The 20 Best Games of the Decade
From the Farthest Reaches of Space to the Snowy Realms of Skyrim to the Kingdom of Hyrule, the 2010S Were Blessed with Many Groundbreaking Titles. , the 2010S...
From the farthest reaches of space to the snowy realms of Skyrim to the kingdom of Hyrule, the 2010s were blessed with many groundbreaking titles.
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The 2010s offered a lot to gamers, from new franchises that have gone on to be industry leaders of their own to reinventions of decades-old series that benefited greatly from a foundational shake-up.
Below, a group of The Hollywood Reporter's game critics, columnists and staff writers choose their picks for the most influential, impactful and memorable titles released over the past decade. While a number of games that are still major forces in the industry today are absent from this list (such as League of Legends and Minecraft), such titles were omitted because they launched last decade and this list employs a strict "2010-onward" rule for its entries.
The entries on this list are not ranked and are presented in the chronological order of their release. They were chosen for their impact on the industry and the lasting impressions they made upon the gaming community.
— Patrick Shanley, gaming writer/editor at The Hollywood Reporter
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Mass Effect 2
The Mass Effect series peaked with its second entry in 2010 (before going off the rails in the trilogy’s finale two years later, which was quite possibly the most divisive title of the decade). While the first game did an admirable job of world-building and introducing players to a swath of characters they’d inevitably want to get to know much more intimately, it wasn’t until the sequel that they began to feel like fully realized individuals with hopes, dreams and feelings. The game's seemingly endless array of dialogue options and permutations for how one simple conversation could affect the narrative was influential in several ways. It's a system that hasn't quite been perfected since, even in the game's lukewarm follow-up Mass Effect Andromeda. It also featured a variety of endings that fit the type of Shepard you groomed perfectly. All the puzzle pieces fit together to help make it one of BioWare's best, a feat it hasn't yet been able to match, and likely never will again. This was the last great moment in Mass Effect history, because while the third game showed flickers of excellence, it was Mass Effect 2 that took the franchise and made it feel more like an experience than a relatively new game series. — Brittany Vincent
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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
While the fifth installment of any game franchise can feel daunting to newcomers, Bethesda’s Skyrim felt just the opposite in its approach. The high-fantasy game created a rich tapestry of lore and history that was easy to become acquainted with and invested in. While the character models of the NPCs may have left something to be desired, the detail in the expansive settings, locations, armor and weapons displayed the kind of ambitious detail that swallowed other games of its ilk whole. The open-world nature of the story and seemingly infinite side quests often eclipsed the main narrative, and yet that factor worked to the game’s advantage. Skyrim truly did invite players to create their own narrative for their characters, and make in-game choices, both in terms of characters and quests, that added to the replay value of an eternal game that never plays the same way twice. — Richard Newby
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David Miller brings 15 years of experience in global economics, personal finance strategy, and market dynamics. He specializes in turning complex economic trends into actionable insights for everyday readers.
