There are so many video games in the world that it’s often difficult to know what to play. Reading reviews has long been a way to get a feel for a title’s content before you buy and that’s where review websites come in handy.
Metacritic collects both critic and player reviews and averages out their scores, giving readers a good feel for how a game was received.
So, according to the review aggregate site, which games are the best ever made? We’ve brought together the top 10 games and franchises, all of which scored 97 or over, and are considered a Metacritic Must-Play.
10 NFL 2K1
Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 6.3
Sega Sports’ NFL 2K1 for the Dreamcast is the second game in the American football franchise and the highest scoring in the series.
While many may consider it dated these days, it received huge praise at the time for its many advancements compared to the first title.
The AI was one of the most commonly praised aspects, along with the graphics. Players who wrote reviews also adored the title with user IownYou calling it “one of the greatest football games of all-time.”
9 Red Dead Redemption 2
Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 7.5
Rockstar dominates this list and Red Dead Redemption 2 is just one of several of their open-world action-adventure titles that make this list.
It brings players into a huge and immersive world, based on America in 1899. If you’ve ever wanted to ride horses and get into gunfights, this is the title for you.
Critics and players alike loved everything from the graphics and gameplay to the soundtrack. A truly engaging title RDR2 also now includes an online multiplayer mode.
8 Halo: Combat Evolved
Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 8.5
It wouldn’t be a greatest games list without the inclusion of the Master Chief. The Xbox’s Halo: Combat Evolved is the game that makes the cut with its score of 97.
Bungie Software’s sci-fi first-person shooter puts players on an alien planet, in control of super-soldier Master Chief. Here they must battle the Covenant and explore the area, uncovering its secrets through missions and combat.
Part of the hugely successful Halo franchise, this title was the first in the series and still stands up today as one of the greatest FPS games ever created.
7 Perfect Dark
Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 8.9
Perfect Dark is a first-person shooter that truly deserves its almost perfect score. It combines an interesting and immersive storyline with what was state of the art graphics. This is the title that came along and stomped all over that other N64 fan-favorite shooter, GoldenEye.
Taking control of Carrington Institutes agent Joanna Dark, critics and gamers alike enjoyed exploring and discovering the secrets in this sci-fi action title.
6 Super Mario Galaxy And Super Mario Odyssey
Galaxy Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 9.0
Galaxy 2 Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 9.1
Odyssey Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 8.9
Nintendo’s lovable character Mario makes no less than 3 appearances on Metacritic’s list of titles scoring 97 or higher. Both Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Wii score 97, as does the Switch’s Super Mario Odyssey.
Mario has been changing the faces of video games since 1985 and the platform franchise has enjoyed huge successes over that time. The titles which have made the top of the list are those which do something different to the norm.
The gravity mechanics in Super Mario Galaxy are different and enjoyable as is the return to exploration-based gameplay and the inventiveness we see in Super Mario Odyssey.
5 Metroid Prime
Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 9.2
Metroid Prime is another example of a fantastic action sci-fi first-person shooter title. It is the fifth title in the Metroid series but was the first to use 3D graphics.
Taking on the role of a bounty hunter, you’ll be transported to Tallon IV with your power beam and gravity suit to uncover the mysteries that await you.
Critics and players alike love this quirky game, with player scores totaling a whopping 9.2, based on 957 ratings.
4 Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 And 3
Pro Skater 2 Metacritic Score: 98 / User Score: 7.4
Pro Skater 3 Metacritic Score 97 / User Score 7.4
Back in the early 2000’s Tony Hawk was the king of Skateboarding and these two skateboarding simulators, Pro Skater 2 and Pro Skater 3, were some of the strongest sports simulator games ever made.
Both titles allowed players much more freedom than you’d expect from a game of this type. There are goals to hit, tricks to perform and plenty of places to explore. The soundtrack is also perfect for the setting.
Well received and well-loved, the game hasn’t aged as well as some but still deserves its place on this list.
3 Grand Theft Auto III - V
GTA III Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 8.4
GTA IV Metacritic Score: 98 / User Score: 7.5
GTA V Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 7.8
The controversial action-adventure series Grand Theft Auto is most commonly known for its adult-related themes. While every game in the series has involved these to some extent it is the latest titles that have combined them with some astonishing gameplay elements to create true gaming masterpieces.
The worlds found in GTA are immersive and fully explorable, the missions variable and the options are seemingly endless. All three recent titles, GTA III, GTA IV, and GTA V, from the main series, have scored highly on Metacritic and despite being five years old, GTA V is still increasing the game’s player base to this day.
2 Soul Calibur
Metacritic Score: 98 / User Score: 8.6
Soul Calibur is an action fighting game from Namco. It is the second title in the series, which is still active today. The title's main appeal is the level of detail employed in its creation.
The fighting mechanics are well thought out and enjoyable to both play and watch, while the game itself includes a huge amount of little details which had never been seen before in games of this type.
Even several years after release, player reviews praising it were still being published, showing its longevity and sealing its position as the greatest fighting game ever made.
1 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time And Breath Of The Wild
Ocarina of Time Metacritic Score: 99 / User Score: 9.1
Breath of the Wild Metacritic Score: 97 / User Score: 8.5
Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series has long been regarded as an amazing franchise, which truly deserves its spot at the top of this list. The only surprising part was that more of the titles didn’t appear.
If we moved the score down to 96, numerous other Zelda games would appear but only two, including the most recent title Breath Of The Wild, managed to score 97 and higher.
Of these two, Ocarina of Time is the standout and the only title to score 99 on Metacritic, based on 22 critic reviews. It also has an equally impressive user score of 9.1, which is based on an enormous 4616 ratings.
The figures speak for themselves as critics and fans alike called it a “masterpiece.”