Depicting the 2010s as the decade when gaming got weird is a theme that’s been hit again and again as publications ponder the Best Games of the 2010s, and it was definitely on the minds of NME’s editors when they created their list of “The 50 Best Games of the Decade: The 2010s” (which actually goes to 51):
Since we’re approaching the end of the decade, we decided to make a big old list of the 50 greatest games of the last 10 years – yes, we know it says 51, but read on for the reason why… Some of you may read this list and become irrationally angry. Some may read it and nod sagely in agreement. But what we guarantee all of you will do is read it and think, ‘God bless videogames, aren’t they the absolute nuts…’.
You’ll find hidden gems such as Bulletstorm (#50), Superhot (#38), Night in the Woods (#25), Untitled Goose Game (#20), Oxenfree, and Doki Doki Literature Club (#15) throughout the list, though plenty of big blockbusters were also represented.
And in a not-that-shocking twist, NME chose two of those blockbusters for the top spot, crediting both Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with a tie.
You can find NME’s full ranking of the last decade after the break.
NME – The 50 Best Games of the Decade: The 2010s
- 1. Red Dead Redemption 2
- 2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- 3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
- 4. The Last of Us
- 5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- 6. Dark Souls
- 7. Super Mario Odyssey
- 8. Batman: Arkham City
- 9. Portal 2
- 10. Grand Theft Auto V / Grand Theft Auto Online
- 11. Minecraft
- 12. Hollow Knight
- 13. The Walking Dead
- 14. Alien: Isolation
- 15. Doki Doki Literature Club
- 16. Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- 17. Death Stranding
- 18. Gears 5
- 19. Oxenfree
- 20. Untitled Goose Game
- 21. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- 22. Stardew Valley
- 23. Forza Horizon 4
- 24. Tomb Raider (2013)
- 25. Night in the Woods
- 26. Gone Home
- 27. Spider-Man
- 28. Bloodborne
- 29. Journey
- 30. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- 31. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
- 32. Destiny 2
- 33. The Witness
- 34. Fortnite
- 35. No Man’s Sky
- 36. God of War (2018)
- 37. Rayman Origins
- 38. Superhot / Superhot VR
- 39. Inside
- 40. LA Noire
- 41. Divinity: Original Sin II
- 42. Rocket League
- 43. Dead Space 2
- 44. Celeste
- 45. Alan Wake
- 46. BioShock Infinite
- 47. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
- 48. Vanquish
- 49. Life Is Strange
- 50. Bulletstorm
- 51. Doom (2016)