author: Miriam Moszczynska
Metacritic’s Top 40 Games for PC and Consoles in 2021
Annual summaries continue. This time Metacritic decided to share a list of 40 best games of 2021 for Xbox One, Series X/S, PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Metacritic decided to share the lists of the best games of 2021 based on their rating data. The rankings were divided by platform ( PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One and Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch, respectively) and show which games were the most appreciated ones by both gamers and critics.
The criteria that each game had to meet to qualify for the list were: receiving a minimum of 7 reviews from professional critics and being released between January 1 and December 31, 2021. If the game was released on two platforms of the same brand, like PS4 and PS5, then the version with more reviews made it into the list.
The ratings shown next to game titles for PC as well as Xbox and PlayStation consoles are as of January 2, 2022. In the case of the Nintendo Switch, they come from January 1.
Best PC games of 2021:
1. | Disco Elysium: The Final Cut - 97/100 |
2. | Forza Horizon 5 - 91/100 |
3. | Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker - 91/100 |
4. | Chicory: A Colorful Tale - 90/100 |
5. | Psychonauts 2 - 89/100 |
6. | Streets of Rage 4: Mr. X Nightmare - 88/100 |
7. | It Takes Two - 88/100 |
8. | Hitman 3 - 87/100 |
9. | Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade - 87/100 |
10. | Wildermyth - 87/100 |
11. | Deathloop - 86/100 |
12. | Mass Effect Legendary Edition - 86/100 |
13. | Nioh 2: The Complete Edition - 86/100 |
14. | Mini Motorways - 86/100 |
15. | Football Manager 2022 - 86/100 |
16. | ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the - 86/100 |
17. | F1 2021 - 86/100 |
18. | Guilty Gear -Strive- - 85/100 |
19. | Metro Exodus: Complete Edition - 85/100 |
20. | Death's Door - 85/100 |
21. | Resident Evil 4 VR (Oculus Quest 2) - 85/100 |
22. | The Forgotten City - 84/100 |
23. | Tales of Arise - 84/100 |
24. | Inscryption - 84/100 |
25. | Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy - 84/100 |
26. | Everhood - 84/100 |
27. | Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon - 84/100 |
28 | Unpacking - 84/100 |
29 | Griftlands - 84/100 |
30. | Fugue: Melodies of Steel - 84/100 |
31. | The Darkside Detective: A Fumble in the Dark - 84/100 |
32. | Unsighted - 84/100 |
33. | Archvale - 84/100 |
34. | Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster - 83/100 |
35. | I Expect You To Die 2: The Spy And The Liar - 83/100 |
36. | Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time - 83/100 |
37. | Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye - 83/100 |
38. | Little Nightmares II - 83/100 |
39. | ex aequo Kena: Bridge of Spirits and Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice - 83/100 |
Best games for PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles in 2021:
1. | Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker (PS5) - 93/100 |
2. | Hades (PS5) - 93/100 |
3. | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 2 (PS5) - 90/100 |
4. | Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (PS5) - 89/100 |
5. | Synth Riders (PS4) - 89/100 |
6. | Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (PS5) - 89/100 |
7. | It Takes Two (PS5) - 88/100 |
8. | Deathloop (PS5) - 88/100 |
9. | Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) - 88/100 |
10. | Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut (PS5) - 88/100 |
11. | The Nioh Collection (PS5) - 87/100 |
12. | Guilty Gear -Strive- (PS5) - 87/100 |
13. | Chicory: A Colorful Tale (PS5) - 87/100 |
14. | Psychonauts 2 (PS4) - 87/100 |
15. | Tales of Arise (PS5) - 87/100 |
16. | Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (PS5) - 86/100 |
17. | Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS5) - 86/100 |
18. | Mass Effect Legendary Edition (PS4) - 86/100 |
19. | Chivalry 2 (PS5) - 85/100 |
20. | Returnal (PS5) - 85/100 |
21. | Control: Ultimate Edition (PS5) - 85/100 |
22. | Roki (PS5) - 85/100 |
23. | The Forgotten City (PS5) - 85/100 |
24. | Death Stranding: Director's Cut (PS5) - 85/100 |
25. | F1 2021 (PS5) - 84/100 |
26. | Hitman 3 (PS5) - 84/100 |
27. | Castlevania Advance Collection (PS4) - 84/100 |
28. | Resident Evil Village (PS5)) - 84/100 |
29. | Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island (PS5) - 84/100 |
30. | The Pedestrian (PS5) - 83/100 |
31. | Persona 5 Strikers (PS4) - 83/100 |
32. | Metro Exodus: Complete Edition (PS5) - 83/100 |
33. | NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... (PS4) - 83/100 |
34. | Lost Judgment (PS5) - 82/100 |
35. | The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (PS4) - 82/100 |
36. | Judgment (PS5) - 82/100 |
37. | Little Nightmares II (PS4) - 82/100 |
38. | Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade: Episode INTERmission (PS5) - 81/100 |
39. | Diablo II: Resurrected (PS5) - 81/100 |
40. | Life is Strange: True Colors (PS5) - 81/100 |
Best games for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles in 2021:
1. | Hades (XSX) - 93/100 |
2. | Forza Horizon 5 (XSX) - 92/100 |
3. | Microsoft Flight Simulator (XSX) - 90/100 |
4. | Mass Effect Legendary Edition (XONE) - 90/100 |
5. | It Takes Two (XSX) - 89/100 |
6. | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 2 (XSX) - 89/100 |
7. | F1 2021 (XSX) - 88/100 |
8. | Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (XONE) - 87/100 |
9. | Psychonauts 2 (XSX) - 87/100 |
10. | Hitman 3 (XSX) - 87/100 |
11. | Death's Door (XSX) - 87/100 |
12. | Tales of Arise (XSX) - 87/100 |
13. | Halo Infinite (XSX) - 87/100 |
14. | The Forgotten City (XSX) - 86/100 |
15. | Judgment (XSX) - 85/100 |
16. | Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection (XONE) - 85/100 |
17. | Life is Strange: True Colors (XSX) - 84/100 |
18. | Tails of Iron (XSX) - 84/100 |
19. | Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (XBX) - 84/100 |
20. | Subnautica: Below Zero (XSX) - 83/100 |
21. | NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... (XONE) - 83/100 |
22. | Resident Evil Village (XSX) - 83/100 |
23. | Knockout City (XSX) - 82/100 |
24. | MLB The Show 21 (XSX) - 81/100 |
25. | The Yakuza Remastered Collection (XONE) - 81/100 |
26. | Cyber Shadow (XONE) - 81/100 |
27. | The Artful Escape (XSX) - 81/100 |
28. | Crysis Remastered Trilogy (XONE) - 81/100 |
29. | Chivalry 2 (XSX) - 81/100 |
30. | Genesis Noir (XONE) - 81/100 |
31. | Unpacking (XONE) - 80/100 |
32. | WRC 10 (XSX) - 80/100 |
33. | Alan Wake Remastered (XSX) - 80/100 |
34. | Diablo II: Resurrected (XSX) - 80/100 |
35. | Far Cry 6 (XSX) - 80/100 |
36. | Lost Judgment (XSX) - 80/100 |
37. | Little Nightmares II (XONE) - 79/100 |
38. | Pacer (XONE) - 79/100 |
39. | Riders Republic (XSX) - 79/100 |
40. | Cris Tales (XSX) - 79/100 |
Best games for Nintendo Switch console in 2021:
1. | The House in Fata Morgana - Dreams of the Revenants Edition - 96/100 |
2. | Tetris Effect: Connected - 95/100 |
3. | Super Mario 3D World Bowser's Fury - 89/100 |
4. | Death's Door - 88/100 |
5. | DUSK - 88/100 |
6. | Fez - 88/100 |
7. | Overcooked! All You Can Eat - 88/100 |
8. | Monster Hunter Rise - 88/100 |
9. | Metroid Dread - 88/100 |
10. | Quake Remastered - 87/100 |
11. | Unpacking - 87/100 |
12. | The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles - 87/100 |
13. | There is no game : Wrong dimension - 87/100 |
14. | Bustafellows - 86/100 |
15. | Overboard! - 86/100 |
16. | Sumire - 86/100 |
17. | Disco Elysium: The Final Cut - 85/100 |
18. | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 2 - 85/100 |
19. | Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! - 85/100 |
20. | Shin Megami Tensei V - 85/100 |
21. | Loop Hero - 84/100 |
22. | Mushihimesama - 84/100 |
23. | ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights - 84/100 |
24. | Castlevania Advance Collection - 83/100 |
25. | Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - 83/100 |
26. | Knockout City - 83/100 |
27. | Cupid Parasite - 83/100 |
28. | UnderMine - 83/100 |
29. | Atelier Mysterious Trilogy Deluxe Pack - 82/100 |
30. | Dreamscaper - 82/100 |
31. | Espgaluda II -Be Ascension. The Third Bright Stone of Birth- - 82/100 |
32. | Tadpole Treble Encore - 82/100 |
33. | Shadowverse: Champion's Battle - 82/100 |
34. | Sky: Children of the Light - 82/100 |
35. | Danganronpa Decadence - 82/100 |
36. | Little Nightmares II - 82/100 |
37. | Ruined King: A League of Legends Story - 82/100 |
38. | NEO: The World Ends With You - 82/100 |
39. | SOLAS 128 - 82/100 |
40. | Astalon: Tears of the Earth, Olympia Soiree and Gnosia - 82/100 |