Acclaimed Video Games
The top 1,000 most recommended games across 827 critic lists from 134 publications.
Updated: October 26, 2025
Most Acclaimed Action Games of All Time
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#1 Super Mario 64 (1996) (#7)
Nintendo EAD | N64 | Action-Adventure / Platform | ~12h | 83 lists
#2 Super Mario World (1990) (#10)
Nintendo EAD | SNES | Platform | ~5h | 73 lists
#3 Street Fighter II (1991) (#23)
Capcom | ARC, DOS, 5, SNES | Fighting | ~1h | 80 lists
#4 Metal Gear Solid (1998) (#25)
Konami Computer Entertainment Japan | WIN, PS | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~11h | 70 lists
#5 Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) (#28)
Nintendo R&D4 | NES | Platform | ~5h | 59 lists
#6 God of War (2018) (#29)
SIE Santa Monica Studio | WIN, PS4 | Hack and Slash / Action-Adventure | ~21h | 86 lists
#7 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997) (#32)
Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo | SAT, PS | Action RPG / Metroidvania | ~8h | 64 lists
#8 Deus Ex (2000) (#37)
Ion Storm | MAC, WIN | Action RPG / First-Person Shooter / Stealth | ~23h | 64 lists
#9 Minecraft (2011) (#39)
Mojang Studios | 3, X360, PS3 | Sandbox / Survival | ~65h | 87 lists
#10 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) (#42)
Konami Computer Entertainment Japan | PS2 | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~16h | 48 lists
#11 Diablo II (2000) (#45)
Blizzard North | MAC, WIN | Hack and Slash / Action RPG | ~34h | 54 lists
#12 Super Mario Odyssey (2017) (#50)
Nintendo EPD Production Group No. 8 | SW | Action-Adventure / Platform | ~12h | 69 lists
#13 Super Mario Galaxy (2007) (#53)
Nintendo EAD | Wii | Action-Adventure / Platform | ~14h | 42 lists
#14 Super Mario Bros. (1985) (#55)
Nintendo R&D4 | ARC, NES | Platform | ~2h | 41 lists
#15 Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010) (#70)
Nintendo EAD | Wii | Action-Adventure / Platform | ~13h | 54 lists
#16 Nier: Automata (2017) (#73)
PlatinumGames, Square Enix Business Division 6 | WIN, XB1, PS4 | Hack and Slash / Action RPG | ~21h | 61 lists
#17 Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001) (#77)
HAL Laboratory | GC | Fighting | ~10h | 37 lists
#18 Spelunky (2012) (#81)
BlitWorks, Mossmouth | WIN, X360, PS3, PSV | Roguelike / Platform | ~20h | 38 lists
#19 Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995) (#88)
Nintendo EAD | SNES | Platform | ~8h | 39 lists
#20 Fortnite (2017) (#90)
Epic Games | MAC, WIN, XB1, PS4 | Sandbox / Survival / Battle Royale | ~62h | 43 lists
#21 Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) (#91)
Sonic Team | ARC, GEN | Platform | ~2h | 38 lists
#22 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) (#98)
Bandai Namco Studios, Sora | SW | Fighting | ~24h | 54 lists
#23 Mega Man 2 (1988) (#99)
Capcom | NES | Platform | ~3h | 38 lists
#24 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003) (#102)
Ubisoft Montreal | WIN, PS2, GC, Xbox | Action-Adventure / Platform | ~9h | 41 lists
#25 Assassin's Creed 2 (2009) (#110)
Ubisoft Montreal | WIN, X360, PS3 | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~19h | 33 lists
#26 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015) (#117)
Kojima Productions | WIN, X360, XB1, PS3, PS4 | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~46h | 57 lists
#27 Celeste (2018) (#119)
Extremely OK Games | 3, XB1, PS4, SW | Platform | ~8h | 57 lists
#28 Donkey Kong (1981) (#122)
Ikegami Tsushinki, Nintendo | ARC, NES | Platform | ~18m | 31 lists
#29 League of Legends (2009) (#125)
Riot Games | WIN | MOBA | ~1161h | 34 lists
#30 God of War (2005) (#129)
SCE Santa Monica Studio | PS2 | Hack and Slash / Action-Adventure | ~9h | 31 lists
#31 Astro Bot (2024) (#132)
Team Asobi | PS5 | Action-Adventure / Platform | ~11h | 49 lists
#32 Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1991) (#136)
Sega Technical Institute, Sonic Team | ARC, GEN | Platform | ~2h | 31 lists
#33 Dishonored 2 (2016) (#138)
Arkane Studios | WIN, XB1, PS4 | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~13h | 40 lists
#34 Ms. Pac-Man (1982) (#140)
General Computer Corporation (GCC) | ARC, 4, DOS | Maze | ~1h | 28 lists
#35 Dishonored (2012) (#147)
Arkane Studios | WIN, X360, PS3 | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~12h | 49 lists
#36 Hitman 3 / World of Assassination (2021) (#148)
IO Interactive | WIN, XB1, XBXS, PS4, PS5 | Stealth | ~8h | 30 lists
#37 Street Fighter IV (2008) (#152)
Dimps | ARC, WIN, X360, PS3 | Fighting | ~2h | 31 lists
#38 Pac-Man (1980) (#153)
Namco | ARC, 3, 5, DOS, NES | Maze | ~48m | 31 lists
#39 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001) (#155)
Konami Computer Entertainment Japan | WIN, PS2, Xbox | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~13h | 23 lists
#40 PUBG: Battlegrounds (2017) (#157)
PUBG Corp | WIN, XB1, PS4 | Battle Royale | ~95h | 45 lists
#41 Katamari Damacy (2004) (#173)
Keita Takahashi, NOW Production | PS2 | Action / Puzzle | ~6h | 23 lists
#42 Super Meat Boy (2010) (#175)
Team Meat | 3, X360 | Platform | ~9h | 32 lists
#43 Thief II: The Metal Age (2000) (#183)
Looking Glass Studios | WIN | Stealth | ~20h | 22 lists
#44 Thief: The Dark Project (1998) (#185)
Looking Glass Studios | WIN | Stealth | ~20h | 22 lists
#45 God of War II (2007) (#186)
SCE Santa Monica Studio | PS2 | Hack and Slash / Action-Adventure | ~12h | 19 lists
#46 Prince of Persia (1989) (#188)
Brøderbund Software | 6, DOS, MAC, TG16 | Platform | ~2h | 25 lists
#47 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013) (#189)
Ubisoft Montreal | WIN, X360, XB1, PS3, PS4, WiiU | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~24h | 42 lists
#48 Soulcalibur (1998) (#190)
Project Soul | ARC, DC | Fighting | ~54m | 23 lists
#49 Hollow Knight (2017) (#192)
Team Cherry | 3, XB1, PS4, SW | Metroidvania | ~27h | 28 lists
#50 Tekken 3 (1997) (#196)
Namco | ARC, PS | Beat 'em Up / Fighting | ~2h | 24 lists
#51 Donkey Kong Country (1994) (#198)
Rare | SNES | Platform | ~4h | 28 lists
#52 Dota 2 (2013) (#204)
Valve | 3 | MOBA | ~747h | 27 lists
#53 Gauntlet (1985) (#211)
Atari Games | ARC | Hack and Slash / Dungeon Crawler | ~2h | 21 lists
#54 Super Mario Maker (2015) (#214)
Nintendo EAD Software Development Group No.4 | 3DS, WiiU | Platform | ~5h | 42 lists
#55 Psychonauts (2005) (#222)
Double Fine Productions | WIN, PS2, Xbox | Action-Adventure / Platform | ~12h | 20 lists
#56 Hitman: Blood Money (2006) (#229)
IO Interactive | WIN, PS2, Xbox, X360 | Stealth | ~12h | 16 lists
#57 Bayonetta (2009) (#237)
Nex Entertainment, PlatinumGames | X360, PS3 | Hack and Slash / Action-Adventure | ~12h | 22 lists
#58 Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (2005) (#243)
Capcom Production Studio 1 | PS2 | Hack and Slash / Action-Adventure | ~12h | 19 lists
#59 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005) (#244)
Ubisoft Montreal | WIN, PS2, GC, Xbox | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~13h | 17 lists
#60 Another World / Out of This World (1991) (#246)
Delphine Software | 3, DOS, GEN, SNES, 3DO | Action / Platform | ~2h | 18 lists
#61 Bayonetta 2 (2014) (#247)
PlatinumGames | WiiU | Hack and Slash / Action-Adventure | ~9h | 30 lists
#62 Soulcalibur II (2002) (#248)
Project Soul | ARC, PS2, GC, Xbox | Fighting | ~3h | 18 lists
#63 LittleBigPlanet (2008) (#251)
Media Molecule | PS3 | Sandbox / Platform | ~9h | 24 lists
#64 Double Dragon (1987) (#259)
Technos Japan | ARC, NES, SMS | Beat 'em Up | ~1h | 20 lists
#65 God of War Ragnarök (2022) (#266)
SIE Santa Monica Studio | PS4, PS5 | Hack and Slash / Action-Adventure | ~26h | 37 lists
#66 Shovel Knight (2014) (#270)
Yacht Club Games | 3, 3, 3DS, WiiU, XB1 | Platform | ~7h | 25 lists
#67 Alien: Isolation (2014) (#272)
The Creative Assembly | WIN, X360, XB1, PS3, PS4 | Horror / Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~18h | 24 lists
#68 Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988) (#273)
Nintendo R&D4 | NES | Platform | ~3h | 16 lists
#69 Mortal Kombat II (1993) (#276)
Midway | ARC, DOS, AMI, GEN, GG, SNES | Fighting | ~2h | 22 lists
#70 Nights Into Dreams (1996) (#278)
Sonic Team | SAT | Action | ~2h | 14 lists
#71 Street Fighter III (1997) (#280)
Capcom | ARC, DC | Fighting | ~42m | 11 lists
#72 Yakuza 0 (2015) (#283)
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, Sega Games | WIN, PS3, PS4 | Action-Adventure / Beat 'em Up | ~32h | 26 lists
#73 Kingdom Hearts (2002) (#286)
Square Product Development Division 1 | PS2 | Hack and Slash / Action RPG | ~28h | 15 lists
#74 It Takes Two (2021) (#290)
Hazelight Studios | WIN, XB1, XBXS, PS4, PS5, SW | Action | ~13h | 27 lists
#75 The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (2004) (#296)
Starbreeze Studios, Tigon Studios, Virtual Programming | WIN, Xbox | Action-Adventure / Stealth | ~8h | 15 lists
#76 Kingdom Hearts II (2005) (#299)
Square Enix Business Division 3, Square Enix Product Development Division 1 | PS2 | Hack and Slash / Action RPG | ~32h | 15 lists
#77 WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! / Minigame Mania (2003) (#305)
Nintendo R&D1 | GBA | Action | ~2h | 13 lists
#78 Diablo III (2012) (#308)
Blizzard Entertainment | MAC, WIN, X360, PS3 | Hack and Slash / Action RPG | ~18h | 22 lists
#79 Pitfall! (1982) (#309)
Activision | 4, 3 | Platform | ~30m | 17 lists
#80 Super Castlevania IV (1991) (#316)
Konami | SNES | Platform | ~4h | 19 lists
#81 Sonic CD (1993) (#318)
Sonic Team | SCD | Platform | ~2h | 14 lists
#82 Super Bomberman (1993) (#319)
Produce! | SNES | Action / Party / Maze | ~2h | 16 lists
#83 Ninja Gaiden (2004) (#320)
Team NINJA | Xbox | Hack and Slash / Action-Adventure | ~18h | 13 lists
#84 Hitman (2016) (#322)
IO Interactive | 3, XB1, PS4 | Stealth | ~11h | 27 lists
#85 Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) (#323)
Sora | Wii | Fighting | ~12h | 14 lists
#86 Super Mario 3D World (2013) (#324)
Nintendo EAD | WiiU | Platform | ~10h | 29 lists
#87 Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011) (#325)
Eidos Montréal | WIN, X360, PS3 | Action RPG / First-Person Shooter / Stealth | ~21h | 28 lists
#88 Banjo-Kazooie (1998) (#329)
Rare | N64 | Action-Adventure / Platform | ~12h | 15 lists
#89 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021) (#331)
Insomniac Games | PS5 | Third-Person Shooter / Platform | ~11h | 28 lists
#90 Streets of Rage 2 / Bare Knuckle II (1992) (#336)
Ancient, H.I.C., MNM Software, Shout! Designworks | GEN | Beat 'em Up | ~2h | 14 lists
#91 Ori and the Blind Forest (2015) (#338)
Moon Studios | WIN, XB1 | Action-Adventure / Metroidvania | ~8h | 25 lists
#92 Bubble Bobble (1986) (#347)
Taito | ARC, 7, DOS, NES, FDS | Platform | ~3h | 14 lists
#93 Psychonauts 2 (2021) (#348)
Double Fine Productions | 3, XB1, XBXS, PS4 | Action-Adventure / Platform | ~15h | 31 lists
#94 No Man's Sky (2016) (#351)
Hello Games | WIN, PS4 | Survival / Action-Adventure | ~32h | 18 lists
#95 Mega Man X (1993) (#354)
Capcom | SNES | Platform | ~4h | 16 lists
#96 Jet Grind Radio / Jet Set Radio (2000) (#358)
Smilebit | DC | Action / Sports / Platform | ~7h | 13 lists
#97 Virtua Fighter 2 (1994) (#361)
Sega AM2 | ARC, WIN, GEN, SAT | Fighting | ~48m | 14 lists
#98 Saturn Bomberman (1996) (#362)
Hudson Soft | SAT | Action / Maze | ~3h | 10 lists
#99 Rayman Legends (2013) (#363)
Ubisoft Montpellier | WIN, X360, XB1, 3, WiiU | Platform | ~10h | 22 lists
#100 God of War III (2010) (#368)
SCE Santa Monica Studio | PS3 | Hack and Slash / Action-Adventure | ~10h | 20 lists
#1
#7
Super Mario 64
1996
#2
#10
Super Mario World
1990
#3
#23
Street Fighter II
1991
#4
#25
Metal Gear Solid
1998
#5
#28
Super Mario Bros. 3
1988
#6
#29
God of War
2018
#7
#32
#8
#37
Deus Ex
2000
#9
#39
Minecraft
2011
#10
#42
#11
#45
Diablo II
2000
#12
#50
Super Mario Odyssey
2017
#13
#53
Super Mario Galaxy
2007
#14
#55
Super Mario Bros.
1985
#15
#70
Super Mario Galaxy 2
2010
#16
#73
Nier: Automata
2017
#17
#77
#18
#81
Spelunky
2012
#19
#88
#20
#90
Fortnite
2017
#21
#91
Sonic the Hedgehog
1991
#22
#98
#23
#99
Mega Man 2
1988
#24
#102
#25
#110
Assassin's Creed 2
2009
#26
#117
#27
#119
Celeste
2018
#28
#122
Donkey Kong
1981
#29
#125
League of Legends
2009
#30
#129
God of War
2005
#31
#132
Astro Bot
2024
#32
#136
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
1991
#33
#138
Dishonored 2
2016
#34
#140
Ms. Pac-Man
1982
#35
#147
Dishonored
2012
#36
#148
#37
#152
Street Fighter IV
2008
#38
#153
Pac-Man
1980
#39
#155
#40
#157
PUBG: Battlegrounds
2017
#41
#173
Katamari Damacy
2004
#42
#175
Super Meat Boy
2010
#43
#183
#44
#185
#45
#186
God of War II
2007
#46
#188
Prince of Persia
1989
#47
#189
#48
#190
Soulcalibur
1998
#49
#192
Hollow Knight
2017
#50
#196
Tekken 3
1997
#51
#198
Donkey Kong Country
1994
#52
#204
Dota 2
2013
#53
#211
Gauntlet
1985
#54
#214
Super Mario Maker
2015
#55
#222
Psychonauts
2005
#56
#229
Hitman: Blood Money
2006
#57
#237
Bayonetta
2009
#58
#243
#59
#244
#60
#246
#61
#247
Bayonetta 2
2014
#62
#248
Soulcalibur II
2002
#63
#251
LittleBigPlanet
2008
#64
#259
Double Dragon
1987
#65
#266
God of War Ragnarök
2022
#66
#270
Shovel Knight
2014
#67
#272
Alien: Isolation
2014
#68
#273
Super Mario Bros. 2
1988
#69
#276
Mortal Kombat II
1993
#70
#278
Nights Into Dreams
1996
#71
#280
Street Fighter III
1997
#72
#283
Yakuza 0
2015
#73
#286
Kingdom Hearts
2002
#74
#290
It Takes Two
2021
#75
#296
#76
#299
Kingdom Hearts II
2005
#77
#305
#78
#308
Diablo III
2012
#79
#309
Pitfall!
1982
#80
#316
Super Castlevania IV
1991
#81
#318
Sonic CD
1993
#82
#319
Super Bomberman
1993
#83
#320
Ninja Gaiden
2004
#84
#322
Hitman
2016
#85
#323
#86
#324
Super Mario 3D World
2013
#87
#325
#88
#329
Banjo-Kazooie
1998
#89
#331
#90
#336
#91
#338
#92
#347
Bubble Bobble
1986
#93
#348
Psychonauts 2
2021
#94
#351
No Man's Sky
2016
#95
#354
Mega Man X
1993
#96
#358
#97
#361
Virtua Fighter 2
1994
#98
#362
Saturn Bomberman
1996
#99
#363
Rayman Legends
2013
#100
#368
God of War III
2010
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