The 2010s have been more than kind to gaming. Indie games have been catapulted into the mainstream consciousness, and there have never been so many independent developers experimenting with the form. At the same time, big publishers also haven’t dropped their standards. While many publishers have walked into big controversies over microtransactions, pre-order bonuses and loot boxes, so many blockbuster studios continue to restore our faith in triple-A productions because of their meticulous quality and creativity.
But with a decade that has delivered so many standout gaming experiences, what single year has defined the decade? Join us as we rank every year in the 2010s based on the quality of the games that released that year.
10. 2014
The first year in any console’s life cycle is always a very exciting time. However, 2014 was just fine, and in a decade full of brilliance fine isn’t really enough.
2014 definitely did have good games. South Park: The Stick of Truth was a hilarious love letter to the series. I have no idea why the rest of the industry haven’t stolen Shadow of Mordor’s impeccable nemesis system. Dragon Age: Inquisition featured a cast of endearing fantasy characters. Blizzard conquered another genre with the addictive card game, Hearthstone. Shovel Knight was a retro throwback for the ages. Bungie launched Destiny to huge commercial success. And Child of Light was an amazingly sentimental love letter to the golden age of JRPGs… from Ubisoft?
Nintendo tried its hardest to sell you Wii-Us with Mario Kart 8 proving the king of kart racers. Smash Bros. for Wii U was trying to replicate the competitive nature of Melee. And Bayonetta 2 released as one of the best character-action games of all time. Team Xbox also tried their hardest to comeback from an embarrassing Xbox One reveal. They nabbed a Sony partner, Isomniac, to develop the underappreciated adrenaline rush that is Sunset Overdrive. The wildly anticipated shooter from Respawn, Titanfall, was released as an Xbox console exclusive. And Xbox pulled out all the stops with Halo MCC, however that game’s online matchmaking wouldn’t be fixed for another few years.
