The Highest-Rated Video Games of All Time

Today, video games and the video game industry are more popular than ever. Dating back to the early days of gaming in the 1970s and 1980s, there have been a lot of classic titles, but none of them have received the high ratings that the video games of today do. In fact, of the 50 best-rated video games of all time, the oldest console to have a game featured on the list is the Nintendo 64.

The VR Space team used data from Metacritic to see which video games in history have the highest ratings ever.

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What Are the Highest-Rated Video Games Ever?

According to data from Metacritic, these are the 10 best-reviewed video games of all time, along with their scores and the video game consoles that they were released for. Of the ten best-reviewed video games ever, 40% are video games from the popular Grand Theft Auto series.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time(Nintendo 64): 99
2. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2(PlayStation): 98
3. Grand Theft Auto IV(PlayStation 3): 98
4. SoulCalibur(Sega Dreamcast): 98
5. Grand Theft Auto IV(Xbox 360): 98
6. Super Mario Galaxy(Nintendo Wii): 97
7. Super Mario Galaxy 2(Nintendo Wii): 97
8. Red Dead Redemption 2(Xbox One): 97
9. Grand Theft Auto V(Xbox One): 97
10. Grand Theft Auto V(PlayStation 3): 97

What Is the Best-Rated Video Game Ever?

The best-rated video game ever is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Released for the Nintendo 64 on Nov. 23, 1998, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the only video game ever to receive a Metascore of at least 99. The Legend of Zelda is one of the most storied franchises in all of gaming, and this Nintendo 64 classic became the fourth-best-selling game ever for the console, with an estimated 7.6 million copies sold.

Another popular game review site, IGN, made it one of only 32 video games ever to receive a score of a perfect 10, part of an elite group of games that includes classics such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Grand Theft Auto V, and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Which Video Game Console Has the Best Games?

Based on Metacritic’s top 50 best-rated video games ever, PCs actually have the best games: PC games appeared on this list the most, grabbing eight entries, despite not having a single title appear in the top ten. If we narrow it down to the top ten games, though, it’s a three-way tie for the best console: The Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox One all have two entries.

The top 50 highest-ranked video games ever include titles on 15 different gaming platforms. Here are the 15 consoles featured in this data from Metacritic, along with what their best-ranked video game titles are.

• Nintendo 64: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time(Metascore: 99)
• Nintendo GameCube: Metroid Prime(Metascore: 97)
• Nintendo Switch: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild(Metascore: 97)
• Nintendo Wii: Super Mario Galaxy(Metascore: 97)
• Nintendo Wii U: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild(Metascore: 96)
• PC: Disco Elysium: The Final Cut(Metascore: 97)
• PlayStation: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2(Metascore: 98)
• PlayStation 2: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3(Metascore: 97)
• PlayStation 3: Grand Theft Auto IV(Metascore: 98)
• PlayStation 4: Red Dead Redemption 2(Metascore: 97)
• PlayStation 5: Elden Ring(Metascore: 97)
• Sega Dreamcast: SoulCalibur(Metascore: 98)
• Xbox: Halo: Combat Evolved(Metascore: 97)
• Xbox 360: Grand Theft Auto IV(Metascore: 98)
• Xbox One: Red Dead Redemption 2(Metascore: 97)

The Top 50 Highest-Reviewed Games of All Time

Rank	Title	Platform	Release Date	Metacritic Score
1	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time	Nintendo 64	November 23, 1998	99
2	Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2	PlayStation	September 20, 2000	98
3	Grand Theft Auto IV	PlayStation 3	April 29, 2008	98
4	SoulCalibur	Sega Dreamcast	September 8, 1999	98
5	Grand Theft Auto IV	Xbox 360	April 29, 2008	98
6	Super Mario Galaxy	Nintendo Wii	November 12, 2007	97
7	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Nintendo Wii	May 23, 2010	97
8	Red Dead Redemption 2	Xbox One	October 26, 2018	97
9	Grand Theft Auto V	Xbox One	November 18, 2014	97
10	Grand Theft Auto V	PlayStation 3	September 17, 2013	97
11	Disco Elysium: The Final Cut	PC	March 30, 2021	97
12	Elden Ring	PlayStation 5	February 25, 2022	97
13	Grand Theft Auto V	Xbox 360	September 17, 2013	97
14	Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2	Sega Dreamcast	November 6, 2000	97
15	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	Nintendo Switch	March 3, 2017	97
16	Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3	PlayStation 2	October 28, 2001	97
17	Perfect Dark	Nintendo 64	May 22, 2000	97
18	Red Dead Redemption 2	PlayStation 4	October 26, 2018	97
19	Grand Theft Auto V	PlayStation 4	November 18, 2014	97
20	Metroid Prime	Nintendo GameCube	November 17, 2002	97
21	Grand Theft Auto III	PlayStation 2	October 22, 2001	97
22	Super Mario Odyssey	Nintendo Switch	October 27, 2017	97
23	Halo: Combat Evolved	Xbox	November 14, 2001	97
24	NFL 2K1	Sega Dreamcast	September 7, 2000	97
25	Half-Life 2	PC	November 16, 2004	96
26	Grand Theft Auto V	PC	April 13, 2015	96
27	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	Nintendo Wii U	March 3, 2017	96
28	BioShock	Xbox 360	August 21, 2007	96
29	GoldenEye 007	Nintendo 64	August 25, 1997	96
30	Uncharted 2: Among Thieves	PlayStation 3	October 13, 2009	96
31	Resident Evil 4	Nintendo GameCube	January 11, 2005	96
32	The Orange Box	Xbox 360	October 10, 2007	96
33	The Orange Box	PC	October 10, 2007	96
34	Batman: Arkham City	PlayStation 3	October 18, 2011	96
35	Tekken 3	PlayStation	April 29, 1998	96
36	Mass Effect 2	Xbox 360	January 26, 2010	96
37	The House in Fata Morgana – Dreams of Revenants Edition	Nintendo Switch	April 9, 2021	96
38	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess	Nintendo GameCube	December 11, 2006	96
39	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	Xbox 360	November 11, 2011	96
40	Half-Life	PC	November 19, 1998	96
41	Resident Evil 4	PlayStation 2	October 25, 2005	96
42	The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker	Nintendo GameCube	March 24, 2003	96
43	Gran Turismo	PlayStation	April 30, 1998	96
44	BioShock	PC	August 21, 2007	96
45	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	PlayStation 2	November 12, 2001	96
46	Grand Theft Auto Double Pack	Xbox	October 31, 2003	96
47	Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn	PC	September 24, 2000	95
48	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	PlayStation 2	October 26, 2004	95
49	Elden Ring	PC	February 25, 2022	85
50	Grand Theft Auto: Vice City	PlayStation 2	October 27, 2002	95

The Top 50 Highest-Reviewed Games Broken Down by Console

Console	Games in the Top 50
PC	8
PlayStation 2	6
Xbox 360	6
Nintendo GameCube	4
PlayStation 3	4
Nintendo 64	3
Nintendo Switch	3
PlayStation	3
Sega Dreamcast	3
Nintendo Wii	2
PlayStation 4	2
Xbox	2
Xbox One	2
Nintendo Wii U	1
PlayStation 5	1

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