2020 was a massive year for gaming with a lot of stellar titles, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the remake of Resident Evil 3, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It was also the year that launched the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It was a banner year for gaming and a not-so-good year for the rest of the world due to the pandemic. That said, the new consoles helped pave the way forward for the next five years of gaming.
Some years have been better than others, but overall, these past five years (2021-2025) have shown players a great variety of masterpieces. So that no one genre stands out, the picks will be varied; otherwise, it may turn into a list of the greatest RPGs, for example. Also, they must have reached at least a 90 on the various aggregate review sites, indicating that they have come close, or fully achieved masterpiece status in the minds of many players.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Tactical Turn-Based RPGs At Their Finest
Baldur’s Gate 3 gives turn-based RPG fans a lot to work with, making it a compelling game to go back to again and again. The character customization is top-notch, offering two ways to customize characters, including the option to choose from named characters.
The combat is both simple and complex, offering players many ways to approach battles, which are challenging even on the easiest settings. The branching story and characters are what fans adored the most, though, between their party members, encountered NPCs, and even some of the villains.
Elden Ring
A Challenging Action RPG
FromSoftware proved they had more to offer in the Soulslike genre when they released Elden Ring. It was the first fully open-world Soulslike game from them, giving players an opportunity to tackle challenges in any order they wanted. While still a brutally difficult action RPG, at least players could level up and look for loot in wider areas before going after that next big boss.
The multiplayer was also a great addition to the game, as players could partner up with two others online to explore. Perhaps the most interesting feature was the double-jumping horse, Torrent, as most horses in games aren’t as flexible.
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
A Creative Action-Adventure Game
The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom reused a lot of assets from its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and yet its version of Hyrule is just as compelling. Players could now explore sky islands above Hyrule, along with a giant underground open-world area that was as vast as it was unsettling for an action-adventure game.
The coolest new feature allowed players to customize their weapons and craft vehicles to cruise around in. Players could drive on land, sail in water, or fly in the air, and it all felt incredibly well-designed. Plus, it is now a better-running game on the Switch 2.
Hades 2
A Roguelike Everyone Can Enjoy
Hades 2 is the first ever sequel Supergiant Games ever made, and they nailed it out of the park. It’s not necessarily better than its predecessor, but they exist on different levels and are some of the most compelling and inviting roguelikes ever made.
As Melinoe, players could fight in the underworld or above land to tackle enemies on Mount Olympus. Both areas factored into the story and gave players more levels to explore and bosses to conquer. It’s a great roguelike to start with, thanks to the upgrade system and God Mode standing by for extra assistance.
Astro Bot
A Platformer For All Ages
Astro Bot, as a series of characters, existed since 2013 and were delegated to small adventures, usually demoing certain PlayStation products. The 2024 Astro Bot entry was the first full-fledged console game, complete with tons of worlds to explore and great platforming perfection in 3D.
It’s an astounding platformer that does some things better than even the best 3D Mario games, from level designs to power-ups. It’s also a fun homage to thirty years of PlayStation being a brand with plenty of fun cameos, including Kratos from God of War to the more obscure Mister Mosquito from his titular PS2 adventure.
Resident Evil 4
Classic Horror Reborn
Resident Evil 4 was a hit in 2005 when it was released for the GameCube and PS2. Even though the remake played it safe, it proved that there’s a reason not to mess with perfection. It still works as a horror game that is equal parts terrifying and exciting.
The third-person shooting is great too, as players could buy and customize a variety of weapons from pistols to shotguns to sniper rifles. It leveled up the Resident Evil franchise, and between the original game and this remake, they are some of the most compelling horror games ever made.
Forza Horizon 5
A Beautiful Racing Game
Forza Horizon is a series that keeps outdoing itself, with Forza Horizon 5 being another great entry. Set in Mexico, players are given freedom to compete in races if that’s all they want, either by themselves or with friends online.
However, there’s a completely unique open-world to explore as well that’s just as beautiful and vast as other open-world experiences from Ghost of Tsushima to Red Dead Redemption 2. Plus, PS5 players were given the chance to play it in 2025, thanks to a port, and some could argue it outdoes their exclusive racing series, Gran Turismo.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
A Challenging Metroidvania
Hollow Knight: Silksong took a very long time to come out, but now that it’s here, fans agree it was worth the wait. Some may think it’s too challenging in various areas, and yet they were still compelled to play it. As a Metroidvania, there’s nothing quite like it on any system save for the previous entry.
It’s massive, the combat is slick, the hand-drawn visuals are out of this world, and it is absolutely filled with NPCs, both adorable and grotesque, that are some of the best written in the industry.
