Battle for Wesnoth strategy gameplay map, a screenshot from an open-source game

The Top 100 Video Games of All Time

A ranked list of influential games, with notes on their design and historical importance.

Top 100 Ranking →
Interton VC 4000 second-generation video game console and controller

Best Video Games by Decade

Key games and design shifts, from 1970s arcades to today's online worlds.

Games by Decade →
Atari Pong arcade cabinet, an example of early video game history

Games That Changed the Industry

Fifteen games that changed how developers approached movement, multiplayer, open worlds, and stories.

Industry Milestones →
GoldStar 3DO console and controller, representing a milestone in gaming hardware

Gaming Platforms & Hardware

How PC and console hardware changed the way games look, sound, and play.

Platform History & Hardware →

Latest News

  • World Video Game Hall of Fame exhibit at The Strong National Museum of Play.
    Best of All Time

    Top 100 Video Games of All Time

    Games matter for different reasons: a clear rule, a memorable world, a new way to tell a story, or an idea that other developers build on. This...

  • Atari-era video game consoles illustrating the early home gaming decades.
    Best of All Time

    Video Games by Decade: 1970s to 2020s

    A decade-by-decade guide shows how games changed with their machines, audiences, and social habits. It also explains why a decade’s best title is...

  • SuperTuxKart racing gameplay from a freely licensed game series.
    Best of All Time

    Cult Game Series: How They Evolve

    A game series lasts when a recognizable promise survives change. Its identity may live in a movement system, a world, a party, a ritual of play,...

  • 0 A.D. real-time strategy gameplay from a freely licensed game.
    Genres

    Strategy and Simulation Games

    Strategy games ask how to allocate limited resources across decisions. Simulation games model a system and let the player observe or shape it....

Latest Posts

Guides

9 guides

Game Topics

Gaming PC setup representing video games across platforms Best of All Time

Best Games of All Time

Rankings and histories of influential games, with notes on their design and place in video game history.
Xonotic first-person shooter gameplay screenshot Genres

Games by Genre

Guides to RPGs, shooters, strategy and simulation games, adventure, and horror.
Hyperkin RetroN 5 console, a multi-system gaming platform Platforms

Gaming Platforms

Articles on PC gaming, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo hardware and game libraries.
Battle for Wesnoth tactical fantasy gameplay, a free-game example Legendary Series

Legendary Game Series

Histories of Grand Theft Auto, Zelda, Final Fantasy, and The Elder Scrolls, including how each series has changed.
Mobile arcade cabinet, illustrating the arcade era of video games Retro Gaming

Retro Gaming

Guides to arcade games, 8-bit and 16-bit systems, classic PC games, and retro consoles.
Gaming room with two monitors, keyboard, and mouse About the Site

About the Site

Articles cover game design, history, genres, platforms, and preservation.

Featured Games

JsTetris gameplay screenshot from a free implementation. Arcade / Handheld
Screenshot from JsTetris, a free Tetris implementation.

Tetris turns a few shapes into a puzzle about space, timing, and the next move.

Minetest first-person exploration screenshot; an illustrative 3D-world example, not Super Mario 64 footage. Nintendo 64
Illustrative gameplay from Minetest, not Super Mario 64 footage.

Helped set expectations for 3D movement, camera control, and platforming.

Freedoom gameplay from a free Doom-compatible project. PC Architecture
Illustrative gameplay from Freedoom, a free Doom-compatible project.

Doom

1993

Fast movement, networked deathmatches, open maps, and mod tools influenced later PC shooters.

Ryzom open-world fantasy gameplay; an illustrative genre example, not Breath of the Wild footage. Nintendo Switch
Illustrative open-world gameplay from Ryzom, not Breath of the Wild footage.

Players combine objects, fire, wind, and physics to solve problems across an open map.

AssaultCube first-person gameplay; an illustrative shooter example, not Half-Life footage. PC Architecture
Illustrative gameplay from AssaultCube, not Half-Life footage.

Half-Life tells its story during play, keeping the player in Gordon Freeman's viewpoint through scenes other games might cut away from.

Battle for Wesnoth fantasy combat; an illustrative genre example, not Dark Souls footage. Multiplatform
Illustrative fantasy combat from Battle for Wesnoth, not Dark Souls footage.

Careful combat, an interconnected map, and messages from other players shaped later action RPGs.

Hardware Platforms & Eras

How We Rank Games

Sales charts show how many copies a game sold. This ranking also considers its design, influence on later games, and how well it holds up today.
For remakes such as Resident Evil or Shadow of the Colossus, we look at how the new version handles the original's tension, camera, and pacing, and whether added conveniences change those qualities.
A short arcade game can be as well designed as a large open-world title. Pac-Man and Street Fighter II keep their rules focused; a much larger game has to sustain interest for longer. Size alone does not determine quality.
North American consoles are only part of video game history. Different regions had their own video standards, translations, and popular home computers, including the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and MSX.

How We Cover Games

We cover game design and history without publisher sponsorships, restricted preview copies, or paid placements.