The 2010s are coming to a close, and in recognition of this, review aggregate site Metacritic has been releasing lists of the top movies, television shows, and more of the past decade. Metacritic has now released its list of the top 50 video games of the decade, which spanned two console generations and featured a high number of landmark new video game releases.
All of the highest-rated games of the past decade scored at least a 91 or above, which is an impressive feat. Something else of note about the list is that there are multiple titles that were originally released as Wii U exclusive games. So even though the Wii U was a sales failure for Nintendo, the console was still home to some of the highest-rated video games of the decade, including the likes of Bayonetta 2, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Mario 3D World.
Here are the top 50 highest-scoring video games of the decade, as revealed by Metacritic:
50. Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (Switch, 2019) - 91
49. Final Fantasy 14: Shadowbringers (PC, 2019) - 91
48. Forza Horizon 3 (Xbox One, 2016) - 91
47. Bayonetta 2 (Wii U, 2014) - 91
46. Overwatch (PC, 2016) - 91
45. LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3, 2011) - 91
44. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Blood and Wine (PC, 2016) - 92
43. The ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection (PS3, 2011) - 92
42. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch, 2017) - 92
41. Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii, 2012) - 92
40. Journey (PS3, 2012) - 92
39. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U, 2014) - 92
38. Divinity: Original Sin 2- Definitive Edition (PS4, 2018) - 92
37. Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS, 2013) - 92
36. Undertale (PC, 2015) - 92
35. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4, 2015) - 92
34. Super Street Fighter 4 (PS3, 2010) - 92
33. Celeste (Switch, 2018) - 92
32. Bloodborne (PS4, 2015) - 92
31. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3, 2011) - 92
30. God of War 3 (PS3, 2010) - 92
29. Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox One, 2018) - 92
28. Inside (Xbox One, 2016) - 93
27. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch, 2018) - 93
26. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (PS4, 2016) - 93
25. Rock Band 3 (Xbox 360, 2010) - 93
24. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii, 2011) - 93
23. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (PS4, 2015) - 93
22. Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360, 2012) - 93
21. Persona 5 (PS4, 2017) - 93
20. Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita, 2012) - 93
19. Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty (PC, 2010) - 93
18. Super Mario 3D World (Wii U, 2013) - 93
17. Divinity: Original Sin 2 (PC, 2017) - 93
16. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (Xbox 360, 2010) - 93
15. BioShock Infinite (PC, 2013) - 94
14. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS, 2011) - 94
13. Batman: Arkham City (Xbox 360, 2011) - 94
12. God of War (PS4, 2018) - 94
11. Portal 2 (Xbox 360, 2011) - 95
10. Red Dead Redemption (Xbox 360, 2011) - 95
9. The Last of Us Remastered (PS4, 2014) - 95
8. The Last of Us (PS3, 2013) - 95
7. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim (Xbox 360, 2011) - 96
6. Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360, 2010) - 96
5. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch, 2017) - 97
4. Grand Theft Auto 5 (PS4, 2014) - 97
3. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4, 2018) - 97
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch, 2017) - 97
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii, 2010) - 97
The top 10 highest-rated games of the past decade may not come as that big of a surprise to players. The top 10 is largely dominated by Rockstar Games and Nintendo, who consistently put out top-rated games. For Rockstar, the top 10 includes Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Grand Theft Auto 5, whereas Nintendo is represented by the critically-acclaimed Super Mario Galaxy 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Super Mario Odyssey.
Looking over the list as a whole, it's clear that one genre seemed to be very popular compared to others - open world. Rockstar's top-rated games were all open world, though Bethesda's open world Skyrim also made the top 50. It will be interesting to see if that trend continues in 2020, especially since there are quite a few high profile open world games in active development, including Cyberpunk 2077.
Overall, the 2010s were a strong decade for video games, with many highly-rated games released over the past 10 years. With the PS5 and next Xbox on the way, the video game industry is heading into a brand new generation in the 2020s, and it will be exciting to see if it can match up to what the 2010s delivered.
Source: Metacritic