“1000 Games You Must Play Before Game Over” [100 – 0]

‘Tis impossible to be sure of any thing but Death and Taxes…
-Christopher Bullock, The Cobler of Preston

IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!

IN THE END IT DOESN’T EVEN MATTER!!!

IT MUST’VE BEEN LOVE, BUT IT’S OVER NOW!!!

IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!!!

THE TIME IS GONE, THE SONG IS OVER, THOUGHT I’D SOMETHING MORE TO SAY!!!

Friends and fiends, welcome to the very last post in our magnanimous and over-achieving epic collaboration featuring nearly 40 writers and 1000 games. This took a lot of work and I really want to thank Brent, Chris, Alex, and Kalas for the extra help with editing and formatting and collecting images. Thank you also to every mage who participated in nominating games for this diverse list! What a ride!

Before we count all the way down to the last game, let me tell you: be sure to stick around after the final title bows out… We have a handy checklist available for our followers who are interested in finding out exactly how many of these 1000 games they’ve played… and we also have a GIVEAWAY! Details at the end. For now, take a deep breath. Here. We. Go.

#0100. Crazy Taxi
Worth a mention for the soundtrack alone. A ridiculous and off-the-wall arcade game featuring a bonkers and charismatic cast of characters, Crazy Taxi ate hundreds of hours out of my afternoons once upon a time.
-The Ink-Stained Mage

#0099. Resident Evil 2
The best of the original PS1 trilogy, offering tons of horror and replay value
-The Bizzaro Mage

#0098. Dragon Warrior(Quest) IV
A chapter-based JRPG that you won’t soon forget. Easily one of the best RPGs on the NES. Great ensemble of characters with deep and rich stories to tell. Starts off like a run of the mill DQ game but quickly takes a turn in chapter 2 and opens up to a world of magic and adventure. Oh and kill as many metal slimes and babbles as you can… you’ll thank me later!
-The Beer Mage

#0097. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Rummaging around through random houses in search of loot, my sneak skill failed and the owner discovered me. I had to kill him and that’s when I realized that I hadn’t saved my game in over 8 hours because I was so engrossed and immersed. The game was quick to prompt me that I could continue playing but that I had killed an essential NPC and would not be able to complete the main quest line. It’s hard to boil this game down into just a sentence or two, Morrowind re-defined what an RPG experience should feel like.
-The Optimistically Sentimental Alabaster Mage

#0096. Mario Party 7
The perfect combination of easy to play yet still challenging. A true family game before “family game” meant dumbing it down.
-The Blue Moon Mage

#0095. Bound
Bound assaulted subject matter and content that demonstrated it could go much deeper than any artsy fartsy indie superficiality, despite its appearance. What I find most interesting about it is that it draws from the art form of dance, typically ignored in favor of the visual arts and fine arts (excepting high energy rhythm game cliches), in order to construct its surreal plot, ending with a heart-rending moment fully relying on the player’s agency after laying all the history of its central figure bare. Bound is beautiful and raw, but not a game you should come to for gameplay.
-The Well-Red Mage

#0094. Super Metroid
One of the most atmospheric games of all time. Greatest Metroidvania ever. Perfect balance of discovery and difficulty.
-The ABXY Mage

#0093. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
The best portable Zelda game ever released. Its story was much more mature than previous entries of the franchise and it had a plethora of great dungeons and puzzles to solve.
-The Hyperactive Coffee Mage

#0092. God of War [PS4]
A technical masterpiece that completely reinvigorates a series by redeeming a character through a touching father and son story.
-The Mail Order Ninja Mage

#0091. Final Fantasy XIII-2
It didn’t end with Cocoon… An amazing journey that shows Serah Farron can step outside of her sister’s protective shadow.
-The Livid Lightning Mage

#0090. Zork
This 1980 text adventure game launched the entire “adventure game” genre. Play it or you will be eaten by a grue.
-The Badly Backlogged Mage

#0089. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a near-perfect mix of classic-feeling Zelda (being top-down) with a hint of modern mechanics.
-The Valiant Vision Mage

#0088. Mother 3
This game has never been officially localized for Western audiences, yet it had received a fully-realized Western localization by fans alone within two years of its initial Japanese release—a feat showcasing the tremendous dedication of communities surrounding supposedly “niche” video games. Mother 3 tells a heart-wrenching story through a lens of surrealism and absurdity, sporting one of the most unique game worlds seen in an RPG.
-The Iron Mage

#0087. Doom 95
The very phrase “first-person shooter” originated as “Doom clone”. An entire genre of video games is based on a template originally created specifically for this one game.
-The Purple Prose Mage

#0086. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
It’s Final Fantasy: Isekai Edition, on one of the best handhelds ever put out. Local School Boy and friends bully God, deal with escapism and favoritism amongst adventuring parties.
-The Dapper Zaffre Mage

#0085. Virtua Fighter 5
A wonderful 3D fighter with a unique and addictive campaign mode.
-The Hopeful Sega Mage

#0084. Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
It’s so hard to choose my favourite in the Arland series but Totori would have to be it. An adorable alchemy game that shouldn’t be missed!
-The Final Fourteenth Mage

#0083. The Curse of Monkey Island
LucasArt’s charming and positively wonderful point and click adventure is at once very funny (think of Murray the Skull), but also beautiful – as a 1997 title, it’s still astonishing to look at, the puzzles are brilliant, and its endearing soundtrack is still a favorite at traveling video game orchestras.
-The Moronic Cheese Mage

#0082. Dragon Age: Inquisition
Top notch gameplay, story, and universe. This was the pinnacle of an incredible series.
-The Midnight Mystic Mage

#0081. Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time
The best addition to Insomniac’s legendary series and the best that the action-platformer genre can offer.
-The Red Hot Chili Mage

#0080. Super Mario Odyssey
Exciting new age Mario game with a new twist to a classic story.
-The Shamrock Show Mage

#0079. Super Paper Mario
A fun game, with great controls, great story, and very entertaining side characters. And it’s Mario!
-The Green Screen Mage

#0078. Thomas Was Alone
A fun minimalist puzzle-platformer that somehow manages to infuse rectangles with so much personality and an emotional heartfelt story.
-The Timely Mage

#0077. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
Adorable. Fun. Family friendly. Play it. It’s eggsquisite.
-The White Out Mage

#0076. Final Fantasy Tactics
The tactical RPG I’ve most loved is the best FF spin-off title. I dropped hundreds of hours into this game, exploring its rich universe, gameplay, and storytelling.
-The Well-Red Mage

#0075. Bionic Commando [NES]
A platformer where you CAN’T jump. And it works brilliantly. A colorful Capcom game that forces you to grapple against the forces of the Nazz (sanitized Nazi’s?) and rescue Super Joe. In the end, you blow up Hitler’s head. Yes, you read that correctly.
-The Slipstream Mage

#0074. Final Fantasy Origins
Same cutscenes as NES, but greatly upgraded. Improved casting system, new bosses, a gallery.
-The Indecisive Night Mage

#0073. Xenogears
Originally pitched as a story idea for Final Fantasy VII, Square decided to take a chance… A beautifully flawed JRPG that tells an interestingly adult story about the meaning of “self”.
-The New Age Retro Mage

#0072. Super Mario Maker
While I can’t wait for the sequel, there’s no denying that this game is unrivaled in inspiring creativity. Rather than forcing you to think outside the box, it instead forces you to do all sorts of wonderfully imaginative things with the box!
-The Normal Mage

#0071. Kirby Super Star
It’s Kirby, times eight!
-The Wandering Mage

#0070. Fantasy World Dizzy
The Dizzy games were all masterfully crafted adventures, but Fantasy World was as welcoming to newcomers as it was challenging to fans.
-The Regional Exclusive Mage

#0069. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Was able to capture the very same emotion that the film did and, again, couch co-op was on point.
-The Off-Centered Earth Mage

#0068. Prototype 2
A beautiful collaboration of the hack n’ slash and open-world RPG genres. Very interesting combat and boss fights that improved on its already amazing predecessor.
-The Kingly Yellow Mage

#0067. To the Moon
Though short, you will embark upon a journey that will stay with you forever, as you traverse a dying man’s memories. Beautiful soundtrack and ending.
-The Blood-Stained Metal Mage

#0066. Fire Emblem 7
-The Silver Sentinel Mage

#0065. Super Mario World
Pure exhilaration, multiple exits and paths, rainbow Yoshis.
-The Bookwarm Mage

#0064. Star Ocean: The Second Story
Interesting story, great character development, and the customization system is one of the best in RPGs. Not many early RPGs were like this. Also has 73 endings (I think); makes sense to figure them out, huh?
-The Keeper of the Darkness Flame Mage

#0063. Persona 4 Golden
The reason 99% of Vita owners bought one in the first place, this timeless JRPG is a rad high school murder mystery that’s equal parts turn-based RPG goodness and social friendship management. It features one of the best casts and soundtracks I’ve experienced and easily sucked up hundreds of hours on my beautiful blue Vita.
-The Middle-aged Horror Mage

#0062. Portal
An indie game that spawned a million tired jokes. But it’s still a funny, poignant, unique, and brain-twisting icon. You’ll rarely see humor in gaming, or the teaching of intuitive mechanics, done so well.
-The Ink-Stained Mage

#0061. Final Fantasy IX
Brilliant story, charmingly old school FF with brilliant characters
-The Bizzaro Mage

#0060. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
The finest example of a beat ’em up on the SNES. Fluid controls, rocking music, fun atmosphere, brilliant use of Mode 7 (you can throw baddies at the screen!) and interesting characters. Added bonus you finally get to fight Super Shredder, unlike the 2nd TMNT movie.
-The Beer Mage

#0059. Colony Wars
Space sims and space combat games were essentially relegated to PC until this gem of a title came along. Psygnosis (the studio that would later be known as Sony Studio Liverpool) was the first studio to figure out how to do proper space combat controls on console.
-The Optimistically Sentimental Alabaster Mage

#0058. Mario Kart: Double Dash
Best MK ever made. Double the characters means double the items means double the chaos.
-The Blue Moon Mage

#0057. Kingdom Hearts
A bizarre union of Disney and Square Enix, which sounds so strange on paper and yet works so well. One of the best action RPGs of the early PlayStation 2 era.
-The Sometimes Vaguely Philosophical Mage

#0056. Final Fantasy VII
One of the most memorable and epic stories and character deaths in all of video games. Also a contender for best FF game.
-The ABXY Mage

#0055. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game
One of the best beat ’em ups on the NES. I have fond memories playing this with my best friend growing up
-The Hyperactive Coffee Mage

#0054. Overwatch
The best team shooter I’ve ever played–its diverse cast of lovable characters ensures that every playstyle is accounted for.
-The Mail Order Ninja Mage

#0053. Banjo-Kazooie
The collect-a-thon of all collect-a-thons! Help the bear and sarcastic bird through several glorious collectible-filled worlds and pwn an evil witch.
-The Livid Lightning Mage

#0052. River Raid
Fun vertical-scrolling shooter that showed the Atari 2600 at its best.
-The Badly Backlogged Mage

#0051. A Hat in Time
A Hat in Time has a fantastic combination of 3D platforming and writing that’s often compared to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It also features support for modifications when played on PC.
-The Valiant Vision Mage

#0050. Monster Hunter: World
It boasts unmatched combat and hunting mechanics, and an unparalleled gameplay loop of gathering loot for that next big upgrade. Each Monster Hunter game has its charm, but World’s seamless and organic ecosystems breathe new life into the series, making each monster seem real and each hunt even more exhilarating.
-The Iron Mage

#0049. Elite
Elite expanded our understanding of what video games could be with its unprecedented non-linear open-ended world that is now common amongst AAA franchises.
-The Purple Prose Mage

#0048. Perfect Dark 64
It’s pretty much the FPS of the N64. Good cast, good gameplay, absurd voice acting, and a nice story mode, all just a side course for the robust multiplayer.
-The Dapper Zaffre Mage

#0047. Streets of Rage 2
Best 2D brawler of all time.
-The Hopeful Sega Mage

#0046. Canis Canem Edit
GTA in a school setting? Say no more. The mix of classes and general malarkey was incredibly fun.
-The Final Fourteenth Mage

#0045. Alto’s Odyssey
Team Alto’s lush, relaxing, and inspiring endless snowboarder is like few other experiences on a smartphone. And you can play it as either a challenging high score experience, or a chance to take in some spectacular sunsets and revel in some peace and quiet with your earphones in.
-The Moronic Cheese Mage

#0044. Pokémon Yellow Version
I spent countless hours with this one on my Pokémon-themed Game Boy Color. Still holds up and is a ton of fun.
-The Midnight Mystic Mage

#0043. Rocket League
The most addictive drug – and least damaging!
-The Red Hot Chili Mage

#0042. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Great retro aesthetic and music. Complete missions or drive around causing chaos.
-The Shamrock Show Mage

#0041. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Yes, Animal Crossing is the game where you go into a ton of debt and have to pay it back by collecting bugs and junk. But if you want a game you can pour either hours into or just enjoy checking in for a little bit each day and greeting nice neighbors, this is for you.
-The Green Screen Mage

#0040. No Man’s Sky
This game is such an amazing feat in so many ways: 18 quintillion procedurally generated planets to explore, seamless space travel, base building, terrain deformation, and the list goes on.
-The Timely Mage

#0039. Final Fantasy X
A beautiful game with a story that is both exciting and emotional. A game of many firsts and lasts when it comes to the legendary Final Fantasy series.
-The White Out Mage

#0038. Mega Man X
The gold standard for doing a franchise reboot. Darker, edgier, and faster than Rock Man ever was without being an edge-ord or pretentious, Mega Man X innovated without eliminating, altered without desecrating, updated without disrespecting what was great about the classic series.
-The Well-Red Mage

#0037. Titanfall 2
Quite possibly the pinnacle of 1st person shooters. Brilliant 80’s movie, Running Man-style campaign with some brilliant level designs. Nearly flawless multiplayer with a wide variety of gameplay modes. Giant Mechs, wall-running, great weapon variety, and balance. TF2 has does it all and looks great while doing it.
-The Slipstream Mage

#0036. Diablo 2: Lord Of Destruction
Windows PC, loads of replayability, great mod community, and drop itemization like no other.
-The Indecisive Night Mage

#0035. EarthBound
One of a kind RPG. Every modern indie RPG that promotes itself as “quirky and weird” probably takes its cues from this game.
-The New Age Retro Mage

#0034. Kirby’s Adventure
My first video game, and one of the finest games on the NES pertaining to graphics and art style. Despite often severe performance issues, this game is unbelievably advanced for fans of the system.
-The Normal Mage

#0033. Super Mario 64
Where the world of gaming exploded into beautiful 3D with the most famous character leading the charge.
-The Wandering Mage

#0032. Manic Miner
One of the earliest platform games many would have played, and some of the rooms are still iconic to this day. Easy to pick up, but it took so much practice to beat.
-The Regional Exclusive Mage

#0031. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
One of the best examples of couch co-op and one of the only genuinely great movie tie in games I can think of. Still played by many to this day.
-The Off-Centered Earth Mage

#0030. Left 4 Dead 2
In my opinion, this is the best zombie apocalypse survival game out there. Wacky, over-the-top characters, eerie environments, and tons of zombies to slaughter. Oh, and we can’t forget about our buddy Keith.
-The Kingly Yellow Mage

#0029. The House in Fata Morgana
A stunning visual novel that explores tragedy and the human condition. Between the art style, text and music, I was emotionally wrecked by the game’s conclusion.
-The Blood-Stained Metal Mage

#0028. Don’t Starve
Has a really great Tim Burton art-style. The survival gameplay is difficult but very fun to learn. Because the game is so supported by the developers, I’m still encountering new things in the world of Don’t Starve, every time I play.
-The Silver Sentinel Mage

#0027. Final Fantasy IV
For the sweeping story, ever-shifting party, confrontation with the shadow, spoony bard, chocobos.
-The Bookwarm Mage

#0026. Mass Effect 2
Probably one of the most complete games ever. Great story, great characters and more importantly, your decisions affect the endgame, so tread carefully. 🙂
-The Keeper of the Darkness Flame Mage

#0025. NieR Automata
Easily the most important game I’ve played this generation, NieR Automata is a masterclass in storytelling with an equally stellar soundtrack. Toss that around with Platinum’s flashy combat know-how, a desolate world to explore, and multiple playthroughs to experience behind the eyes of three different characters and you have one of the finest must-play titles of all time, in my opinion.
-The Middle-aged Horror Mage

#0024. Halo: Combat Evolved
Ushered in the modern era of first-person shooting. From regenerating health to the modern heads up display, Halo is a touchpoint in FPS and online multiplayer history. And it’s an excellent story with delightful genre-bending twists.
-The Ink-Stained Mage

#0023. Sonic 3 & Knuckles
The quintessential Sonic experience, fast and technical with killer music.
-The Bizzaro Mage

#0022. Chrono Trigger
Arguably the best JRPG ever made. The music, battle system, character development, and story are all extremely well done. Add in the fact that the decisions you make in the game affect future outcomes, you have a game that you can come back to time and time again and still experience something new.
-The Beer Mage

#0021. Final Fantasy VI
Someone is bound to pick this eventually. I’m surprised I’m the one that did. VI is the quintessential JRPG.
-The Optimistically Sentimental Alabaster Mage

#0020. Dr. Mario
Simplicity + a catchy tune = perfection
-The Blue Moon Mage

#0019. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
How do we learn and improve if not from failure? The story of gaming’s most notorious failure is a fascinating cautionary tale, but the game really needs to be experienced firsthand to understand what it means to be a bad game of the highest order.
-The Sometimes Vaguely Philosophical Mage

#0018. Super Mario Bros. 3
Influenced nearly every mainline Mario game after it. Evolved the original into the icon we’ve known ever since.
-The ABXY Mage

#0017. Alundra
An underrated PS1 gem of a game, styled similarly to the Legend of Zelda games. If you’re a fan of mature storylines, NPC’s with incredible depth and difficult puzzles, then this one’s for you.
-The Hyperactive Coffee Mage

#0016. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
A masterpiece that evolves the franchise and shows the rest of the industry what Nintendo charm and polish really means in an open world game.
-The Mail Order Ninja Mage

#0015. Final Fantasy XIII
Who doesn’t love a good controversy? My opinion: A fun combat system, epic story, nicely crafted characters, and stunning graphics. One of the best experiences with the iconic Final Fantasy series I’ve ever had, and definitely a great game worthy of forming your own opinion on.
-The Livid Lightning Mage

#0014. Pong
It all started with this. In 1972 Atari made the world’s first commercially successful video game – “Pong”. The biggest video game from before they were called “video games”.
-The Badly Backlogged Mage

#0013. Xenoblade Chronicles
With an emotional and powerful story, Xenoblade Chronicles uses a fantasy setting to show what hope, teamwork, and willpower can accomplish.
-The Valiant Vision Mage

#0012. Dark Souls
It shook a trend in video gaming, bringing it from its tendency toward the overly-easy and overexplained toward something more engaging and deliberately ambiguous. Its sparsely placed lore promoted fan cooperation, and the tightness of its battle mechanics would influence the flow of action games indefinitely.
-The Iron Mage

#0011. Pac-Man
Pac-Man proved that video games can have characters – arguably the most significant and influential innovation for the medium.
-The Purple Prose Mage

#0010. Parasite Eve
Classic from Square that sat outside the norm for PSX RPGs, mixing active combat and turn-based gameplay to spice up a great modern horror story.
-The Dapper Zaffre Mage

#0009. Street Fighter II
The definitive one-on-one fighting game and one that practically created a genre.
-The Hopeful Sega Mage

#0008. Pokémon Silver Version
Despite not being the first in the series, Pokémon Silver incorporated many of the amazing mechanics that are in the series today such as breeding, shiny Pokémon, night and day, held items, Mystery Gift and more. It really took the series to the next level.
-The Final Fourteenth Mage

#0007. Ori and the Blind Forest
A game that perfects the Metroidvania genre and adapts from the genius of Super Metroid to deliver a 2D experience that’s just phenomenal in every area. As we say in England, it’s proper belting.
-The Moronic Cheese Mage

#0006. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
This is still my favorite Zelda game of all time, it took the series in such a different direction and is really so unique when compared to all of the others.
-The Midnight Mystic Mage

#0005. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
The best game on the best console of all time — if you want to play a platformer, this is the game to go for. Whoever says SNES is better than Mega Drive/Genesis is fooling themselves, let’s face it. Sega do what Nintendon’t. (editor’s note: this is fake news)
-The Red Hot Chili Mage

#0004. Super Mario Kart
A classic multiplayer game that originally came out for the SNES and even recently on the Nintendo Switch. Perfect to play solo or with a group of people on game night.
-The Shamrock Show Mage

#0003. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
When someone says iconic games, Ocarina of Time is one of the first that comes to mind. The 3D graphics and open world content truly withstand the test of time.
-The Green Screen Mage

#0002. Metal Gear Solid
There are few games – especially from the PS1 era – that are as timeless as MGS. From the cinematic direction to the unforgettable characters, everyone needs to play this legendary game.
-The Timely Mage

#0001. Super Mario Bros.
This is the game that started it all, a foundation for gamers everywhere. Where would we be without this game?
-The White Out Mage

And this wouldn’t be a TWRM list without a zeroth pick!!!

#0000. Tetris
Not a ranked list? Psyche! This is the best-selling game concept in history and pure gameplay perfection. Less is more and the original versions with fewer bells and whistles are the best. History has chosen its champion.
-The Well-Red Mage

Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage, Mage Cast, or Story Mode.