The teen decade has been a good one for gamers. We saw Nintendo reestablish their dominance in the home console market with the introduction of the Nintendo Switch. Microsoft and Sony both bumped up their games with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. And the PC...well I guess there were some new graphics cards and stuff. But what matters most at the end of the day are the games that complement these grandiose pieces of hardware. And here are my ten favorites of the 2010s.

Battlefield 1

While Battlefield 3 and 4 brought us back to the present in grand fashion, there's nothing like going back in time when it's done right. And I've barely found a flaw in Battlefield 1 to this day. With sharp gunplay, loads of weapons, killer graphics and atmosphere, and plenty of expansive maps to play on, Battlefield 1 did a better job than any FPS before it in immersing you in a time period. Not to mention few games before it have left me as satisfied with the sound effects and impact of a perfectly placed headshot.

Halo 4

This one's going to be controversial, for sure. But whatever. Halo 4 is not only the best Halo of the decade, but it's also simply the best Halo game. The introduction of the Prometheans was a welcome shift away from The Covenant and Flood. And the emotional impact of the story itself still rings fresh in my mind. If only Halo 5's shoddy story hadn't come along to all-but negate the sacrifice of Cortana at the end of Halo 4, it's story today would stand to me as near perfect. Oh, and the multiplayer was a blast.

Hollow Knight

I previously detailed the joys of exploring and combating the world of Hallownest in my Gamers Guidepost blog series around indie games, but I may have not expressed just how much fun, and how immersive, this game is. So if you didn't know, now you know. Slicing, dicing, platforming, and discovering in the Metroidvania-style Hollow Knight is joyous up until the moment you beat the game, and for many more hours beyond as you quest to uncover 100% of the map and tackle every foe.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

Now, this was the PlayStation game I knew from day one I simply had to have. With an open world, cute protagonist, and friggin metal dinosaurs...I was all in. Horizon: Zero Dawn offered so much more than the surface material I just outlined, though. A great backstory constantly provoked you to explore, learn, and care about the combat taking place before you. You became Aloy on her quest to earn the respect of her people, but follow her to the hidden depths of what's become of this future Earth. This is a game that any self-respecting gamer should play. And I count it as my number one game of this past decade.

Red Dead Redemption

I picked up Red Dead Redemption on the Xbox One, and despite scoffing at the dated graphics of most Xbox 360 games I may have missed, Red Dead Redemption easily overcame those concerns. The joy of riding, the fun of shooting, and the immersiveness of the age that Rockstar was able to create has only been replicated in one other game: Red Dead Redemption 2. However, due to the zombies DLC and some story elements I rather prefer over its sequel, Red Dead Redemption is my number one of the set.

Rocket League

F.U.N. is the highest compliment you can pay Rocket League. Rocket League is a game for all ages and skill levels and no matter if you've put hundreds of hours of practice into becoming a high-flying pro or are cursed as a basic hopping toad for the rest of your days, there are very few instances where you won't have a blast. Simple at its core, yet beyond difficult to master, Rocket League's best trait may be that it's made for anyone. And very soon, it'll be free to play!

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

It wouldn't be an all-anything games list without an Elder Scrolls mention. Skyrim dropped all the way back in 2011 and to this day it's still being played on modern consoles thanks to a bevy of updates and re-releases. While no Elder Scrolls now or in the future will likely top Morrowind in my mind, Skyrim came a lot closer than its predecessor, Oblivion. Skyrim put a weapon in your hand, a big pair of lungs in your chest, and an overwhelming amount of land and content to explore. Its Elder Scrolls through and through, and while I got my fill the first time around, it certainly deserves the longevity it enjoyed.

The Last of Us

Sticking the landing may be one of the keys to getting on this guy's all-decade games list. And The Last of Us may have done that better than any other game mentioned here. What a shocking, intense ending... When the Last of Us launched in 2013, it was zombie this, zombie that, zombie everywhere in media. Outside of The Walking Dead, I was just sick of seeing zombies. I didn't have a PlayStation anyways, so I wasn't immediately able to partake in Joel and Ellie's journey. But luckily around the time I found myself with a PlayStation, and some of the zombie hate had worn off, the remastered version had recently released and I got to experience this epic narrative for the first time with sharper graphics than before.

Titanfall and Titanfall 2

Yes, I know these are two games. But hear me out. Titanfall launched in 2014 with a solid amount of fanfare, and for good reason. It quickly established itself as something new and immensely enjoyable in the multiplayer FPS realm. And its no fault of its own that there wasn't much competition for it at the time. However, much the "story" mode was a throwaway affair, Titanfall was hours upon hours of wall running and mech smashing glee.

Two years later Titanfall 2 drops. And it makes up for the sins of the original's shallow single-player and then some. With a well-crafted story centered around the relationship between a mech and his pilot, it proved to be quite unforgettable. However, I never was able to embrace Titanfall 2's multiplayer quite as much as I had the original.

Combine Titanfall's multiplayer with Titanfall 2's story and you have a near-perfect package. It's unfortunate that we'll likely never see a Titanfall 3 due to the poor earnings of Titanfall 2. Might have had something to do with Respawn releasing it in the same window as Battlefield 1 and a new Call of Duty...

I'm sure you'll have some opinions of your own. And I'm sure each one of you will HATE some of mine. But feel free to drop those thoughts in the comments! This is MY list. And it's one that probably isn't matched by any other gamer, anywhere. What games did I leave out? Let me know!

 

Check out GameValueNow to track the value of your video game collection!