GameReviewRankMANY REVIEWS · ONE SCORE
REVIEW RANK SPECIAL · CRITICS’ CONSENSUS

The Best Games of 2021

One ranking built from 11 major year-end lists. Every list awards points by position — #1 earns 100, #2 earns 99, and so on — then each game’s points are averaged across all 11 lists to produce its Review Rank Score. A game ranked #1 everywhere would score a perfect 100.

SOURCES: POLYGON · GAME INFORMER · GAMESRADAR+ · TIME · THE A.V. CLUB · SLANT MAGAZINE · DIGITAL TRENDS · PASTE · DEN OF GEEK · THE GUARDIAN · ESQUIRE · COMPILED 2026-07-09 · INELIGIBLE RELEASES ON SOURCE LISTS EXCLUDED

ALLPCPS5SWITCH
1
Metroid Dread
TIME #1DIGITAL TRENDS #1PASTE #3POLYGON #4GAME INFORMER #5DEN OF GEEK #5AV CLUB #8SLANT #10ESQUIRE #12GAMESRADAR #14
ON 10 OF 11 LISTS · 947 PTS · BEST POSITION #1
86.1RR SCORE
88
2
Deathloop
GAMESRADAR #1GAME INFORMER #2DEN OF GEEK #4GUARDIAN #4ESQUIRE #6TIME #8DIGITAL TRENDS #10AV CLUB #11PASTE #11POLYGON #19
ON 10 OF 11 LISTS · 934 PTS · BEST POSITION #1
84.9RR SCORE
3
Returnal
AV CLUB #1DEN OF GEEK #1GUARDIAN #1DIGITAL TRENDS #2GAME INFORMER #4TIME #6SLANT #7GAMESRADAR #13ESQUIRE #18POLYGON #33
ON 10 OF 11 LISTS · 924 PTS · BEST POSITION #1
84.0RR SCORE
84
4
Psychonauts 2
SLANT #2PASTE #2DEN OF GEEK #2GUARDIAN #2GAMESRADAR #3POLYGON #9AV CLUB #9GAME INFORMER #10ESQUIRE #13
ON 9 OF 11 LISTS · 857 PTS · BEST POSITION #2
77.9RR SCORE
91
5
Resident Evil Village
GAME INFORMER #3AV CLUB #4POLYGON #5GAMESRADAR #7ESQUIRE #10GUARDIAN #11SLANT #12PASTE #14DEN OF GEEK #17
ON 9 OF 11 LISTS · 826 PTS · BEST POSITION #3
75.1RR SCORE
89
6
Hitman 3
AV CLUB #3GAMESRADAR #4TIME #5GUARDIAN #5POLYGON #6DIGITAL TRENDS #9ESQUIRE #11PASTE #13
ON 8 OF 11 LISTS · 752 PTS · BEST POSITION #3
68.4RR SCORE
67
7
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
PASTE #1ESQUIRE #1GAMESRADAR #2GUARDIAN #3DIGITAL TRENDS #4AV CLUB #12POLYGON #20DEN OF GEEK #20
ON 8 OF 11 LISTS · 745 PTS · BEST POSITION #1
67.7RR SCORE
89
8
Forza Horizon 5
TIME #3ESQUIRE #4PASTE #6GUARDIAN #6GAME INFORMER #7POLYGON #12DEN OF GEEK #13GAMESRADAR #15
ON 8 OF 11 LISTS · 742 PTS · BEST POSITION #3
67.5RR SCORE
88
9
Inscryption
POLYGON #1TIME #2AV CLUB #2DEN OF GEEK #3SLANT #4ESQUIRE #7GAME INFORMER #9
ON 7 OF 11 LISTS · 679 PTS · BEST POSITION #1
61.7RR SCORE
90
10
Halo Infinite
GAME INFORMER #1ESQUIRE #2POLYGON #3GAMESRADAR #5TIME #7DEN OF GEEK #9GUARDIAN #10
ON 7 OF 11 LISTS · 670 PTS · BEST POSITION #1
60.9RR SCORE
76
11
It Takes Two
SLANT #3ESQUIRE #5GAME INFORMER #8GAMESRADAR #8GUARDIAN #9TIME #10DEN OF GEEK #12
ON 7 OF 11 LISTS · 652 PTS · BEST POSITION #3
59.3RR SCORE
12
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
POLYGON #2TIME #4SLANT #5GAMESRADAR #6DEN OF GEEK #6ESQUIRE #9
ON 6 OF 11 LISTS · 574 PTS · BEST POSITION #2
52.2RR SCORE
89
13
Death's Door
ESQUIRE #3PASTE #4POLYGON #7DIGITAL TRENDS #7DEN OF GEEK #14SLANT #15
ON 6 OF 11 LISTS · 556 PTS · BEST POSITION #3
50.5RR SCORE
14
Monster Hunter Rise
DIGITAL TRENDS #8PASTE #8AV CLUB #10POLYGON #14GUARDIAN #14ESQUIRE #15
ON 6 OF 11 LISTS · 537 PTS · BEST POSITION #8
48.8RR SCORE
85
15
Wildermyth
PASTE #7POLYGON #8DEN OF GEEK #11GUARDIAN #15
ON 4 OF 11 LISTS · 363 PTS · BEST POSITION #7
33.0RR SCORE
89
16
Unpacking
GUARDIAN #7DEN OF GEEK #8POLYGON #13ESQUIRE #14
ON 4 OF 11 LISTS · 362 PTS · BEST POSITION #7
32.9RR SCORE
17
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
DEN OF GEEK #7GAMESRADAR #10AV CLUB #13POLYGON #18
ON 4 OF 11 LISTS · 356 PTS · BEST POSITION #7
32.4RR SCORE
18
The Forgotten City
AV CLUB #5ESQUIRE #8DEN OF GEEK #18POLYGON #27
ON 4 OF 11 LISTS · 346 PTS · BEST POSITION #5
31.5RR SCORE
19
Loop Hero
PASTE #10SLANT #13DEN OF GEEK #15POLYGON #29
ON 4 OF 11 LISTS · 337 PTS · BEST POSITION #10
30.6RR SCORE
86
20
Life is Strange: True Colors
GAME INFORMER #6AV CLUB #7GAMESRADAR #11
ON 3 OF 11 LISTS · 279 PTS · BEST POSITION #6
25.4RR SCORE
83
21
Unsighted
POLYGON #10DEN OF GEEK #10PASTE #15
ON 3 OF 11 LISTS · 268 PTS · BEST POSITION #10
24.4RR SCORE
87
22
Tales of Arise
DIGITAL TRENDS #3POLYGON #15DEN OF GEEK #19
ON 3 OF 11 LISTS · 266 PTS · BEST POSITION #3
24.2RR SCORE
84
23
Sable
PASTE #5TIME #9POLYGON #28
ON 3 OF 11 LISTS · 261 PTS · BEST POSITION #5
23.7RR SCORE
77
24
Bowser's Fury
DIGITAL TRENDS #5AV CLUB #6
ON 2 OF 11 LISTS · 191 PTS · BEST POSITION #5
17.4RR SCORE
25
Before Your Eyes
SLANT #1PASTE #12
ON 2 OF 11 LISTS · 189 PTS · BEST POSITION #1
17.2RR SCORE
94
26
Genesis Noir
SLANT #8PASTE #9
ON 2 OF 11 LISTS · 185 PTS · BEST POSITION #8
16.8RR SCORE
78
27
Overboard!
GUARDIAN #8POLYGON #17
ON 2 OF 11 LISTS · 177 PTS · BEST POSITION #8
16.1RR SCORE
28
Valheim
GAMESRADAR #9POLYGON #22
ON 2 OF 11 LISTS · 171 PTS · BEST POSITION #9
15.5RR SCORE
88
29
Chivalry 2
ESQUIRE #19POLYGON #21
ON 2 OF 11 LISTS · 162 PTS · BEST POSITION #19
14.7RR SCORE
78
30
Guilty Gear Strive
ESQUIRE #16POLYGON #30
ON 2 OF 11 LISTS · 156 PTS · BEST POSITION #16
14.2RR SCORE
31
The Artful Escape
GUARDIAN #12POLYGON #44
ON 2 OF 11 LISTS · 146 PTS · BEST POSITION #12
13.3RR SCORE
85
32
Cruelty Squad
SLANT #6
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 95 PTS · BEST POSITION #6
8.6RR SCORE
90
33
qomp
SLANT #9
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 92 PTS · BEST POSITION #9
8.4RR SCORE
96
34
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
GAMESRADAR #12
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 89 PTS · BEST POSITION #12
8.1RR SCORE
84
35
Adios
SLANT #14
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 87 PTS · BEST POSITION #14
7.9RR SCORE
80
36
Everhood
DEN OF GEEK #16
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 85 PTS · BEST POSITION #16
7.7RR SCORE
87
37
Ruined King: A League of Legends Story
POLYGON #16
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 85 PTS · BEST POSITION #16
7.7RR SCORE
38
Mario Party Superstars
ESQUIRE #17
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 84 PTS · BEST POSITION #17
7.6RR SCORE
78
39
Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon
ESQUIRE #20
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 81 PTS · BEST POSITION #20
7.4RR SCORE
90
40
Age of Empires IV
POLYGON #23
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 78 PTS · BEST POSITION #23
7.1RR SCORE
82
41
Shin Megami Tensei V
POLYGON #24
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 77 PTS · BEST POSITION #24
7.0RR SCORE
86
42
Pokémon Unite
POLYGON #25
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 76 PTS · BEST POSITION #25
6.9RR SCORE
70
43
Toem
POLYGON #34
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 67 PTS · BEST POSITION #34
6.1RR SCORE
80
44
Moonglow Bay
POLYGON #35
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 66 PTS · BEST POSITION #35
6.0RR SCORE
67
45
Eastward
POLYGON #38
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 63 PTS · BEST POSITION #38
5.7RR SCORE
46
Dorfromantik
POLYGON #40
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 61 PTS · BEST POSITION #40
5.5RR SCORE
88
47
Boyfriend Dungeon
POLYGON #41
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 60 PTS · BEST POSITION #41
5.5RR SCORE
78
48
Persona 5 Strikers
POLYGON #42
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 59 PTS · BEST POSITION #42
5.4RR SCORE
82
49
No More Heroes 3
POLYGON #43
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 58 PTS · BEST POSITION #43
5.3RR SCORE
76
50
Cookie Run: Kingdom
POLYGON #45
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 56 PTS · BEST POSITION #45
5.1RR SCORE
51
Tender: Creature Comforts
POLYGON #46
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 55 PTS · BEST POSITION #46
5.0RR SCORE
52
Back 4 Blood
POLYGON #47
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 54 PTS · BEST POSITION #47
4.9RR SCORE
71
53
Mundaun
POLYGON #48
ON 1 OF 11 LISTS · 53 PTS · BEST POSITION #48
4.8RR SCORE
METHODOLOGY & SOURCES

Points follow position: pts = 101 − rank on each list. The Review Rank Score is a game’s total divided by the number of lists surveyed (11), so missing a list counts as zero — consensus beats a single high placement. Ties break by list appearances, then best single position. Positions were captured to each list’s published depth shown below. Games released outside 2021 that appeared inside longer eligibility windows keep their slot on the source list but are excluded here.

Polygon — top 50 ↗Game Informer — top 10 ↗GamesRadar+ — top 15 ↗TIME — top 10 ↗The A.V. Club — top 15 ↗Slant Magazine — top 15 ↗Digital Trends — top 10 ↗Paste — top 15 ↗Den of Geek — top 20 ↗The Guardian — top 15 ↗Esquire — top 20 ↗
Best of 2021 by Metacritic score →Best of 2025 →Best of 2024 →Best of 2023 →All years →