These are the 20 best games in 2021 according to Metacritic

Disco Elysium was able to convince the testers the most in 2021.

2021 was already an idiosyncratic year for the gaming industry. The absolute hits that redefine genres have been missing this year. However, that doesn’t mean it was a lost year. With games like Metroid Dread, Halo Infinite and Returnal, all major consoles had their highlights to offer. And there are a lot of third-party titles on top of that. Which 20 games were best received by the critics in 2021 reveals us Metacritic.

This is how Metacritic works: The portal collects review ratings from players and institutions such as magazines, online portals and YouTube channels. The so-called Metascore is formed from the latter, i.e. the average of the critics’ ratings. Metacritic is particularly suitable for a quick overview of the general quality of a game.

Das Problem am Metascore: The site makes a subjective selection of qualified testers (including GamePro), because of course not all ratings can be included. English-language reviews in particular are clearly in the majority. Another hurdle is the number of tests. A game receives a Metascore with just four ratings. Since small games usually receive few reviews, this can lead to distortions.

This is noticeable: There are some lesser-known games in the top 20. This could be due to the Metacritic system described above. The fewer ratings, the higher the probability that there are small outliers. This is the case with second place, for example, because The House in Fata Morgana does not deserve its high rating according to GamePro opinion.

Otherwise, all consoles are represented with Exclusives. So there is no clear winner here in 2021. With Disco Elysium: The Final Cut and Hades are also two indie games at the top. Another sign that this year was something of a transition period for the big publishers. After all, the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S are still relatively new to the market, and the coronavirus pandemic continues to slow everyone down a bit.

The complete top 20 by Metacritic

Note: If games are represented on several platforms, only the best rating is given.

1. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut – 97
2. The House in Fata Morgana – 96
3. Tetris Effect: Connected – 95
4. Hades – 93
5. Forza Horizon 5 – 92
6. Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker – 92
7. Psychonauts 2 – 91
8. Microsoft Flight Simulator – 90
9. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 – 90
10. Chicory: A Colorful Tale – 90
11. Mass Effect Legendary Edition – 90
12. It Takes Two – 89
13. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – 89
14. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade – 89
15. Synth Riders – 89
16. Death’s Door – 89
17. DUSK – 88
18. Deathloop – 88
19. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – 88
20. Monster Hunter Rise – 88

Metacritic has also published a list for the worst games in 2021:

Which games are still on the list? We all played different titles this year and of course our own favorite genres. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut is also the best rated game of the year on the GamePro with 92 points. This is followed by a slew of 90s rated games including Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, It Takes Two and the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, only a part of which made it into the Top 20 of Metacritic.

Now the question is: is your 2021 favorite on the list? Which game do you think definitely belongs in the top 10 of the year?