Polygon (2017)

500 Best Games of All Time
Publication Region: North America
Published: November 27, 2017
Cut-Off: January 31, 2017

Ranking for Railroad Tycoon (#467) is superseded by the duplicate inclusion of Railroad Tycoon (#112).

Ranking for Guitar Hero II (#94) is superseded by Guitar Hero (#44) in the C-Score calculation for Guitar Hero (Series).

Ranking for Rock Band (#129) is superseded by Rock Band 2 (#124) in the C-Score calculation for Rock Band (Series).

Rankings for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (#348), Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (#220), and Tony Hawk’s Underground (#215) are superseded by Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (#102) in the C-Score calculation for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series).

  • 1. Tetris
  • 2. Super Mario Bros. 3
  • 3. The Legend of Zelda
  • 4. Doom (1993)
  • 5. Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow
    Ranked As: Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow (1998) / Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen (2004)
  • 6. Ms. Pac-Man
  • 7. World of Warcraft
  • 8. Minecraft
  • 9. Street Fighter II
  • 10. Super Metroid
  • 11. Final Fantasy VI (AKA Final Fantasy III [US])
  • 12. Grand Theft Auto III
  • 13. StarCraft
  • 14. Half-Life 2
  • 15. SimCity
  • 16. Super Mario 64
  • 17. Portal
  • 18. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
  • 19. Civilization II
  • 20. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • 21. Super Mario Bros.
  • 22. FIFA 12
    Ranked As: FIFA Soccer (Series)
  • 23. Rogue
  • 24. Dwarf Fortress
  • 25. Metal Gear Solid
  • 26. NBA Jam
    Ranked As: NBA Jam (Series)
  • 27. Journey
  • 28. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
  • 29. EarthBound
  • 30. Spelunky
  • 31. Gone Home
  • 32. Zork
  • 33. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
  • 34. Super Mario World
  • 35. Donkey Kong
  • 36. Resident Evil 4
  • 37. Grand Theft Auto V
  • 38. Diablo II
  • 39. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • 40. Dark Souls
  • 41. Wii Sports
  • 42. Halo: Combat Evolved
  • 43. The Sims
  • 44. Guitar Hero
    Ranked As: Guitar Hero (Series)
  • 45. Super Mario Kart
  • 46. Mother 3
  • 47. Quest For Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero
  • 48. Shadow of the Colossus
  • 49. Defense of the Anicents (AKA DotA)
  • 50. Mass Effect 2
  • 51. Football Manager
    Ranked As: Football Manager [1982-1992] (Series)
  • 52. Half-Life
  • 53. Dance Dance Revolution
    Ranked As: Dance Dance Revolution (Series)
  • 54. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
  • 55. SimCity 2000
  • 56. Civilization V
  • 57. Elite Beat Agents
  • 58. NHL ’94
    Ranked As: NHL Hockey (Series)
  • 59. Super Mario Galaxy 2
  • 60. GoldenEye 007
  • 61. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
  • 62. Chrono Trigger
  • 63. Super Mario Galaxy
  • 64. Pong
  • 65. ESPN NFL 2K5
    Ranked As: NFL 2K (Series)
  • 66. Madden NFL 2005
    Ranked As: Madden NFL Football (Series)
  • 67. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
  • 68. League of Legends
  • 69. Harvest Moon
  • 70. Final Fantasy VII
  • 71. Super Smash Bros. Melee
  • 72. Burnout 3: Takedown
  • 73. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  • 74. Dota 2
  • 75. Ultima Online
  • 76. Habitat
  • 77. MULE
  • 78. Secret of Mana
  • 79. Space Invaders
  • 80. Guild Wars 2
  • 81. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
  • 82. Adventure
  • 83. Silent Hill 2
  • 84. Portal 2
  • 85. Katamari Damacy
  • 86. Doom II
  • 87. NetHack
  • 88. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
  • 89. Metroid
  • 90. Eve Online
  • 91. Dragon Warrior
  • 92. Robotron 2084
  • 93. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
  • 94. Guitar Hero II
    Ranked As: Guitar Hero (Series)
  • 95. Grand Theft Auto IV
  • 96. Homeworld
  • 97. Manic Miner
  • 98. Suikoden II
  • 99. The Sentinel
  • 100. Warlords
  • 101. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
  • 102. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
    Ranked As: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series)
  • 103. Elite
  • 104. Burnout Paradise
  • 105. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
  • 106. Final Fantasy Tactics
  • 107. Papers Please
  • 108. Super Mario Maker
  • 109. Kentucky Route Zero
  • 110. Counter-Strike
  • 111. Hitman: Blood Money
  • 112. Railroad Tycoon
  • 113. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
  • 114. Herzog Zwei
  • 115. BioShock
  • 116. Call of Duty 2
  • 117. Gunstar Heroes
  • 118. Mario Kart 8
    Ranked As: Mario Kart 8 (2014) / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
  • 119. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
  • 120. Device 6
  • 121. Frog Fractions
  • 122. Quake
  • 123. Diablo
  • 124. Rock Band 2
    Ranked As: Rock Band (Series)
  • 125. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (1987) / Punch-Out!! (1990)
  • 126. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
  • 127. Cart Life
  • 128. Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty
  • 129. Undertale
  • 130. Rock Band
    Ranked As: Rock Band (Series)
  • 131. Her Story
  • 132. Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption
  • 133. Kirby: Canvas Curse
  • 134. Street Fighter III
  • 135. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft
  • 136. Kirby’s Adventure
  • 137. Phantasy Star Online
  • 138. Resident Evil (1996)
    Ranked As: Resident Evil (1996) / Resident Evil (2002)
  • 139. The Oregon Trail
  • 140. EverQuest
  • 141. Super Smash Bros.
  • 142. The Operative: No One Lives Forever
  • 143. Unreal Tournament
  • 144. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
  • 145. Team Fortress 2
  • 146. Mortal Kombat II
  • 147. Wolfenstein 3D
  • 148. Super Mario 3D World
  • 149. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
  • 150. Soul Calibur II
  • 151. Metroid Prime
  • 152. The Walking Dead
  • 153. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
  • 154. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
  • 155. Assassin’s Creed II
  • 156. 80 Days
  • 157. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
  • 158. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
  • 159. Civilization IV
  • 160. Crusader Kings II
  • 161. DEFCON
  • 162. Defender
  • 163. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
  • 164. FS1 Flight Simulator
  • 165. Galaga
  • 166. Giants: Citizen Kabuto
  • 167. Homeworld 2
  • 168. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
  • 169. Phantasy Star IV
  • 170. Planescape: Torment
  • 171. Red Faction: Guerrilla
  • 172. Spacewar!
  • 173. Star Wars: The Arcade Game
  • 174. Streets of Rage 2
  • 175. Superhot VR
  • 176. System Shock 2
  • 177. The Last of Us
  • 178. The Secret of Monkey Island
  • 179. Star Wars: TIE Fighter
  • 180. Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
  • 181. Vagrant Story
  • 182. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
  • 183. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty
  • 184. Rez (2002) / Rez Infinite (2016)
  • 185. City of Heroes
  • 186. Fallout 3
  • 187. Left 4 Dead
  • 188. PT
  • 189. Myst
  • 190. Command & Conquer
  • 191. Sonic the Hedgehog
  • 192. Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal
    Ranked As: Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal (2000) / Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver (2010)
  • 193. Star Wars: X-Wing vs TIE Fighter
  • 194. Dragon’s Dogma
  • 195. Final Fantasy IX
  • 196. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
  • 197. Mario Kart 64
  • 198. Overwatch
  • 199. Halo 3
  • 200. Thirty Flights of Loving
  • 201. Animal Crossing
  • 202. Bushido Blade 2
  • 203. Fallout: New Vegas
  • 204. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
  • 205. Virtua Fighter 2
  • 206. WarioWare Inc: Mega Microgames!
  • 207. Mega Man X
  • 208. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
  • 209. Stardew Valley
  • 210. Batman: Arkham Asylum
  • 211. Mini Metro
  • 212. Star Raiders
  • 213. Street Fighter Alpha 3
  • 214. Super Mario 3D Land
  • 215. Tony Hawk’s Underground
    Ranked As: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series)
  • 216. WarioWare: Twisted!
  • 217. Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward
  • 218. Burnout Revenge
  • 219. Doom (2016)
  • 220. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater
    Ranked As: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series)
  • 221. Mind Forever Voyaging, A
  • 222. Gran Turismo
  • 223. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge
  • 224. Red Dead Redemption
  • 225. Virtua Racing
  • 226. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
  • 227. Left 4 Dead 2
  • 228. Jet Grind Radio (AKA Jet Set Radio)
  • 229. Halo 2
  • 230. Soul Calibur
  • 231. Tomb Raider (1996)
  • 232. Mass Effect
  • 233. Dishonored
  • 234. Flashback
  • 235. Impossible Mission
  • 236. Monster Hunter Generations
  • 237. Sensible Soccer
    Ranked As: Sensible Soccer (Series)
  • 238. Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
  • 239. Wing Commander
  • 240. X-COM: UFO Defense (AKA UFO: Enemy Unknown)
  • 241. Shenmue
  • 242. Gears of War
  • 243. Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening
  • 244. Asteroids
  • 245. Psychonauts
  • 246. Out of This World (AKA Another World)
  • 247. Castlevania
  • 248. The Jackbox Party Pack
  • 249. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
  • 250. Fallout
  • 251. Pokemon Go
  • 252. Maniac Mansion
  • 253. Star Control
  • 254. King’s Quest
  • 255. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
  • 256. Donkey Kong Country
  • 257. Inside
  • 258. Final Fantasy VIII
  • 259. Bloodborne
  • 260. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
  • 261. Demon’s Souls
  • 262. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings
  • 263. Fez
  • 264. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
  • 265. Demon Attack
  • 266. Event 0
  • 267. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
  • 268. Heroes of Might and Magic III
  • 269. Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
  • 270. MVP Baseball 2005
  • 271. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
  • 272. Quake III Arena
  • 273. Shadow Hearts: Covenant
  • 274. Snake
  • 275. Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
  • 276. The Stanley Parable
  • 277. Ultima VII: The Black Gate
  • 278. Wasteland
  • 279. Dark Souls II
  • 280. Ico
  • 281. Max Payne
  • 282. Super Mario Sunshine
  • 283. Gauntlet
  • 284. Forza Horizon 3
  • 285. Kirby’s Dream Land
  • 286. Kingdom Hearts
  • 287. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
  • 288. Tennis For Two
  • 289. Combat
  • 290. Final Fantasy
  • 291. God Hand
  • 292. NBA 2K12
    Ranked As: NBA 2K (Series)
  • 293. Proteus
  • 294. Sonic CD
  • 295. Super Mario Bros. 2
  • 296. The World Ends With You
  • 297. Thief: Deadly Shadows
  • 298. Diablo III
  • 299. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
  • 300. Microsoft Flight Simulator
  • 301. Resident Evil 2 (1998)
    Ranked As: Resident Evil 2 (1998) / Resident Evil 2 (2019)
  • 302. Day of the Tentacle
  • 303. Tempest 2000
  • 304. Tekken 3
  • 305. Age of Empires
  • 306. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
  • 307. Split Second
  • 308. Chrono Cross
  • 309. Flower
  • 310. TowerFall (AKA TowerFall: Ascension)
  • 311. Battlefield 1942
  • 312. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
  • 313. Breakout
  • 314. Paradroid
  • 315. Ikaruga
  • 316. Battlezone
  • 317. Computer Space
  • 318. Descent
  • 319. Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse
  • 320. Dungeon Keeper
  • 321. Empire: Total War
  • 322. God of War
  • 323. Gran Trak 10
  • 324. Gunpoint
  • 325. Lunar Lander
  • 326. Marvel Vs Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes
  • 327. Miner 2049er
  • 328. Panzer Dragoon II Zwei
  • 329. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
  • 330. Samurai Shodown
  • 331. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
  • 332. Deus Ex
  • 333. Hot Shots Golf
    Ranked As: Hot Shots Golf (Series)
  • 334. Populous
  • 335. Dishonored 2
  • 336. Quadrilateral Cowboy
  • 337. Threes
  • 338. Yakuza 0
  • 339. Bayonetta 2
  • 340. Dead Space
  • 341. Dungeons & Dragons: Pool of Radiance
  • 342. Ninja Gaiden (2004)
  • 343. RollerCoaster Tycoon
  • 344. Fruit Ninja
  • 345. Bastion
  • 346. Hitman
  • 347. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
  • 348. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
    Ranked As: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (Series)
  • 349. Forza Motorsport 4
  • 350. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
  • 351. Call of Duty
  • 352. Panzer Dragoon Orta
  • 353. Return to Castle Wolfenstein
  • 354. Rocket League
  • 355. Stunt Car Racer
  • 356. Balance of Power
  • 357. Valkyria Chronicles
  • 358. Far Cry 2
  • 359. Fantastic Contraption
  • 360. Super Bomberman
  • 361. Contra III: The Alien Wars (AKA Super Probotector)
  • 362. Joust
  • 363. Castle Crashers
  • 364. Lemmings
  • 365. Limbo
  • 366. Parapet the Rapper
  • 367. Pokemon X / Y
  • 368. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
  • 369. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar
  • 370. Star Wars: X-Wing
  • 371. FTL: Faster Than Light
  • 372. Daytona USA
  • 373. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
  • 374. Prince of Persia
  • 375. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
  • 376. Lumines
  • 377. Mortal Kombat (1992)
  • 378. Ant Attack
  • 379. BeatMania
  • 380. Crazy Taxi
  • 381. Hunt the Wumpus
  • 382. Devil’s Crush
  • 383. Fallout 2
  • 384. Fire Emblem: Awakening
  • 385. God of War II
  • 386. International Karate +
  • 387. Jumpman Junior
  • 388. Koronis Rift
  • 389. Mega Man 2
  • 390. Pillars of Eternity
  • 391. Silent Hill
  • 392. Stephen’s Sausage Roll
  • 393. Syberia
  • 394. Uridium
  • 395. Wizardry
  • 396. Nights Into Dreams
  • 397. Frogger
  • 398. Shovel Knight
  • 399. Braid
  • 400. Mirror’s Edge
  • 401. LittleBigPlanet
  • 402. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12
    Ranked As: PGA Tour Golf / Tiger Woods PGA Tour (Series)
  • 403. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords
  • 404. Thief: The Dark Project
  • 405. Deus Ex Machina
  • 406. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
  • 407. Destiny
  • 408. Command & Conquer: Red Alert
  • 409. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
  • 410. Power Stone
  • 411. Kingdom Rush
  • 412. Drop7
  • 413. Rhythm Heaven
  • 414. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
  • 415. Grim Fandango
  • 416. Alpha Centauri
  • 417. Final Fantasy XIV
  • 418. Fire Emblem Fates
  • 419. Metro 2033
  • 420. Military Madness
  • 421. Missile Command
  • 422. Pole Position
  • 423. Just Cause 2
  • 424. Power Stone 2
  • 425. Qix
  • 426. Sam & Max Hit the Road
  • 427. Snatcher
  • 428. Bejeweled
  • 429. Nidhogg
  • 430. Fallout 4
  • 431. Street Fighter IV
  • 432. Double Dragon
  • 433. Galaxian
  • 434. Kim Kardashian: Hollywood
  • 435. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
  • 436. Devil May Cry
  • 437. WWF No Mercy
  • 438. Kerbal Space Program
  • 439. Need For Speed: Most Wanted
  • 440. Super Castlevania IV
  • 441. Mario Paint
  • 442. Jetpack Joyride
  • 443. Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
  • 444. Wolfenstein: The New Order
  • 445. Vanquish
  • 446. Sonic Colors
  • 447. BioShock 2
  • 448. Final Fantasy X
  • 449. Hitman Go
  • 450. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
  • 451. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
  • 452. Angry Birds
  • 453. Dragon Age: Origins
  • 454. Archon: The Light and the Dark
  • 455. Boulderdash
  • 456. Cities: Skylines
  • 457. Plants vs Zombies
  • 458. Electroplankton
  • 459. Paper Mario
  • 460. Picross 3D
  • 461. River City Ransom
  • 462. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
  • 463. Donkey Kong Jr
  • 464. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
  • 465. Medal of Honor
  • 466. Depression Quest
  • 467. Railroad Tycoon
  • 468. TimeSplitters 2
  • 469. Ninja Gaiden (1988)
  • 470. Peggle
  • 471. Earth Defense Force 2017
  • 472. Aladdin
  • 473. Firewatch
  • 474. Monument Valley
  • 475. Borderlands
  • 476. Gravity Rush
  • 477. Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors
  • 478. Marble Madness
  • 479. Splatoon
  • 480. QWOP
  • 481. Garry’s Mod
  • 482. Batman: Arkham City
  • 483. Company of Heroes
  • 484. Star Fox 64 (AKA Star Fox: Lylat Wars)
  • 485. Fable II
  • 486. Ori and the Blind Forest
  • 487. Cave Story
  • 488. Space Channel 5
  • 489. Spider-Man 2
  • 490. Alone in the Dark
  • 491. Metroid II: Return of Samus
  • 492. Catherine
  • 493. Bully
  • 494. Wipeout
  • 495. F-Zero
  • 496. Super Meat Boy
  • 497. Dragon Age: Inquisition
  • 498. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
  • 499. Arkanoid
  • 500. Ballblazer