The five best years in video game history ranked: Which gaming year was the greatest ever?
The second half of 2026 will be one of the most anticipated periods for video games in a long time.
With the recent release of “Star Fox” for Nintendo Switch 2, as well as the remake of “Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” and “Grand Theft Auto VI” due out later this year, 2026 could be a big year in video game history.
Will this happen best year everAgain?
I highly doubt it, but to see how 2026 will unfold when all is said and done, let’s take a look back at five of the greatest years video games have to offer.
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5. 2007
Actor Zac Efron poses with the character Master Chief from the Halo video game universe during the Midnight Madness Event at Game Spot in Universal City, California on September 24, 2007. (Mark Davis/Getty Images)
If you need an idea of how full this list is, 2007 narrowly beat out 2017 for that last spot.
Whatever genre you’re into, it’s hard to find many flaws with 2007 overall.
If you’re a huge first-person shooter fan, “Halo 3” gave you one of the genre’s biggest franchises in the next-gen format (and one that will feature more on this list); “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” is one of the most recognizable shooter games of all time.
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Games like “Mass Effect” and “BioShock” were Triple-A action-adventure favorites with both critical and commercial appeal (before the series was stripped of all creativity).
You even had games like “Portal” and “Rock Band” that offered a wide variety of games for fans from all walks of life, and even Nintendo fans picked up “Super Mario Galaxy,” one of the best games in the plumber’s arsenal.
The only thing missing here is a major hardware/console release, but from a pure gaming perspective 2007 can go toe-to-toe with almost any other year.
4. 2004
Trisha Chaney and Maria Flores restock the display of the Xbox video game “Halo 2” at the Times Square Toys R Us store in New York on November 9, 2004. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg)
Another year that didn’t see a major console release (unless you count the Japanese version of the PSP) but made its mark based on its games alone was 2004.
Like 2007, there was a Halo game in ’04 — this time “Halo 2” — that took the masses by storm with its revolutionary gameplay, but a different sequel sent everyone in the PC gaming world into a frenzy.
“Half-Life 2” had nerds everywhere frothing at the mouth thanks to its state-of-the-art physics engine, and more than 20 years later, it’s still one of the most revered games.
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These two games alone would have warranted 2004’s inclusion on this list, but it doesn’t end there.
If you’re a GTA fan, “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” was released in 2004, and many fans still consider the game to be the pinnacle of the entire series.
Other highlights of the Class of ’04 include “World of Warcraft,” “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II,” “Metal Gear Solid 3” and “Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.”
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Sequels are heavy, of course, but day by day, 2004 is one of the most explosive years in gaming.
3. 2001
Tetsu Kayama, joint chief operating officer of Sega of Japan, gives a guest speech as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates listens during the opening of Tokyo Game Show Spring 2001 in Makuhari, Chiba Prefecture, March 30, 2001. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP)
Okay, I swear this is the last year there’s a Halo release.
This time, we’re going back to 2001, when the first movie in the series, “Halo: Combat Evolved”, hit the scene and rewrote the entire FPS genre in the process.
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Where would Halo and Microsoft in general be without the Xbox, which launched on November 15 of that year?
Not to be outdone, Nintendo launched its own console, the GameCube. While this console was somewhat underappreciated in its heyday, it has reached almost legendary status over time.
Two landmark console games and one of the best shooters of all time would be enough for anyone to crack the top five this year, but that’s not even scratching the surface.
“Grand Theft Auto III” was released and blew just about everyone’s mind, inventing a new genre of 3D sandbox games that we still play to this day.
Seriously, every open-world sandbox game you’ve ever played or will play owes its existence to “GTA III,” so show some respect.
“Super Smash Bros.: Melee,” “Final Fantasy
It’s hard to believe there are two more years ahead of this.
2. 1997
The Japanese edition of the light blue version of the Nintendo 64 is displayed alongside a collection of games, along with the Nintendo Classic Mini Nintendo Entertainment System and the Nintendo Classic Mini Super Nintendo console. (Guillaume Payen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
This was about as close to a first and second place race as any ranking list I did while working at OutKick, but in 1997 I only fell below the podium in second place.
No console version? No problem!
You could argue that about a half dozen series and/or genres peaked with releases in ’97.
Do you like first-person shooter games? Would “GoldenEye 007” for Nintendo 64 be useful to you?
How about RPGs? Have you ever heard of a little PlayStation classic called “Final Fantasy VII”?
Not to mention that games like “Diablo,” “Mario Kart 64,” “Star Fox 64” and “Fallout” were all released in 1997.
I could go on but you get the idea. This year is so full that there are probably games I haven’t mentioned yet that are many gamers’ favorite games, or at least find their way to Mount Rushmores when listing their own favorite games.
1997 is a genre-defining year in video games, and when I start saying it out loud I can almost believe I have another year ahead of me, but it’ll be hard to argue when you see which year I have in mind to take the top spot.
1. 1998
Visitors enjoy more than 100 original arcade machines at Retro Gamer 2023 in Zaragoza, Spain, an event that mimics the massive arcades of the 1980s. (Nano Calvo/VW Pics/Universal Image Group)
Would there be another year?
This may be my ’90s bias, but 1998 is the best gaming year of all time, and I feel pretty confident in saying that.
Yes, 1997 was epic, but 1998 was almost untouchable.
For starters, how about the most critically acclaimed game of all time released in ’98? This could be none other than “Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,” a game so great that they remade it not once, but twice for next-gen consoles.
Speaking of consoles, the Sega Dreamcast was also released in 1998.
Although it never received the love it deserved throughout its lifecycle, the Dreamcast is one of the most cherished consoles in retrospect and is a cult classic that has stood the test of time, with many games added to its name.
That’s it, right? The best game of all time and a console slightly ahead of its time?
No luck!
“Banjo-Kazooie,” “Half-Life,” “Metal Gear Solid,” “StarCraft,” “Resident Evil 2” and “Baldur’s Gate” were ALL released in the same year.
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Was there enough? So let me ask you this: Are you a Pokemon fan?
Both “Pokemon Red” and “Pokemon Blue” debuted to the unsuspecting public in ’98.
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Whichever way one looks at it, it’s hard to argue that any other year is at the top, although I welcome any talk to the contrary.
What was your favorite year in video games? Let me know in the comments below.
