The 100 best games of all time: spots 100 to 68
Digitec Galaxus assembled a panel of 47 experts and got them to choose the 100 best games of all time. Here are the rankings from 100 to 68.
Video games and listicles – name a more iconic duo. Sure, it’s not exactly creative, but we’ve got to pay the bills somehow. This works best when it’s about content that makes a lot of people tell us we don’t have a clue.
So we needed a ranking, but not just any ranking. Digitec Galaxus assembled a panel of 47 experts from Switzerland and got them to choose the 100 best games of all time. You can find out where your favourite game ranks in a series of articles we’ll be publishing over the next four weeks. The next entries in the ranking will be revealed on 22 June.
If you’d like to stay up to date, you can follow the gaming topic, and you’ll receive an e-mail notification as soon as a new article’s posted.
Are these objectively the best games of all time?
No, because there’s no such thing. These are games that mean a great deal to some people and whose cultural significance continues to resonate to this day. It’s not a definitive list; it’s ONE list.
Taste is a matter of personal preference, so we look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments.
100. StarCraft (1998)
Written by: David Stark, zarkonnen.com/Swiss Game Hub
After Warcraft and Warcraft II, Blizzard took the action into space. The groundbreaking thing about it was that the three playable species acted in fundamentally different ways. Just like Warcraft – which was originally planned as a Warhammer game – this title also clearly drew inspiration from Warhammer 40k. The Tyranids became the Zerg, and the Eldar became the Protoss. It was a huge success, especially in South Korea, where the game spread through internet cafes and StarCraft became the first ever professional e-sports title.
Source: Activision Blizzard
Genre: real-time strategy
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Nintendo 64
Trivia: Blizzard showcased an early version at E3 in 1996. It met its match in Dominion Storm, a better-looking game. In response, Blizzard frantically overhauled everything. But here’s the thing – the Dominion Storm demo was fake.
99. Transport Fever 2 (2019)
Written by: Debora Pape, editor at Digitec Galaxus
Swiss studio Urban Games started off with Train Fever as a tribute to Transport Tycoon, before dialling it up a notch with the Transport Fever series. You can take your time filling the map with roads, train tracks, port buildings and airports, and then see if the simulated people can use what you’ve created. And whether you earn any dough from it. This game offers hundreds or even thousands of hours of tinkering fun for supply chain optimisers, trainspotters and model builders. Urban planners, too, can let their creativity run wild and try to route traffic through the urban canyons to prevent traffic jams of doom. Often in vain.
Source: Urban Games
Genre: business simulation
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Linux, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Trivia: a bird’s eye view, literally – if you click on a bird, you get to see the world through its eyes.
98. SimCity 2000 (1993)
Written by: Simon Balissat, editorial team leader at Digitec Galaxus
The mother of all city builders and the successor to SimCity introduced innovations such as complex water and sewage pipe systems, elevated terrain and zones with varying degrees of development density. Things that are still standard to this day. But it was the disasters that brought my destructive 12-year-old self the greatest joy when I played this game on my family computer.
Source: Milestone
Genre: city builder
Platforms: MS-DOS, Classic MacOS, Windows, Amiga, Sega Saturn, PSX, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance
Trivia: the game SimCopter let you fly a helicopter through cities in 3D.
97: Quake III Arena (1999)
Written by: Simon Balissat, editorial team leader at Digitec Galaxus
The Holy Grail of multiplayer shooters and the first of this genre to focus entirely on multiplayer mode. The fast-paced deathmatches took place in arenas. Some of these were truly massive and offered an impressive amount of verticality due to jump pads. Thanks to mod support, there was a wealth of game modes and new maps. Anyone remember Hook and Rail?
Source: id Software
Genre: arena shooter
Platforms: AmigaOS, Windows, Linux, MacOS, MacOS X, Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox 360, iOS
Trivia: Quake III Arena was the first game to need a hardware accelerator to run on a PC.
96. Hades II (2025)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
A sequel without Zagreus as the protagonist? «Blasphemy!» some might have yelled. But if you just give Melinoë a chance, you’ll soon realise that the younger sister’s just as tough as the Prince of the Underworld. Beating up demons runs in the family, and that’s even more exciting in Hades II than it was in the first game. The roguelike elements keep you engaged, the expanded arsenal’s fun and the story picks up right where the previous title left off. «Go to hell» isn’t an angry curse here, but a friendly recommendation.
Source: Supergiant Games
Genre: roguelike
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Linux, PS4, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Trivia: Hades II is the first title from Supergiant Games to be released in early access – a concept the studio had always rejected until then.
95. Dota 2 (2013)
Written by: Cédric Schlosser, CEO and co-founder of MYI AG
Dota’s one of the cornerstones of competitive video gaming. The first version was released in 2003 as a Warcraft III mod and spawned an entirely new genre – MOBA. With Dota 2, Valve came up with a successful sequel and created an epic MOBA with unmatched strategic and technical depth. Dota 2 remains a timeless classic to this day and is known for its complex, relentless gameplay. Dota 2 e-sports continue to thrive at all levels and have developed their own ecosystem. As a real hit of nostalgia, the game still offers full modding access even today. These mods, in turn, have given rise to successful games such as Legion TD and even entirely new genres like Auto Chess (known as TFT in LoL). It’s at the heart of global gaming culture and a prime example of a live service game.
Source: Valve
Genre: MOBA
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Linux
Trivia: the prize money for The International 10 tournament was over 40 million US dollars, making it the largest prize pool in the history of e-sports.
94. Resident Evil 4 Remake (2023)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
The remake would’ve deserved its spot on the list just for making Ashley much less annoying. That aside, this reimagining of the survival-horror classic is also a fantastic remake – something that Capcom’s gained a reputation for – with stunning visuals and flawless gameplay. The only slight bummer’s that Leon doesn’t spout quite as many cheesy one-liners as he does in the original. At least there’s still the bingo joke.
Source: Capcom
Genre: survival-horror, action-adventure
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Linux, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Trivia: for the remake, the developers travelled to remote Spanish villages to gather as much visual material as possible for the building architecture.
93. The Last Guardian (2016)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
Games that have been in development for ten years usually turn out to be a disappointment – if they’re released at all. The Last Guardian is the exception to this rule. The third PlayStation game by Fumito Ueda (Ico, Shadow of the Colossus) completes a poetic trilogy with a game design that remains one of a kind to this day. Not every element’s flawless, but anyone who spends even a minute interacting with Trico – a bird-cat-dog hybrid – will forgive the title for any shortcomings.
Source: Sony
Genre: action-adventure
Platforms: PS4
Trivia: Trico’s AI was programmed so that it deliberately doesn’t always listen to you right away. The idea behind this is to simulate the behaviour of a real animal, but some players thought it was a bug.
92. Sekiro (2019)
Written by: Simon Balissat, editorial team leader at Digitec Galaxus
Sekiro’s sort of the odd one out among the Soulsborne games. A fixed character, no role-playing elements and feudal Japan instead of a European fantasy medieval setting. This action-packed brawler’s considered the most difficult out of all the FromSoftware titles. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Source: Activision Blizzard
Genre: action, Soulslike
Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Stadia
Trivia: some locations in the fantasy world of Sekiro actually exist, like Mount Kongō.
91. Sid Meier’s Civilization (1991)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
Who came up with it? Whenever this question’s asked in the context of strategy games, the answer’s usually Sid Meier’s Civilization. This MicroProse classic’s considered a pioneer of the 4X genre. 4X stands for explore, expand, exploit, exterminate – you explore a map, expand your empire, exploit resources and exterminate the competition. The fact that this basic framework has hardly changed to this day is clear proof that Civ’s still groundbreaking even 35 years on.
Source: 2K Games
Genre: global strategy
Platforms: Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, MacOS Classic, SNES, Windows
Trivia: there was said to be a bug which caused Gandhi, the pacifist Indian character in the game, to suddenly turn into a nuclear-weapon-obsessed warmonger. But that’s not true. Sid Meier himself confirmed in his 2020 memoir that no such bug ever existed. Gandhi was just as keen on nuclear power as all the other AI leaders; it just seemed so absurd to the players that they came up with a technical explanation.
90. Anno 1800 (2019)
Written by: Kim Muntinga, editor at Digitec Galaxus
Anno 1800 is the most beautiful Excel spreadsheet in the history of gaming. What starts out as a few farms, loggers’ cabins and fishing villages grows into an industrial global machine made up of supply chains, trade routes and city neighbourhoods. Blue Byte’s city-building strategy turns capitalism into a spiral of addiction. There’s always a resource missing somewhere, something that needs optimising and a new factory looming on the horizon. And yet this world never feels like a mere maths problem; instead, it feels alive, rich in detail and surprisingly romantic.
Source: Ubisoft
Genre: city-building strategy
Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Trivia: the story isn’t set exactly in the year 1800, but uses the 19th century as its historical setting.
89. Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
Written by: Sascha Komaromy, gameforyou.ch
If it weren’t for Wolfenstein 3D, we wouldn’t be blasting our way through virtual worlds the way we do today. Developed by id Software in 1992, this classic game revolutionised the first-person shooter genre. Playing as US agent B.J. Blazkowicz, you fight your way through a huge Nazi castle. The fast 3D engine paved the way for mega-hits like Doom and later shooter heavyweights. Due to its depiction of violence and Nazi content, the game sparked intense controversy and was banned in Germany.
Source: id Software
Genre: first-person shooter
Platforms: MS-DOS, NES, 3DO, Atari Jaguar
Trivia: B.J. Blazkowicz can restore his health in the game by scarfing down bowls of dog food.
88. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002)
Written by: Domagoj Belancic, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
There was a huge outcry when Nintendo unveiled the first video footage of Wind Waker. Following a gritty GameCube tech demo, fans were looking forward to a «mature» adventure in Hyrule. Nintendo delivered the complete opposite – a sugar-sweet game world, childlike characters with huge, round eyes and a colourful cel-shading style. If you forgave the immature aesthetic, you were rewarded with a fantastic Zelda adventure packed with brilliant dungeons, creatively designed enemies and a game world that remains unique to this day – one made up of 90 per cent ocean. As for the soundtrack… all I can say is chef’s kiss.
Source: Nintendo
Genre: action-adventure
Platforms: GameCube
Trivia: the battle sounds made by Chuchus, Wind Waker’s slime-like enemies, are actually an argument between two Japanese men, sped up and played back in reverse. At the beginning, one of the men says, «At least I’m not going bald.» The other one replies, «At least I don’t look like a monster!»
87. Hades (2020)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
On paper, the sequel should actually rank higher, since it’s more complex, more polished and on a larger scale than Supergiant Games’ first foray into the realm of death. In theory. But many fans appreciated the simplicity of the debut, which made the roguelike genre more accessible than ever before. Maybe because this approach is the antithesis of today’s big, bloated games? I wonder what Ubisoft would have to say about that?
Source: Supergiant Games
Genre: roguelike
Platforms: Windows, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S
Trivia: Hades was the first video game ever to win the Hugo Award – one of the most prestigious accolades in the world of science fiction and fantasy.
86. Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Written by: Domagoj Belancic, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
3D Mario games are always something special. A bit like GTA. Fans have to wait a long time for a new instalment, but when one comes out, you can be sure it’ll be a huge hit. In the case of Super Mario Odyssey, the Nintendo community had to be patient for a full seven years and an entire console generation (Super Mario Galaxy 2 was released in 2010 on the Wii). But it was worth the wait. Odyssey impresses with an incredible array of ideas, and sends Mario on a trip around the world – including a remarkably realistic recreation of New York City. The new gameplay mechanics featuring Mario’s cap (Cappy) are more than just a gimmick and deliver surprises every minute. The mere fact that I can control a T-Rex is enough to earn this game a spot on the list.
Source: Nintendo
Genre: platformer
Platforms: Switch
Trivia: Super Mario Odyssey is the last 3D mainline game with the legendary Charles Martinet as the voice of Mario. He was succeeded by Kevin Afghani, starting with Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023).
85. Final Fantasy IX (2001)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
«Squaresoft’s last game for the very first PlayStation is a life-affirming masterpiece and one of the greatest moments in modern pop culture,» I gushed in my retrospective on the game to mark its 25th anniversary. Series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi poured everything that made the role-playing game series special, all his experience and his whole heart into Final Fantasy IX, bringing this PlayStation trilogy to a spectacular conclusion. And it doesn’t stop there – he gave us Vivi, one of the sweetest and saddest characters ever.
Source: Square Enix
Genre: JRPG
Platforms: PSX
Trivia: Hironobu Sakaguchi called Final Fantasy IX his personal favourite instalment in the series.
84. Chants of Sennaar (2023)
Written by Stefan Schmidlin, lecturer in Game Design, Zurich University of the Arts
If you like learning new languages, you’ll immediately understand the appeal of Chants of Sennaar. This deduction game by French developer Rundisc turns the linguistic confusion of the Tower of Babel into a game mechanic – one tower, five peoples, five languages and no explanation. Based on context, body language and logical deduction, players gradually uncover the meaning and grammar of the five languages, one glyph at a time. The rigour of the game design and the visual style, which captivates with its minimalism, get the most out of the linguistic puzzle system, making Chants of Sennaar one of the best puzzle games ever.
Source: Rundisc
Genre: puzzle
Platforms: Windows, Switch, PlayStation 4, iOS, Android
Trivia: art director Julien Moya drew stylistic inspiration from famous comic book artist Philippe Druillet, who was well-known in the ‘70s and ‘80s.
83. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (2021)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
Visual novels are boring. OBJECTION! Exhibit A: Capcom’s Ace Attorney series, which has been concocting absurd legal dramas since 2001 and has almost single-handedly established the genre in Switzerland. The highlight of the series is The Great Ace Attorney duology, featuring eccentric characters who investigate cases in Victorian London. Set in the early 19th century, protagonist Ryunosuke Naruhodo battles his way through murder investigations and conspiracies that are so complex, they leave even seasoned mystery fans baffled. Fortunately, he’s occasionally assisted by a certain Herlock Sholmes, who has absolutely nothing to do with that famous Baker Street detective – neither in name nor in any other way. Disagree? Then we’ll see each other in court.
Source: Capcom
Genre: visual novel, point-and-click
Platforms: Windows, Switch, PlayStation 4
Trivia: the game was officially announced in April 2021. But people already knew it was coming two months earlier, after hackers had leaked the news that the title was in development.
82. Resident Evil Requiem (2026)
Written by: Domagoj Belancic, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
Resident Evil is one of the most influential and damn cool gaming franchises of the past 30 years. So it’s no surprise that the latest instalment has made it onto this list just a few months after its release. After all, the ninth mainline entry feels like a series best-of. First, you take on the role of fearful FBI agent Grace Ashcroft and experience classic Resident Evil survival-horror gameplay. And second, you control seasoned agent Leon S. Kennedy, who runs through hordes of zombies like a damn action hero and headshots everything that gets in his way. This blend of two Resident Evil extremes makes Requiem something truly special.
Source: Capcom
Genre: survival-horror, action-adventure
Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2
Trivia: Leon S. Kennedy’s first name is a tribute to the film Léon: The Professional. Resident Evil 2 director Hideki Kamiya confirmed this in a post on X – almost 30 years after Leon’s first appearance.
81. Celeste (2020)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
«Just one more try.» Playing Celeste means lying to yourself. This incredibly difficult 2D platformer strikes a balance between motivation and frustration, thanks to lightning-fast reloads and reasonably placed checkpoints that are rarely more than two screens back. Death’s simply another chance rather than a defeat. «Just one more try.» Sure.
Source: Maddy Makes Games Inc.
Genre: platformer
Platforms: Linux, MacOS, Switch, PS4, Windows, Xbox One, Stadia
Trivia: the game’s prototype was developed in just four days. This original version is included as bonus content in the retail release, but you have to unlock it first.
80. Pacific Drive (2024)
Written by: Léa Coquoz, Oopsie Daisies Studio
Pacific Drive is definitely not a leisurely tour through the countryside. This first-person survival game’s set in a fictional version of the Olympic Peninsula – a region of Washington and the birthplace of art director Cassandra Dracott’s game concept. You take on the role of a driver who’s stranded in an exclusion zone and has to find a way to escape. Your only ally? A rickety station wagon with a mind of its own. It wasn’t actually built for off-road use, but now it’s stuck doing just that. Upgrading, repairing and customising your car becomes a matter of survival. The debut title from Ironwood Studios blends multiple genres into a risky mash-up, delivering a thrilling gaming experience that keeps you glued to the steering wheel until the very end.
Source: Kepler Interactive
Genre: survival, driving simulator
Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Trivia: there’s an unofficial rule that the interior lights mustn’t be switched on under any circumstances. Punishment’s sure to follow.
79. Divinity: Original Sin II (2017)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
Rivellon’s alive. Hardly any other gaming world’s as responsive as Larian’s fantasy creation. How you move within it is almost entirely up to you. Do you want to play a jerk of a cleric dwarf who picks fights with everyone? Go for it. Or would you rather be an elf barbarian with a heart of gold? Up to you. Rivellon’s ready for you and your three friends, as the campaign can also be played cooperatively. This means the sophisticated, turn-based combat system can end up either as a tactical extravaganza or a chaotic battle. Both are an unforgettable experience.
Source: Larian Games
Genre: CRPG
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iOS
Trivia: to fund the game, Larian launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2015, which reached its target of 500,000 dollars within twelve hours. Over two million dollars were raised in total.
78. Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
Written by: René Bauer, Zurich University of the Arts
The hero in this game wants to bring a sacrificed girl back to life and has to kill more than a dozen colossi to do so. You ride through the wilderness until you find the hidden monsters. The sight of these giants will take your breath away – they’re as tall as skyscrapers. This title has everything from minotaurs and tigers to eels, snakes and birds. If your avatar manages to climb onto the struggling, thrashing colossus, the whole thing turns into a climbing-and-fighting game on a moving surface. Only when the sword’s embedded in his weak spot does the giant slowly fall, toppling like a tree. Killing monsters has never been celebrated on a bigger scale or in a more radical way.
Source: Sony
Genre: action-adventure
Platforms: PS2
Trivia: there were supposed to be three times as many colossi. Director Fumito Ueda originally planned to create 48 of these stone giants. The number was reduced to 24, then to 16.
77. It Takes Two (2021)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
We should all recycle more. I’m leading by example and reusing the text from my big couch co-op listicle from last autumn: It Takes Two is a creative genre mash-up where every gameplay element hits the mark. Visually channelling Pixar-style animated films, the game tells the story of Cody and May, who are in the middle of a divorce. What sounds dreadful on paper sets the stage for a varied adventure that hits straight in the heart. It Takes Two leans even harder into co-op, and by the time you hit the credits after roughly twelve hours, you won’t have been bored for a single minute.
Source: Hazelight Studios
Genre: action-adventure
Platforms: PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows
Trivia: the film rights have already been sold. Dwayne «The Rock» Johnson and Amazon MGM will be adapting the story. It remains to be seen who will end up playing the roles of Cody and May. But the likelihood that Johnson will earmark a part for himself is likely to be a statistically relevant 100%.
76. Super Mario World (1990)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
72 levels, 96 exits, 1 Yoshi, endless fun. If, after Super Mario Land 3, anyone still doubted whether Nintendo’s plumber was here to stay, the SNES debut proved them wrong. Shigeru Miyamoto and his team not only fine-tuned the gameplay, they also established several key pillars of Mario’s identity, which today form the foundation of one of the greatest media brands of all time. Mario made the leap into the 16-bit era with flying colours, just as you’d expect from the king of platformers.
Source: Nintendo
Genre: platformer
Platforms: SNES
Trivia: Yoshi’s origins can be traced back to Miyamoto’s original concept for Super Mario Bros. – he wanted Mario to ride an animal even back then. The NES’s computing power made that impossible, which is why the idea was shelved for nearly a decade.
75. Pac-Man (1980)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
Waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka Waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka Waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka Waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka Waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka Waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka Waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka Waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka waka – you get the idea.
Source: Namco
Genre: puzzle
Platforms: Arcade
Trivia: In Japan, the game was originally called Puck Man. Midway, the US licensee, feared that cunning teenagers would simply change the «P» on the machine to an «F».
74. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
Written by: Domagoj Belancic, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
Tears of the Kingdom manages to feel fresh, even though it’s set in the same game world as Breath of the Wild. Nintendo took the open-world gameplay of its predecessor as a starting point and dialled it up a notch with new gameplay mechanics. Link can craft crazy companions and weapons that turn back time and teleport through ceilings. This game gives you an amazing amount of freedom in everything you do. How you get from A to B and how you solve a puzzle is entirely up to you. The only limit is your creativity. The fact that Nintendo’s added a celestial realm and a dark underground world to the Kingdom of Hyrule makes this already massive adventure even more epic.
Source: Nintendo
Genre: action-adventure
Platforms: Switch, Switch 2
Trivia: Link’s new ability, Ultra Hand, is a reference to the Nintendo toy of the same name from 1966.
73. Tomb Raider (1996)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
«A female action hero in a video game?» These days, only incels and other basement dwellers would express such a lack of understanding. Back in 1996, however, a female protagonist in an action game was still a novel concept and a real risk for the developers at Core Design. But it paid off for the British studio. Tomb Raider defined the action-adventure genre of the 32-bit era and, with Lara, created a pop culture icon whose influence extends far beyond this medium.
Source: Core Design
Genre: action-adventure
Platforms: Windows, PlayStation, Sega Saturn
Trivia: by the way, the fact the game even had a female protagonist wasn’t a statement, but rather a matter of pragmatism. Designer Toby Gard simply didn’t want to create yet another Indiana Jones knockoff.
72. Secret of Mana (1994)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
Secret of Mana is the best-known title in Square Enix’s long-running but unfortunately ill-fated Seiken Densetsu franchise. In Switzerland, this game was a lot of players’ first contact with RPGs, so many of them have a special place in their hearts for this genre. Including me. The three-player co-op mode was revolutionary back then, and it’s still just as fun today. Plus, if the title music doesn’t give you a warm, fuzzy feeling, you’re either already dead or you’ve never fought a Rabite. They’re both just as bad as each other, if you ask me.
Source: Square Enix
Genre: action RPG
Platforms: SNES
Trivia: Secret of Mana was originally planned as a launch title for the SNES CD-ROM add-on, which Nintendo developed in collaboration with Sony.
71. Red Dead Redemption (2010)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
First impression? Grand Theft Auto with horses. On closer inspection? So much more. Rockstar’s epic tale of the final days of the Wild West is an emotional ride (pun intended) and the deeply personal story of a believable antihero. The fact that it’s a nearly perfect open-world game is the cherry on top. Red Dead Redemption understands that silence is sometimes more important than shooting, and it’s precisely these quiet moments that give the game its incomparable character.
Source: Rockstar Games
Genre: action-adventure, open world
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Trivia: Rockstar approached Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford and Robert Duvall to play the role of John Marston before ultimately casting Rob Wiethoff.
70. Diablo II (2000)
Written by: Rainer Etzweiler, freelancer at Digitec Galaxus
«Stay a while and listen!» if you want to find out what makes Diablo II one of the best games of all time. But you probably already know. Blizzard perfected the hunter-gatherer mechanics, which trigger our reptilian brain in such a satisfying way, with this 2000 sequel to the action RPG. It was to become the blueprint for the genre, providing the inspiration for nearly all subsequent releases. But who needs new games when you have Diablo II?
Source: Activision Blizzard
Genre: action RPG
Platforms: Windows
Trivia: the cows’ «moos» were «voiced» by various Blizzard employees.
69. GoldenEye 007 (1997)
Written by: Nicolas Akladios, Swiss Gamers Network
For the first time, you can step into the shoes of the world’s greatest secret agent – in a game that was revolutionary for its time. The enemies’ AI forces you to approach each level tactically, especially since the mission objectives change depending on the difficulty setting. On top of that, there’s the local multiplayer mode, which offers endless replay value and guarantees legendary evenings with friends. And let’s be honest – who hasn’t secretly dreamed of whispering to their buddies, «My name is Bond, James Bond»?
Source: Rare
Genre: first-person shooter
Platforms: Nintendo 64
Trivia: GoldenEye 007 was actually designed as a purely single-player experience and was all but finished. But shortly before the game’s release, the team at Rare dared to go against Nintendo’s advice and decided at the last minute to include a multiplayer mode – the very reason why this title still enjoys cult status today.
68. Kingdom Come Deliverance II (2025)
Written by: Philipp Rüegg, senior editor at Digitec Galaxus
No other game has ever crafted a more beautiful and authentic medieval world. Kingdom Come Deliverance II is half role-playing game, half simulation. In 15th-century Bohemia, you accompany Heinrich von Skalitz through the turmoil of civil war. The residents go about their daily routines, and the world reacts to your actions. Whether you’re hanging around unwashed in a tavern or a maid catches you red-handed as a thief because you’re sneaking through a noble’s house wearing their clothes. And it doesn’t stop there – the story’s gripping and, after 80 hours, will have you thinking, «Wow, what an adventure.»
Source: Warhorse
Genre: RPG, open world
Platforms: Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Trivia: you start off with a horse called Pebbles. It may not look like much, but if you ride it long enough, you’ll unlock a secret perk which turns it into one of the best steeds in the game.
Those were spots 100 through 68 in our ranking of the 100 best games of all time. Keep an eye out for the next instalment of the article series (spots 67 to 34) on 22 June.
In the early 90s, my older brother gave me his NES with The Legend of Zelda on it. It was the start of an obsession that continues to this day.
This is a subjective opinion of the editorial team. It doesn't necessarily reflect the position of the company.
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