Ranking by year

The best games of 2021.

166 games compete in this selection. Hitman 3 tops it with 1,867 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Hitman 3 2021 · TPS 1,867
  2. 2 Metroid Dread 2021 · Metroidvania 1,849
  3. 3 Resident Evil Village 2021 · Horror 1,831
  4. 4 Forza Horizon 5 2021 · Racing 1,819
  5. 5 Guilty Gear: Strive 2021 · Fighting 1,805
  6. 6 It Takes Two 2021 · Platformer 1,760
  7. 7 Inscryption 2021 · Card & Board 1,758
  8. 8 Disco Elysium: The Final Cut 2021 · RPG 1,742
  9. 9 Valheim 2021 · Action RPG 1,717
  10. 10 Halo Infinite 2021 · FPS 1,706
  11. 11 Diablo II: Resurrected 2021 · Action RPG 1,672
  12. 12 Far Cry 6 2021 · FPS 1,650
  13. 13 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD 2021 · Action-adventure 1,649
  14. 14 Twelve Minutes 2021 · Point-and-click 1,640
  15. 15 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart 2021 · Platformer 1,637
  16. 16 Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut 2021 · Action RPG 1,604
  17. 17 Returnal 2021 · Roguelite 1,603
  18. 18 Final Fantasy IV 2021 · JRPG 1,601
  19. 19 Before Your Eyes 2021 · Adventure 1,601
  20. 20 The Medium 2021 · Horror 1,598
  21. 21 NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... 2021 · Action RPG 1,596
  22. 22 Death's Door 2021 · Action RPG 1,594
  23. 23 Kena: Bridge of Spirits 2021 · Action RPG 1,594
  24. 24 Life is Strange: True Colors 2021 · Adventure 1,594
  25. 25 Loop Hero 2021 · Roguelite 1,593
  26. 26 Monster Hunter Rise 2021 · Action RPG 1,586
  27. 27 Little Nightmares II 2021 · Platformer 1,584
  28. 28 Bravely Default II 2021 · JRPG 1,580
  29. 29 Tales of Arise 2021 · JRPG 1,579
  30. 30 Pokémon Shining Pearl 2021 · JRPG 1,577
  31. 31 Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy 2021 · Action-adventure 1,570
  32. 32 Eastward 2021 · Action RPG 1,565
  33. 33 Scarlet Nexus 2021 · Action RPG 1,564
  34. 34 Psychonauts 2 2021 · Platformer 1,561
  35. 35 Cruelty Squad 2021 · FPS 1,560
  36. 36 Pokémon Brilliant Diamond 2021 · JRPG 1,557
  37. 37 Deathloop 2021 · FPS 1,549
  38. 38 Super Animal Royale 2021 · Shoot 'em up 1,549
  39. 39 Quake 2021 · FPS 1,547
  40. 40 The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes 2021 · Horror 1,543
  41. 41 Paint the Town Red 2021 · FPS 1,539
  42. 42 Final Fantasy II 2021 · JRPG 1,532
  43. 43 Alan Wake Remastered 2021 · TPS 1,530
  44. 44 Subnautica: Below Zero 2021 · Survival 1,529
  45. 45 Lost Judgment 2021 · Action RPG 1,529
  46. 46 Shin Megami Tensei V 2021 · JRPG 1,529
  47. 47 New Pokémon Snap 2021 · Simulation 1,526
  48. 48 The Forgotten City 2021 · RPG 1,525
  49. 49 Unpacking 2021 · Point-and-click 1,524
  50. 50 Battlefield 2042 2021 · FPS 1,519
  51. 51 Road 96 2021 · Action-adventure 1,519
  52. 52 Age of Empires IV 2021 · Strategy 1,514
  53. 53 The Ascent 2021 · Action RPG 1,509
  54. 54 Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition 2021 · Action-adventure 1,508
  55. 55 Biomutant 2021 · Action RPG 1,507
  56. 56 Knockout City 2021 · Sports 1,507
  57. 57 Adios 2021 · Adventure 1,504
  58. 58 Muck 2021 · Roguelite 1,503
  59. 59 Mario Party Superstars 2021 · Card & Board 1,501
  60. 60 Sable 2021 · Adventure 1,499
  61. 61 Curse of the Dead Gods 2021 · Roguelite 1,498
  62. 62 Tormented Souls 2021 · TPS 1,493
  63. 63 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition 2021 · Action RPG 1,489
  64. 64 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! 2021 · Visual novel 1,488
  65. 65 Everhood 2021 · Rhythm 1,488
  66. 66 Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin 2021 · Action RPG 1,487
  67. 67 Pokémon Unite 2021 · MOBA 1,486
  68. 68 Final Fantasy III 2021 · JRPG 1,484
  69. 69 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition 2021 · Action-adventure 1,483
  70. 70 Umamusume: Pretty Derby 2021 · Simulation 1,479
  71. 71 Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk 2021 · Visual novel 1,478
  72. 72 Totally Accurate Battle Simulator 2021 · Strategy 1,475
  73. 73 Jurassic World Evolution 2 2021 · Strategy 1,472
  74. 74 Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion 2021 · Action-adventure 1,470
  75. 75 Chernobylite 2021 · Action RPG 1,467
  76. 76 Exo One 2021 · Simulation 1,467
  77. 77 Death Stranding: Director's Cut 2021 · Action-adventure 1,465
  78. 78 GTFO 2021 · FPS 1,464
  79. 79 Wildermyth 2021 · Roguelite 1,464
  80. 80 Tails Noir 2021 · Visual novel 1,461
  81. 81 New World: Aeternum 2021 · Action RPG 1,459
  82. 82 Ruined King: A League of Legends Story 2021 · RPG 1,458
  83. 83 Fears to Fathom: Home Alone 2021 · Horror 1,458
  84. 84 Farlight 84 2021 · FPS 1,456
  85. 85 Mass Effect 2 2021 · Action RPG 1,455
  86. 86 Blue Fire 2021 · Action RPG 1,450
  87. 87 Mass Effect 3 2021 · Action RPG 1,446
  88. 88 The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante 2021 · Visual novel 1,446
  89. 89 Mass Effect 2021 · Action RPG 1,445
  90. 90 Lake 2021 · Simulation 1,444
  91. 91 Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth 2021 · Metroidvania 1,443
  92. 92 Super Auto Pets 2021 · Card & Board 1,443
  93. 93 Poppy Playtime 2021 · Horror 1,442
  94. 94 Naraka: Bladepoint 2021 · Fighting 1,442
  95. 95 Last Stop 2021 · Adventure 1,442
  96. 96 Humankind 2021 · Strategy 1,438
  97. 97 Bowser's Fury 2021 · Platformer 1,438
  98. 98 WarioWare: Get It Together! 2021 · Arcade 1,438
  99. 99 Outriders 2021 · Action RPG 1,437
  100. 100 The Artful Escape 2021 · Platformer 1,434

Filter, combine and travel back in time in the full ranking

Other rankings

Best games of 2020 Ranking of 2022 games Top games of 2023 Top games of 2024 Ranking of 2025 games Greatest games of 2026

In detail

The best games of 2021, what this ranking says

Hitman 3 leads this selection with 1,867 ELO points, ahead of Metroid Dread and Resident Evil Village. The 166 games competing in it have played 20,816 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 166
Duels played by those games 20,816
Game in the lead Hitman 3 (2021)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,867
Point gap between 1st and 10th 161
Best represented genre Action RPG
Last reading November 3, 2026

The best game of every genre in 2021

A selection is not read in one block: here is what leads each of its brackets.

The best game of every genre in 2021
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
TPS 6 Hitman 3 1,867 264
Horror 9 Resident Evil Village 1,831 427
Fighting 6 Guilty Gear: Strive 1,805 103
Platformer 12 It Takes Two 1,760 614
Action RPG 27 Valheim 1,717 266
FPS 18 Halo Infinite 1,706 230
Action-adventure 14 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD 1,649 83
Point-and-click 6 Twelve Minutes 1,640 211
Roguelite 7 Returnal 1,603 239
JRPG 9 Final Fantasy IV 1,601 88
Adventure 6 Before Your Eyes 1,601 72
Simulation 6 New Pokémon Snap 1,526 72
Sports 5 Knockout City 1,507 100
Visual novel 7 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! 1,488 159

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 94 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Blue Fire +86 1,450
Paint the Town Red +73 1,539
Twelve Minutes +72 1,640

The most contested match-ups

These pairs of games have faced each other more than any others in this selection.

The most contested match-ups
Wins Against Duels played Win rate
Muck Loop Hero 3 67%
Inscryption Super Auto Pets 3 100%

How this ranking is established

No jury, no press score, no sales figures: two games face off, players vote, and every vote updates an ELO score. This page is a view of the world ranking, never a standing kept apart.

Understand the method in detail →

FAQ

What players ask

What is the best game of 2021?

According to community votes, the best game of 2021 is Hitman 3, with 1,867 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Metroid Dread and Resident Evil Village, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of 2021 are ranked?

166 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 20,816 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game of 2021 is climbing right now?

Blue Fire is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 86 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 94 games in the selection moved.

Vote on a duel