My Top 10 Favorite Games of All Time

In April, I did a countdown of my Top 5 Favorite Consoles of All Time alongside a few honorable mentions. But alongside that list, I wanted to take a look at what were my “favorite” games of all time. Thing is, there’s a lot of games out there I love. Even with my relatively niche tastes, I can list a number of games that I have greatly enjoyed over the years. Narrowing down that list to just a few favorites requires some thinking on my part. When I think of favorites, I usually have to think of a few questions - Which games had an impact on me in some way, which games did I spend a lot of time playing, which games do I still have a lot of fun replaying even as I’ve grown older and years have past? And as I answer those questions, I come to a decision upon what are my favorites of all time, and now, I’m here to rank my Top 10.

Before I do so, however, I have set a few rules for myself. The main one, one that’s common in these “top favorites” list, is that I can’t add more than one game from a single franchise. There are some game series I really love and as such I have more than one game that come close to my favorites of all time. With this list, I basically have to settle with one favorite for each series. And any other potential favorites for a series will have to be in my honorable mentions.

I’ve also decided to not count video game compilations. Slight spoiler ahead, but I was slightly tempted to put Crash Bandicoot N Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy on the list, but since they count as compilations of remade games, I ultimately decided to leave them out.

That aside, how about I list some honorable mentions that just didn’t quite make the cut for me:

Sonic Mania (2017) - This game, frankly, blew me away when it came out. Growing up, I really loved the classic Sonic games, and this game just felt like a more modernized take on that formula. Playing through the game was quite the nostalgia trip, and even with that aside, Sonic Mania still stands on it’s own with it’s solid level design that really builds upon the formula that was established in the classic games. Honestly, the only reason why this game is only an honorable mention is simply due to the “one game per series” rule - ultimately, there’s just one other Sonic game that I love even more than Mania, meaning that I had to stick Mania as an honorable mention on here. Although I will say that if it weren’t for that rule, Mania would be just behind what I would consider to be my “favorite” Sonic game.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (1995) - Again, this is another case of a game that largely just didn’t make it on my list as a result of the one game per series rule. I probably wouldn’t say it comes as close to being my favorite as Mania does, but I still really love this game and it would’ve probably been around the #7 or #8 spot on this list. This game has always been among my favorites in the Mario franchise as a whole and up there as one of my favorite games of all time. But since it’s still part of the Mario series, it unfortunately has to remain as an honorable mention.

Final Fantasy VII (1997) - On the other hand, this is definitely a case of a game just not quite making it. Final Fantasy VII has always been one of my favorite games - sure, it’s aged a tad, especially graphically, but this has always been a game that I’ve enjoyed playing when I do and I have nothing but respect for the game’s legacy and what it ultimately did for JRPGs when it was first released. It’s hands down one of the original PlayStation’s most definitive games and even now I really enjoy the story and lore behind the game. I’m also fairly interested in the remake, albeit I don’t have a PS4 of my own to play it on and I’m just waiting for a PC or Xbox One release, but for now I guess I’ll stick to the original. It doesn’t quite make it on my list - largely because I’m not a big RPG person and also because I still have yet to actually “beat” the game, but from what I’ve played, it’s great.

Sly 2: Band of Thieves (2004) - Again, this is a game that just didn’t make it onto the list but I feel it’s one worth mentioning. I’ve only recently gotten into the Sly series - I never owned a PlayStation 2 until last year, and I’ve actually only recently finished this game and am intending to start the third game sooner or later. At first I wasn’t liking this game as much as it’s predecessor, but the more I played and got used to it’s structure, I found myself enjoying the gameplay even more and also really getting into the game’s story and the continuation of the series’ lore. And honestly, while I’m still in the process of going through the main series games, I do hope someday we get a fifth game.

Portal 2 (2011) - Hands down, Valve’s best game in my opinion. It is pretty close between this and the original Half-Life for me, but ultimately, Portal 2 takes the foundation set by Portal and expands pretty much everything about it - the game’s levels and puzzles are even more interesting and thought-provoking, and the story of this game really does provide a good continuation of the lore of the first game and where this fits alongside Valve’s other series - mainly Half-Life. It’s not one I’ve personally gone back to a lot, which is why I decided not to include it on this list, but it’s still a great game regardless and one that I would recommend everybody to play

ROBLOX (2006) - This game is kind of one I have a love-hate relationship with. Truth be told, I have somewhat lost interest in this game due to the current state of it as well as recent updates that have taken great features away, but at the same time, I kind of felt like I had to mention it on this list because this was a game that I played a shitton growing up, and still sometimes go back to on occasion as well. And in general, it’s one game that really made an impact on me and allowed me to meet some friends, some of which I’m still talking to to this day. The reason why it’s only an honorable mention despite this is largely due to me just not really considering it one of my “favorite” games of all time any more and mostly losing interest in the game as a whole, but I think with the impact it had on my life, it is at least worth mentioning.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (2019) - And here’s my final honorable mention. I know it’s kind of odd to write a Top 10 list with seven honorable mentions, but I still felt this game was at least worth talking about even if it didn’t quite make it. To be honest, this was probably the closest out of these to making it onto my Top 10 list, but ultimately I kind of just settled on a few other games that I simply just liked more. But Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair was just a blast to play. Definitely one of the most challenging games I’ve played, and one full of great levels, good 2D control, and the whole mechanic of “changing” the themes of the levels and gaining new abilities was definitely an interesting idea.

But with those aside, let’s get into my actual Top 10 Favorite games.

10. Spyro the Dragon (1998)

Like I said, I was really tempted to put Spyro: Reignited Trilogy on this list, but I decided to settle for just one Spyro game out of the bunch. Truth be told, I haven’t played the full trilogy yet - I still need to play through 3, but between 1 and 2… while 2 definitely has more variety and better boss fights, ultimately I felt 1 was overall the game I enjoyed more. Not that Spyro 2 was bad, far from it, but Spyro 1 felt like a more “focused” game to me and in general I kind of felt like it’s levels were more fun - just on the basis of going through them and collecting as many gems as possible in order to reach the end. This game felt a lot more open-ended to me than it’s sequel, and just exploring the different levels and worlds was just so much fun to me. It was a game I remember my brother having for the PlayStation early on, and so maybe that does help my opinion a bit, plus the fact that I easily played 1 more since it was the only game I owned for a little while, but I think at the end of the day, I just really loved what Spyro the Dragon was going for. It was definitely going for the more collect-a-thon based formula of the platforming genre, but at the same time felt more fast-paced and more satisfying than a lot of others at the time. Sometimes getting certain gems required a lot of thought and skill. Sure, some of the gems and dragons were a bit tedious to get, but in general, I kind of found Spyro 1 a lot of fun on the basis of just exploring for gems in each level and trying to get to areas that rewarded you with more collectibles even if they weren’t quite on the main “path.” Spyro 2 is a good game, in some ways better than it’s predecessor, but ultimately, Spyro 1 was the one I enjoyed playing at least a bit more.

9. Terraria (2011)

I’m not gonna lie, despite technically being part of the generation growing up with the game, I was never really into Minecraft. I mean, I was easily more of a ROBLOX kid. I never even really owned Minecraft until 2018, but even after playing the game, I gotta say, while Minecraft isn’t a bad game, in fact I do enjoy it some myself… between the two I’ve always been more interested in Terraria. I did get and play this game long before I bought Minecraft, since I bought as part of the 2015 Summer Sale, but I invested a lot of time in this game and it actually became the first game in my Steam library that I played for more than 100 hours. And to be honest, I still really find myself enjoying it, especially with friends. Terraria just has a ton of content, the game’s worlds are generally fun to explore and the focus on combat with its numerous bosses and all different types of weapons just make the game altogether even more interesting and fun to go back to. It’s a game that requires a lot of thinking and replayability, one that requires you to stay focused, and it’s an interesting game that kind of feels like a blend of the 2D platformer genre as well as Minecraft’s sandbox survival formula. It’s a game full of depth and replayability, and is even better with friends.

8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)

My first experience with the Animal Crossing series was with New Leaf. I bought the game for my 3DS in 2016 and for a while I was going back to it pretty much every day. I didn’t really expect to get into it, from far away it kind of seemed like a casual game that I would probably get sick of after a few days. But again, I played it quite a bit. I did somewhat stop after a few months - obviously it’s kind of hard to play the same game every day for a long period of time and not get bored of it after a while, but the time I spent with New Leaf was just great. And this year, Nintendo released the next game in the series - New Horizons, which just managed to bring back the fun I had playing New Leaf while improving upon it in every way. The “island” setting on it’s own is definitely unique, and while this game could use some quality of life improvements, at the same time it’s just a fun game to go back to. I’m not gonna lie, my first month of owning the game I pretty much went back to it every day, and while that has slowed down, I still find myself wanting to go back to the game on occasion - maybe to just check on my villagers and see what’s going on in my little island. The game always seems to have new events and stuff going on - especially with villagers coming and going from your island, and it gives me a lot of incentive to still want to go back to the game just to check everything out. I also think this game came out at a good time - when COVID-19 has been taken over the world and has forced people to stay at home, it’s nice to have that sense of community with the game’s villagers plus the fact that you can go to your friend’s islands and they can come to your’s. I mentioned in my Top 5 consoles list that this was my favorite Switch game (at least not counting a few multiplatform titles) and frankly, that still stands. It’s a fun game that I can just pick up and play at any time and just continue to find things to do. Like I said in my Top 5 consoles list, it’s the kind of game where I can play with the intention of doing one thing, only to spend the next few hours playing and finding other things to do.

7. Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998)

To be honest, when it comes to the Crash Bandicoot games, the first game is probably what I return to most, but at the same time, I consider Warped to be overall a better game and arguably the best in the Crash Bandicoot series. The whole time travel theme this game has is an interesting one and having levels from around the world make them more interesting to me as far as theme goes, and I also think the game does a good job of keeping those level themes consistent throughout each level - with stuff like riding Pura through over the Great Wall of China and the enemies that are seen in the Arabian and Egyptian levels, some levels even just taking place in a more futuristic setting. But even with that aside, I definitely think this game is a step above it’s predecessors in terms of level design. Already I would definitely say that the level themes make this game stand out, but the actual levels themselves are just fun to go back to with a good balance of difficulty. One thing I really enjoy about the Crash Bandicoot games is going back through each level and completing them by smashing all the boxes and picking up a gem, or in Crash 2’s case different kinds of tasks that lead you to a gem. Warped not only carries over that, but it also adds the “Relic” missions, requiring you to beat a level as fast as possible, and I do have fun with going back to this game’s levels and trying to beat them in order to earn a relic. Plus, for a PS1 game, I gotta say this game is visually gorgeous. The models of the characters look great, better than they ever have on the original PlayStation, and the environments - especially with all the things I talked about in terms of theme - look really good. And that is made even better with this game being remade in the N. Sane Trilogy. And as far as platformers of the “early 3D” era go, this has to be my favorite of the bunch.

6. Freedom Planet (2014)

The period between 2014 and 2015 wasn’t exactly the greatest time to be a Sonic fan. Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric had released and turned out to be a buggy, broken mess, and with that it brought back all the negativity towards the series from after Sonic 06’s release, with some claiming that the series was never actually good to begin with. But I think one thing that made that time period a little better was a certain indie throwback to the classic games with Freedom Planet. A game that saw heavy inspiration from the classic Sonic games with a lot of it’s own twist. My first time playing Freedom Planet was a lot of fun, and since then, I’ve continued to go back to the game. I originally bought the game on PC, but later bought it for Wii U and then the Nintendo Switch. And honestly, this is definitely a game I still enjoy going back to. It has a lot of that fast-paced fun and replay value that the classic Sonic games have, but in a lot of ways, it’s also doing it’s own thing - with stuff like a combat system and characters that each have their own unique abilities. It is safe to say that the game has it’s influence from Sonic, but at the same time, it also has a lot of it’s own identity and I can tell that there was a lot of passion put into this game. The storytelling definitely feels like a step above other indie games due to the game’s full voice acting, and the level design of this game is pretty damn good - having a lot of replayability with potential for exploration and a fast-pace with a lot going on, on top of having a lot of enemies to fight. It can be a fairly challenging game, and it’s definitely a lot of fun, one that really keeps my attention going whenever I play it. I don’t know what else to say about this - it’s just a fun game with a lot of action and fast pace with great level design and a lot of replayability. I have a certain friend who’s put a ton of hours into replaying this title so just ask her about it.

5. Sonic Generations (2011)

As much as I love Sonic Mania, I still feel that I have a slight preference towards the series’ 20th anniversary game, Sonic Generations. Generations in a lot of ways helped me re-discover my love for the franchise. I hadn’t actually played this game until a few years after it came out, and I didn’t actually beat it until 2016 because my computer was crappy. But man, my first time playing through the game was just a good time all around, and to this day it’s easily the Sonic game I go back to most. My original favorite of the series was Sonic 2, but I think with how unique of an experience Generations was - building on top of the “boost” gameplay introduced in Unleashed HD and Colors Wii alongside a new take on the classic gameplay - it felt like a new experience entirely while still building on top of the foundation that older games had done. And even with how Generations provides a brief history of the series aside, the level design has to be some of the best in any Sonic game. It is admittedly a bit sparse on content - I really wish this game had more than 18 core stages (9 classic and 9 modern), but with how much I’ve gone back to this game to replay it’s individual levels and try to beat my previous time, the levels that were there offered me a lot to go back and replay. Frankly, as someone who started out being a pretty hardcore “classicist” fan, this game helped really open up my mind towards the modern 3D Sonic games, and with the fun I get from still replaying it even today - with trying to run through the stages and beat my best time - it’s definitely what I would consider among my favorite games of all time. Both modern and classic Sonic are really fun to play - I still get a kick out of modern Sonic’s wider default moveset compared to previous games and classic Sonic, while he doesn’t control as well as the classic games or as in Mania, is still fun to play as especially with the game’s level design. And a Sonic game that builds off this one in terms of level design and moveset with more stages and maybe a more interesting story would just be even better.

4. Super Mario World (1991)

And to follow my top pick for a Sonic game, here’s my top pick for a Mario game. Super Mario World was one of the first games I really ever fell in love with. I remember at a young age that my grandfather had a Super Nintendo and a copy of the game, and at the time I was enthralled by the game’s colorful graphics and music. Eventually, I decided to buy a copy of the GBA version and… to be honest, it kind of changed my view of video games as a whole. For the longest time this was my favorite game, and as you can tell, it’s still definitely up there. This was probably the first game I remember not only beating on my own, but going as far as to “complete” it. Granted, the GBA version also had the 5 Yoshi coin completion bonus which I never actually did, but as far as discovering all the secret exits and finding the hidden bonus levels go I basically played the game and continued to replay levels in order to do so. I didn’t really buy a lot of games at the time, my family was somewhat poor plus the only consoles I really had at the time were my Game Boy Advance and my brother’s Xbox 360 - the latter I didn’t really play much and the former I was playing in an era when the console was discontinued and stores had basically cleared out all their games, so Super Mario World was definitely one of the few games I really had to play, so it was a game I wanted to go back to on a consistent basis and that’s what ultimately led to me deciding to complete the game. And honestly, to this day, it’s still a game I really love to go back to on a regular basis. Over the years I’ve developed a lot of respect for its approach to level design and structure. I generally love games that have replayable levels with other exits and whatnot that lead to other places, and Super Mario World has a lot of that. The entire “world” of the game with it’s different levels feels integrated in a way due to the different paths you can take depending on which exit you go through, and in some cases different exits lead to extra levels that you can play, and as a kid I really loved finding secret exits that led to other levels. In general, Super Mario World just has a lot of replay value to me, more so than any other 2D Mario game and I really wish that later 2D Mario games built off it’s approach to structure with it’s single, more integrated world and different exits and paths you can take. New Super Mario Bros. U kind of did that in some ways, but not quite as well, and ultimately it’s one thing that to this day makes Super Mario World so great to me. And, well, it’s just a fun game for me to go back to regardless due to it’s level design and control, arguably the best in any 2D Mario game.

3. Night in the Woods (2017)

Y’know, over the past few years, I’ve grown somewhat of an interest in more narrative-driven games - games that don’t necessarily emphasize gameplay or anything, but have interesting stories that go on as the game progresses. And I feel Night in the Woods really helped me open up my mind towards those kinds of games. In terms of gameplay, I wouldn’t consider Night in the Woods particularly interesting, but considering it’s built around it’s narrative, setting and characters, I think it does a fantastic job on all of those accounts. I think with the setting of the game being largely based on the US “rust belt” region, it made the game feel a bit more “real” to me, especially as someone who spent a lot of my younger years in that sort of area and remembers what it’s like there. And the characters felt really well-written and relatable in some way. I was kind of drawn to this game because of, well, furries (plus the game’s art style), and I pretty much immediately grew to love all the characters, with Mae and Bea especially being my favorites for just how relatable they were to me personally. And I guess I could say I really loved just the overall atmosphere about this game. The story as a whole was interesting to me. When playing this game for the first time, I definitely wanted to keep going and see what happened next, and after playing the game for the first time… it sort of left an impression on me. I still felt like I wanted to know more about the characters and what else the game had to offer, and it didn’t take me long before I decided to replay it in order to see what aspects of the game I missed and if there were other endings and directions for the story to go in - which the game does based off who you choose to hang out with for most of it’s gameplay time. The city of Possum Springs was also pretty fun to explore. There were secrets here and there that I didn’t notice on my first playthrough that told a lot about the history of the city as well as the characters, and just interacting with everything would always feel like there was something new that I didn’t quite notice on my first try. I always feel a sort of emotional attachment to the game whenever I play it due to the setting and characters, as well as just the events of the story as it plays out. It makes Night in the Woods generally a game I just really love, and one I still enjoy going back to just to experience the story all over again and in some cases explore around to see if there’s anything I missed. Plus the game’s art style, visuals and soundtrack just manage to enhance the overall experience to me.

2. Overwatch (2016)

I know some people may not like this choice - while the game has still remained popular, there has been dissatisfaction expressed towards this game’s current state plus, I mean, there’ll always be those people who hate games simply because they’re popular, but while I respect and understand the opinions of those who feel that way… Overwatch still remains a game I love and enjoy and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t still one of my favorite games of all time. There’s still just so much I enjoy about this game - the fast-paced action, all of the different characters each with their own unique abilities and personality, the lore of the game (although I wish there was more of it at this point), and the overall fun team-based gameplay that this game offers. I kind of got into this game at a good time - truth be told, this game first came out when I was getting into PC gaming. I didn’t get it at launch, nor did I really know much about it at first, but I did first play it during it’s first free weekend - at a time where I was feeling somewhat depressed, my anxiety was getting worse and I was starting to feel somewhat burned out on video games as a whole. But Overwatch, well, it was something that I had a lot of fun with and something that occupied my time when I was at one of my lowest points. 

I’ll also say that I don’t play this game competitively - I pretty much always play either Quick Play, one of the arcade modes or the somewhat recent addition of custom Workshop games, but I will die on the hill of regardless of how this game is as a competitive title, casually it is still probably the most fun I’ve ever had with a multiplayer shooter. I guess I just like working with others towards a common goal, putting all our abilities together to achieve a victory, making moves on the spot and timing abilities well, which Overwatch is pretty much built around, but combines with fast-paced, FPS gameplay that makes this one game I really love going back to. And honestly I feel like the development team has done a good job of continuing support for this game and adding new content like new characters, new features and focusing on balancing and the meta, and I’m definitely excited for Overwatch 2, due to not only the offer of a PvE mode as an expansion but just all the updates it’s going to bring to the core game. Years later, I still continue to go back to Overwatch, which is something I can’t really say about other FPS games or even a lot of other online games in general that I’ve played in the past. And there’s a reason for that, I still really love the characters, visuals and the overall core gameplay that this game offers and it’s own take on multiplayer FPS games, especially during a time when other FPS games began to feel same-y in some way or another. So yeah, Overwatch is great, and I don’t really care what anyone else says.

But that leads me to my number one choice. My favorite game of all time, the best of the best. And that game is…

1. Superman 64 (1999)

...just kidding!

1. Undertale (2015)

I was introduced to Undertale not long after it was first released. When it was basically at the “peak” of it’s popularity and everyone was talking about it with awards being given to the game left and right - including this game’s victory in the 2015 GameFAQs poll. And after playing for the first time and achieving both the Neutral and Pacifist endings, I considered this to be my favorite game of all time. And honestly, the only reason why I stopped saying it was my favorite after 2016 was largely due to the hype backlash this game was getting. And after buying it again on the Nintendo Switch and playing it that way, years after all the hype backlash had settled down, I was reminded of how much I loved this game and how much it made a personal impact on me. I’ve honestly wanted to write another complete review, since I kind of felt like my original review in 2015 and my first re-review in 2017 really just didn’t give the game enough justice, and I’ll probably get around to doing that at some point, but with my first time playing Undertale it was definitely one of the most unique game experiences I had played. The whole morality system the game is built around to achieve different endings - including a bunch of different takes on the neutral ending in addition to the Pacifist and Genocide runs - was definitely nothing like anything I had played before and felt like a completely different perspective on these kinds of game entirely. And sure, it’s not necessarily the first game to do this, but I think with how well it’s integrated with the light RPG gameplay alongside it’s memorable characters and approach to storytelling makes this game particularly stand out among others. And the fact that each main character has their own little “arc” as you play makes each of them feel unique and stand out in one way or another, and honestly after playing this game for the first time, it definitely really influenced my own personal writing style and… honestly my perspective on life as a whole. Plus the game definitely has replay value with it’s different endings, and even if that wasn’t the case, I can still enjoy going back to this game just to experience it’s story and characters again on top of the fun boss battles combined with bullet-hell based gameplay and puzzle solving here and there.

So, when it comes to the questions I always ask myself when it comes to my favorite games of all time, this game pretty much checks every box. It’s a game that I enjoy replaying, even almost half a decade after it’s release - I mean combining my time spent with both the PC and Switch versions of the game I have around 75 hours logged into the game, which is quite a bit considering this game on it’s own is only about 5 hours long or so. But it also had quite an impact on me personally, and I still feel like this game gave me some level of creative inspiration that I feel even now. It’s not necessarily the game I’ve put the most time into or anything, but when it comes to considering my favorite games of all time, Undertale is definitely what I would consider as my top favorite.

Also Alphys is the best character and I'm willing to write an entire essay both defending her and explaining why she’s the best.

But yeah, those are my top 10 games. Please remember that this is just my own personal opinion based on my experiences with video games and if you disagree, feel free to tell your favorite games of all time as long as you’re not going on about how I forgot to put your favorite game on this list or that my favorite games are shitty or that Superman 64 should’ve actually been #1. Or I guess if you do want to be an asshole then go right ahead, I can’t stop you - I’m just a writer and not a cop (all cops are bad anyway) and I don’t really blame you for thinking Superman 64 should’ve been my actual number 1.