Ranking by year

The best games of 2021.

165 games compete in this selection. Hitman 3 tops it with 1,876 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Hitman 3 2021 · TPS 1,876
  2. 2 Resident Evil Village 2021 · Horror 1,857
  3. 3 Guilty Gear: Strive 2021 · Fighting 1,809
  4. 4 Metroid Dread 2021 · Metroidvania 1,806
  5. 5 It Takes Two 2021 · Platformer 1,798
  6. 6 Inscryption 2021 · Card & Board 1,782
  7. 7 Disco Elysium: The Final Cut 2021 · RPG 1,748
  8. 8 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart 2021 · Platformer 1,728
  9. 9 Forza Horizon 5 2021 · Racing 1,724
  10. 10 Valheim 2021 · Action RPG 1,686
  11. 11 Diablo II: Resurrected 2021 · Action RPG 1,682
  12. 12 Pokémon Brilliant Diamond 2021 · JRPG 1,661
  13. 13 Death Stranding: Director's Cut 2021 · Action-adventure 1,651
  14. 14 Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut 2021 · Action RPG 1,637
  15. 15 Deathloop 2021 · FPS 1,633
  16. 16 NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... 2021 · Action RPG 1,632
  17. 17 Age of Empires IV 2021 · Strategy 1,623
  18. 18 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD 2021 · Action-adventure 1,608
  19. 19 Psychonauts 2 2021 · Platformer 1,606
  20. 20 Monster Hunter Rise 2021 · Action RPG 1,602
  21. 21 Alan Wake Remastered 2021 · TPS 1,600
  22. 22 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition 2021 · Action-adventure 1,596
  23. 23 Little Nightmares II 2021 · Platformer 1,595
  24. 24 Battlefield 2042 2021 · FPS 1,595
  25. 25 Halo Infinite 2021 · FPS 1,593
  26. 26 Kena: Bridge of Spirits 2021 · Action RPG 1,584
  27. 27 Returnal 2021 · Roguelite 1,583
  28. 28 Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy 2021 · Action-adventure 1,578
  29. 29 Scarlet Nexus 2021 · Action RPG 1,577
  30. 30 Mass Effect 3 2021 · Action RPG 1,567
  31. 31 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition 2021 · Action RPG 1,567
  32. 32 Loop Hero 2021 · Roguelite 1,566
  33. 33 New World: Aeternum 2021 · Action RPG 1,564
  34. 34 Twelve Minutes 2021 · Point-and-click 1,561
  35. 35 New Pokémon Snap 2021 · Simulation 1,559
  36. 36 The Medium 2021 · Horror 1,558
  37. 37 Quake 2021 · FPS 1,558
  38. 38 Humankind 2021 · Strategy 1,558
  39. 39 Gunfire Reborn 2021 · Roguelite 1,556
  40. 40 Far Cry 6 2021 · FPS 1,549
  41. 41 Pokémon Shining Pearl 2021 · JRPG 1,547
  42. 42 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition 2021 · Action-adventure 1,544
  43. 43 Mass Effect 2 2021 · Action RPG 1,540
  44. 44 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! 2021 · Visual novel 1,538
  45. 45 Tales of Arise 2021 · JRPG 1,538
  46. 46 Death's Door 2021 · Action RPG 1,536
  47. 47 The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes 2021 · Horror 1,536
  48. 48 Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition 2021 · Action-adventure 1,536
  49. 49 Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion 2021 · Action-adventure 1,535
  50. 50 Life is Strange: True Colors 2021 · Adventure 1,533
  51. 51 Lost Judgment 2021 · Action RPG 1,533
  52. 52 Naraka: Bladepoint 2021 · Fighting 1,533
  53. 53 Chivalry 2 2021 · Fighting 1,531
  54. 54 Subnautica: Below Zero 2021 · Survival 1,528
  55. 55 The Ascent 2021 · Action RPG 1,525
  56. 56 Before Your Eyes 2021 · Adventure 1,525
  57. 57 Eastward 2021 · Action RPG 1,521
  58. 58 Totally Accurate Battle Simulator 2021 · Strategy 1,520
  59. 59 Biomutant 2021 · Action RPG 1,519
  60. 60 Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth 2021 · Metroidvania 1,515
  61. 61 Mario Party Superstars 2021 · Card & Board 1,512
  62. 62 Adios 2021 · Adventure 1,503
  63. 63 Final Fantasy 2021 · JRPG 1,500
  64. 64 Bowser's Fury 2021 · Platformer 1,499
  65. 65 Final Fantasy II 2021 · JRPG 1,498
  66. 66 Super Animal Royale 2021 · Shoot 'em up 1,496
  67. 67 The Forgotten City 2021 · RPG 1,493
  68. 68 Cruelty Squad 2021 · FPS 1,493
  69. 69 Super Auto Pets 2021 · Card & Board 1,489
  70. 70 Maquette 2021 · Puzzle 1,486
  71. 71 Unpacking 2021 · Point-and-click 1,483
  72. 72 The Artful Escape 2021 · Platformer 1,483
  73. 73 Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk 2021 · Visual novel 1,477
  74. 74 Solar Ash 2021 · Platformer 1,476
  75. 75 The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante 2021 · Visual novel 1,474
  76. 76 Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous 2021 · RPG 1,474
  77. 77 Final Fantasy III 2021 · JRPG 1,474
  78. 78 GTFO 2021 · FPS 1,473
  79. 79 Crab Game 2021 · Fighting 1,472
  80. 80 Necromunda: Hired Gun 2021 · FPS 1,471
  81. 81 Final Fantasy IV 2021 · JRPG 1,469
  82. 82 Knockout City 2021 · Sports 1,468
  83. 83 Tails Noir 2021 · Visual novel 1,468
  84. 84 Blue Archive 2021 · Visual novel 1,467
  85. 85 Back 4 Blood 2021 · FPS 1,463
  86. 86 Lake 2021 · Simulation 1,463
  87. 87 Oddworld: Soulstorm 2021 · Platformer 1,463
  88. 88 Exo One 2021 · Simulation 1,460
  89. 89 Devour 2021 · Horror 1,459
  90. 90 Dagon 2021 · Visual novel 1,457
  91. 91 Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2021 · TPS 1,457
  92. 92 WarioWare: Get It Together! 2021 · Arcade 1,457
  93. 93 Pokémon Unite 2021 · MOBA 1,456
  94. 94 Muck 2021 · Roguelite 1,454
  95. 95 Poppy Playtime 2021 · Horror 1,454
  96. 96 Everhood 2021 · Rhythm 1,453
  97. 97 Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin 2021 · Action RPG 1,452
  98. 98 Chorus 2021 · TPS 1,451
  99. 99 Shin Megami Tensei V 2021 · JRPG 1,451
  100. 100 Bravely Default II 2021 · JRPG 1,447

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 1,876 ELO points, ahead of Resident Evil Village and Guilty Gear: Strive. The 165 games competing in it have played 16,017 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 165
Duels played by those games 16,017
Game in the lead Hitman 3 (2021)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,876
Point gap between 1st and 10th 190
Best represented genre Action RPG
Last reading September 18, 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 1,876 223
Horror 8 Resident Evil Village 1,857 391
Fighting 6 Guilty Gear: Strive 1,809 75
Platformer 12 It Takes Two 1,798 578
Action RPG 27 Valheim 1,686 239
JRPG 9 Pokémon Brilliant Diamond 1,661 110
Action-adventure 14 Death Stranding: Director's Cut 1,651 159
FPS 18 Deathloop 1,633 189
Roguelite 7 Returnal 1,583 205
Point-and-click 6 Twelve Minutes 1,561 182
Simulation 6 New Pokémon Snap 1,559 51
Visual novel 7 Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! 1,538 124
Adventure 6 Life is Strange: True Colors 1,533 117
Sports 5 Knockout City 1,468 75

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 97 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth +85 1,515
It Takes Two +58 1,798
Blue Archive +54 1,467

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%

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 1,876 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Resident Evil Village and Guilty Gear: Strive, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of 2021 are ranked?

165 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 16,017 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?

Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 85 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 97 games in the selection moved.

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