Hello everyone, I’m going to rank the top 20 highest-rated games from 2015 to 2022. The ranking is based on the Metacritic score, with the user score as a secondary factor. If you have played all of these 20 games, then you are a true master gamer. Without further ado, let’s get started.
20. Forza Horizon 3
This is the first game in the series that supports PC platform, and it introduced more players to the franchise. Microsoft also established the series as one of the best racing games in the market with Forza Horizon 3. The most competitive feature of this game is that it brought the online road trip mode from the previous game to offline. Players can freely drive around as soon as they enter the game. And of course, the most important thing is that Forza Horizon 3 has stunning graphics that crushes its competitors. Even if Need for Speed had better driving mechanics than Forza Horizon 5, players would still choose Forza for its amazing visuals and free gameplay.
- Forza Horizon 3
- Metacritic score: 91
- User score: 8.1
19. Crusader Kings III
This is the only strategy game in this video, and also the most unique one among Paradox Interactive’s four grand strategy games. The biggest feature of this game is that it lets players understand what medieval darkness and evil really mean through its game mechanics. Players can not only learn about that period of history, but also have fun with various random events that are hilarious and outrageous. I can’t say too much about this game, because I got into trouble last time when I recommended Hearts of Iron IV. You just need to know that this is one of Paradox’s top strategy games.
- Crusader Kings III
- Metacritic score: 91
- User score: 8.3
18. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
This is the Game of the Year winner at The Game Awards 2019, and it also had a resurgence in popularity this year in the streaming community. You can see how strong this game’s vitality is. The biggest feature of this game is the posture system that forces players to face the bosses head-on. You have to learn their moves and counter them to win. That’s why Sekiro’s combat gameplay is unique and different from other souls-like games. This also makes many people think that Sekiro is a very difficult game, but it’s actually similar to other souls-like games in essence: hard until you learn, easy once you master. I recently replayed this game after three years, and I finished the Shura ending in four hours and 33 minutes, and the Immortal Severance ending in six hours and 20 minutes. Because I haven’t played for a long time, I was rusty and got killed by Genichiro a few times. So Sekiro might be hard at first, but it gets more addictive as you play. The game has no dull moments throughout.
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Metacritic score: 91
- User score: 9
17. Demon’s Souls Remake
Although Demon’s Souls is an old game from many years ago, the remake for PS5 made many players experience the pure souls flavor again. The game didn’t change much in terms of game mechanics and difficulty level from the original version. The first thing that impressed players was the top-notch next-gen graphics that fully utilized PS5’s controller features. The operation feel and details were greatly improved, and the sound effects were also remade. This made players more motivated to explore this game’s charm. So Demon’s Souls Remake is not just a simple upgrade of graphics, it’s like turning an old classic movie into a new blockbuster with better costumes, makeup and editing, while keeping the original cast intact. Naturally, it received very high scores.
- Demon’s Souls Remake
- Metacritic score: 92
- User score: 8
16. Forza Horizon 5
15. Forza Horizon 4
Many players might be surprised to see Forza Horizon again on this list. To explain it to those who don’t play racing games, Forza Horizon is like GTA in the racing genre. Forza Horizon 4 is the most representative game in the series, and also where many gamers’ dreams begin. The opening animation alone was enough to amaze everyone, and it even won a D.I.C.E award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition . Many players didn’t want to enter the game just to watch the intro over and over again. The intro also hinted at one of the game’s features: the four seasons change. You can drive your favorite Senna through the four seasons of Britain. When you enter the game, you are immersed in the carnival atmosphere with a one-shot take and seamless transition of the four seasons. Except for driving on the left side of the road, which might be a bit uncomfortable for some people, Forza Horizon 4 is the ultimate game in the series.
If Forza Horizon 4 gives you a comfortable and casual feeling, then Forza Horizon 5 is more about rally and off-road. The game is set in Mexico, and because of the tropical climate, it canceled the four seasons change from the previous game, but added more terrains such as mountains, jungles, deserts and beaches. Therefore, this game focuses on sandstorms and hurricanes that can bring a lot of shock to players. The game’s graphics also reached the industry’s top level, and the photos taken at the highest quality settings are almost indistinguishable from reality. Of course, this requires your computer to have a very high configuration. It’s worth mentioning that Forza Horizon 5 added Chinese dubbing, which is completely professional-level, and you don’t have to look at subtitles to drive freely.
- Forza Horizon 5
- Metacritic score: 92
- User score: 8.2
- Forza Horizon 4
- Metacritic score: 92
- User score: 8.3
14. Bloodborne
Bloodborne made some very distinct innovations compared to the Dark Souls series. It added a mechanic that allows players to regain health by attacking immediately after being injured, and combined it with blood bullets and gun parry design. This game encourages players to be more aggressive, but at the same time, it also makes the death penalty more severe. The blood echoes that you drop when you die might be picked up by nearby enemies, and you have to kill them to get them back. This game also has the most satisfying combat feel among all souls-like games. It’s worth mentioning that Miyazaki considered that players might have nothing to do after finishing the game, so he designed the Chalice Dungeons. Every time players use a chalice to open a different dungeon entrance, the entire dungeon map will be randomly generated with various traps, monsters and rewards. This allows hardcore players to have something to do after finishing the game. In short, Bloodborne is a successful innovation by Miyazaki in the souls-like genre.
- Bloodborne
- Metacritic score: 92
- User score: 9
13. Persona 5
As we all know, Persona 5 is the best in the world. Compared to many Western developers who pursue extreme material details, Persona 5 focuses on artistic style expression. Coupled with the wonderful performance of Japan’s top musician Meguro Shoji, Persona 5 can bring an unparalleled audiovisual feast to players. This is the biggest charm of this game. With its first-class comic production level, any anime fan can feel a strong resonance. Especially every time you watch the game’s intro, even if you have seen it dozens of times, you still don’t want to skip it. Finally, let’s talk about the game’s turn-based gameplay. Personally, I think the gameplay itself doesn’t have much innovation, and the most satisfying part of combat is still the final move animation. From this perspective, Persona 5 is indeed the best in the world.
- Persona 5
- Metacritic score: 93
- User score: 8.7
12. Resident Evil 2 Remake
This game redefined what remake means. Except for the game name and characters, everything inside and outside of this game is new. The core content of this game consists of three parts: combat, exploration and puzzle solving. The most outstanding part is that it achieves a dynamic balance of resource management. When you have abundant resources, monsters will be more aggressive; when you are low on resources, there will be more supplies on the map and monsters will be easier to kill. This design allows players to enjoy a tense and thrilling experience throughout.
- Resident Evil 2 Remake
- Metacritic score: 93
- User score: 8.8
11. Divinity: Original Sin II
For those who are not familiar with this game, they might think of an online game when they see its graphics. In fact, Divinity: Original Sin II is a traditional CRPG (computer role-playing game), and it’s one of the best RPG games ever made. The game has a very high degree of freedom. Besides choosing from a lot of races and classes when creating your character, you can also choose different branches for your quests. The game world also allows you to do whatever you want. You can talk to any NPC in the game, even a chicken; and you can also kill all NPCs if you want to.
Conclusion
That’s all for the first half of the blog post. I hope you are curious about the rest of the ranking, and which game will be the number one. Please stay tuned for the second half of the blog post, which will be coming soon.
