The eighth generation of home console gaming has seen the industry rise in prominence once again, with the form of media being larger than sports and films combined in 2020. The PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch continued to please their fans with excellent exclusive titles, while Microsoft’s Xbox One found success with its Game Pass service.
The eight-generation has been kind to PC gamers, who have benefited from Sony’s and, in particular, Microsoft’s more consumer-friendly approach of making some of their games available for PC players. Along with once-exclusive titles like Horizon: Zero Dawn and the Halo series, Xbox’s Game Pass and Sony’s PlayStation Now service have recently become available.
PC players have been treated to numerous fantastic games this past generation, and with the recent release of the Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, now seems like the perfect time to look back upon the previous generation’s best offerings.
10 Microsoft Flight Simulator (91)
Released in August 2020, Microsoft Flight Simulator came at a perfect time as it allowed players to explore an incredible simulated earth while stuck at home in lockdown.
Along with the excellent world design, Microsoft Flight Simulator received plaudits for its immersive and realistic gameplay. The best advert for the gameplay came from Microsoft’s Jorg Neumann who claimed that real pilots played the game during lockdown to prevent their skills from going rusty.
9 Okami HD (92)
One of the few Zelda-inspired action-adventure titles that can hold a candle to Nintendo’s iconic series, Capcom’s Ōkami released to high praise from critics but low sales.
Since its initial 2006 release, the game has traveled around the gaming industry, popping up on nearly every major system. The PC iteration released in 2017 and was one of the driving forces behind the game finally receiving the commercial success that it has always deserved.
8 Out Of The Park Baseball 17 (92)
With a Metascore of 92 and a user score of 3.3, it’s fair to say that Out Of The Park Baseball 17 divides opinion. The game is one of a whopping 22 entries into the Out of the Park Baseball series that began in 1999.
The text-based management sim didn’t try to re-invent the wheel and kept the gameplay very similar to the previous entries in the series. Much like the Football Manager series, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the developers have found a winning formula with the series that can be replicated for many years to come.
7 Undertale (92)
With a fantastic soundtrack, well-written dialog, and a fantastic battle system, Toby Fox’s Undertale provided one of modern gaming’s best role-playing adventures.
The game was showered with awards upon release, with accolades including the Audience Award at the 2016 Independent Games Festival Awards, and the Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award from the 2016 SXSW Gaming Awards. Undertale was also runner-up for the Global Game Award’s Best Indie accolade which ultimately went to Rocket League.
6 Divinity: Original Sin II (93)
Divinity: Original Sin II is one of five games that scored 93 on this list, meaning it could have been in second place if Larian Studios didn’t make the fatal error of beginning the game’s title with the letter D.
Even more infuriating for the publisher is that Polygon gave the game a score of 7 out of 10, which potentially knocked one or two marks off its final score. Divinity: Original Sin II, much like the next four entries on this list, could justifiably place 2nd on this list, as it provided a fantastic role-playing experience alone or with friends.
5 Hades (93)
Hades released in September 2020 and has quickly become one of the most beloved entries into the roguelike genre. The indie game has already picked up numerous awards including Game of the Year from IGN, and Best Action from The Game Awards.
Praise from fans and critics has been directed towards the game’s great story that is smartly integrated into the gameplay, along with the excellent loot system and generous offering of post-game content.
4 Half-Life: Alyx (93)
Released 13 long years after Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx has continued the series’ tradition of offering an innovative gameplay experience, this time by utilizing virtual reality. The move was a bold choice, as it cut-off a huge portion of potential buyers, but it provided a fantastic, immersive experience that will be extremely hard to top.
Following the fairly disastrous release of Cyberpunk 2077, Half-Life 3 has retained its spot as the gaming industry’s most highly anticipated release, and fans will be hopeful that Half-Life: Alyx is a sign that the game could be in the works.
3 Red Dead Redemption 2 (93)
The eighth generation of home console may not have been treated to a new Grand Theft Auto game, but it did get the next best thing, a sequel to 2010’s Red Dead Redemption.
The console iteration of the game currently boasts an eye-watering 97 Metascore, making it the joint-6th highest-rated game in the site’s history along with classic titles such as Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Halo: Combat Evolved. Unfortunately, the PC release of Rockstar‘s game was held back by numerous technical issues, resulting in a weaker score.
2 The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt (93)
There’s a reason why the aforementioned Cyberpunk 2077 was so highly regarded before it even released, and why it has sold an incredible 13 million+ copies despite the backlash; that reason is The Witcher 3.
Following two excellent, but somewhat underappreciated Witcher games, CD Projekt released their magnum opus in 2015 on PC, Xbox One and PS4. The best compliment for the game is that it invertedly advertised the systems that it released on; showing off the hardware of the recently released PS4 and Xbox One that were still at an early stage of their lifespan, and proving the worth of owning a high-end PC with the game’s stunning visuals.
1 Grand Theft Auto V (96)
Grand Theft Auto V was initially released in September 2013, at the very end of PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360‘s lifecycles. Following a re-release on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the game finally came to PC in 2015.
Grand Theft Auto V set a new standard for open-world games with its incredible map that truly feels alive. Gamers were understandably disappointed to not hear news about Grand Theft Auto VI when the Xbox Series X|S and PS5 were released, but GTA 5‘s excellent online mode continues to provide more than enough content to tide people over until that exciting day comes,
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