The best and worst games of 2020, as provided by Metacritic (172 games ranked)

[Phediuk]

Each year since 2016, I have curated a list of all games with at least 20 reviews on Metacritic, to get a picture of what critics considered to be the best and worst "major" releases of the year, as they saw them. This is the 2020 edition; once again, these are the games that attracted the most critical attention this year.

As in previous years, I have curated the list with the following criteria:

1. Games with under 20 reviews are excluded.
2. No DLC, expansions, etc., unless they're standalone.
3. Ports and rereleases of games first released before 2020 are excluded, regardless of whether they have new content, unless they were unavailable in English before this year. There are a few edge cases here in the form of complete remakes, such as Demon's Souls and Tony Hawk, which I decided to include. I acknowledge that the line between "updated port" / "remaster" and "remake" can be blurry.
4. Multiplatform games are listed according to whichever version has the most reviews; all other versions are excluded.


1. The Last of Us Part II (PS4) – 93
2. Half-Life: Alyx (PC) – 93
3. Hades (PC) -93
4. Demon's Souls (PS5) – 92
5. Microsoft Flight Simulator (PC) – 91
6. Crusader Kings III (PC) – 91
7. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch) – 90
8. Ori and the Will of the Wisps (XONE) – 90
9. Dreams (PS4) – 89
10. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 (PS4) – 89
11. Doom Eternal (PC) – 88
12. Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) – 87
13. Spelunky 2 (PS4) – 87
14. F1 2020 (PS4) – 86
15. Cyberpunk 2077 (PC) – 86
16. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (PS4) – 86
17. Desperados III (PC) – 86
18. Monster Train (PC) – 86
19. Deep Rock Galactic (PC) – 85
20. Wasteland 3 (PC) – 85
21. Nioh 2 (PS4) – 85
22. Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5) – 85
23. Football Manager 2021 (PC) – 85
24. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (PS4) – 85
25. Streets of Rage 4 (PC) – 84
26. Spiritfarer (PC) – 84
27. Yakuza: Like a Dragon (PS4) – 83
28. Ghost of Tsushima (PS4) – 83
29. MLB The Show 20 (PS4) – 83
30. Astro's Playroom (PS5) – 83
31. Disc Room (PC) – 82
32. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 (Switch) – 82
33. Fuser (PS4) – 82
34. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (Switch) – 82
35. Immortals: Fenyx Rising (XSX) – 82
36. Paradise Killer (Switch) – 81
37. The Pedestrian (PC) – 81
38. SnowRunner (PS4) – 81
39. The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners (PS4) – 81
40. Genshin Impact (PS4) – 81
41. Ghostrunner (PC) – 81
42. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV (PS4) – 81
43. Necrobarista (PC) – 81
44. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (PS4) – 81
45. WRC 9 FIA World Rally Championship (PS4) – 81
46. Gears Tactics (PC) – 80
47. Amnesia: Rebirth (PC) – 80
48. Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (PS4) – 80
49. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (Switch) – 80
50. Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits (Switch) - 80
51. Valorant (PC) – 80
52. Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch) – 80
53. I Am Dead (Switch) – 80
54. Dirt 5 (PS4) – 79
55. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (Switch) – 79
56. Resident Evil 3 (PS4) – 79
57. Mafia: Definitive Edition (PC) – 79
58. Star Wars: Squadrons (PS4) – 79
59. Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5) – 79
60. Paper Beast (PS4) – 79
61. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Switch) – 79
62. Othercide (PC) – 78
63. Tell Me Why (XONE) – 78
64. Granblue Fantasy: Versus (PS4) -78
65. Superhot: Mind Control Delete (PC) – 78
66. In Other Waters (Switch) – 78
67. The Procession to Calvary (PC) – 78
68. Good Job! (Switch) – 78
69. EA Sports UFC 4 (PS4) – 78
70. Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (Switch) – 77
71. The Pathless (PS5) – 77
72. Super Crush K.O. (Switch) – 77
73. Star Renegades (PC) – 77
74. XCOM: Chimera Squad (PC) – 77
75. Call of the Sea (XSX) - 77
76. MotoGP 20 (PS4) – 76
77. Trials of Mana (PS4) – 76
78. Roki (PC) – 76
79. PGA Tour 2K21 (PS4) – 76
80. Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia (Switch) – 76
81. Mortal Shell (PC) – 76
82. Watch Dogs: Legion (XONE) – 76
83. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (PS4) – 76
84. One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 (PS4) – 75
85. Iron Harvest (PC) – 75
86. LUNA The Shadow Dust (PC) – 75
87. Yes, Your Grace (PC) – 75
88. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Switch) – 75
89. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory (PS4) – 75
90. Bugsnax (PS5) – 75
91. A Total War Saga: Troy (PC) – 75
92. Neversong (PC) - 75
93. Super Mario Bros. 35 (Switch) – 75
94. Carrion (PC) – 75
95. Pendragon (PC) – 74
96. Trackmania (PC) – 74
97. Moving Out (PS4) – 74
98. Partisans 1941 (PC) – 74
99. Journey to the Savage Planet (PS4) – 74
100. Cloudpunk (PC) – 74
101. Kunai (PC) – 73
102. Rocket Arena (PC) – 73
103. Iron Danger (PC) – 73
104. eFootball PES 2021 (PS4) – 73
105. BPM: Bullets Per Minute (PC) – 73
106. Marvel's Iron Man VR (PS4) – 73
107. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS4) – 73
108. Sakura Wars (PS4) – 73
109. NHL 21 (PS4) – 72
110. Zombie Army 4: Dead War (PS4) – 72
111. FIFA 21 (PS4) – 72
112. Beyond Blue (PC) – 72
113. Battletoads (XONE) – 72
114. Fairy Tail (PS4) – 71
115. The Dark Pictures: Little Hope (PS4) – 71
116. Through the Darkest of Times (PC) – 71
117. Maneater (PC) – 70
118. Minecraft Dungeons (PC) – 70
119. Beyond a Steel Sky (PC) – 70
120. Project CARS 3 (PS4) – 70
121. Destroy All Humans! (PS4) – 70
122. No Straight Roads (PS4) – 70
123. West of Dead (PC) – 69
124. Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions (PS4) - 69
125. AO Tennis 2 (XONE) – 69
126. Exit the Gungeon (Switch) – 69
127. Raji: An Ancient Epic (Switch) – 69
128. Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated (PS4) – 68
129. Ninjala (Switch) – 68
130. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (Switch) – 68
131. NBA 2K21 (PS4) – 68
132. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond (PC) – 68
133. My Hero One's Justice (PS4) – 68
134. Serious Sam 4 (PC) – 68
135. Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl Gold (Switch) – 68
136. Marvel's Avengers (PS4) – 67
137. Twin Mirror (PC) – 67
138. Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise (Switch) – 66
139. Bleeding Edge (XONE) – 66
140. Someday You'll Return (PC) – 66
141. Kirby Fighters 2 (Switch) – 65
142. Empire of Sin (PC) – 65
143. Torchlight III (PC) – 65
144. Skelattack (PS4) – 65
145. The Falconeer (XSX) – 64
146. Windbound (PS4) – 64
147. Corruption 2029 (PC) – 64
148. Panzer Dragoon (Switch) – 63
149. The Suicide of Rachel Foster (PC) – 63
150. Madden NFL 21 (PS4) – 63
151. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light (Switch) – 63
152. Disintegration (PC) – 62
153. Godfall (PS5) – 61
154. Hellbound (PC) – 61
155. WWE 2K Battlegrounds (PS4) – 60
156. The Complex (PS4) – 60
157. Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem (PC) – 60
158. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics (Switch) – 59
159. Summer in Mara (Switch) – 59
160. Liberated (Switch) – 59
161. Sword Art Online: Alicization Lycoris (PS4) – 58
162. Skater XL (PS4) – 57
163. One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows (PS4) – 57
164. Ary and the Secret of Seasons (PS4) – 56
165. Tennis World Tour 2 (PS4) – 56
166. Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise (Switch) – 56
167. Predator: Hunting Grounds (PS4) – 56
168. Bright Memory (XSX) – 55
169. Bakugan: Champions of Vestroia (Switch) – 52
170. Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories (PS4) – 51
171. Those Who Remain (PS4) – 49
172. Remothered: Broken Porcelain (PC) – 39

You may find the equivalent lists for 2017 and 2016 on the first page of this thread (scroll down to post #20 for 2016), the 2018 list here, and the 2019 list here.

The uncurated Metacritic list for 2020 is located here.

One noticeable trend at this point is that the list has gotten shorter each year. The 2016 list had 228 games with at least 20 reviews, and this year's is 172. I guess there has been something of a shakeout in the traditional games media this last few years. Oddly, though, the number of games rated 87% or higher has remained the same, though, as has the number of games rated 59% or lower. The decline has happened entirely in the middle of the list.

 

[Okabe]

Was gonna come in here with a prepared AWWW YEEE DMC5:SE until I read the OP....

I'm still gonna say it though

AWWW YEEEE DMC5:SE

 

[SuzanoSho]

Oddly, though, the number of games rated 87% or higher has remained the same, though, as ha the number of games rated 59% or lower. The decline has happened entirely in the middle of the list.

Click to shrink...

Developers are taking a stand against the release of divisive titles- you're either gonna get inarguably bad games or inarguably good games!...

 

[RockmanBN]

Persona 5 Royal was robbed

 

[Speevy]

Good for Naughty Dog for continually putting the player right into those wow moments. Actually a well-balanced top 10 of all platforms. Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft all represented.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Only way to bring down Persona 5 Royal I see...

 

[Lobster Roll]

Mental gymnastics to get Persona 5 Royal out of the top spot.

 

[Napalm_Frank]

The amount of mental gymnastics to keep The King, P5R, from it's rightful throne.

 

[stryke]

Funny how a game with actual new content in the rerelease gets excluded

 

[Forkball]

I now remember that there was a Bakugan game this year.

 

[Reinhard]

So why exactly was P5R removed from the list? It had a ton more content than the original release, got great critic reviews, and was in my top 3 favorite releases of 2020.

 

[SammyJ9]

Yeah I don't think you can make this list without Persona 5 Royal, sorry

 

[Ascenion]

So why exactly was P5R removed from the list? It had a ton more content than the original release, got great critic reviews, and was in my top 3 favorite releases of 2020.

Click to shrink...

Because it's a re-release. Sure it has new content but it's still just Persona 5. Royal could've easily just been DLC.

 

[Lobster Roll]

Because it's a re-release. Sure it has new content but it's still just Persona 5. Royal could've easily just been DLC.

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This is categorically false.

 

[Ascenion]

This is categorically false.

Click to shrink...

Saying the royal enhancements could've just been DLC might've been hyperbolic, sure. Still its not a new game, or meaningful content that stands on its own without the original game.

 

[RockmanBN]

Saying the royal enhancements could've just been DLC might've been hyperbolic, sure. Still its not a new game, or meaningful content that stands on its own without the original game.

Click to shrink...

They had Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon in 2017

 

[Ascenion]

They had Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon in 2017

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That definitely doesn't belong on there either. Re-releases and remasters don't deserve any type of GOTY recognition full stop.

 

[Lobster Roll]

Saying the royal enhancements could've just been DLC might've been hyperbolic, sure. Still its not a new game, or meaningful content that stands on its own without the original game.

Click to shrink...

Have you played Royal?

 

[Phediuk]

That definitely doesn't belong on there either. Re-releases and remasters don't deserve any type of GOTY recognition full stop.

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Yeah I should've left Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon off, I thought they were sequels to the base games at the time but they're really almost the same.

 

[EggmaniMN]

Disaster Report 4 owns. And it runs at 60fps on PS5. That whole series has been really fun over the years.

The Falconeer's score will be weird because the creator just keeps working to patch it and improve it and he's already done so with the recent bigger update.

 

[Sei]

Deadly Premonition 2 above Disaster Report 4?

I thought DR4 was outdated but not worse than a broken game.

 

[Ascenion]

Have you played Royal?

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Watched a playthrough. Didn't feel like I was missing much aside from the third semester over the original release. Definitely not $60 worth.

 

[SammyJ9]

That definitely doesn't belong on there either. Re-releases and remasters don't deserve any type of GOTY recognition full stop.

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... why? Persona 5: Royal was my GOTY by a mile. And I feel it absolutely had enough new content to justify getting recognition. It's been bugging me all year that it hasn't really gotten the recognition it deserved, and seeing it missing on everyone's end of year lists is criminal.

 

[Double]

The P5R salt is strong ITT

 

[Lobster Roll]

Watched a playthrough. Didn't feel like I was missing much aside from the third semester over the original release. Definitely not $60 worth.

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No disrespect, but I'm still waiting on people who hold that opinion to also be those that played it. It seems to be a reoccurring theme in those discussions.

 

[zoltek]

Good for Naughty Dog for continually putting the player right into those wow moments. Actually a well-balanced top 10 of all platforms. Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft all represented.

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Agreed. This would make for a really satisfying top 10 list for the year.

 

[Zolbrod]

As someone who absolutely adores the original Deadly Premonition, it's painful to see the sequel ranked so low, but it's true... It's really disappointing.

 

[RockmanBN]

The P5R salt is strong ITT

Click to shrink...

IT WAS NUMBER ONE!

 

[Chance Hale]

Disaster Report 4 is worth playing just for the sheer awe of how off the fucking rails it goes in the last act.

tho I played it on pc where it stayed at a steady 60 FPS, not the 0-20 of the ps4/switch version lol. DP2 needs to be saved from the switch too tho that game had like a third of the budget of the original which was already janky.

 

[Rirse]

Bakugan deserves it fate for the stupid hype for the 'exclusive Wayforward game announced at the end of Nintendo treehouse show" and it a shitty Pokemon ripoff from a bygone day.

 

[Echizen]

I acknowledge that the line between "updated port" / "remaster" and "remake" can be blurry.

Click to shrink...

Actually acknowledging that would've been not to arbitrarily decide where it's drawn

 

[Chasing]

Only way to bring down Persona 5 Royal I see...

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First it was the actual GOTY Shadowbringers last year, now P5R...

 

[DevilMayGuy]

Those top games really did fucking rule. What a year

 

[Phediuk]

Those top games really did fucking rule. What a year

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yes, the top 10 is very good.

 

[Imperfected]

I mean, it's obviously not a perfect list, but it's also not "ZOMG review system is entirely broken burn it all down" bad as would sort of be expected with the CP2077 debacle.

 

[Deleted member 37928]

I need to play Crusader Kings 3...

 

[ElephantShell]

The top 10 honestly seems like a respectable and well rounded list.

 

[Homura]

Where are Persona 5 Royal and Xenoblade Definitive Edition?

 

[1er tigre]

Funny how a game with actual new content in the rerelease gets excluded

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So why exactly was P5R removed from the list? It had a ton more content than the original release, got great critic reviews, and was in my top 3 favorite releases of 2020.

Click to shrink...

Was the witcher 3 goty edition counted back in 2016 ? I don't think so. How is that different ?

 

[Hercule]

PS5R has more new content than most games in the top 10. Should definitely have been there.

If demon souls is on this list PS5R and Xenoblade are on this list PS5R should definitely be on this list as well.

Also, why are Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light, Mr. Driller: Drill Land and Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom on this list if you don't count PS5R?

 

[SuzanoSho]

PS5R has more new content than most games in the top 10. Should definitely have been there.

If demon souls is on this list PS5R and Xenoblade are on this list PS5R should definitely be on this list as well.

Click to shrink...

Is this a joke?...

Demon Souls was literally remade from the ground up, with no recycled assets, for an entirely new generation only...

P5R is literally the same game with additions (new areas, a new mechanic, new characters and interactions) thrown on top of it. You guys are reaching hard...

 

[Hercule]

Is this a joke?...

Demon Souls was literally remade from the ground up, with no recycled assets, for an entirely new generation only...

P5R is literally the same game with additions (new areas, a new mechanic, new characters and interactions) thrown on top of it. You guys are reaching hard...

Click to shrink...

Demon souls might be a gray area but Mr driller and Fire Emblem? Seems these rules only exist to keep PS5R from the number 1 spot

 

[SuzanoSho]

Demon souls might be a gray area but Mr driller and Fire Emblem? Seems these rules only exist to keep PS5R from the number 1 spot

Click to shrink...

Valid, but I honestly would not know what the Fire Emblem game was had I not looked it up just now. And I'm not familiar with Mr. Driller at ALL, so I only just saw that it was what seems to be a re-release of a Gamecube game...

 

[Gold Arsene]

You guys just don't wanna admit Persona 5 Royal won.

 

[Phediuk]

Valid, but I honestly would not know what the Fire Emblem game was had I not looked it up just now. And I'm not familiar with Mr. Driller at ALL, so I only just saw that it was what seems to be a re-release of a Gamecube game...

Click to shrink...

Did not realize Mr Driller was a Gamecube game first; it has been removed. Fire Emblem is on the list because it has not been released in English before now (see OP.)

Edit: Actually, Mr. Driller was a Japan-only release until this year too, so it does qualify, just like Fire Emblem. I have returned it to the list.

 

[Gold Arsene]

Watched a playthrough. Didn't feel like I was missing much aside from the third semester over the original release. Definitely not $60 worth.

Click to shrink...

Royal is a whole different beast, the quality of life changes alone justify it.

Did not realize Mr Driller was a Gamecube game first; it has been removed. Fire Emblem is on the list because it has not been released in English before now (see OP.)

Click to shrink...

Why bother with these arbitrary rules in the first place? Like if it's just a port with nothing new then yeah fine but why keep Xenoblade and Persona off the list but Tony Hawk and Demon's Souls are ok?

 

[Famassu]

Is Disaster Report 4 really that bad? I had the impression that it was decent for a relatively low budget game.

 

[rochellepaws]

This list is kind of a joke without Persona 5 Royal, it really shouldn't be considered as dlc or an expansion.

It ultimately was the best reviewed game released in 2020 despite the hoops certain people attempt to jump through to claim otherwise.

 

[Faiyaz]

Demon souls might be a gray area but Mr driller and Fire Emblem? Seems these rules only exist to keep PS5R from the number 1 spot

Click to shrink...

Demons Souls is not a gray area, it's literally a remake made entirely from the ground up. Persona 5 Royal and Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition are enhanced re-releases, and they're not on this list. Fire Emblem has been released for the first time outside Japan, and that is its first Metacritic score. No idea about Mr. Driller.

 

[Gunman]

This list seems more like "as provided by some guy with arbitrary criteria."