2021 Goty List Ranked
My favorite games of 2021, in order, all played to completion
108 Games
What a masterpiece. Endlessly charming, imaginative, fun, emotionally impactful, and just plain cool without ever feeling like it's trying too hard to be any of those things. Bursting at the seams with creativity, and makes it all look so easy.
1
One of the best adventure FPS games I've ever played
2
No death counter
No timer
No collectibles
No leaderboards
No saving
No cost
Just some of the most well considered, blisteringly hard precision platforming I've ever done in my life, and a ton of perseverance.
No timer
No collectibles
No leaderboards
No saving
No cost
Just some of the most well considered, blisteringly hard precision platforming I've ever done in my life, and a ton of perseverance.
3
Having trouble phrasing precisely how ingenious this game is.
4
Insanely innovative way to intertwine a gameplay mechanic as a storytelling device.
Dad of the Year 2021
Dad of the Year 2021
5
I've been getting really into "hell". Both as a mindset and as something to strive for, in an organizational sense.
There's something intensely beautiful about it.
There's something intensely beautiful about it.
6
TOTSUGE-
Communicating With Server . . .
Communicating With Server . . .
7
They should teach this game in schools
8
Feels like the game this solo dev has had cooking in their brain since they were a child. Uncompromising, pure in its vision, and filled to the brim with childlike wonder. A magical journey.
9
The Citizen Kane of Flappy Bird
10
The most clever Undertale-like since Undertale
11
Perhaps the perfect sequel
12
With its mechanically deep and satisfyingly weighty combat, gorgeously captivating 2.5d world, and thoughtful gameplay variety, F.I.S.T. punches way above its own weight.
If it weren't for the mildly bloated final act and trouble sticking the landing, this would be easy top 5. A must-play if you're a metroidvania fan.
If it weren't for the mildly bloated final act and trouble sticking the landing, this would be easy top 5. A must-play if you're a metroidvania fan.
13
Like a Coen Bros. movie you can play
14
Every element of a great video game distilled down to its simplest and purest form
15
Culmination
16
Perhaps the best 'forever game' I've ever played, which is why I had to quit cold turkey after entering the Hall of Fame. Alarmingly addictive.
17
My first MonHun game, and I totally get it.
19
So laser focused and fun to play that you may skip over the surprising number of secrets throughout (I sure did)
20
It's Insomniac, it was always gonna be great.
21
Overcame my 'Retro Game Inspired Action Platformer' cynicism and made me look like a total fool for even being cynical in the first place.
22
I have a friend that considers himself an "archer main"; I spend a lot of my time just thinking about him and getting pissed off.
23
a toe-dip back into the world of MOBAs as a now clean ex-Dota 2 addict. Love the rigid 10 minute game structure.
24
SOTN without the fluff
25
Play this with a group of your closest friends, either online or on a couch, for maximum effect.
Salim >>>>
Salim >>>>
27
That final loop? Chef's kiss
"I love it when a plan comes together"
"I love it when a plan comes together"
28
Comfort Food
29
The coziest way to spend an afternoon
30
The Fruit >>>>>>>
31
Undeniably jank, but somehow it just works
32
A beautiful framework for Open World Mario, but the 3d World moveset doesn't work when you put camera control on the right stick.
33
Glow up of the century
34
This game successfully won me over by the end, after a good three hours at the beginning of thinking they just didn't get it.
35
On 1.0 release week, this game fulfilled a craving that I've been unable to satiate since 2005 when I spent every day after school playing Warcraft III custom games.
I came back after that release week rush, and got absolutely filtered by the people still playing.
I came back after that release week rush, and got absolutely filtered by the people still playing.
36
It's all about the transitions baby, a playable arcade action movie
37
I was the speedrun world record holder, and I'm sitting on a skip that will break the world record time wide open but I'm scared to post it cause I don't want to get beat again
38
A clever battle royale with a really novel twist on the pac-man formula
39
Shout out to ActEsper
40
VR Escape Room Fever Dream
41
There is a direct parallel between how many little Rot dudes I had following me and how much I was enjoying the game
42
Immaculate vibes, deceptively tough 'platforming', OLED showpiece
43
I miss baiting out Pokemon Evolutions, and there's a too much grinding, but this stayed surprisingly true to the original
44
Amazing atmosphere, crummy combat
45
It's FUN
46
Total mechanical & stylistic congruence.
Jumping over a riot shield, activating bullet time, backflipping, and popping a headshot NEVER gets old
Jumping over a riot shield, activating bullet time, backflipping, and popping a headshot NEVER gets old
47
Incredibly fun rhythm platformer, just wish there was more music than Honktown Clownaround
48
Heavy NieR vibes in its world design, thrillingly tough bosses, delightfully dumb story & charmingly garbage VO, more particle effects than anyone could ask for, and Helvis.
49
Gets a bit too depraved in places for my tastes, but the approach to short storytelling is worth trying out
50
Took over my life for a couple days, but the idle side and resource grinding is too much once you find your winning strategy
51
The crew mechanic undermines the clever gimmick by allowing you to coast by with your dependable easy characters. Penny's stage was the strongest because of this, as it forced you to learn her rules for a full level set without a crew. Also, the 'trapped in a game' setting is missing a bit of the charm of the WarioWare world (something Penny's section also does best, that song whewwww).
52
Just throw on a podcast and play TDM, Shotty Snipers, or SWAT
53
Liked the shooting and flashing lights, didn't care for most everything else
54
Ends with a whimper. . . . . Get it?
55
Feels a bit unfinished, and very light on playtime, but boy do I love jumpin and shootin and dodgin projectiles.
56
Cartoon Cartoon Summer Resort for a new generation
57
Beat it on my first run, it's cool
58
Really cute story, but nothing that makes it stand out as a video game
59
Terrific shooting, borderline unfinished everything else
60
The further down the rabbit hole it went, the less interested I became.
61
The first hour is gold, but it kinda wears its welcome with too many mechanically similar minigames
62
Perfect Steamdeck toilet game, all I need is a Steamdeck.
63
Fun way to spend an hour, should've been a mobile game
64
Fails to surprise
65
As soon as it tries to be funny, it nosedives in quality. Also has a really fucked up portion where you are asked to run over pedestrians that totally rubbed me the wrong way.
66
Asks too much of the player in order to play it the right way, when playing it wrong (and not fun) gets wins anyway. But the concept is gold and I'd love to play a true focused inhouse game someday
67
Like I get that this game is bad, but hitting that enrage button in the middle of a dialogue tree conversation never failed to make me laugh. It's stupid fun
68
gorgeous vibe but this train takes too long to really get goin
69
10 slogging middle hours bookended by an incredible first and last 2 hours.
70
If you just ignore literally everything about it narratively, it's more cod and kinda fun, but moreso than any other cod game I've played it is devoid of human compassion, and the game's approach to diversity is misguided at best and offensive at worst.
71
undeniably gorgeous, and I enjoyed the secret hunt, but I didn't really have fun?
72
Trades the first game's intense focus for more chilled out ambitious vibeyness, to boring results. This one's for the lore-heads
73
Golf is frustrating
74
Maddy been playing a LOT of Mario Maker 2 and it shows in the level structure. Spiderman grappling hook never really felt great to use, but there are worse ways to spend 15 minutes.
75
Bland and too long
76
Chill music-based roguelike bullet hell game that fails to capitalize on its really cool concept
77
It's cute but the actual gameplay gimmick isn't really that cool in execution, and it's the same thing over and over
78
Frustrating demands for twin-stick precision accuracy hold it back. The boss with the switching color Ikaruga influence was sick tho
79
Tries something different with its gameplay when it should've just ran with the visual style and great music and went tried and true bullet hell shmup
80
Dry
81
Back and forth fetch quest checklisting with bad combat and way too referential in its writing
82
The split reality gimmick is dumb and it's sooooo slowwwwww.
Just Google Zdzisław Beksiński instead
Just Google Zdzisław Beksiński instead
83
Shouldn't have been an Undertale-like, cause I really did enjoy the Reverse Guitar Hero combat but had to subject myself to the bad world and worse writing in order to experience it
84
Liked this more than I should have tbh, but I have to be realistic
85
If you've seen one level then you've seen the whole game
86
lol
87
This was originally slated as a $70 PS5 launch title dude
88
Without a doubt Aerial_Knight's first game, but I'm excited to play his second game, so it did enough right
89
I played this while watching http://www.twitch.tv/omsthechef play MGS: The Twin Snakes. Twin Snakes is great.
90
idk man, this middle section of my list has a whole bunch of games that like, don't necessarily have anything wrong with them, but why would anyone ever take time out of their life to play them? Why did *I* play them?
91
Doesn't do anything better than the game it shamelessly rips from
92
I felt nothing
93
BBBB
(Beautiful But Bonelessly Boring)
(Beautiful But Bonelessly Boring)
94
Why would anyone ever play this when Super Meat Boy did it exponentially better, like, 11 years ago
95
A total eyesore, but still the best game of the year based on a twelve minute loop
96
I sincerely wish this was enjoyable cause the concept of a playable metal opera is hilarious, but playing it is so stressful that you can't parse any of it
97
Just wanna get home after a double shift delivering these packages but this fuckin apartment complex has me chasing down babies and shit
98
Don't be fooled by the awesome bird with the cool backwards hat
99
Way too long, way too frustrating. Could trim like 45% of it and shuffle the levels so that the difficulty scales properly and it would've been great, cause the rest of the package is wonderful
100