The 100 best games of all time: spots 67 to 34
Digitec Galaxus assembled a panel of 47 experts and got them to choose the 100 best games of all time. Here are the rankings from 67 to 34.
The Digitec Galaxus editorial team chose the 100 best games of all time together with a panel of 47 experts. We kicked things off last week with spots 100 to 68, a ranking that all our readers were in complete agreement with… ha. As was to be expected, the ratings sparked some discussion and drew a few heated comments.
But that’s a good thing – a best-of list that everyone agreed on would be boring.
Do the next 34 spots also contain some debatable entries? Probably. Keep reading to find out, and follow the gaming topic so you don’t miss future articles.
Are these objectively the best games of all time?
No, because there’s no such thing. These are games that mean a great deal to some people and whose cultural significance continues to resonate to this day. It’s not a definitive list; it’s ONE list.
Taste is a matter of personal preference, so we look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments.
67. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
To this day, it remains a mystery what kind of black magic Rockstar Games used to bring such a vast world to life on the PlayStation 2. Los Santos reels players in with over 100 missions and a whole host of side activities. Think you’ve seen it all? You’re wrong! Here’s a basketball mini-game, and once you’re done with it, you’ll realise you’ve only found 28 of the 37 possible safehouses. GTA IV may have the better story overall, but the prequel strikes a much more harmonious balance between drama, social commentary and comedy.
Source: Rockstar Games
Genre: action, open world
Platforms: PS2, Xbox
Trivia: Hidden in the code of San Andreas is a deactivated explicit mini-game that can be enabled via a mod. Its discovery led to a full-blown scandal, a class-action lawsuit and the ESRB’s maximum penalty – an upgrade from «Mature» to «Adults Only».
66. Frostpunk (2018)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
In Frostpunk, you’re the mayor of humanity’s last city. A lonely metropolis in a hostile ice desert. What at first glance looks like a harmless city-builder game quickly turns out to be an endless series of moral dilemmas that systematically force you into making inhumane decisions. Do you want your people to freeze or go hungry? Should we use child labour or let children die? And what will happen to the refugees at the gates? The line between right and wrong in a strategy game has rarely been as blurred as it is here.
Source: 11 Bit Studios
Genre: survival strategy
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One
Trivia: It wasn’t until research into real-life survival stories that the concept of «hope value» came into play. The finding was that hope makes people hold on for longer.
65. Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
A shooter for non-shooter fans, a multiplayer game-changer, one of the defining games of the new millennium – Halo: Combat Evolved is all that and much more. Right from the start menu, it’s clear that something epic’s about to happen. Accompanied by one of the best intro songs of all time, the halo-shaped world that gave the game its name slowly turns in the background, waiting for Master Chief to step in. The technology and gunplay are so polished that even the most staunch members of the PC Master Race are left in awe. Released in 2001, Bungie’s masterpiece offers an almost perfect gaming experience. If only it weren’t for that library level.
Source: Bungie
Genre: first-person shooter
Platforms: Xbox
Trivia: Halo was originally a Mac strategy game.
64. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
Written by: Domagoj Belancic, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
Uncharted 2 changed everything. Naughty Dog’s masterpiece set a new benchmark for cinematic storytelling in video games. No other game has ever managed to make Hollywood-calibre action sequences so easy to play. All I’ll say is – the train level. The damn train level. Uncharted 2 also perfected the blueprint for the PlayStation genre – epic third-person action-adventures with spectacular production value and a gripping story. So not only is the second instalment of the Uncharted saga one of the best PlayStation games of all time, it’s also one of Sony’s most influential titles.
Source: Naughty Dog
Genre: action-adventure
Platforms: PS3
Trivia: Initially, there were no plans to include a multiplayer mode – this wasn’t added until late in development.
63. Bloodborne (2015)
Written by: Simon Balissat, editorial team leader at Digitec Galaxus
H.P. Lovecraft meets Dark Souls. Bloodborne is a masterpiece that adapts the tried-and-tested FromSoftware formula to the Victorian era. Unfortunately, there’s still no version optimised for the current generation of consoles, but there is a board game and a film in the works. We can live in hope.
Source: FromSoftware
Genre: action, Soulslike
Platforms: PS4
Trivia: Thanks to PC emulation, it’s now possible to play Bloodborne at 60 fps.
62. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge (1991)
Written by: Nicolas Akladios, Swiss Gamers Network
«I want to be a pirate!» – a phrase that every child’s probably shouted out at least once. Monkey Island makes this exact dream come true – through the eyes of a protagonist as charismatic as he is clumsy. His name’s almost harder to pronounce than it is to remember – Guybrush Threepwood. After we witnessed his rise in the first game, the sequel continues the story with gusto, dialling the puzzles and humour up a notch.
Source: Lucas Arts
Genre: point-and-click adventure
Platforms: Amiga, Atari ST, MS-Dos, Windows
Trivia: To experience the full impact of the story, you should play the first two games back-to-back. The twist at the end of the second instalment has been indelibly etched into the memories of everyone who witnessed it.
61. Persona 5 Royal (2020)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
«How long should single-player stories be?»
Atlus: «Yes.»
With a campaign lasting over 100 hours, Persona 5 Royal leads the «playtime per Swiss franc» category. Even though my colleague Domi doesn’t think much of this metric, it’s still worth mentioning because there’s hardly a dull moment in the game. Atlus’ mammoth creation combines tradition and modernity in a JRPG/life sim mash-up with gameplay elements that complement each other perfectly. The setting also fulfils a wish that’s crossed the mind of almost all gamers at some point – to be a Japanese high school student, even just once.
Source: Atlus
Genre: JRPG
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
Trivia: Within the Persona series itself, Persona 5 has spawned by far the most spin-offs – more than any other mainline title. Here’s the full list for you: Persona 5 Strikers, Persona 5 Tactica, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, Persona 5: The Phantom X (mobile – yuck!).
60. Ico (2001)
Written by: Simon Balissat, editorial team leader at Digitec Galaxus
Ico was the first game I ever thought of as art. The story of the boy with horns, who’s banished from his village to a large castle to die, is deeply moving and told without dialogue. A timeless masterpiece.
Source: Sony
Genre: adventure
Platforms: PS2
Trivia: The Japanese cover for Ico is a work of art, whereas its Western counterpart is memorable for all the wrong reasons – its ugly YK2 aesthetic.
59. Fallout 3 (2008)
Written by: Philipp Rüegg, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
The first time you step out of the nuclear bunker and your eyes slowly adjust to daylight, a huge smile spreads across your face. Not because of the radiation – okay, maybe a little – but because the post-apocalyptic wasteland invites you to explore in every direction. There’s the legendary Nuka-Cola factory, UFO crash sites and, of course, the city of Megaton, where a massive unexploded nuclear bomb gave rise to a cult. If you want, you can arm the bomb and turn this metropolis into a huge crater. And let’s be honest – we all did that to see what it would look like, didn’t we?
Source: Bethesda
Genre: action RPG, open world
Platforms: Windows, PS3, Xbox 360
Trivia: The inspiration for the V.A.T.S. combat system – where the game slows down and you target specific parts of your opponent’s body – comes from Burnout. Instead of car parts, body parts are flying all over the place.
58. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (2002)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
Conspiracy theory time – real-time strategy reached its peak with Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, plus another title we’ll get to in a moment. The studios realised this, and turned their back on the genre, which is why hardly any AAA games are released in this category today. What other reason could there be? Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos featured a hell of a campaign with compellingly written characters who defied the usual black-and-white thinking. Plus, its lore went on to provide the backstory for the most successful MMORPG of all time. What’s more, every multiplayer session’s a chapter in its own right in the history of game design. Back then, Blizzard pushed the genre so far that its competitors would rather give up than make a fool of themselves.
Source: Activision Blizzard
Genre: real-time strategy
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Trivia: There are four different editions of the boxset, one for each playable race in the game.
57. StarCraft II (2010)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
What are the odds that these two titles would be ranked one right after the other in a democratically elected rating? Someone who knows more about statistics than me could probably tell you the answer, but I digress. Except for the part about MMORPGs, everything that’s been written about Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos also applies to StarCraft II. The story of this sci-fi spin-off isn’t quite on a par with the gravitas of the fantasy epic. But online matches are more intense, thanks to perfectly balanced factions where every unit can make the difference between victory and defeat. It’s like chess, but with space bugs and more explosions.
Source: Activision Blizzard
Genre: real-time strategy
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Trivia: The Liberation Day mission contains a Transformers Easter egg in the form of a truck painted in Optimus Prime’s colours.
56. Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
All the games on this list are great, but few can claim to have shaped the industry as significantly as Grand Theft Auto III. The idea’s deceptively simple. A big city, a gangster story and one central question – what happens if I do that? The answer? Usually sirens and a reload. The sandbox concept remains the model for open-world settings to this day, and it makes GTA III one of the most important titles in this ranking.
Source: Rockstar Games
Genre: action, open world
Platforms: PS2, Xbox, Windows
Trivia: The protagonist of GTA III is called Claude, but his name’s never mentioned in the game and isn’t revealed until three years later in San Andreas.
55. Stardew Valley (2016)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
If a nuclear war ever does wipe out humanity, there’ll be at least two survivors – cockroaches and Eric Barone, who’ll continue to drop updates for Stardew Valley. Even ten years after its release, the developer – a one-man studio – is still fine-tuning the farming simulator, making this cosy agricultural adventure a little better, more expansive and more vibrant with every patch. Stardew Valley is farm-life romance and escapism in its purest form.
Source: Concerned Ape
Genre: farming simulator
Platforms: Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Switch, PS4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One
Trivia: You might spot a green sea monster on the beach, but only if you’re really lucky. The spawn rate’s 0.06% of a chance per second.
54. Dark Souls (2011)
Written by: Simon Balissat, editorial team leader at Digitec Galaxus
It’s rare for a game to be so groundbreaking that it spawns an entire genre. Technically speaking, its predecessor, Demon’s Souls, achieved this feat. But it was Dark Souls that perfected this formula – experience points (souls) that I lose every time I die and can only spend at a bonfire. Enemies that reappear after every death and after every rest. A brutal level of difficulty.
Source: FromSoftware
Genre: Original Soulslike
Platforms: PS3
Trivia: Demon’s Souls almost disappeared into oblivion at FromSoftware, and if that had happened, Dark Souls would never have been made. Fortunately, Hidetaka Miyazaki – an unassuming former customer adviser and fantasy nerd – took on the series.
53. Super Metroid (1994)
Written by: Domagoj Belancic, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
To be honest, I could just steal Simon’s introduction to Dark Souls here. With Metroid, Nintendo created its own genre, before going on to perfect the gameplay formula with Super Metroid. This SNES game paved the way for today’s beloved Metroidvania titles such as Hollow Knight and Animal Well. A labyrinthine level structure, the unlocking of new abilities and level sections, challenging difficulty and plenty of secrets. So many secrets. Super Metroid is set apart by its timeless design philosophy, which trusts players to think for themselves rather than constantly holding their hand.
Source: Nintendo
Genre: Original Metroidvania
Platforms: SNES
Trivia: Super Metroid is the only 2D Metroid game where Samus Aran can use the Grapple Beam.
52. Doom (1993)
Written by: Philipp Rüegg, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
This title shaped the ‘90s like almost no other game. From the shareware version to the full release, which lured even more demons into the crosshairs of the Doom Guy, it was the most sought-after item to trade in school playgrounds. The intense action, the thumping heavy metal soundtrack and the spectacular graphics made Doom something truly special. The game’s replay value shows just how good it was even back then. And now 30 years on, tearing the hordes of hell to shreds is still damn good fun.
Source: id Software
Genre: first-person shooter
Platforms: MS-DOS
Trivia: The name of the game comes from the film The Color of Money. When asked what’s in his billiards case, Tom Cruise replies, «Doom.»
51. Resident Evil 4 (2005)
Written by: Simon Dick, game critic for Watson
«Un forastero!» The fourth instalment not only took the Resi universe in a new direction, it also proved the genre could survive by adding more action and intense suspense. In the Spanish countryside, we blast our way through wild hordes who yell at us and worship a cult with a convoluted backstory we barely understand, but adore. We solve puzzles, we get spooked and, thanks to the fresh third-person perspective, we feel freer than ever before. And it doesn’t stop there – we take a mysterious merchant («Welcome, stranger!») to our heart and develop a love-hate relationship with the president’s needy daughter. Grande!
Source: Capcom
Genre: survival-horror, action-adventure
Platforms: GameCube
Trivia: When Leon tries to peek under Ashley’s skirt, she (rightly) calls him a pervert.
50. Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
Written by: Domagoj Belancic, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
About a decade after Nintendo paved the way for modern 3D controls with Super Mario 64, the company surprised everyone with yet another crazy idea. Mario travels into space, where the boring laws of physics don’t apply. The plumber orbits small planets, jumps from platform to platform in near-weightlessness and changes gravity at the push of a button. In theory, the controls shouldn’t work. And I’m sure that any other company would’ve screwed it up. But Nintendo manages to present this physics-bending gameplay in an intuitive way, creating yet another masterpiece crammed with enough wacky ideas for a dozen games.
Source: Nintendo
Genre: platformer
Platforms: Wii
Trivia: If you remove all the letters without sparkling stars from the logo, you’re left with «U R MR GAY». The logo for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie features the phrase «HE MR GAY». What’s Nintendo trying to tell us?
49. Hollow Knight (2017)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
With a budget roughly equivalent to the weekly revenue generated by the Selecta vending machine outside the Digitec office, Team Cherry’s created one of the most densely packed Metroidvanias in gaming history. These types of titles were already dime a dozen back in 2017. Still, Hollow Knight easily outshone all of its competitors. Map, moveset, upgrades, bosses – we’ve seen it all before in a similar form, but rarely with this degree of perfection.
Source: Team Cherry
Genre: Metroidvania
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Trivia: Hollow Knight was funded through Kickstarter – with a target of just 35,000 Australian dollars. It ended up raising almost 58,000.
48. Overwatch (2016)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
A hero shooter with a lineup that blends Pixar charm and cosplay bait – that alone was a clever move. And when you add the captivating lore that Blizzard’s renowned for, you end up with what was probably the first multiplayer shooter ever you could play «for the story». But on the battlefield, it all comes down to mastering the game of hero ping-pong – who’s against whom, who supports whom and who gets in the way. Lone wolves don’t belong here – Overwatch is a team sport with an added railgun.
Source: Activision Blizzard
Genre: hero shooter
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Trivia: Overwatch rose from the ashes of failed MMO Titan, which Blizzard had been working on for seven years before the project was cancelled internally.
47. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
Written by: Simon Balissat, editorial team leader at Digitec Galaxus
Modern Warfare was groundbreaking in many ways. It depicted war in an alternative present and didn’t shy away from showing atrocities, such as civilians or your comrades being shot, causing an uproar in the media. The multiplayer mode, with its distinct classes and fast-paced gunplay, also set the benchmark that games are still judged against to this day.
Source: Activision Blizzard
Genre: first-person shooter
Platforms: Windows, PS3, Xbox 360
Trivia: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was the first CoD game to receive an M rating (for mature audiences only) in the USA.
46. Super Mario Kart (1992)
Written by: Kim Muntinga, editor at Digitec Galaxus
With Mario, Bowser, Princess Peach, small carts and banana peels, Nintendo came up with its very own sub-genre – the fun racer. This SNES classic is significant not only due to its Mode 7 graphics and Battle Mode, but also because it turned competition into pure chaos. Anyone could join in, anyone could curse and anyone could get taken out by a Red Shell in the final turn. Wonderfully cruel.
Source: Nintendo
Genre: fun racer
Platforms: SNES
Trivia: Super Mario Kart was originally designed as a multiplayer version of F-Zero.
45. Tekken 3 (1998)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
Tekken 3 is a paradox. This fighting game’s both more accessible and more complex than its rival beat ‘em up titles of that era. More accessible, because simple button-mashing can quickly look cool (hi, Eddie Gordo!), and more complex, because the sidestep mechanic adds a tactical element to the gameplay. The new features also include the Tekken Force mode, meaning you’ll never get bored when gaming alone, and Tekken Ball, for anyone who needs a quick break from getting beaten up.
Source: Namco
Genre: beat’em up
Platforms: PlayStation
Trivia: During the concept phase, another joke character named Sake – a salmon – was on the list.
44. Inside (2016)
Written by: Goran Saric, managing director of Okomotive
Playdead’s Inside is an unsettling experience that tells a profound story about control and exploitation without using a single word. The sound design and minimalist graphics conjure an engulfing, almost tangible sense of melancholy. Every puzzle feels organic, and the controls are precise. The surreal final third of the game, in particular, is sure to leave you completely stunned. Inside is short, but every minute counts. An absolute must-play for fans of atmosphere and subtle storytelling. To me, it’s still one of the best indie games ever made.
Source: Playdead
Genre: puzzle platformer
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Xbox, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS
Trivia: Audio director Martin Stig Andersen transmitted synth sounds into a human skull using an audio transducer and a contact microphone, and then «restored» the result. So the soundtrack comes from a skull.
43. Chrono Trigger (1995)
Written by: Kevin Hofer, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
What do you get when you give Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Dragon Quest mastermind Yūji Horii and legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama free rein? Something like Chrono Trigger. But that description doesn’t do it justice, as Chrono Trigger is one of a kind, and will probably always remain so. These creative minds and Squaresoft – now known as Square Enix – took a huge risk back then, coming up with a game that will stand the test of time. It still serves as a blueprint for many JRPGs to this day. More than anything else, the complex story with its multifaceted characters was groundbreaking. Even more than 30 years after its release, Chrono Trigger still manages to impress.
Source: Squaresoft
Genre: JRPG
Platforms: cross-platform
Trivia: Chrono Trigger was the first game to feature a New Game+ mode. Once you’d finished, you could start a new playthrough with your current level and equipment.
42. Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal (1999)
Written by: Domagoj Belancic, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
Sequels are great. They’re a chance to rectify the original’s weaknesses, and further develop and refine the gameplay formula. That’s exactly what the second generation of Pokémon did. Game Freak added a whopping 100 new Pokémon and a new region (Johto) to the role-playing game. What’s more, the second generation treated us to innovative features such as Pokémon breeding, day-and-night cycles and Shiny Pokémon. Remember the post-game content? After your adventure in Johto, you headed back to Kanto, the region where the first game was set. Ah, those were the days.
Source: Nintendo
Genre: JRPG
Platforms: Game Boy Color
Trivia: Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal is the last Pokémon generation to feature the tagline «Gotta catch ‘em all!» on the cover.
41. Portal 2 (2011)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
There’s a lot to love about Portal 2. The clever puzzles, the snarky AI called GLaDOS and the fun couch co-op mode. What’s most impressive, though, is how precisely this puzzle-shooter weaves all of this together into a cohesive, eight-hour gaming experience that knows exactly what it wants to be. No filler, no fluff – just elegantly designed fun.
Source: Valve
Genre: puzzle shooter
Platforms: Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, macOS, Linux, Xbox One, Switch
Trivia: Valve was initially planning a prequel featuring a new protagonist and a mechanic called F-Stop, which was supposed to work without portals. Playtesters reacted so negatively that Chell, GLaDOS and the portal gun were recalled as a matter of urgency.
40. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
Looking back, it’s hard to believe, but Vice City was released just one year and six days after GTA III. Despite the absurdly short development time, this game blows its predecessor out of the water. More vehicles, more weapons, more missions, more of everything. Tied together by an entertaining story with a vibe that’s as evocative of the ‘80s as a Miami Vice rewatch. This is partly down to the soundtrack, which takes its cue from the radio station concept of its predecessor and dials it up a notch with a selection of over 100 songs from that decade. The highlight of this is a live performance by Phil Collins, and of course he belts out In The Air Tonight.
Source: Rockstar Games
Genre: action, open world
Platforms: PS2, Xbox, Windows
Trivia: The controls on RC helicopters are straight out of hell. Satan himself sat down at a computer at Rockstar Games and took over the programming.
39. Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
3 boys, 1 game. In 2013, Rockstar gave you three protagonists for a multilayered narrative and the most varied GTA game to date. There’s not enough space here to list all the features of GTA V. So here are just a few of the most impressive: an 80-square-kilometre game world, a full-fledged online mode that could easily pass for a game in its own right and a story that will easily keep you busy for several weekends. So much content is crammed into GTA V that, even after a hundred hours, there’s still an amusement park, an underwater wreck, or a crazy side mission waiting somewhere that you haven’t seen yet. No other game of this generation redefined sandbox gaming so fundamentally – and none will be kept alive quite so tenaciously, because Rockstar just won’t stop raking in the cash with GTA Online.
Source: Rockstar Games
Genre: action, open world
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Trivia: GTA Online generates 1.3 million US dollars in revenue. Every single day.
38. Mario Kart 64 (1996)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
The Nintendo 64 wasn’t a particularly successful console. Even so, this grey box still has a fiercely loyal fanbase to this day. This is partly because many millennials associate their fondest multiplayer memories with this system. And Mario Kart 64 is right up there at the top. Double as many players could join in compared to its SNES predecessor, drifting was established as a central gameplay element and the Blue Shell made it clear that winning sometimes comes before friendship.
Source: Nintendo
Genre: fun racer
Platforms: Nintendo 64
Trivia: In the Japanese version, the track barriers featured advertisements for pseudo-brands like Marioro, Yoshi1 and satirical versions of Goodyear, Agip and 76. They were cut from the U.S. release because Nintendo’s legal department apparently had less of a sense of humour than the designers.
37. Deus Ex (2000)
Written by: Schimun Krausz, pop culture editor at SRF
Without System Shock, there would be no Deus Ex, and without that, there would be no BioShock, Dishonored, or 2017 release Prey. A quarter-century later, the game’s many clunky corners and edges may be even more noticeable than they did at launch, but the atmosphere of this conspiracy-driven techno-thriller is still as dense as protagonist JC Denton after a beer (hey, every bottle restores two HP, okay?). The freedom of action and choice in the semi-open levels, the voice acting and – more than anything else – the phenomenal soundtrack make this action RPG a classic that, while a bit dated, remains timeless.
Source: Ion Storm
Genre: immersive sim
Platforms: Windows
Trivia: A remaster’s coming – reportedly. The release was postponed because fans felt the visuals were too reminiscent of the botched GTA remasters.
36. RimWorld (2018)
Written by: Kim Muntinga, editor at Digitec Galaxus
RimWorld isn’t a base-building game – it’s a story machine with a dark sense of humour. Whether it’s three castaways, a lone survivor, or an entire tribe – whoever lands on this alien planet builds huts, falls in love, goes crazy, loses a leg, tames pets and might even die of food poisoning. One minute everything’s fine, and the next, half the base is up in flames. Tynan Sylvester’s colony sim combines the chaos of Dwarf Fortress with an accessible interface, turning harmless situations into dramas that no author could ever plan. In this game, failing doesn’t mean losing. It just gives you plenty of material for anecdotes.
Source: Ludeon Studios
Genre: colony sim
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Trivia: The name RimWorld refers to this world’s remote location at the very edge of the galaxy.
35. Command & Conquer: Red Alert (1996)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
A game where Albert Einstein travels through time at the very beginning to single-handedly erase Adolf Hitler from history has already won me over before I even get to the main menu. But what Westwood does with this delightfully absurd premise takes it to an entirely new level. In the revised timeline, Stalin’s Soviet Union replaces the Nazis in the role of Europe’s nightmare. And the red juggernaut rolls on, equipped with Tesla coils, mammoth tanks and a heavily armed Tanya who sees every soldier off into the afterlife with a «Shake it, baby!» Meanwhile, Frank Klepacki’s Hell March blasts so relentlessly from the speakers that even pacifists briefly consider a career as a field marshal. Rarely has real-time strategy been so accessible, so cheesy and so damn good.
Source: EA Games
Genre: real-time strategy
Platforms: Windows, PSX, Sega Saturn
Trivia: The German version was heavily reworked due to Nazi symbolism and the depiction of human soldiers. Hitler was removed from the intro, and all the infantry were hastily reimagined as cyborgs.
34. God of War (2018)
Written by: Domagoj Belancic, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
There aren’t many gaming franchises that manage to completely reinvent themselves. But that’s exactly what God of War did in 2018. Director Cory Barlog transformed a mindless (in a good way) game series into an emotional rollercoaster ride with storytelling worthy of Hollywood. Kratos no longer lives in Greece, but in the far north. He’s a father and has to take care of his son Atreus, which is why fans affectionately call the game «Dad of Boy». He’s actually retired from beating up gods and severing heads. And yet he finds himself forced once again to let his fists – and now his Nordic axe as well – do the talking. One of the best PlayStation games of all time, boy.
Source: Sony
Genre: action-adventure
Platforms: PS4
Trivia: Terrence C. Carson, the voice actor for the original God of War games, was replaced by Christopher Judge in the remake. This was for performance capture reasons (Judge is a ripped dude just like Kratos). Carson will return for the remakes of the original trilogy (release date TBD).
In the early 90s, my older brother gave me his NES with The Legend of Zelda on it. It was the start of an obsession that continues to this day.
This is a subjective opinion of the editorial team. It doesn't necessarily reflect the position of the company.
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