It's time to share our Best Games of 2021 list, which are also the official nominations for Wccftech's Best Game of the Year award.
2021 was hardly one of the best years ever when it comes to game releases, particularly due to the many delays that hit hugely anticipated projects like Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarok, and several others. Even so, many great games did release during the year that just went by, some of which sadly couldn't make this best games of 2021 list. We settled on eight picks plus an equal amount of honorable mentions. Make sure to vote your favorite in the poll!
Check out Wccftech's other Best Games of 2021 lists: Fighters, Platformers, Strategy & Simulation, Shooters, Sports & Racing, RPGs, Action, Horror, Indie, Adventure, and Multiplayer.
Resident Evil Village is a wild, thrilling ride across seemingly every horror genre and idea that happened to pass through the mad minds at Capcom. Not every aspect of the game is perfect, but its highs are very high and solid core mechanics and excellent presentation hold the grisly patchwork together. You may survive Resident Evil Village, but your thoughts will linger there long after you’ve escaped.
Psychonauts 2 is a comedy game at its heart. It doesn’t take itself or the genre too seriously, which lets it do some incredible things. The platforming is top-notch, the story is witty, silly, and fascinating, and an adventure as bizarre as the name suggests. Since its release, there has been a cult surrounding the first Psychonauts, and it deserved that praise. The sequel builds on it, making it as fun as fans expected and as strange as newcomers hoped for. Psychonauts 2 delivers on an impossible promise with unfalteringly high quality and inspirational weirdness throughout.
Forza Horizon 5 is yet another step up for the series and arguably the best racing game ever made. Offering a host of content across a fantastic representation of Mexico, its varied terrain and scenery, there's so much to explore and race. A massive roster of cars will perform all of these, each feeling different from the others, with a variety of upgrade and tuning options almost matching those of simulation titles. While there are a few minor niggles here and there, they are nearly so small as to be hardly worth mentioning. All in all, it's impossible not to recommend this for anybody, regardless of them being a fan of racing games or not, as this is that good.
With Deathloop, Arkane Studios reinforced once again its unique position among triple-A game developers. While the game is more of a shooter than previous Arkane titles, the premise, setting, and gameplay formula all feature inspired twists that make it stand out in the genre and retain that immersive sim heritage the developer is known for.
The banter between main character Colt Vahn and Julianna Blake, the AEON's program agent tasked with protecting the loop, is memorable thanks to the great voice acting performances. Additionally, once the game is over you can even decide to play as Julianna yourself and invade other players' sessions in a 1v1 PvP mode.
Returnal checks all of the marks for what a best-in-class roguelike should aim for: a gameplay loop that rewards the player for innovation and mastery, loot that can synergize to create some unstoppable character builds, and most importantly, weapons that simply feel right in the player's hands. Without a doubt, Returnal is one of the finest PlayStation 5 exclusives available in 2021 and those that are eager for the next great challenge can find plenty to look forward to with Selene's first steps onto the alien planet again and again.
Chris loved his time with the new PlayStation 5 exclusive franchise entry, as you can read below.
Through outstanding storytelling, exquisite visuals, and gripping gameplay, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart proves to be an engaging, fun, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable return to the series. It also offers the introduction to two brand new characters that could arguably be the protagonists of their own spin-off, or at least return to future entries in the series. For fans and new players alike, this is a game I would recommend for everybody and a true showing of the sort of titles we should expect for the new generation.
Despite my overflowing love for Monster Hunter World, I think Monster Hunter Rise might actually overtake it as my favorite original title in the series. The ways that Capcom has streamlined the onboarding and pre-hunt experiences to give players more time to focus on the actual hunt itself show that Capcom wants to respect the player's time, especially when they're trying to get three friends together for an afternoon of hunting. Minus the new Rampage quests and the obligatory few egg delivery quests in the hub, there's nothing about Monster Hunter Rise that I can hate!
Metroid Dread is a fantastic game, filled with old-school Metroidvania fun and some new exciting inclusions as well. The EMMI hunting grounds are hands down some of the most innovative and exciting parts of the game and prove that Metroid still holds powerful sway over the genre it helped build. While it hasn't taken on all the lessons from newcomers that have filled in since its absence, it doesn't feel like an outsider looking in.
125 votes 35%
125 votes - 35% of all votes
Resident Evil Village 18%, 63 votes
63 votes 18%
63 votes - 18% of all votes
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart 18%, 63 votes
63 votes 18%
63 votes - 18% of all votes
Psychonauts 2 11%, 40 votes
40 votes 11%
40 votes - 11% of all votes
Returnal 6%, 21 vote
21 vote 6%
21 vote - 6% of all votes
Deathloop 5%, 19 votes
19 votes 5%
19 votes - 5% of all votes
Metroid Dread 5%, 19 votes
19 votes 5%
19 votes - 5% of all votes
Monster Hunter Rise 1%, 3 votes
3 votes 1%
3 votes - 1% of all votes
Total Votes: 353
January 8, 2022 - January 15, 2022
Voting is closed
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