree of unpredictability due to its Dungeons and Dragons origins, Baldur’s Gate 3’s combat can take some getting used to if someone is not familiar with tactical RPGs, but it is well worth the effort of mastering.

Larian’s game has a lot more to offer than just fantastic combat; in fact, that is really just the tip of the iceberg. Baldur’s Gate 3 comes with a deep customization system that not only allows players to create unique characters but also rewards their choices with different in-game experiences. Along with a lengthy main story, the RPG is also overflowing with optional content.

Dave The Diver

Metascore: 90

2023 proved to be a wonderful year for fishing-themed indie games, and Dredge and Dave the Diver are also wildly different experiences. The former’s Lovecraftian take on fishing sims is inspired, while the latter opts for a more vibrant aesthetic and lighthearted tone. The eponymous Dave is running a sushi restaurant with a few friends, and if that was not already hard enough, he is also placed in charge of farming the fish they plan to sell.

During the night, players run a restaurant; during the day, they dive into the blue unknown in search of fish. It is a simple loop that works brilliantly, especially since the underwater area regularly changes to ensure exploration never grows stale.

Final Fantasy 16

Metascore: 87

Over the last decade or so, Square Enix has steadily shifted Final Fantasy away from its turn-based roots and toward real-time combat. Final Fantasy 16 embraces this change wholeheartedly by minimizing RPG mechanics, including the introduction of a single playable character and the elimination of a traditional party system. Obviously, not everyone agrees with the franchise’s current direction, and that is a perfectly valid reaction; however, in isolation, there is a lot to love about the 2023 game.

For one, Final Fantasy 16 tells an epic and mature story that builds toward a wonderful final act. Unsurprisingly, Square Enix pulled no punches when it comes to the cinematics, with the game comparing favorably to any other title on the market. While not immediately apparent due to the first playthrough’s low difficulty, the combo-driven combat system has quite a bit of depth.

Street Fighter 6

Metascore: 92

While Capcom has been on a remarkable run in recent years, the stink of Street Fighter 5’s launch continued to linger. The franchise needed to nail its next entry if it wanted to regain its place as one of the fighting genre’s definitive casual options, and it is safe to say that Capcom managed to do just that. In some ways, Street Fighter 6 seems like an apology for its predecessor, particularly its inclusion of the single-player-focused World Tour. Lasting for over a dozen hours, this story mode is overflowing with content and fanservice, and it even includes open areas that players can freely explore. The narrative itself is nothing special, but World Tour’s character creator and progression system are rewarding.

A robust single-player mode is all well and good, but a modern fighting game’s longevity is determined by its online options. Street Fighter 6 has this covered with the Battle Hub, which not only serves as a place for players to engage in PvP encounters but also as a celebration of the franchise as a whole.

The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Metascore: 96

Breath of the Wild was one of the best games of the 2010s, and the sequel managed to repeat this feat for the follow-up decade. Tears of the Kingdom builds heavily on its predecessor's impeccable foundation, crafting an adventure that successfully retains BOTW's many positives while introducing a few welcome twists. An underground investigation leaves Zelda missing and Hyrule in chaos, prompting Link to go on another long and epic journey filled with discovery, action, and creative crafting.

Even if the minute-by-minute routine is very similar to BOTW, TOTK's new additions and mechanics result in a rather different overall experience. This time around, Link earns the ability to fuse items together, and this concept plays a part in nearly every facade of the campaign. Despite landing on a dated and limited console, TOTK still succeeds in being modern, ambitious, and innovative.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Metascore: 85

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a strange one to discuss since its launch state left quite a bit to be desired, particularly on PC. EA and Respawn released quite a few patches over the following weeks that improved things to an extent, but they did not fix everything. These technical issues could very well ruin the game for someone, and that is a perfectly valid response.

However, unlike Redfall or Gollum, beneath Survivor's optimization issues lies an excellent game that does justice by not only its prequel but also the Star Wars license. While the combat system is not that different from Fallen Order, Survivor's worlds, platforming, exploration, and story are arguably all improvements.

Dredge

Metascore: 85

The indie scene has been on fire for the entirety of the 2020s. Nowadays, a week barely seems to go by without an indie darling hitting the market; consequently, a project needs to be extra special to stand out from the crowd. Dredge is one such title, and there is nothing else like it. At its core, this is a fishing game that asks players to head out into the sea to collect fish and then sell them in town. Obviously, their hard work will allow them to upgrade their vessel to facilitate longer trips at sea.

So far, so ordinary; however, Dredge shakes things up by adding a Lovecraftian twist. At night, the calm waters transform into a nightmarish seascape filled with all types of creatures that boggle the mind and shiver the spine. During these sequences, Dredge becomes something of a horror game, which stands in stark contrast to its otherwise relaxing vibe.

Resident Evil 4 Remake

Metascore: 93

2023 produced two high-profile horror remakes: Dead Space and Resident Evil 4. While perhaps not surpassing their predecessors, both projects live up to their legacies, which is no easy feat. Out of these releases, Resident Evil 4 just about edges out Dead Space, although big sci-fi fans will likely prefer the latter.

Capcom's remake finds Leon, once again, traversing a creepy European village and castle in search of Ashley Graham, the US president's daughter. Familiar but still fresh, this trip offers way more than just a nostalgic blast with modern visuals. RE4 tweaks the campaign in both obvious and subtle ways, crafting a remake that can comfortably exist alongside the original version.

Hi-Fi Rush

Metascore: 89

Roughly a month into 2023, Tango Gameworks and Microsoft surprised Xbox Game Pass subscribers with not only a new game but also one that could very well rank among the year's best when all is said and done. Hi-Fi Rush is an action-platformer with a taste for music; basically, players can enhance their movesets by syncing their button inputs to the soundtrack. In combat scenarios, this translates to higher damage output and the option to execute finishers. When not fighting robots, players can also improve their platforming performance by adhering to the beat.

Hi-Fi Rush matches an awesome central gimmick with (potentially) timeless cel-shaded visuals and an endearing roster of characters. The story is fairly by the numbers, but it is executed well by Tango. Furthermore, Hi-Fi Rush has some genuinely funny and witty writing.

Chained Echoes

Metascore: 90

Chained Echoes' inspirations are not too difficult to figure out as the game feels ripped right out of the '90s JRPG scene, in a good way. Along with beautiful 16-bit graphics, the RPG utilizes a turn-based combat system that will seem immediately familiar to anyone who grew up with titles from that decade; however, Chained Echoes is not happy to merely rethread worn-out ground. During battles, players need to keep an eye on a risk & reward meter, adding an element of strategy.

Another thing that sets Chained Echoes apart is its skill-based progression system. Rather than leveling up, characters grow more proficient as they reuse skills, which allows players to mold their party to fit specific roles. Narratively, the RPG hits the mark as well.

Pentiment

Metascore: 86

Obsidian's Pentiment is a unique adventure game that revolves around player choice. Set in the 16th century, players must investigate a murder, and they are given the freedom to pursue leads as they see fit. Telling an ambitious narrative that stretches over more than two decades, Pentiment immerses players in a fascinating world filled with colorful three-dimensional characters.

Whodunits can produce some of the most nail-biting stories in fiction, but most games that fall within this genre have a fixed route in mind. Pentiment is an exception that permits players to decide who did it.

God Of War Ragnarok

Metascore: 94

2018's God of War reinvigorated Santa Monica's franchise following 2013's disappointing Ascension, launching a new era in Kratos' story. Ragnarok builds beautifully on the work of its predecessor. On the surface, the sequel offers more of the same, but God of War: Ragnarok expands or fine-tunes enough elements to distinguish itself from what came before.

As implied by its title, Ragnarok revolves around an event in Norse mythology that signals the end of a number of key figures. The story is epic and unpredictable, expertly blending grandiose set pieces with character nuance and growth. The combat system is satisfying and intense, being a notable improvement over the 2018 entry.

The free Valhalla expansion only served to further cement God of War: Ragnarok as one of the 2020s' best games.

Immortality

Metascore: 87

Immortality is not for everyone, and some might even suggest this project does not qualify as a game. Marissa Marcel, an actress, has gone missing, and the only way to solve the case is to piece together clues by watching clips from three of her movies. Each scene can be paused and interacted with, allowing players to explore the people or items that appear in the flick.

Essentially, Immortality is a puzzle-detective game with a unique presentation, very good acting, and a strong sense of mystery. An interactive film lives and dies by its story, and this release knocks it out of the park in that department.

Cult Of The Lamb

Metascore: 88

Time to start a cult. Cult of the Lamb has a quirky sense of humor, a gorgeous art style, and addictive fast-paced combat. Massive Monster's rogue-like puts players in the body of a lamb that decides to form a cult in honor of its god, a process that requires traveling to five regions to recruit animals. Once at the village, these followers can be assigned unique roles.

Cult of the Lamb is fun, and that is often enough the only thing a game needs to be. However, this title has more to offer than just a solid battle system. The story's dark tone and the action's tendency to inspire gore juxtaposition amusingly with the cute character models and charming visuals.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Metascore: 89

Monolith's Xenoblade series has been knocking it out of the park for more than a decade, and the third numbered entry might be the franchise's peak. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is an action JRPG set in a sci-fi world. Despite being on a relatively underpowered console, the game's open-world is massive and packed to the brim with secondary content. This RPG can keep somebody busy for longer than 100 hours.

Xenoblade Chronicles is known for throwing dozens of mechanics upon each other to the point of exhaustion. While by no means dumbed-down, XC3 does a much better job than its predecessor of introducing its concepts to players in a timely manner, allowing the deep battle system to flourish more quickly.

Neon White

Metascore: 89

Neon White is all about speed. Split into short missions, players are tasked with killing everyone en route to an endpoint. While this might sound simple, the twist is that cards are needed to execute actions, and each one can either be used as a weapon or a move. With finite options, players must carefully decide when, where, and how to use a card in order to shave a few seconds from their completion time.

Neon White is one of those titles that can be hard to put down as the core gameplay loop is nearly flawless. Although the story is polarizing, the visuals are pretty stunning.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Metascore: 87

A blast from the past, Shredder's Revenge is a love letter to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, particularly the franchise's arcade gaming run during the '90s. This modern beat 'em up pays homage to a classic like Turtles in Time while adding more than enough elements to set itself apart from everything that came before it. This is a great game on its own and not because it reminds people of fond memories from their childhood.

This 2022 release features gorgeous pixel art graphics, seven playable characters (including April O'Neil), and a wide plethora of legendary TMNT villains overflowing with personality. All of these elements serve as the icing on the cake that is Shredder's Revenge's incredibly fun and challenging gameplay.

Rogue Legacy 2

Metascore: 88