Acclaimed Video Games
The top 1,400 most recommended games across 913 critic lists from 142 publications.
Updated: March 25, 2026
Most Acclaimed Video Games of 2012
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#1 Journey (2012) (#43)
ThatGameCompany
|
PS3
|
Adventure
|
~2h
|
86 lists
#2 The Walking Dead (2012) (#69)
Telltale Games
|
MAC,
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
,
iOS
|
Point-and-Click /
Interactive Drama
|
~12h
|
68 lists
#3 Spelunky (2012) (#89)
BlitWorks, Mossmouth
|
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3,
PSV
|
Roguelike /
Platform
|
~20h
|
39 lists
#4 XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) (#132)
Firaxis Games
|
3
,
X360
,
PS3
,
iOS,
AND
|
Turn-Based Tactics
|
~27h
|
47 lists
#5 Dishonored (2012) (#161)
Arkane Studios
|
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
|
Action-Adventure /
Stealth
|
~12h
|
49 lists
#6 Hotline Miami (2012) (#164)
Dennaton Games
|
MAC,
WIN
,
PS3,
PSV
|
Shooter
|
~5h
|
37 lists
#7 Fez (2012) (#188)
Polytron Corporation
|
3
,
X360
,
3
,
SW
|
Puzzle-Platformer
|
~6h
|
34 lists
#8 Borderlands 2 (2012) (#213)
Gearbox Software
|
MAC,
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
|
Action RPG /
First-Person Shooter
|
~30h
|
40 lists
#9 Mass Effect 3 (2012) (#240)
BioWare Edmonton
|
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
,
WiiU
|
Action RPG /
Third-Person Shooter
|
~24h
|
36 lists
#10 Animal Crossing: New Leaf (2012) (#252)
Nintendo EAD Software Development Group No.2
|
3DS
|
Life Simulation
|
~79h
|
30 lists
#11 FTL: Faster Than Light (2012) (#259)
Subset Games
|
3
|
Strategy /
Roguelike
|
~12h
|
26 lists
#12 Far Cry 3 (2012) (#286)
Ubisoft Montreal
|
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
|
First-Person Shooter
|
~16h
|
37 lists
#13 Diablo III (2012) (#330)
Blizzard Entertainment
|
MAC,
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
|
Hack and Slash /
Action RPG
|
~18h
|
22 lists
#14 Fire Emblem: Awakening (2012) (#355)
Intelligent Systems, Nintendo SPD Production Group No. 2
|
3DS
|
Tactical RPG
|
~31h
|
19 lists
#15 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (2012) (#371)
Hidden Path Entertainment, Valve
|
MAC,
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
|
First-Person Shooter /
Tactical Shooter
|
~148h
|
17 lists
#16 Spec Ops: The Line (2012) (#407)
Yager Development
|
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
|
Third-Person Shooter
|
~6h
|
24 lists
#17 Dragon's Dogma (2012) (#466)
Capcom
|
X360
,
PS3
|
Hack and Slash /
Action RPG
|
~37h
|
13 lists
#18 Mark of the Ninja (2012) (#552)
Klei Entertainment
|
3
,
X360
|
Stealth /
Platform
|
~8h
|
15 lists
#19 Super Hexagon (2012) (#584)
Distractionware, Terry Cavanagh
|
MAC,
WIN
,
iOS,
AND
|
Action
|
~5h
|
11 lists
#20 Crusader Kings II (2012) (#618)
Paradox Development Studio
|
3
|
Grand Strategy
|
~67h
|
5 lists
#21 Guild Wars 2 (2012) (#632)
ArenaNet
|
WIN
|
MMORPG
|
~85h
|
13 lists
#22 Halo 4 (2012) (#635)
343 Industries
|
X360
|
First-Person Shooter
|
~7h
|
19 lists
#23 Sleeping Dogs (2012) (#672)
Square Enix London Studios, United Front Games
|
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
|
Action-Adventure
|
~15h
|
13 lists
#24 Forza Horizon (2012) (#722)
Playground Games
|
X360
|
Racing
|
~16h
|
7 lists
#25 Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (2012) (#842)
Chunsoft
|
PSV
,
3DS
|
Adventure /
Visual Novel
|
~28h
|
6 lists
#26 Assassin's Creed 3 (2012) (#896)
Ubisoft Montreal
|
WIN
,
X360
,
Wii
,
PS3
|
Action-Adventure /
Stealth
|
~16h
|
12 lists
#27 Frog Fractions (2012) (#926)
Twinbeard Studios
|
BR
|
Educational
|
~1h
|
3 lists
#28 Tokyo Jungle (2012) (#966)
Crispy's!, SCE Japan Studio
|
PS3
|
Action /
Survival
|
~15h
|
5 lists
#29 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (2012) (#1003)
Spike Chunsoft
|
PSP,
PSV
|
Adventure /
Visual Novel
|
~34h
|
7 lists
#30 Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012) (#1018)
Treyarch
|
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
,
WiiU
|
First-Person Shooter
|
~7h
|
9 lists
#31 Thirty Flights of Loving (2012) (#1054)
Blendo Games
|
MAC,
WIN
|
Adventure
|
~18m
|
4 lists
#32 Pokémon Black 2/White 2 (2012) (#1059)
Game Freak
|
DS
|
Role-Playing
|
~34h
|
4 lists
#33 Yakuza 5 (2012) (#1072)
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios
|
PS3
|
Action-Adventure /
Beat 'em Up
|
~36h
|
2 lists
#34 Trials Evolution (2012) (#1082)
RedLynx
|
WIN
,
X360
|
Racing /
Platform
|
~9h
|
7 lists
#35 FIFA 13 (2012) (#1093)
EA Canada
|
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
|
Sports
|
~93h
|
6 lists
#36 Torchlight II (2012) (#1174)
Runic Games
|
WIN
|
Hack and Slash /
Action RPG
|
~21h
|
6 lists
#37 Gravity Rush (2012) (#1187)
SCE Japan Studio
|
PSV
|
Action-Adventure
|
~10h
|
6 lists
#38 Puzzle & Dragons (2012) (#1198)
GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc.
|
iOS,
AND
|
Role-Playing /
Puzzle
|
2 lists
#39 Max Payne 3 (2012) (#1286)
Rockstar London, Rockstar New England, Rockstar Toronto, Rockstar Vancouver
|
MAC,
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
|
Third-Person Shooter
|
~10h
|
9 lists
#40 Dear Esther (2012) (#1317)
The Chinese Room
|
MAC,
WIN
|
Adventure
|
~1h
|
5 lists
#41 Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2012) (#1384)
Criterion Games
|
WIN
,
X360
,
PS3
,
WiiU
|
Racing
|
~10h
|
6 lists
#1
#43
Journey
2012
#2
#69
The Walking Dead
2012
#3
#89
Spelunky
2012
#4
#132
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
2012
#5
#161
Dishonored
2012
#6
#164
Hotline Miami
2012
#7
#188
Fez
2012
#8
#213
Borderlands 2
2012
#9
#240
Mass Effect 3
2012
#10
#252
#11
#259
#12
#286
Far Cry 3
2012
#13
#330
Diablo III
2012
#14
#355
#15
#371
#16
#407
Spec Ops: The Line
2012
#17
#466
Dragon's Dogma
2012
#18
#552
Mark of the Ninja
2012
#19
#584
Super Hexagon
2012
#20
#618
Crusader Kings II
2012
#21
#632
Guild Wars 2
2012
#22
#635
Halo 4
2012
#23
#672
Sleeping Dogs
2012
#24
#722
Forza Horizon
2012
#25
#842
#26
#896
Assassin's Creed 3
2012
#27
#926
Frog Fractions
2012
#28
#966
Tokyo Jungle
2012
#29
#1003
#30
#1018
#31
#1054
#32
#1059
#33
#1072
Yakuza 5
2012
#34
#1082
Trials Evolution
2012
#35
#1093
FIFA 13
2012
#36
#1174
Torchlight II
2012
#37
#1187
Gravity Rush
2012
#38
#1198
Puzzle & Dragons
2012
#39
#1286
Max Payne 3
2012
#40
#1317
Dear Esther
2012
#41
#1384
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