The 22 best games of all time

What are the best games available to play right now? If you’re looking for something new to play on your PC, Xbox, PS5, or Nintendo Switch, chances are you want something that is a certified banger. And that’s where we come in.

Our list of the best games isn’t exactly exhaustive, but it represents the must-play games that we at The Loadout would recommend to anyone in a heartbeat. It’s worth noting that the games on the list aren’t restricted to particular platforms, so if you’re looking for something specific, you might want to check out our guides to the best PS5 games, best Xbox Series games, and best Nintendo Switch games for more options.

The best games are:

Elden Ring

If you’re sick of playing the same game over and over again, you might want to consider picking up a copy of Elden Ring. This award-winning game, created by Soulslike superstars FromSoftware, pushed the boundaries of the genre as we knew it – allowing players to explore its immersive world without any true barriers.

And that in itself is a gift when you consider that the world was created in part by Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin, who was given free reign to create the game’s backstory. With walking talking pots, undead monsters, and unimaginable bosses, Elden Ring’s world is almost as good as the game itself.

If you decide to give it a go, you’ll be thrown into a third-person action RPG in which you’ll need to fight desperately to survive. Soulslike games are meant to be punishing by nature, so dying is all part of the experience, but in Elden Ring you’ll get to choose your path to becoming the next Elden Lord.

It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it – trust us. If you don’t believe us, you can read our glowing Elden Ring review right here.

God of War Ragnarok

The God of War series has been around since 2005, with the release of the original on PlayStation 2. However, the series reached new heights with the pseudo-reboot God of War in 2018.

Since then, fans have been clamouring for a conclusion to the Norse Saga, leading to the creation of Ragnarok. Here, Kratos and Atreus have to deal with the might of the All-Father, Odin, while simultaneously tackling the consequences of Ragnarok.

There’s a lot to take in here, but Ragnarok is a brilliant action game with incredible combat, an emotional narrative, and amazing voice acting – all things we praised in our God of War Ragnarok review.

Whether you’re a newcomer to the series, or a long-time fan, Ragnarok is a must-play.

Skyrim

It hurts when you take an arrow to the knee, right? In this action RPG, which is arguably one of the best open world games in recent history, you’ll take to the lands of Tamriel as the Dragonborn, a hero with the power to take down an ancient dragon threatening the end of the world as you know it.

This rich open world can be explored at your own pace and with hundreds of side quests to complete along the way, guards to annoy, and different skills to master, Skyrim offers an immersive experience that is largely unmatched by newer releases.

While Skyrim is available to play on every major platform, it’s at its best on PC where the modding community continues to keep it stocked with endless possibilities and customisation options.

That being said, if you don’t have a PC and you’ve never had a chance to experience Tamriel’s offerings, Skyrim is still one of the best games on console.

Deathloop

What happens if an assassin is hired to kill another assassin? Well, that’s exactly the premise of Deathloop, one of the best FPS games to grace Xbox and PS5 consoles. It’s not exactly straightforward though; both these assassins are stuck in a time loop of some sort, and it’s up to your character, Colt, to work out how to break that loop and escape the island of Blackreef before Julianna kills you.

It’s a proper cat and mouse game and one that’ll have you right back at the start over and over again, but it’s worth it just to inch one step closer to breaking the loop.

In our Deathloop review, we gave the game a nine out of ten, calling it one of the most innovative games in years.

Kingdom Hearts 2

Combining Final Fantasy and Disney sounds like a strange combination that really shouldn’t work. Yet, here’s the Kingdom Hearts sequel on our best games list.

Kingdom Hearts 2 is the second game in the series, which takes Sora and his friends, Donald Duck and Goofy on a wild ride to save various Disney worlds and find King Mickey.

If you’ve never played a Kingdom Hearts game before, prepare to be overloaded with information. The series is infamous for being a little confusing, but it’s charm means you can put all of that to one side. Hack and slash combat makes it easy to get into action, but a variety of role-playing elements add much needed depth to the gameplay. And while solid levels and worlds are fun to explore, the wonderful cast of iconic characters will stick with you forever.

Minecraft

There are plenty of incredible sandbox-survival games out there to play, but none of them are as prevalent as Minecraft. Set in a realm called the Overworld, Minecraft tasks players with surviving against dangerous mobs, while also building and creating a home with their own vision.

While you can remove the threats and simply build to satisfy those creative urges, the fun in surviving – particularly in the best Minecraft survival servers – cannot be beaten.

Since 2011, the game has grown exponentially, thanks to a steady stream of updates that add new items, resources, biomes, and more to the procedurally-generated world. Mods on the PC side of things also keep the game fresh for everyone.

There’s a reason it’s the best selling game in videogame history and now you have the chance to put your spin on it.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

If you’re a fan of big open worlds sprawling with intrigue, monsters, and magic, you might want to consider tossing a coin to your favourite Witcher, Geralt of Rivia. In this open world RPG game, you’ll play as the infamous monster hunter during his hunt for his adopted daughter, Ciri, while various otherworldly creatures and factions threaten to get in his way.

The Witcher 3 is widely considered as one of the best RPG games of all time, mostly in part to its branching narrative. As you work your way through the Northern Kingdoms, you’ll be forced to make decisions, all of which will impact how your game ends and who is by your side.

It’s an unbeatable story and one that’s available on all major platforms. The Complete Edition, which adds two sets of DLC, and improved graphics for the current generation, is well worth the price.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

In a radical shift for the series, Breath of the Wild took the much loved Zelda universe to a sprawling open world. Jam packed with mysteries to solve, characters to get to know, and an enormous sandbox to play around with, there’s a reason this game is considered as one of the best games of all time.

You play as Link, the young heroic knight charged with saving the world and Princess Zelda from Calamity Ganon, 100 years after their malice has overrun the world. With light survival mechanics like temperature, crafting, and weapon degradation to think about, Breath of the Wild will keep you on your toes as you explore the enthralling world of Zelda like never before.

Breath of the Wild is one of the only games to push the Nintendo Switch to its limits and if you’re looking for something to really dig into on that platform, you can’t do much better than this iconic title, especially as we approach the Tears of the Kingdom release date.

Portal 2

A best games list isn’t complete unless it has a Portal game on it. This Valve-created puzzle series fuses brain-teasing platforming conundrums with some of the wittiest writing and memorial voice acting performance you’ll find not only in the genre, but in gaming altogether.

As a sequel, Portal 2 once again sees Chell (that’s you) try to escape from Aperture Science, and with it the clutches of sentient computer GLaDOS. Joined this time by Wheatley – a personality core tasked with the maintenance of the now-crumbling facility – you will need to navigate your way out with the now-iconic portal gun.

While Portal 2’s single-player campaign is itself exemplary, its co-op campaign – or ‘Cooperative Testing Initiative’ – is equally brilliant in its own right, making it one of the best co-op games. Here, you and a pal can assume control of either Atlas or P-body – two robots built by GLaDOS specifically for testing out puzzle chambers.

Although Portal 2 may not be a 100+ hour epic, it can easily get there should you delve into the Steam Workshop test chambers. Boasting years of user-generated content, you’ll have a hard time running out of new ways to experience the joys of Portal 2.

Valorant

Up until the release of Valorant in 2020, developer Riot Games was the butt of jokes about its own name. The plurality suggested it had made and published several games, but in reality, it was only the sole developer of League of Legends, one of the best MOBA games ever made.

However, in June 2022, with the launch of Valorant that all changed. This 5v5 tactical shooter quickly became one of the best competitive FPS games of all time, rivalling the likes of Valve’s core shooter, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Unlike CS:GO, though, Valorant doesn’t just rely on core gunplay mechanics. Instead, Valorant blends character-specific abilities with gunplay and utility, forcing players to think creatively about their team composition, hard counters, and positioning.

It’s difficult to begin with, but once you get the hang of things it’s worth testing your mettle by climbing the Valorant ranks. It might not be the easiest game on this list, but from a competitive standpoint, you won’t find one better.

The Last of Us Part 1

As the quintessential ‘Dad game’, The Last of Us is often praised for its heartfelt story of a father struggling to live again after the loss of his daughter in the wake of an apocalyptic outbreak. The narrative is undoubtedly the star of the show, with touching scenes of vulnerability balanced with intense moments of brutality, all portrayed by pitch-perfect voice acting and jaw-dropping visuals.

There’s more to The Last of Us than its story though. The game also boasts nail-bitingly tense combat as you struggle to balance your resources with the need to make it through encounters alive. You’ll find yourself exploring the rich and diverse environments in search of upgrades and crafting materials to improve your odds of survival in a journey across America.

The Last of Us is one of PlayStation’s biggest franchises and with a gripping second game and a top-rated TV series, there’s never been a better time to experience Naughty Dog’s epic.

You can read our The Last of Us Part 1 review here.

Doom Eternal

Rip and tear, baby.

Doom Eternal is quite easily one of the best arena shooters of all time, with developer ID Software’s emphasis on rewarding players for getting up close and personal with the denizens of hell resulting in lightning fast and gloriously gory combat.

Taking up the mantle of the Doom Slayer, you must put a stop to hell’s invasion of Earth by cleaving through legions of demons. Of course, regular old weapons are fine and dandy, but throughout Doom Eternal’s campaign you’ll come across everything from a sawn-off shotgun with a meat hook that yanks you towards enemies, to a giant laser cannon that will gelatinize everything in its path.

Of course, when talking about modern Doom it would be sacrilegious to not mention musical maestro Mick Gordon, who masterfully mixes multiple flavours of metal to create one of the meatiest OSTs in gaming. While his work on Doom 2016 is arguably better, Doom Eternal’s soundtrack remains an absolute banger.

Dead Cells

If you love a challenge, then Dead Cells is a game you’ll want to add to your ever-growing library (or backlog, we don’t judge).

Set on a fictional island with a range of mutated monsters, this 2D metroidvania roguelike game puts players in the shoes of the Prisoner, who must attempt to kill the king of the terrifying island.

As you progress through the difficult dungeons and levels on offer here, you’ll gain resources to upgrade the Prisoner, as well as new weapon types, different abilities, and more, all on your quest to complete the game.

Dead Cells offers beautiful visuals, fun gameplay, and a great time, all for a reasonable price. It’s also one of the best roguelike games you can buy, so you know it’s good.

Hades

Hades is undoubtedly one of the best games out there and it has the awards to prove it. This roguelike claimed several Game of the Year titles in 2020, sparking a new age for the genre.

The Supergiant Games title places you in the shoes of Zagreus, the prince of the Underworld and son of the titular Hades, who’s desperately trying to escape his unpleasant home. You’ll need to fight your way through the monsters in the underworld to survive, using new abilities and knowledge from the gods you meet along the way.

Hades has been praised for its isometric combat and setting, which if you haven’t guessed already, is based on ancient Greek mythology.

If you haven’t had the chance to experience Hades, you really must – it’s a treat for any newcomer and we promise it’ll get you hyped for the Hades 2 release date.

Red Dead Redemption 2

The Wild West has never been cooler than in Red Dead Redemption 2, which puts us firmly in the shoes of Arthur Morgan, an outlaw and member of the Van Der Linde gang, who has to fight for survival in an ever-modernising world.

While it follows on from the first game, which is brilliant in its own right, you don’t need to have played the original to understand the narrative here. All you need to know is that it’s a proper Western story, filled with bandits, shootouts, and horses.

Despite it coming out in 2018 on old-gen platforms, Red Dead Redemption 2 is still widely regarded as one of the best looking games in recent years regardless of what platform you play it on and if that isn’t enough to convince you to pick it up, what will?

Grand Theft Auto V

We all have our views on what the best Grand Theft Auto game is, but you must admit; Grand Theft Auto V has had one hell of a run.

Released in 2013, GTA 5 is the 15th instalment in the series and follows three main protagonists – retired bank robber Michael De Santa, gangster Franklin Clinton, and all round psychopath Trevor Phillips – as they attempt daring heists for known criminals. It’s a proper GTA game with free roam, character switching, and both third and first-person perspective.

The story is utterly brilliant and worth playing through, but where GTA 5 really shines is in its multiplayer offerings. With up to 30 players in one lobby, players have the chance to create their own character and set up their own criminal enterprise. While you can spend all day playing poker in the Casino, racing the fastest GTA Online cars, or gun running, Grand Theft Auto Online also provides a co-operative social experience.

Plus on PC, GTA Online is a very different experience thanks to the modding community. GTA RP, one of the most popular modded servers, allows players to roleplay as their chosen character – giving a new lease of life to what is already a decade old game.

GTA 5 is the second best-selling videogame of all time and one of the only games to release on three different generational platforms. If that’s not enough to convince you while we wait for the GTA 6 release date, we don’t know what will.

Control

Remedy has always been a studio with bold ideas and unique premises, but Control is its most impressive accomplishment to date. Packing a slick, fast-paced action game into a featureless setting is no easy feat. But Remedy manages to interweave fascinating spooky stories, supernatural powers, and luscious modern architecture into one big package.

You’ll play as Jesse Faden, the new director of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), which is based in a brutalist skyscraper known as The Oldest House. This skyscraper is full of mysteries and oddities and you’ll have to explore them as you uncover the secrets hidden within.

It’s very different to the other games on our list, but with a sequel planned, and the game sharing the Alan Wake universe, you’d be silly for missing out on this one.

Forza Horizon 5

While there are plenty of other rivals that could challenge it for this title, we think Forza Horizon 5 is the best open world racing game you can play right now.

With amazing car models, exciting and varied racing, a gorgeous and diverse setting of Mexico, and a remarkable amount of continuous content, Forza Horizon 5 stands as both an excellent one-and-done playthrough or as a live service experience you’ll want to keep coming back to every week.

What’s more, the game is on PC and Xbox Game Pass, so you’ll get one of the best racing games alongside all of the other incredible titles on the service. If it really grabs you, Forza Horizon 5 also has two excellent, content-packed DLCs to keep you glued to the driver’s seat.

You can read our Forza Horizon 5 review here.

Rocket League

It’s soccer with rocket propelled cars, need I say any more? When Rocket League first crashed onto our screens in 2015, it did so with the promise of delivering exhilarating online experiences and it’s certainly lived up to that promise.

Arguably one of the best multiplayer games out there, Psyonix continues to breathe new life into this compelling little game. Whether it’s adding new incentives for players to climb the Rocket League ranks, dreaming up new Rocket League cars (and new hitboxes), or adding new Rocket Passes, there’s plenty to dig into here.

Plus, we know that Psyonix has an Unreal Engine 5 update in the works, making the game better than ever before.

Immortality

It’s very difficult to spoil Immortality while trying to explain its premise, but trust us when we say that Sam Barlow’s latest game is one of the best experiences out there.

This full-motion video (FMV) game follows the story of Marissa Marcel, an actress who, after filming three movies, disappeared unexpectedly. To help solve that mystery of her disappearance, you’re tasked with reviewing hours of footage in the hopes of piecing together Marcel’s fate.

It sounds like a pretty straightforward game, but Immortality isn’t really about Marissa. It’s about finding clues where other can’t until you can see the bigger picture – and trust us, there’s a masterpiece waiting out there.

Immortality’s story is one of the best on this list and combined with the soundtrack and haunting atmosphere, you’ll be left stunned wondering whether the life your living is real at all.

League of Legends

Back in 2009, Riot Games was just a fledgling development studio, set up with the ambition of creating a free-to-play game that could be supported and monetised in the long-term. That game turned out to be League of Legends, which is one of the best MOBA games in existence.

The game pits two teams of five against each other on a map called the Summoner’s Rift. Each team occupies one half of the map and must use three lanes (top, jungle, and bottom) to push the enemy base and attempt to destroy their Nexus. Along the way, the players must use their champion’s abilities to farm XP, earn gold, and take on towers.

It might sound fairly simple, but League of Legends has an incredibly high skill ceiling. With more than 160 champions in the game, all of which have their own abilities and counters, every match will yield a different experience. Don’t let that put you off the MOBA though; League of Legends is still one of the most popular competitive games for a reason. With a new and improved tutorial and a casual mode, learning League of Legends isn’t as difficult as it used to be.

And if you get into it – and we really mean get into it – there’s a LoL ranks system for you to grind. Here you can show the world if you’re a one trick pony or a god among men on the Summoner’s Rift.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

If you’ve never played a Mass Effect game before, then you’re in for one hell of a ride. Focusing on Commander Shepard and their attempts to save the Milky Way galaxy from a race of ancient machines known as the Reapers, Mass Effect combines third-person shooter action with RPG elements.

The story stretches out across three games, all of which are included in the Legendary Edition, along with all the DLC from the original trilogy. And while you may have heard bad things about the original Mass Effect 3 ending, the experience is well worth your time.

You’ll have the chance to explore different planets, start relationships with crew members, punch a reporter in the face, and even decide on the fate of those around you.

It’s one of the best space games that you can get your hands on right now – especially if you like timeless classics.

We’re calling time on our best games list, but it’s worth remembering that this is a living, breathing guide. As we spend time with new games, particularly those on our upcoming PS5 games, upcoming Xbox games, and upcoming Switch games lists, we’ll add must-play titles here.

For now though, you’re spoiled for choice. If you choose to download just one of these games, then we know you’ll have a good time.