Best Video Games of All Time

U7Buy has published a comprehensive video game report to understand which games rank as the best of all time. We took the top 250 best-selling video games in history and scored them on critic rating, player rating, hours of playable content and current pricing to understand which games are most worthy of purchase and have genuine replay value.

U7Buy also delved into the video games and consoles which have either gone up, remained unchanged or depreciated in value since their release, using a variety of online pricing metrics that score games and consoles on their current price.

Best video games of all time, ranked

Rank	Game	Release Date	Critic Rating	Player Rating	Hours of Playable Content	CIB Price Today ($)	Score/100
1	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	November 11, 2011	96	8.6	110	6.08	99.18
2	Mass Effect 2	January 26, 2010	96	8.9	35.5	5	97.65
3	Garry's Mod	November 29, 2006	94	8.8	166	9.99	95.64
4	Red Dead Redemption 2	Oct 26, 2018	97	8.9	84	13.61	95.40
5	Persona 5	September 15, 2016	93	8.9	113	9.65	94.80
6	Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn	September 21, 2000	95	9.1	87.5	23.37	91.53
7	The Last of Us	June 14, 2013	95	9.2	17.5	8.99	90.09
8	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	October 26, 2004	95	9.1	45	15.17	89.91
9	Grand Theft Auto V	Sep 17, 2013	97	8.5	51.5	8.7	89.76
10	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	March 20, 2006	94	8.5	85	8.09	89.04
11	The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	May 19, 2015	92	9.1	103	14.99	88.71
12	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	April 28, 2001	95	8.3	68.5	7.53	88.35
13	God of War (2018)	April 20, 2018	94	9.1	33	11.18	87.99
14	Gran Turismo 4	December 28, 2004	89	9.3	156	14.02	87.54
15	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	Mar 3, 2017	97	8.9	98.5	32.81	87.27
16	Rome: Total War	September 22, 2004	92	9	53	11.24	86.82
17	Batman: Arkham City	October 18, 2011	94	8.8	21.5	6	86.58
18	Red Dead Redemption	May 18, 2010	95	8.9	26	10	86.22
19	Baldur's Gate 3	Aug 3, 2023	96	9.2	114	111.23	86.10
20	Final Fantasy X	July 19, 2001	92	8.9	68	12.1	85.62

Top 5 video games of all time

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, 2011

Released back in 2011, Skyrim is still widely played today, with a Special Edition released back in 2016 that upgraded the game with access to console mods and upgraded graphics. The PC version has benefited from an active modding community since its original release, which has helped to keep it relevant through the years. The game enjoys high critical and user ratings, a fleshed-out storyline, an excellent combat system, and impressive visuals that still hold up even today.

2. Mass Effect 2, 2010

The sequel to the 2007 original hit, Mass Effect 2 builds on the already immersive worldbuilding with new characters, dynamic storylines and an updated combat system. The game is widely agreed to be the best game in the original trilogy and one of the best games ever released on Xbox, so it’s no surprise the data reflects this as the second best game of all time.

3. Garry's Mod, 2006

This physics sandbox game allows complete freedom for players to do whatever they want. The player is able to spawn non-player characters, ragdolls, and props, and interact with them by various means. Despite being released back in 2006, it is still played today and has a popular modding scene that keeps it fresh with players.

4. Red Dead Redemption 2, 2018

This open-world action-adventure game from Rockstar Games follows an outlaw trying to navigate loyalty, survival, and changing times as the Old West comes to an end. Its popularity comes from how deeply it pulls players into its world—through an emotional story, layered characters, breathtaking landscapes, and a sense of realism that makes even small moments feel meaningful. The game was originally released on October 26, 2018, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

5. Persona 5, 2016

A stylish Japanese role-playing game with a gripping, character-driven story and detail-oriented worldbuilding that blend seamlessly. The game centres around high school students who secretly become the Phantom Thieves, using supernatural powers to change the hearts of corrupt adults. A vibrant art style, jazzy soundtrack, and a mix of dungeon-crawling, social simulation, and turn-based combat make this one of the best games of all time. 

Key findings from the report

Length of video games

Based on how much playable content was available in all the top-selling games of all time, the average video game overall has a length of 47.5 hours.

However, the length of video game playable content has dramatically changed since the year 2000. From 1980 until the Millennium, the average length of a top video game was just 19 hours, and from 2000-2025 this has jumped up to 63 hours - a 231% increase. We now care more about immersion, open worlds, and replay value, and this is reflected in the length of video games being produced.

Price of video games

The average price of best-selling games hasn’t increased as much as we might think. In 2000, the average top-selling game retailed at 45 USD, and in 2024, the average top game retailed at 59.99 USD - a 14-dollar difference.

Despite AAA games now retailing games at 70 or 80 USD, our data suggests that the steep price increase will put off consumers, and it’s more likely that cheaper games with large amounts of playable content are going to perform better. 

Additional findings from the report showed that:

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the highest-rated video game of all time according to user and critic ratings, followed by Baldur's Gate 3, Super Mario Galaxy, and Metroid Prime
• League of Legends has the most playable content of any video game in history, with almost 2,000 hours of gameplay
• Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal are now the most expensive video games to purchase, costing on average $603
• Despite being two of the best games of all time, Skyrim and Mass Effect 2 have had huge depreciations in price since release and can now be purchased for as low as $5
• PlayStation 4 is the best console of all time for video game releases
• 2004 is the best year in history for video games

Best franchises of all time 

Rank	Franchise	Average Critic Rating	Average Player Rating	Hours of Playable Content	Average CIB Price ($)	Score /100
1	Super Smash Bros.	92.67	8.80	50.00	35.62	99
2	Rock Band	94.33	8.27	43.00	12.77	97
3	Borderlands	86.50	7.90	45.00	4.92	96
4	Half-Life	96.00	9.00	14.75	84.87	94
5	Alien	79.00	8.30	22.50	21.08	93
6	WarioWare	89.00	8.50	4.50	68.85	91
7	Baldur's Gate	94.00	9.03	86.83	57.38	88
8	Dota	90.00	6.50	1380.00	0.00	87
9	Hitman	84.50	8.30	29.50	20.35	85
10	The Elder Scrolls	92.33	8.50	99.67	18.05	85

• The Super Smash Bros. series is the best video game franchise of all time based on the data. Although not the highest-selling game in the series, Super Smash Bros. Brawl was the franchise’s top game with a high user rating and an average cost today of about $18

• Of the top-selling video games we looked at, Sonic the Hedgehog came in last as the worst franchise

Video games with the biggest price increases since release

Unsurprisingly, Nintendo games had the best ROI, with the majority of the games with the highest price spikes being Mario, Pokémon or The Legend of Zelda titles.

The Pokémon franchise had the largest price increase to its roster overall, with Gold, Silver and Crystal now costing fans over $600 to purchase online. Ruby, Sapphire, Red, Blue, and Yellow also had enormous increases, now costing between $250 and $350.

Video games with the biggest price decreases since release

Best years for video game releases

Rank	Release Date	Average Critic Rating	Average Player Rating	Hours of Playable Content	Average CIB Price ($)	Score/100
1	2004	90.86	8.73	136.36	22.97	99
2	2007	91.83	8.53	64.67	14.57	97
3	1997	92.00	9.00	33.50	25.23	88
4	2011	90.63	7.89	56.44	8.51	82
5	2023	90.00	8.65	79.50	62.96	81
6	2002	91.90	8.67	31.35	31.62	78
7	2013	88.00	7.17	218.33	9.85	77
8	2009	87.00	7.89	155.30	12.32	76
9	2015	88.40	8.02	44.40	17.72	74
10	2010	88.56	8.24	35.00	18.98	73

2004 is officially the best year for gaming ever, and this is reflected through the wealth of popular titles that entered the best-selling games of all time list, with top titles in this year including the likes of GTA: San Andreas, Gran Turismo 4, Halo 2 and Sims 2. 

According to our data, this was the best game in each of the top years for gaming:

1. 2004 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 89.9/100, 

2. 2007 - Super Mario Galaxy - 84/100

3. 1997 - Age of Empires - 72.7/100

4. 2011 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - 99.2/100

5. 2023 - Baldur's Gate 3 - 93.5/100

6. 2002 - Metroid Prime - 92.3/100

7. 2013 - BioShock Infinite - 79.6/100

8. 2009 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - 83.7/100

9. 2015 - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - 88.7/100

10. 2010 - Mass Effect 2 - 97.6/100

Best consoles for video game releases

Based on which games were released on each console and how well-rated each game is vs. their current price, and how much available content they have, these are the best consoles overall for the ultimate gaming experience:

Rank	Platform	Average  Game Critic Rating	Average Game Player Rating	Hours of Playable Content Per Game	Average Game CIB Price ($)	Score /100
1	PS4	92.38	8.69	44.94	15.33	99.56
2	Xbox Series X	90.00	8.20	73.00	18.98	87.29
3	PS3	90.04	8.25	37.14	9.46	87.26
4	Xbox	89.14	8.46	31.64	11.56	82.36
5	PS2	90.79	8.64	31.57	26.17	81.13
6	GameCube	91.67	8.44	40.22	55.48	76.20
7	Nintendo 64	95.75	8.93	22.63	112.15	73.75
7	Xbox 360	86.91	8.04	37.69	8.66	73.75
9	PC	87.92	7.93	126.37	35.24	71.27
10	Wii U	86.50	8.50	14.50	13.89	71.27

Interestingly, the PlayStation 5 does not appear in the top 10 as a result of lower user ratings and a higher price point on its game releases. PS4 games remain supreme with high ratings, a healthy amount of playable content per game and an average price of just $15.

The Wii U also makes a surprising appearance in the Top 10 here. Although it had the lowest sales of any console in Nintendo’s recent history, its video game roster is more impressive, and its high user ratings combined with lower prices solidify it as a better choice overall, even compared to the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo DS and original Nintendo Wii.

Consoles with the highest increase to their top video game prices

Consoles with the highest decrease in their top video game prices

Market predictions

Anna Zhang, Marketing Manager at U7Buy, has commented on the findings of the study: “The clear trend we’re seeing is that video games are getting longer, and fans expect games to have more playable content without seeing huge price increases. For decades, this has obviously been putting a strain on the video game industry, which has had to learn to scale up its development and produce bigger games without charging players extra.”

Zhang adds that the future of video gaming may have to break this cycle: “It will be interesting to see how new AAA video games with higher price margins will sell by comparison. We know the sweet spot for customers is around 50-60 USD, but with large titles now costing upwards of 80 USD, it seems that many developers are upping prices to cater for higher development, creative and marketing costs.

I think this is going to impact consumer demand. Gamers are going to increasingly turn away from large open world games and more towards indie or “cosy” feeling games that charge lower prices and still offer great playable content.”

Methodology

"This study analysed the 257 highest-rated video games of all time to determine the overall 'best' game through a composite ranking system.

Four key metrics were evaluated for each game: Critic Rating, Player Rating, Time to Finish (hours), and current Complete-in-Box (CIB) Price.

Ratings were primarily sourced from Metacritic, with MobyGames serving as a secondary reference. To ensure consistency, MobyGames player ratings were converted to a 10-point scale to align with Metacritic’s scoring system.

The composite score was calculated by awarding higher points for games with higher critic and player ratings, longer playtimes (indicating greater content value), and lower current market prices (representing better value for money).

The study also identified the top-performing gaming franchises, platforms, and release years by averaging the composite scores of all games within each category from the 257-game dataset.

Additional analysis examined current game prices and price trends over time."

DATA	SOURCE	LINK	NOTE
Critic Rating	Metacritic, Moby Games	https://www.metacritic.com/	as of Oct 2025
Player Rating	Metacritic, Moby Games	https://www.metacritic.com/	as of Oct 2025
Time to Finish (Hours)	HowLongtoBeat	https://howlongtobeat.com/?q=god%2520of%2520war	as of Oct 2025
CIB Price Today ($)	Price Charting	https://www.pricecharting.com/	as of Oct 2025