Over the years, we’ve ranked entire franchises, applauded critical darlings, and publicly shamed those that let themselves down. What we’ve never done, however, is curate a list of the games that are, in our humble opinion, nothing short of brilliant. TO BE CLEAR, this isn’t a list of the best games ever according to the likes of Metacritic, nor are we actually ranking them, so the game featured in the top spot isn’t necessarily any better than the game at number 101. Instead this list is our way of chronicling 101 fantastic titles that will always have a place in our hearts. The only thing we’ve stipulated is that they must be available on either current-generation hardware or the previous one, i.e., any console released since 2012, or on a PC. After all, it wouldn’t be very cool of us to recommend games that it’s near-impossible to get hold of. Here are the 101 Video Games that Everyone Should Play At Least Once.
VO: Peter Austin (@ThatPeterAustin) & Ben Potter (@Confused_Dude) & Ashton Matthews (@ScrambledAshton)
Script: Cat Elliot (@cat_elliott_)
Video Editor: Ciaran Henry (@CiaranHenry268)
101 Video Games That Everyone Should Play At Least Once:
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Assassin’s Creed II
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• BioShock
• Borderlands 2
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Cave Story+
• Celeste
• Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped
• Dark Souls
• Dead Space
• Deadly Premonition
• Detroit: Become Human
• Deus Ex
• Devil May Cry
• Disco Elysium
• Doom
• DuckTales
• Elden Ring
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
• Fallout 3
• Final Fantasy VII
• Final Fantasy X
• Gears of War
• Ghost of Tsushima
• God of War
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Grim Fandango
• Half-Life 2
• Halo 3
• Halo Reach
• Halo: Combat Evolved
• Heavy Rain
• Hitman: Blood Money
• Hollow Knight
• Journey
• Katamari Damacy Reroll
• Kirby’s Adventure
• L.A. Noire
• Life is Strange
• Limbo
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• Mass Effect 2
• Mega Man 2
• Metal Gear Solid
• Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
• Metroid Prime
• Minecraft
• Mortal Kombat 11
• Nier: Automata
• Outer Wilds
• Perfect Dark
• Persona 5 Royal
• Pikmin 3
• Pokémon Yellow
• Portal
• Portal 2
• Quake
• Red Dead Redemption 2
• Resident Evil
• Resident Evil 4
• Shadow of the Colossus
• Sid Meier’s Civilization IV
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Soulcalibur II
• Spider-Man
• Spyro the Dragon
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
• Stardew Valley
• Super Mario 64
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
• System Shock 2
• Tetris Effect: Connected
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• The Last of Us
• The Last of Us: Part II
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
• The Sims 3
• The Walking Dead
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• TimeSplitters 2
• Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
• Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
• Undertale
• Unpacking
• What Remains of Edith Finch
• World of Warcraft
• Yakuza 0
#MustPlayGames #EssentialVideoGames #TripleJump
————————–
Subscribe for more wonderful video game content from Ben Potter, Peter Austin, and Ashton Matthews!
TripleJump provides video coverage of video games – including top ten lists featuring current gen platforms (PS4 & PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X/Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch and PC), retro consoles (PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox and Sega), as well as Worst Games Ever, video game challenges, launch games videos, first impressions, podcasts, livestreams and much, much more.
Careers, contacts, and more information can be found on our website:
⇨ Patreon:
⇨ Twitch:
⇨ Merchandise:
⇨ Cameo:
⇨ Livestream VODs:
⇨ Podcast:
⇨ Twitter:
⇨ Facebook:
⇨ TikTok:
⇨ Discord:
Follow the team on social media:
• Ben: & Confused_Dude on PSN
• Peter: &
• Ashton: &
Follow our friends!
• Billy Ray Walrus:
• Rules Boss:
• Barbara Pis:
The TripleJump Podcast is hosted by Acast, but available on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, and more!
Acast:
REMINDER: This is not a definitive list of the best video games ever made but rather our personal picks for titles we reckon you NEED to play, and as such is in *no particular order*. These games have been selected with availability in mind, so a title won’t make the cut if you can’t easily get your hands on it today! OH, and Marvel’s Spider-Man is coming to PC on August 12th & Persona 5 Royal is coming to Xbox Series/Nintendo Switch on October 21st (recent announcements).
🎮With that said, how many of them have you played, and what would make your personal list? 🎮
@@mschmalfeldt it’s literally on the list
@@kiwisoup which number is it? I’m not finding it on the list that’s in the description
EDIT: It’s 21
No Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong, 1080 Snowboarding, Star Fox, Star Craft, Cruse N’ World, Banjo-Tooie, Donkey Kong 64, Donkey Kong County, and Sonic Adventure 2, and Crazy Taxi, also no Tekken 3, no Street Fighter 2 The New Challengers, no Sonic The Hegehog 3, no Sonic Adventure, No Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2, No Clay Fighter S. Cut, House of the Dead Remake, Bomber Man 64, and Fighters Destiny, also, Sanfrancisco Rush 2024, Gex, Mega Man 64, and Fighting Force.. also Time Crisis 3 as well as Command and Conquer Red Alert.. also Fighters Destiny 64, Mario Party 2, also Conkers Bad Fur Day, and Mist.
@@blakeharvard5841 Crusin World is the bomb! And Street Fighter 2 is not underrated tbh
@@markofthewolvessucks8930 Street Fighter 2 has a special place in my heart, playing video games with my Brother in the 90’s as children.
Yesssss! Dropping this on a Friday night is perfect! That’s my night off work sorted!
Thank you for eating up 2 and 1/2 hours of a dialysis session. Just freaking beautiful 💜
Hope all is well brother
You got this 🙏🏾
i pray for your health.
Lol
Under rated comment!! This video is perfect for passing the time listening while doing stuff .
Wrote the list down for those who want to copy and paste games they still need to play. 🙂
101-The Witcher 3
100-Bioshock
99-WoW
98-The last of us
97-Mass Effect 2
96- Borderlands 2
95-Pokemon Yellow
94-2018 GoW
93-COD MW 2007
92-Outer Wilds
91-Resident Evil (2002)
90- Fallout 3
89- Mega man 2
88- Sonic The Hedgehog 2
87- Nier Automata
86- Hollow Knight
85- Undertake
84- Batman Arkham Asylum
83- Deadly Premonition
82- Super Mario 64
81- TLoZ Ocarina of Time
80- Star Wars KOTR
79- Uncharted 2
78- Halo Combat Evolved
77- Portal
76- ES4 Oblivion
75- Half Life 2
74- Dead space
73- Limbo
72- GTA V
71- Crash Bandicoot 3 (1998)
70- Minecraft
69- The last of us 2
68- Detroit Become Human
67- Halo Reach
66- Spyro 1998
65- Yakuza 0
64- Dark Souls
63- Spiderman (2018)
62- Timesplitters 2
61- Ghost of Tsushima
60- Pikmin 3
59- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
58- Elden Ring
57- Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2
56- Soul caliber 2
55- RDR2
54- Disco Elysium
53- Perfect Dark
52- Metroid Prime
51- Resident Evil 4
50- MGS 5
49- Kirbys Adventure (1993)
48- Tetris Effect Connected (2020)
47- Final Fantasy 7
46- Hitman Blood Money
45- Unpacking
44- DMC 2001
43- What Remains of Edith Finch
42- The Walking Dead
41- Journey
40- Life is Strange (2015)
39- Final Fantasy 10
38- Celeste
37- Gears Of War
36- Doom (2016)
35- Quake
34- MGS (1998)
33- Grim Fandango
32- SuperSmash Bros Ultimate
31- Everybody’s gone to the rapture
30- Bioshock Infinite
29- Hades
28- TLoZ WindWaker
27- Super Mario World
26- Braid
25- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
24- Persona 4 Golden
23- Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty
22- Horizon Forbidden West
21- Castlevania Symphony of the Night
20- Sims 3
19- System Shock 2
18- Mortal Kombat 11
17- Shadow of the Colossus
16- Katamari Damacy Reroll
15- Ducktales
14- Cave Story +
13- Deus Ex (2000)
12- Assassins Creed 2
11- CIV 4
10- Stardew Valley
9- Animal Crossing New Horizon
8- Persona 5 Royal
7- L.A. Noire
6- Heavy Rain
5- Uncharted 4
4- Halo 3
3- Portal 2
2- TLoZ BoTW
1- ES V Skyrim
Wait, no Silent Hill 2…
Excuseme WHAT
Isnt the list in the description?
I really appreciate this full list. I was actually looking for a time stamp, but this is the closest thing to it. Thank you.
Good. Thanks.
Thank you for doing this!
20 years later, the Resident Evil remake still looks stunning. It was definitely a game ahead of its time.
Whatever you think of Capcom, you can’t deny that they put a lot of love and care into all their Remakes of the RE games. And RE in general (outside of like a small period where they were clearly pretty lost on what they wanted RE to be)
@@CrazeeAdam Except for RE3 Remake
@@have_a_good_day420 still a really good game though.
Weird to call a remake of an old game “ahead of its time”, but I wouldn’t argue that it doesn’t totally hold up even today.
@@have_a_good_day420 re3 remake is still better than every other horror game between re2 remake and re8 soooo
Was so pleased to see telltale’s walking dead on the list. If anyone has enjoyed that and wants another game to follow it up, I’d recommend the Wolf Among Us in a heartbeat, especially as telltale made that the first title that they announced after receiving new funding to get a sequel.
YeSSir TWD IS and absolute masterpiece
IS THAT A MOTHERFREAKING AMONG US REFERENCE!?”?!?!?
I like that this list offers a variety of established classics, indie hits, and games like Deadly Premonition that are completely out of left field to fully display what this medium has to offer.
Idk most of the games on this list are kinda boring
@@MemeLordCthulhu I’m curious if you consider most of the games on this very varied list boring, what games do you not find boring?
@@marcosm1223 couldnt say since there is like one of every genre of game on this list 💀
@@wcskeleton1388 well there’s Civilisation, Starcraft and Tetris so we can thank our lucky stars that these genres haven’t been completely overlooked. And maybe (just maybe) Mario Cart is there as a nod to racing/driving games, although it’s not exactly a serious example, is it?
But let’s be real… This list is very heavy on certain genres and exceedingly light on others, if they get touched at all. Sports sims are a thing for example. Not my thing but I would still expect to see a couple at least.
I’m not saying this list is all rubbish. A lot of it I would absolutely agree with. But I definitely think these guys would benefit from broadening their horizons if they want to appeal to a broader audience beyond the action/adventure/RPG crowd.
I know us Xcom players are probably freaks of nature but we do exist and we don’t just want to hear about Bioshock (twice) and Halo (I lost count).
@@marcosm1223 I feel the same. Most of these games are long with large open worlds & stories.
As someone who didn’t grow up with most of these games as they came out (nintendo only)
Basically anything that reminds me of World of warcraft gameplay these days… makes me feel sleepy
MMO-rpgs have ruined other games for me to enjoy – it really sucks
It’s a shame cuz’ I would really like to give most of these games a shot, but now I’m 30 and I can’t be bothered wasting time doing research which feels like homework to play a game.
I tried playing Zelda: Breath of the wild & Link’s awakening (never played zelda games)
I gave both games 2hrs and felt like I had to watch youtube to figure out what to do because I was so lost on what to do and kept dying.
At that point I get burnt out if I gotta research constantly it feels like homework.
I need games like
SSX 3, Tricky, Tony Hawk pro skater 3, Satisfactory, Simcity, Sims 4, Age of Empires 2,3, & 4, railway empires 2, Civilization 5 & 6, Starcraft 2, Palworld, Cyberpunk 2077, Terraria, Zuma deluxe, Rust, mario party, mario kart, forza horizon 4, hotwheels unleashed… etc
Basically anything I can pick up and put down and not feel overwhelmed by and can comeback to to enjoy again.
Basically most games with established franchises that I didn’t get to grow up with as a kid. Makes it feel exhausting just thinking about it as I would want to experience it all, but also being into J-rpgs like Octopath Traveler… really drains a lot of time.
Great list! Although here’s a few I’d add:
Earthbound/Mother 2: Probably my own favorite game, but objectively a very influential JRPG that was WAY ahead of its time. Very unique playstyle that both mocks and celebrates RPG tropes. As funny as it is sad and heartwarming.
Banjo-Kazooie: While Mario 64 established the 3D platformer as a genre, Banjo-Kazooie did the same with the 90s collectathon genre that many have replicated since. Fun, funny, and arguably Rare’s magnum opus.
Street Fighter 2: I’m surprised that not a single Street Fighter made the list! It’s the first game I think about when I think “fighting game.” And this one took the elements of the first game and greatly improved on them to make one of the most popular games to play competitively of all time.
Speaking of rpgs that were ahead of their time you should try SMT
Stray
My top 3 in no specific order that left a big impact on me at least:
San Andreas opened the scope for me of how big video games could be as I was used to more linear games with stricter rules. As soon as I got it, I would easily spend days in its world just goofing around and always finding things to do, sometimes it really felt like I could do anything in it. So much to explore and interact with, there was nothing else quite like it and those that tried, failed to replicate its magic. I don’t think a video game will positively surprise me so much again and get me lost in its world like this one has.
Silent Hill 2. I had low expectations due to the bad voice acting but I would soon find out it’s all part of the plan and was immersed fairly quickly. This was also during a time where I would normally skip cutscenes because I was a big gameplay guy however, I was so intrigued here I didn’t skip the cutscenes this time. The tense, heavy atmosphere that would often turn depressive, the way the characters were acting, the ballsy imagery displayed, the monsters, all connected through a narrative that is laid out in such a brilliant way that I don’t think it will ever be topped. The game is also constantly messing with you psychologically, especially in the Prison level/area and I lowkey enjoy that.
Burnout 3 was a game I got for my birthday and just like San Andreas, I could quickly tell it was special. The tight controls, the risk reward design, awesome sense of speed, the crash mode, taking down rivals through the takedown mechanic, the fitting music, the memorable race tracks being all interconnected between continents, it was almost flawless and it holds up well. Whenever I go back to just play a little bit, I end up playing for way longer than I intended because this game incredibly good at sucking you in if you enjoy arcadey racers.
Americans don’t like fighters
Huh?
What a great way to showcase gaming, everything appreciated for what it is and not compared and contrasted against each other
I am in shock that Splinter Cell is not on this list.
Chaos Theory is arguably the greatest stealth game ever made.
Probably forgot about it can’t really blame them as the series has been dead for years such a shame tho
Saddened to see I had to scroll this far to find a mention of good old Sam Fisher…
The only reason I clicked on this video was to see if Splinter Cell was mentioned. Chaos Theory is easily my favourite game ever. Although I played all the other Splinter Cell releases A LOT, Chaos Theory is the one I always come back to. Eventhough this game is almost 20 years old!
Did you guys hear the opening remarks? If you can’t play your game on modern hardware, then it won’t be included on this list
@@JB-wv8pb You can though? All splinter cell games, even the oldest one, can be easily downloaded and played on any modern computer.
Another groundbreaking PC title that came out in the mid 90’s was the Tomb Raider franchise. Which revolutionized the puzzle – adventure genre. The Original Tomb Raider won various awards, and since then Lara has become a gaming icon worldwide. Tombraider 2 is a must play in my opinion.
I would really appreciate a TR2 remake 😀
Started on Saturn man…
Batman Arkham Asylum was a “why did this take so long to create” moment. Genius creation
What an incredible list, you guys kept me engaged for the full 2 hours and I was sad when it came to an end 😢
Most list always forget WoW. I’m glad you included it. I stopped after the 3rd DLC, but this game was so amazing and changed most people’s lives. Will always be grateful for the experience
WoW is the most amazing game I have ever played. It is so good, I literally can’t play it or else I would miss out in every other aspect of my life. Kids can feck off, I wouldn’t talk to my wife, I would gain weight, lose any and all control of my life, and sit there for 18-20 hours a day playing…
Good list but surprised not to see a Silent Hill game, Tomb Raider game and Donkey Kong game on here
I personally believe that most of these games aged so so well. Also Falcom has a under appreciated masterpiece, that claps so many JRPG’s back in the day. Has it aged like a fine wine? Ys, it really has.
I restarted Skyrim on Christmas day on my new PS5 after my first playthrough 8 years prior and it just blows me away how good that game is. It has aged amazingly and I think it definitely deserves to be number one on this list!
Woah you’re pretty 😍
@@therealdirtydan2940 woah youre weird
Skyrim is one that never leaves your head until you replay it. And then again. And then again)
Yeah couldn’t disagree with you more. Dozens of better games than Skyrim on this list, including Oblivion. Skyrim is a good game but there are multitudes better games.
@@TheMahayanist I mean, I’m not gonna die on this hill or anything, and I agree that there are better games than Skyrim on this list. Skyrim isn’t my favourite game ever by a long shot, but as a game that I think got a lot of new people to look at the genre of fantasy RPG and made it accessible, I think Skyrim deserves it’s place as one of the top games everyone should play at least once
A couple of games to add:
Ōkami: A beautiful game with a great story and well designed Zelda-inspired gameplay.
A Hat in Time: A really fun 3D platformer absolutely oozing with charm.
Also, special mention goes to Ori and the Blind Forest. While you included its sequel, which inproves upon it in many ways, I still think the first is the better overall work of art.
Blind forest is indeed the better game.
Hat In Time is so overrated. I gave it a chance but it’s really not that good. Annoying level design.
I would say Contra III alien wars and Shinobi
Thank you for these wonderful additions
Okami is superb..pretty long and immersive experience as a original PS2 game..nice story , Humor , Fun Combat , And unique artstyle..never seen such a unique game
Timestamps
1. The Witcher 3 (2015) : 1:53
2. Bioshock (2007) : 3:01
3. World of Warcraft (2004) : 4:05
4. The Last of Us (2013) : 5:09
5. Mass Effect 2 (2010) : 6:09
6. Borderlands 2 (2012) : 7:26
7. Pokemon Yellow (1998) : 8:39
8. God of War (2018) : 9:49
9. Call of Duty 4 MW (2007) : 10:58
10. Outerwilds (2019) : 12:09
11. Resident Evil (2002) : 13:14
12. Fallout 3 (2008) : 14:31
13. Mega Man (1988) : 15:55
14. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 : 17:15
15. Nier : Automata (2017) : 18:40
16. Hollow Knight (2017) : 19:54
17. Undertale (2015) : 21:09
18. Batman Arkarm Asylum (2009) : 22:23
19. Deadly Premonition (2010) : 23:53
20. Super Mario 64 (1996) : 25:18
21. The Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time (1998) : 26:43
22. Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic (2003) : 28:01
23. Uncharted 2 : Among Thieves (2009) : 29:21
24. Halo : Combat Evolved (2001) : 30:31
25. Portal (2007) : 31:49
26. Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion (2006) : 33:10
27. Half Life 2 (2004) : 34:30
28. Dead Space (2008) : 35:48
29. Limbo (2010) : 37:08
30. GrandTheft Auto V (2013) : 38:14
31. Crash Bandicoot Warped (1998) : 39:27
32. Minecraft (2011) : 40:38
33. Last of Us Part 2 (2020) : 41:43
34. Detroit : Become Human (2018) : 42:47
35. Halo : Reach (2010) : 43:53
36. Spyro the Dragon (1998) : 44:57
37. Yakuza 0 (2015) : 46:11
38. Dark Souls (2011) : 47:21
39. Spider-Man (2018) : 48:37
40. Timeslitters 2 (2002) : 49:54
41. Ghost of Tsushima (2020) : 51:09
42. Pikmin 3 (2013) : 52:19
43. Mario Kart Deluxe (2017) : 53:56
44. Elden Ring (2022) : 55:34
45. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 (2000) : 57:14
46. Soulcalibur 2 (2002) : 58:55
47. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) : 1:00:36
48. Disco Elysium (2019) : 1:02:20
49. Perfect Dark (2000) : 1:03:55
50. Metroid Prime : 1:05:50
51. Resident Evil 4 (2005) : 1:07:14
52. Metal Gear Solid V : The Phantom Pain (2015) : 1:08:49
53. Kirby’s Adventure (1993) : 1:10:22
54. Tetris Effect Connected (2020) : 1:11:39
55. Final Fantasy VII (1997) : 1:13:02
56. Hitman : Blood Money (2006) : 1:14:33
57. Unpacking (2021) : 1:15:52
58. Devil May Cry (2001) : 1:17:12
59. What Remains of Edith Finch (2017) : 1:18:28
60. The Walking Dead (2012) : 1:19:45
61. Journey (2012) : 1:21:02
62. Life is Strange (2015) : 1:22:37
63. Final Fantasy X (2001) : 1:23:54
64. Celeste (2018) : 1:25:11
65. Gears of War (2006) : 1:26:22
66. Doom (2016) : 1:27:42
67. Quake (1996) : 1:29:03
68. Metal Gear Solid (1998) : 1:30:16
69. Grim Fandango (1998) : 1:31:23
70. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) : 1:32:29
71. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (2015) : 1:33:44
72. Bioshock Infinite (2013) : 1:34:52
73. Hades (2020) : 1:36:32
74. The Legend of Zelda : The Wind Waker (2002) : 1:38:04
75. Super Mario World (1990) : 1:39:32
76. Braid (2008) : 1:41:13
77. Ori and the Will of the Wisps (2020) : 1:42:50
78. Persona 4 : Golden (2011) : 1:44:12
79. Starcraft II : Wings of Liberty (2010) : 1:45:39
80. Horizon : Forbidden West (2022) : 1:47:09
81. Castlevania : Symphony of the Night (1997) : 1:48:31
82. Sims 3 (2009) : 1:49:52
83. System Shock 2 (1999) : 1:51:06
84. Mortal Kombat 11 (2019) : 1:52:22
85. Shadow of the Colossus (2018) : 1:53:59
86. Katamari Damacy Reroll (2018) : 1:55:22
87. Ducktales (1989) : 1:56:34
88. Cave Story + (2011) : 1:57:55
89. DUES EX (2000) : 1:59:07
90. Assasins Creed II (2009) : 2:00:26
91. Sid Meiers Civilization IV (2005) : 2:01:51
92. Stardew Valley (2016) : 2:03:22
93. Animal Crossing : New Horizons (2020) : 2:04:38
94. Persona 5 Royal (2019) : 2:05:52
95. L.A.Noire (2011) : 2:07:07
96. Heavy Rain (2010) : 2:08:26
97. Uncharted 4 : A Thief’s End (2016) : 2:09:54
98. Halo 3 (2007) : 2:11:31
99. Portal 2 (2011) : 2:12:47
100. The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild (2017) : 2:14:10
101. Project Makeover (2020) : 2:15:52
thank you from a random gamer
thank god i kept scrolling in hopes of a hero 🙏🏽 thank you bro
💯
Skyrim is the real number one, lol
thank you, you beautiful bastard. I can skip past games that I know don’t interest me, games I’ve already played, etc.
Oh man, that was a great trip down gaming memory lane, and a reminder of a few from my long term list. What a shame you made the list before the Goldeneye remaster…great to see it get a shout out still.
Also, I’m amazed how many older (and not so old) titles have been remastered. Although speaking of which…now I realise you didn’t include the game I’ve sunk more time into than any over the last two years…Diablo 2 Resurrected. Very surprising!