There’s no limit to the amount of games that we’ve loved booting up and getting completely immersed in, but that doesn’t quite cut it for this list. For this, we had to figure out the best of the best.
Which games were so far ahead of their time, so much pure fun, that they stand apart? Since we love games we decided to answer this question once and for all. - What are the ’Top 10 Games of All Time’?

This list refrences IGN’s ‘Top 100 Games of All Time’ list. All images, descriptions, and facts come from their website.

Here’s a list of quick links for you:

Mario games are synonymous with fun and innovation, and perhaps Mario 64 is the best example of the latter. It gathered the core elements of Mario's best 2D, side-scrolling adventures and worked out how to translate them into a groundbreaking 3D world. It was still recognisably Mario – he collected mushrooms and ran and jumped his way to success, but he was forever changed. He could now long jump, triple jump, and backflip. While the underlying challenge remained the same and the locations were reassuringly familiar, the shift in perspective changed everything.

What's even more impressive is that Mario did not simply enter a new dimension with ease, he did it with style that few games unburdened with such technical challenges ever achieve. Mario 64 might now look a little blocky but it remains bold and brilliant, too.

Fun Facts:

Shigeru Miyamoto delayed the launch of the N64 in Japan – from late 1995 to April 1996 – so they could put more work into Super Mario 64.

A rideable horse was discussed but not used. This idea would later provide the basis for Epona in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

There was a sequel planned for the Nintendo 64DD, but it was canceled after the expansion console failed.

2008's GTA 4 may have been the reason that I bought an Xbox 360, but RDR is the reason I kept it. Not only did I get completely lost in the massive single-player world, but it also drew me into online gaming unlike anything I'd played before.

It was the kind of game you couldn't wait to discuss with your friends the next day. "Did you save that woman on the train tracks?" "No, but I found this cabin that had, like, 1,000 cougars in it," "That's cool, but did you kill Sasquatch?" Everyone had their own amazing tales to tell about their time in the old west, and you were constantly making new ones every time you turned it on. The only real downside to Red Dead is that it never came out on PC — which is mostly sad because my 360 died years ago and I really want to play it again.

Fun Facts:

Although significantly altered, Red Dead Redemption is technically a sequel to Red Dead Revolver.

Development took five years.

John Marston swears far less than most Rockstar protagonists.

First is that incredible opening, which immediately sets the tone for the dystopian adventure you're about to embark on. Being told to “pick up that can” right at the outset in City 17 was a remarkable moment in gaming.

And then there's the moment you first pick up the Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator, better known as the Gravity Gun. It's hard to put into words just how remarkable Valve's technology behind this weapon was back in 2004. Pulling, levitating, and then firing off objects in the environment provided a thrill the likes of which I'd never felt in games before. Which came in handy in the third thing I remember most about HL2, which was Ravenholm. The creepy mining town, now overrun by zombies and head-crabs, provided the perfect playground for you to try out your new toy.

Sure, we might never find out the end of Gordon and Alex's story, but none of that can take away from just how special Half-Life 2 was, and still is.

Fun Facts:

Warren Spector was, at one point, working on an episode for Half-Life 2. It was canceled and his studio worked on Epic Mickey instead.

Merle Dandridge, the voice of Alyx Vance, also appears in The Last of Us, Dota 2, and Sons of Anarchy.

Lamarr is a reference to Hedy Lamarr, an actress and scientist who co-developed a radio guidance system using frequency hopping technology.

I still remember spending hours sitting in front of the TV with the Nintendo Entertainment System sitting at my feet, rotating brightly colored puzzle pieces as they fell from the abyss, attempting to arrange them into horizontal lines that when assembled correctly would disappear and cause me to advance to the next stage. It was crazy fun, even when blocks began to fall at an alarmingly fast pace and I fell into a frenzied panic. (I still remember how frustrated I'd get making careless mistakes that resulted in giant, pixelated Towers of Pisa.)

But no matter how many times I had to start the game over, it was just too much fun to stop. There was always the chance that this time I'd get the right puzzle piece at the right time and could move on to the next stage. I never got tired of it, and even now Tetris remains one of my favorite games of all time.

Fun Facts:

The name Tetris is derived from the Greek numerical prefix tetra- as well as tennis, creator Alexey Pajitnov's favorite sport.

It was the first game exported from the USSR to the United States.

Tetris was the first video game played in space.

The game exceeded my every hope and wish for it, and I spent hundreds of blissful afternoons defeating Koopa Kids, rescuing kings, and discovering secrets strewn throughout Mushroom World. Mario 3 earned a place on my list of favorite games way back in 1990, and 25 years of gaming progress have yet to dislodge it.

Super Mario Bros. 3 is a textbook example of how to make a perfect video game sequel. It's a mixture of the original's best elements, combined with an almost excessive amount of imaginative new ideas. So much of what we consider so quintessentially Mario – the suits, the boos, the overworld – all actually originated here.

Fun Facts:

Super Mario Bros. 3 was the first Mario game to introduce an overworld.

The Super Leaf allowed Mario to fly for the first time.

It came out in the US almost a year and a half after Japan.

The Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link laid the foundations Link's quest, but it was A Link to the Past that built the land of Hyrule into a world. From it's unforgettable beginnings guiding a swordless Link through the rain, to the final showdown with Ganon and utilizing mastery of sword and bow to defeat evil, Link to the Past measured out a perfect pace of dungeons, exploration, and a gripping narrative that was almost unheard of at the time. It's open landscape was always inviting but never felt aimless – striking the perfect balance of freedom and purpose in your quest to save Princess Zelda.

Fun Facts:

A Link to the Past is technically not the first Zelda game to include the Master Sword.

It was the first Zelda game to include an Ocarina, though at the time it was called the Flute.

The theme from Kakariko Village is inspired by Kiki's Delivery Service.

Super Metroid's minimalistic environmental storytelling set a bar, way back in 1994, that I believe has still yet to be eclipsed. The planet Zebes is atmospheric, oppressive, and extremely lethal. At first glance, there doesn't even appear to be any story. But then you start to look more closely. The parasite–riddled dead soldier outside of an early boss room. The crashed, half–submerged alien spaceship that may or may not be haunted. The techno lair of the space pirates hiding under your nose the entire game. It's brilliant and confident. It doesn't explain to you what each new area is all about. It's all there, for you to figure out (or ignore) on your own.

But it's Super Metroid's ability to consistently invite the player to be curious – and then rewarding that curiosity – that makes it one of the greatest video games ever made. It's not just that there's secrets hidden everywhere (although there are, and it's awesome) – it's that the game teases you with tantalizing clues – items, always just out of reach. An energy tank embedded in a seemingly impassable wall. A pair of missiles only obtainable from the collapsing blocks above, leaving you no idea of how to get up there, just with the knowledge that you can get up there.

Super Metroid is an impeccable action-platformer – that's the “easy” part. What makes it truly special is its genius combination of puzzle-solving, atmosphere, storytelling, exploration, game design, and gameplay. There's nothing else like it.

Fun Facts:

Super Metroid was released on a 24 megabit cartridge, making it the largest SNES game at the time.

It was developed by a core team of just 15 people.

It sold poorly in Japan, but fared far better in the US.

Puzzle games can sometimes be a little dry – more concerned with logic, reason, and the elaborateness of their design. Portal was totally different. Its challenges were embedded in a much bigger story, filled with memorable characters and enduring moments.

Video games in general manipulate space and perspective better than any other medium, and Portal takes full advantage of that unique strength. Enter the portal gun – one of the great video game tools. Instead of firing bullets, it rips through space, allowing the player to traverse a level almost instantaneously. Sounds simple, almost like a cheat, but the intelligent design of each test chamber prevents players from making a beeline to the exit. Other variables, like velocity, also had to be considered.

Portal's design remains exemplary and its humour, undiluted. Escaping Aperture Science elevated the puzzle genre beyond mere interactive conundrums.

Fun Facts:

Portal was based on gameplay from designer Kim Swift's student project Narbacular Drop.

GLaDOS stands for Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System.

The portal gun is officially known as the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device.

Fans waited seven long years for their chance to return to Hyrule, and after numerous delays and development issues, Nintendo did not disappoint. The first 3D Zelda game revolutionized the way people thought about action adventures and 3D combat, earning nearly unanimous perfect scores and critical praise from every outlet. Mechanically, Ocarina of Time is a marvel; slowly introducing systems and increasing the complexity in such a masterful way that many of the elements from Ocarina of Time continue to be industry standards today. Narratively, it's still one of the best stories ever told in a Zelda game as you seamlessly jump back and forth between timelines in a quest to thwart the evil Ganondorf and save Princess Zelda.

It became the template for Legend of Zelda games for nearly twenty years, and is still regarded as one the greatest games of all time.

Fun Facts:

Ocarina of Time invented the z-targeting system that's been used in many action games ever since its 1998 debut.

It was originally going to release on the Nintendo 64DD.

It runs on a modified Super Mario 64 engine.

Super Mario World means so many different things to me. On a base level, it's my personal favorite game in what's probably my favorite series of games. It's an incredible platformer that oozes charm, creativity, and challenge. It took what Nintendo built with the first three games on the NES, and cranked it up to the next level. Everything was bigger, brighter, and more complex.

But on a personal level, it's the game that I associate with my introduction into thinking about video games on a deeper level. I was just absent-mindedly gazing at the television as my fingers adhered to years of muscle memory. Rather, I was looking past what was on the surface level, and really thinking about what went into the design of the game. I distinctly remember practicing with Mario's cape for hours on end until I mastered the ability to glide across entire levels. In an age before the internet, I combed every inch of every stage, eventually finding every single secret exit and finally getting that perfect “96” next to my save file.

It's still a game I go back to on a yearly basis, and I'm shocked that over 25 years later, my fingers are still familiar with every little nuance of the game.

Fun Facts:

Super Mario World is the best-selling SNES game, selling over 20 million copies.

It debuted Yoshi and introduced the spin-jump.

The Reznors are a reference to Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.

So, how do you feel about this top 10? Anything we miss or games you think deserve to be in the Top 10? What's your Top 10 Games of All Time?
Please, don't hesitate to contact us and let us know. We'll gladly look over your suggestions and respond as soon as possible.
After all, not every gamer games the same.
Until next time, Game on gamers!

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