The best games of the 2000s showcase the strength of the PlayStation brand, the emergence of the Xbox 360, and the mainstream appeal of the Nintendo Wii.
From these iconic platforms, we can compile a list of incredible games that still hold weight today. We’ll talk about platformers, shooters, epic RPGs, and everything in between.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
While San Andreas isn’t as revolutionary as Grand Theft Auto III, it’s a far more fleshed-out experience.
The world of San Andreas is massive for its time, incorporating three major regions into one game.
Its story is doubly impressive, too, especially with Samuel L. Jackson in the voice cast.
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo may not be the first console FPS game ever made, but it’s the one that perfected the console FPS formula.
Bungie’s iconic game helped establish the Xbox as a legitimate brand in the gaming landscape, thanks to its fantastic campaign and addictive multiplayer.
Whether you’re playing co-op through the game’s story or wasting so much time playing against each other, Halo consumed countless days of our lives in the 2000s.
World of Warcraft
It’s impossible to discuss the best games of the 2000s without acknowledging the impact of World of Warcraft on gaming.
In the eyes of many, its best form is when it embraces its old-school roots, encouraging exploration and discovery. While there’s always been instanced endgame content and raids, nothing will ever beat discovering every nook and cranny World of Warcraft offers and finding the secrets that lie within.
Instanced content is great, but making your own endgame experience is even better.
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Uncharted 2
The PlayStation 3 was struggling to match the momentum of its competitors. Enter the Uncharted franchise, giving Sony a bona fide system seller.
Uncharted 2 is the best of the original PS3 trilogy games, as it refines gameplay from its predecessor while expanding on a bigger, better adventure.
Naughty Dog was starting to feel it with Uncharted 2, helping them launch into the stratosphere as one of today’s best developers in the industry.
Super Mario Galaxy
While the GameCube’s Super Mario Sunshine has a devoted following, it is incomparable to Super Mario 64.
Enter the Nintendo Wii’s Super Mario Galaxy, which reminds everyone that Nintendo is unmatched in platforming.
For a system whose main selling point was the motion controls, Nintendo focuses first and foremost on solid gameplay. It’s an experience that caters to mainstream gamers and casuals alike.
BioShock
Mainstream games in the 2000s hadn’t fully embraced deep narrative storytelling, nor were they often combining genres into a single package.
BioShock is one of the first games to accomplish both feats. It delivers an action-packed FPS experience with RPG elements and story-driven gameplay.
If, for some reason, you haven’t played BioShock, would you kindly change that?
Mass Effect
Like BioShock, Mass Effect combines a deep RPG foundation and narrative-driven gaming with a more traditional cover-based shooter style of gameplay.
Is the original game perfect? No, it’s on the shorter, more shallow side of things compared to its successors, and it’s definitely a little rough around the edges. But that doesn’t matter since the game’s story and characters are so strong. Even today, few games are as well-written as Mass Effect. Has it aged well today? No, not all of the best games of the 2000s have, and they certainly have their faults. Do we still love to play it? You bet.
Metroid Prime
After sitting on the sidelines since the Super Nintendo, the Metroid franchise returned thanks to the work at then unknown Retro Studios.
Changing the game to a first-person camera perspective was controversial; these games were about exploration first and shooting second. Yet Retro pulls off the feat, delivering an atmospheric, adventure-driven experience that stays true to Metroid‘s roots while propelling the series forward.
Portal
Few games can be described as absolute perfection. Portal is one of those. It’s remarkable, though, that one of the best games of the 2000s was an under-the-radar pack-in to a collection of more anticipated games (Half-Life 2 Episode 2 and Team Fortress 2).
An innovative FPS, Portal combines clever puzzles, witty writing, and a length that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Rather than pad the experience out, Portal knows when it’s time to move on and let the credits roll.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Activision
Few gaming franchises are as popular as Call of Duty. 2009’s Modern Warfare 2 is a culmination of everything that made the series great up to that point.
Building on the success of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2 features one of the best single-player campaigns in the franchise’s history.
Yes, the multiplayer was better than ever; we had traded in late-night Halo sessions for late-night Call of Duty gaming. To me, there’s no better example of how strong the best games of the 2000s really were.
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