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The last 10 years have seen a ton of amazing entries come out in the gaming world. From horror to shooters, every genre has had loads of incredible games come out from both indie and AAA developers. Some are exclusive to one platform, while others have attracted a wider audience by expanding to numerous platforms, but all have made gaming history as some of the greatest ever made.
It’s honestly kind of hard to keep track of them all. While one could easily assemble a list of hundreds of video games that have come out since 2016 that can all be considered masterpieces, alas, there can only be ten. These are the most entertaining and most perfect video game masterpieces released over the last decade. They’re all beloved pieces of gaming history, and yet this list is only scratching the surface of how many there truly are.
10
‘Battlefield 1’ (2016)
It’s not very often that a first-person shooter franchise really knocks it out of the park, but DICE struck gold when they released Battlefield 1. This FPS, contrary to many other entries in the genre, is set during the First World War. The campaign lets players step into the shoes of five different protagonists in five distinct areas of war. Players can fly high or drive a tank across the Western Front, scale the slopes of Monte Grappa, storm the beaches of Gallipoli, and ride with Lawrence of Arabia.
Of course, that isn’t the only thing the game has to offer. It also features the franchise’s iconic multiplayer mode, which includes massive battles of 64 players. You aren’t strictly relegated to infantry roles, either. You can assume command of boats, ground vehicles, and planes, as well as use several historically accurate pieces of heavy artillery and machine guns. Better yet, the environments are fully destructible, adding to the immersion. This game really shows how hellish World War I was, yet it’s also strangely beautiful sometimes. Battlefield 1 is something that every first-person shooter should aspire to be.
9
‘Hollow Knight’ (2018)
Hollow Knight was a game that took everybody by surprise. At the time, there wasn’t a lot of hope for it — it just seemed like another 2D side-scrolling adventure. However, when it came out, it completely blew all other games out of the water. In this role-playing Metroidvania, you play as a Hollow, a faceless insectoid creature exploring the broken world of Hallownest. Everything is shrouded in darkness, and pretty much every life form is reminiscent of some sort of insect.
This game stands out in its unparalleled atmosphere and unique vibe. It’s not easy to compare to other games because there’s just nothing else out there like it. Moreover, exploration was fun and rewarding, the boss fights are insanely creative, and there’s no shortage of things to do. While Hollow Knight is a hard game, as many Metroidvanias are, it’s still a necessary and exceptional experience for any video game fan.
8
‘Dead Space’ (2023)
The 2023 remake of Dead Space is honestly more of a remaster. While it is technically a ground-up remake, it doesn’t change much of anything about the gameplay or the level design. Regardless, it was great to revisit this horror masterpiece in a whole new way. This legendary piece of survival horror is about Isaac Clarke, a space miner who docks with a space station orbiting an alien planet, only to find that a parasitic life form has wiped out the entire mining crew.
Using a variety of unique weapons at your disposal, Isaac must navigate the mining station, determine the source of the outbreak, and rescue his girlfriend, who is also somewhere aboard. Thrown in with the long corridors are open, zero-gravity environments, where players can literally bounce off the walls or walk on the ceiling, both to give them an edge during combat and to open up new routes. Clarke is also equipped with a stasis device, allowing him to freeze aliens and move objects around like he has telekinesis. Mechanically, the original version of Dead Space was revolutionary, and the remake only improved that reputation.
7
‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ (2017)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the first new entry in the long-running RPG series to come out on Nintendo Switch, which meant the company really had to step it up. The result is this game, which isn’t the best in the franchise, but it is certainly up there. The games have always been pretty open-ended and encouraged exploration, but this one really turned the land of Hyrule into a sandbox where players can do as they please.
The map is much larger than anything the franchise previously attempted, and there are tons of side activities to tackle. The game allows players to go at their own pace as they take Link on a journey to once again save the kingdom from the evil god Ganon. There are so many fresh and niche mechanics that got added into the game that it’s hard to find any other series with a similar vibe. Already a modern classic, Breath of the Wild will likely be remembered alongside franchise greats like Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.
6
‘God of War’ (2018)
2018’s God of War is a soft reboot of the beloved PlayStation exclusive franchise. Essentially, it takes place in the same continuity, but the gameplay and visual style have been completely overhauled. The originals were large, gore-filled hack-and-slash games, while the newer entries are more akin to RPGs, with combat occurring on a more intimate scale. Furthermore, the original games were about Greek mythology, whereas this one is about Norse mythology.
The plot is simple: Kratos’ wife has died, and he and his son Atreus begin travelling across Scandinavia to bring her ashes to the frost giant realm of Jötunheim. The games used to feature a more linear structure, but this God of War is more open-world, with side quests and everything. Despite how new it feels, it’s also familiar enough to not alienate long-term fans of the franchise. This new foray into the IP proved to be a massive success, attracting millions of new fans and loads of positive reviews and awards, including Game of the Year at the 2018 Game Awards.
5
‘Ghost of Tsushima’ (2020)
Ghost of Tsushima is a historical RPG without a hint of fantasy in it. Typically, RPGs favor more outlandish sci-fi or fantasy concepts, but this game remains firmly grounded in reality. This PlayStation exclusive stars Jin Sakai, a Japanese samurai who is caught in the middle of the Mongol Invasions of Japan in the 12th Century. Set on the northern outlying island of Tsushima, Jin must wage war on the Mongols by abandoning the samurai code and using stealth and guerrilla warfare to his advantage.
The map in this game is absolutely huge, consisting of the entirety of Tsushima. While Tsushima is actually a small island compared to the mainland of Japan, the map shows just how big it actually is. The combat in this game is responsive and tight, and there are numerous interesting side quests to track. However, one of the most interesting things to do is grab collectibles, which involves writing haikus, bathing in hot springs, and praying at shrines, making collecting them feel much more immersive. Ghost of Tsushima is bound to go down in history as a timeless classic.
4
‘Elden Ring’ (2022)
Elden Ring is one of the newest installments in the Soulsborne saga, headed by FromSoftware. These RPGs are notorious for their unforgiving difficulty, as well as their very specific style of gameplay. Elden Ring is a new IP in their already-impressive repertoire, a collaborative project between FromSoftware and renowned fantasy author George R. R. Martin, who developed the universe and storyline.
While previous Soulsborne games were fairly open and encouraged exploration, the scale of Elden Ring is much larger and more ambitious, making for a truly open-world experience. There are literally hundreds of boss encounters in the game, many of them more punishing than ever before. The game boasts a wide variety of environments, a fascinating world, and a surprising amount of freedom to play how you want. Elden Ring never gets boring, not even for a second, cementing itself as a masterpiece of modern gaming.
3
‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ (2018)
Red Dead Redemption 2 comes from Rockstar Games, the same masterminds behind the Grand Theft Auto series. Rather than a satirical jab at modern American culture, this game is a more serious foray into the Old American West. The vast open world features a variety of environments, and players are free to do as they please. You can hunt animals, take down wanted outlaws, or do one of the many, many side quests scattered across the world.
One of the main reasons why Red Dead Redemption 2 succeeded is because cowboys are popular, for one, but also because the game’s mechanics are brilliant. It’s not like Rockstar has ever skimped out on anything, which is why their games often take a long time to come out. Despite the long wait, this remarkably immersive and satisfying game was a marked improvement over every aspect of its predecessors, and that’s really saying something.
2
‘Baldur’s Gate III’ (2023)
Baldur’s Gate III is the first entry the franchise has seen in well over 20 years, and it’s a fantastic return to form if there ever was one. The series is based on the popular tabletop RPG Dungeons & Dragons, and the combat and party management system reflects that. Basically, it’s a way to play a pre-determined D&D campaign without needing to meet up with a group of friends. Combat is largely based on tactics rather than open combat, but it’s still pretty fun.
It is one of those RPGs that is extremely saturated with content. There’s no shortage of quests to fulfill, monsters to slay, or villains to bring down, and it can keep players invested for hundreds, if not thousands of hours. Each playthrough is totally different, too, as the game features a distinct butterfly effect mechanic, with certain choices leading to varying outcomes that inevitably affect the end of your story. Baldur’s Gate III is one of those RPGs that players will never get bored of and will probably feel just as fun in 10 or 20 years.
1
‘Hitman: World of Assassination’ (2021)
Hitman III came out in 2021 to a very positive reception. Later, it was repackaged and rebranded to feature the previous two entries in the trilogy, combining all three games into Hitman: World of Assassination. Like all the games in the series, this one stars Agent 47, a genetically-engineered clone who has been bred to kill. Working for the ICA, he undertakes a series of daring contracts to assassinate high-value targets at major events. This stealth game basically gives you an objective and not much else. You are completely free to kill each target however you see fit, utilizing disguises or the environment as your weapons. There are literally dozens of possible approaches for each mission.
The wide-open maps take Agent 47 around the world to places like Dubai, Morocco, Thailand, the US, China, and even the Maldives. The game also boasts alternate modes, like the rogue-like Freelancer, the Sniper Assassin, or the Elusive Target, which often features celebrities such as Bruce Lee, Eminem, Sean Bean, and Snoop Dogg. This is a game that’s easy to dump thousands of hours into and never run out of content, especially since Freelancer and the player-created contracts are basically infinite. Its outstanding quality and infinite replayability arguably make Hitman: World of Assassination the greatest gaming masterpiece of the last decade.
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Dawson Nyffenegger
Almontather Rassoul
