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From addictive dungeon crawlers to mind-blowing open worlds, gaming has evolved dramatically since the millennium began! Join us as we look back at the greatest video game from each year of the 21st century so far. Our journey spans from Diablo II's revolutionary loot system to God of War's emotional Norse adventures and beyond. Which year delivered your favorite gaming masterpiece?
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00:00A hand? Anyone? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're taking a look at the
00:07best video game of each year since the start of the new millennium.
00:152000 Diablo 2
00:17The action RPG that defined the genre, Diablo 2 is one of many exceptional offerings from
00:30Blizzard over the years. The story is outstanding and the visuals more than hold up today,
00:35but the best part of the game is by far the gameplay.
00:38You'll quickly get addicted to the randomly generated loot system, desperately searching
00:49for superior gear to progress through the story. Online, there's even more fun to be had if you
00:54team up with friends and build a specific party, and decades later, there's still a healthy community
01:00leveling up characters and playing together. Few, if any, RPGs that came after Diablo 2 have been
01:06able to match it. 2001
01:17Combat Evolved
01:28First-person shooters had already dominated the 90s with giant franchises like Doom and Wolfenstein,
01:34but in 2001, Bungie made a name for themselves by launching one of the most iconic shooters of
01:39all time. Halo was a launch title for the brand new Xbox after Microsoft bought the studio, and it was
01:44certainly a system seller. The game pioneered what competitive shooters should be in the 21st century,
01:59and years later, many AAA titles are still living in Halo's shadow, aiming for its lofty heights. It
02:05remains one of the best launch titles for any new console, and subsequent releases are still major
02:10fixtures in the esports scene. 2002 Grand Theft Auto Vice City
02:21Yeah, yeah, whatever. Well, I got the chalkboard you asked for. Ah, that's the benefit of a law school
02:26education, the ability to follow instructions. After the roaring success of GTA 3, people already had high
02:33expectations for the second 3D Grand Theft Auto, and Rockstar didn't disappoint. In 2002, we traveled to
02:39Vice City in the 1980s, a fictionalized version of Miami, for a Scarface-inspired story about narcotics
02:46and the Mafia. Vice City set the standard for sprawling open worlds, beautiful graphics, and biting satire,
02:53as we follow the life and times of Tommy Vercetti.
03:04Ever since, people have been baying for Rockstar to return to Vice City as a setting, just like we've
03:09had grand returns for Liberty City and San Andreas, thanks to how beloved this defining game is. While we
03:15did get Vice City stories, it's about time the setting got the HD treatment.
03:19Vice City is mine now, not his!
03:24Talk about technology and leaving us. You know that play in The Future There Will Be Robots?
03:292003 Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
03:32The year was 2003, the prequel trilogy was still unfolding, LucasArts was still making video games,
03:47and BioWare was looking for a new IP. The result was Knights of the Old Republic, a Star Wars RPG that let
03:54players decide whether they wanted to pledge themselves to the light or succumb to the dark.
04:05Though it has stiff competition, plenty of people consider KOTOR the greatest Star Wars game of all
04:10time. This is because it understands the source material and has a lot of respect for it, while
04:15blending in the tied-and-true RPG mechanics BioWare is known for. There's no limit to how many times you
04:21can defeat Darth Malak and still enjoy yourself.
04:24Once again, we shall face each other in single combats, and the victor will decide the fate of the galaxy.
04:342004 World of Warcraft
04:36World of Warcraft
04:45Few games have had a cultural impact felt as far and wide as the one World of Warcraft created upon
04:50release. The MMO all other MMOs strive to be, WoW is going strong to this day, with Blizzard still
04:57releasing updates and enormous expansion packs to keep the story going. It permeated pop culture at
05:09the time of its release, with WoW addiction even getting lampooned by South Park in one of the show's
05:14best episodes. And if you want to know exactly how it felt to boot up the game for the first time in
05:182004, Blizzard released World of Warcraft Classic in 2019. 2005 Resident Evil 4
05:40By 2005, the Resident Evil series was already beginning to stagnate thanks to a huge number of
05:45releases over the previous nine years. To keep it fresh, Capcom needed to do something bold, and
05:50that thing was transforming the tank controls and fixed camera angles into an over-the-shoulder shooter.
06:06It turned out to be the best decision they ever made, and Resident Evil 4 was born.
06:11Following Leon Kennedy as he fights against a zombie outbreak in rural Spain,
06:15it may be more action-packed than its predecessors, but it kept the scares coming.
06:282006 Gears of War
06:30Halo may have defined the first-person shooter on Xbox, but Gears of War defined third-person
06:44action games. One of the best games to come to the 360, the first Gears title introduced us to the
06:49conflict between the humans and the locust, as well as that famous gameplay that has given the series
06:54its impressive longevity. With the best graphics of the day, it's said that the reason the 360 got
07:06a boost in RAM was to push Gears of War to its full potential. A gamble that certainly paid off. To this
07:12day, it's one of the most played games on Xbox Live, and Gears continues to be a flagship franchise for Microsoft.
07:232007 Bioshock
07:26It's impossible to understate the impact of Bioshock. Nobody knew what they were in for when
07:40they first descended to the underwater city of Rapture, which was as nightmarish as it was beautiful.
07:45Players explored not only Rapture's submerged streets, but also the corrupt ideologies of its
07:50leaders, from the deranged surgeon Steinman to the city's megalomaniac founder, Andrew Ryan.
07:55Where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well.
08:06To survive, you needed to upgrade your weapons and your own body, injecting yourself with plasmids to get
08:12an edge on the marauding splicers. And if all that wasn't good enough, Bioshock executed one of the most
08:18famous plot twists in gaming, and has since become a prime example of why video games are art.
08:312008 Grand Theft Auto 4
08:34It's easy. Out the door, turn left, and the first left of the diner, go down one block and turn right on Iroquois.
08:39Then walk all the way down and we're right there on the left on the corner of Cisco Street. It's really
08:43flesh. We've got lots of titties and some incredible motors. Nico, give me a hug! Good to have you here, cousin!
08:49The fourth numbered GTA has a slightly darker tone to its wackier siblings, as we returned to Liberty City
08:54this time in the shoes of Nico Bellic, an immigrant on his way to the US to start a new life and get revenge
09:00on some faces from his past. The satire GTA is known for was even less forgiving, and for once in the series,
09:06crime doesn't pay. Though it proved a little divisive among Rockstar fans for its difference in tone,
09:24the game is definitely stronger for tackling the myth of the American dream so seriously. And, of course,
09:30Liberty City is as fun as it is grimy.
09:402009 Minecraft
09:49Since its initial release, Minecraft has taken over the world, a fixture in the lineups of gaming
09:54streamers and YouTubers alike. Minecraft is a game that anybody can play and fall in love with,
09:59from kids just getting into video games, to the most hardcore players who want something with
10:04endless potential and deep gameplay systems. It is primarily about freedom, and it gives players
10:14far more agency than plenty of other titles. Whether you're playing alone or with friends,
10:19with a specific goal in mind or just to kill some time, it's impossible to go wrong jumping
10:24into Minecraft whenever you get the urge. 2010 Mass Effect 2
10:36The Mass Effect trilogy is widely considered to be one of the best stories in gaming, provided you ignore
10:52that ending. And the creme de la creme of Bioware's sci-fi RPGs is Mass Effect 2.
11:03Recently resurrected by the Elusive Man and his sinister company Cerberus, Shepard is tasked with
11:08taking down Harbinger, a particularly nasty Reaper. With faster, tighter combat and opportunities for
11:14split-second narrative choices, Mass Effect 2 took everything the first game did well and rolled with it.
11:20Now, Bioware knew what they wanted Mass Effect to be, and they delivered an outstanding game.
11:26This is what you face.
11:322011 The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim
11:45If you haven't yet played Skyrim, it's presumably because you haven't owned a game console for over a
11:50decade and you don't have a computer, because it's available on pretty much everything. Full of long,
11:55arcing questlines, a wide variety of factions to ally with or vilify, and plenty of different play
12:01styles to try, it's easy to see why Skyrim has been a must-play from its release through to the present.
12:12And if you're tired of the base game after all this time, it's got one of the largest modding
12:16communities out there, so go wild. With the threat gone, Pelagius is under the illusion that he's safe,
12:23which means you've helped him out, certainly, and we're that much closer to home.
12:292012 Borderlands 2
12:40Where off-the-wall chaotic looter shooters are concerned, Borderlands 2 wrote the book,
12:45and remains a cornerstone of the genre. Upon release, it took everything the first game did
12:50and made it ten times better, with superior gameplay, a deeper class system, a better story,
12:56and more of those iconic cel-shaded graphics.
13:06The game's got so much variety, you could play it ten times through and never feel bored,
13:11which plenty of people surely have since 2012. But just as memorable as the gunplay is the humor.
13:17Borderlands 2 has pop culture references in droves, and you can't help but feel satisfied every time
13:22you get one. 2013 The Last of Us
13:32You wanna explain this?
13:33I was on my way back here, and I got jumped by these two assholes, alright?
13:38And yeah, they got a few good hits in, but...
13:41Look, I managed.
13:42Give me that.
13:44Naughty Dog has always been on the cutting edge, and that was never truer than when they released The Last of Us,
13:51back at the close of the PS3 era. Pushing the console's capabilities to a breaking point,
13:56it was easily the most beautiful game in that generation, and it had a story to match.
14:12Players controlled Joel, a survivor hardened by twenty years in a zombie apocalypse,
14:16as he needs to escort teenager Ellie across the US. Players bond with Ellie in real time,
14:22just like Joel, and by the game's incredible finale, you'll be left wondering who the true
14:26villain is, after you wipe the tears from your eyes.
14:362014 Dragon Age Inquisition
14:39Bioware struck gold once again when Inquisition released, the sequel to Dragon Age Origins we
14:55deserved. Inquisition stuck close to the plot and themes of the previous two games, miraculously
15:01remaining welcoming to players who were new to the series this time around, while not disrespecting the
15:05most hardcore fans. With a large map spanning both Faraldon and Orlais, there were gorgeous biomes
15:19wherever you looked, from the unforgiving western approach to the green and lush emerald graves.
15:24Its rich world was unmatched, and all your actions felt like they were important in determining
15:29Theta's fate and saving the world. It is not unlike the second dispersal of the reclaimed dales.
15:37Nothing. Divinity puts you above such things, I suppose. 2015 Bloodborne
15:52It was time for From Software to do something different, so in 2015, they forwent another high
15:57fantasy release and went for a totally different aesthetic, Victorian Gothic, with a twist halfway
16:02through that revealed the true inspiration as HP Lovecraft. But where Bloodborne succeeded most was
16:14in its bold choice to remove a key element from every FromSoft game up until then, the shield. Now
16:20you had to get up close and personal with your enemies, or meet your end. You've got to strike fast,
16:25dodge, parry, and keep going even when you get hurt to rally lost health. But what's waiting behind
16:30mastering those mechanics is one of the best video games ever made.
16:382016 Overwatch
16:46Blizzard once again showed why they're one of the best developers in the industry when they released the
16:50widely popular hero shooter Overwatch in 2016. Since its launch, Overwatch has grown to have an enormous
16:57roster of colourful and diverse characters, all with unique playstyles and gimmicks, assuring us that there
17:03really is something for everyone. It exploded onto the esports scene immediately, and thanks to Blizzard's focus on
17:16eliminating toxicity, it's definitely one of the more welcoming competitive shooters you can jump into.
17:272017 The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
17:37At launch, it wasn't clear what type of console the Nintendo Switch would be. Would it be a return to
17:42form or another misstep? One of the first game's release proved that the Switch was here to stay.
17:48In the few short years since it came out, Breath of the Wild has changed the way people play and make games.
17:59With stunning visuals and a minimalist story, Breath of the Wild provides players with ultimate freedom
18:04of when to do something and how to do something. And if you so desire, you can even go fight the final
18:09boss right away. It was this razor-sharp focus on exploration that gave Breath of the Wild its edge,
18:15setting a new industry standard.
18:232018 God of War
18:25There were a lot of heavy hitters in 2018, but God of War was an incredible and refreshing reboot of a
18:40franchise that seemed to have disappeared. Kratos returned with a vengeance, now transplanted from
18:46Ancient Greece to Midgard, fighting gods and monsters from the lesser-represented Norse pantheon.
18:50When Odin sent me here, I just needed answers, but you… you had to act all proud.
19:02Though you'll certainly never forget the moment you come face to face with Jormungandr the World
19:06Serpent, where God of War really excels is the growing father-son relationship between Kratos and
19:12Atreus, who learn to trust each other and work together throughout the story. And it's got arguably the
19:17best graphics seen on the PlayStation 4. 2019, Sekiro Shadows Die Twice
19:30That's what you have today. You have to be the best. You have to be the best. You have to be the best.
19:44Sekiro had a slightly more prominent story than other Souls titles, but even more challenging gameplay.
19:49You now had to constantly attack to weaken your enemies' posture, and only then could you start to
20:01damage them. Set deep in the heart of feudal Japan, Sekiro has the best graphics of a FromSoft game to
20:07date and a more varied array of bosses than even Dark Souls. In Sekiro, it's just you, your sword, and your
20:14prosthetic arm, and mastering them to beat the game is a thrill like no other.
20:272020 Cyberpunk 2077
20:38It's taken over eight years and a numerous amount of delays, but 2020 was finally the year we got our
20:44hands on CD Projekt Red's most hotly anticipated game. Despite a good number of glitches contained in
20:50the launch version, Cyberpunk 2077 has no doubt wowed us with its excellent gameplay and story,
20:56all of which take place in the incredibly immersive Night City.
21:06Seriously, the amount of detail that has gone into this game is absolutely staggering, and the huge
21:11variety of things to do means you won't be putting this game down for a long time. Plus, Keanu Reeves,
21:17starring as Johnny Silverhand, is that nice little cherry on top that we didn't even know we needed.
21:22Maybe we'll fit together after all.
21:242021 Resident Evil Village
21:27The latest and greatest entry in Capcom's
21:35long-running and decorated franchise, Resident Evil Village is somehow even better than everybody
21:41thought it would be. It marked a slight return to the more action-oriented games of Days Gone,
21:46but certainly didn't skimp on the horror. Featuring a roster of extremely memorable villains
21:51you know exactly who we're talking about, modeled on famous foes from horror history, every stage is
21:57totally different. Village reinvents itself every few hours, with each new member of Mother Miranda's
22:07inner circle you come across. With outstanding gameplay, tense chases, and opulent graphics that
22:13would make Naughty Dog blush, Resident Evil is undoubtedly our favorite game of 2021.
22:182022 Elden Ring
22:34To say that From Software's magnum opus was an experience the likes of which marked a new turning
22:39point in gaming would be a colossal understatement. Translating the souls-like experience into an open
22:45world would be one thing, but the degree to which it was so seamlessly implemented honestly boggled
22:50our minds. Even if you disregard the addictive PvP elements, The Lands Between is one of modern
23:06gaming's most enthralling settings, filled to the brim with bosses, lore, and sights that still stick in
23:12our mind to this day. Along with the fangasmic amount of weapons, armor, and freedom given to
23:17players, is it any wonder that Tarnished Everywhere are still exploring every inch of this gorgeously
23:23vicious world? 2023 Baldur's Gate 3
23:38You feel the biomechanical brain of the console process your command. And you do it. A shiver runs
23:47across your mind. You feel sated. Larian Studios didn't just create a great fantasy RPG, they created
23:56THE fantasy RPG. Using the lore and tabletop system of Dungeons and Dragons as a bedrock,
24:02they crafted a game so intricately layered that it's honestly mind-boggling. The sheer amount of
24:07choices and customization on display here is ungodly, with branching paths for literally every encounter
24:13and every class. They are as numerous as they are intricate, rewarding, and painstaking throughout.
24:24Words truly can't do justice to what's on offer here. The narrative will have you gripped,
24:29the characters and their respective performances are god-tier, and above all else it will have you
24:34wishing to dive ever deeper into its beautifully macabre world, either alone or with friends in co-op.
24:40Now if you'll excuse us, we have to go start up our Dark Urge playthrough.
24:482024 Astro Bot
24:57A cute little robot, jumping around and interacting with PlayStation icons? Sure, why not? Sounds like
25:03a fun little gimmick. It's not like it's going to be a true game-changer. Oh, how we were wrong.
25:09Astro Bot is an absolute masterclass in joy.
25:25The intricacy of its levels, paired with the simplicity of its platforming, along with the
25:29best use of haptic feedback to date, it all coalesced into an engaging odyssey that continued to blow us
25:36away with every new level we visited. The reverence it paid to franchises of the past, the freshness of
25:42its controls. It's the perfect marriage of nostalgia and quality. Astro is truly a mascot in the making.
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26:092025 Claire Obscure Expedition 33
26:13Claire Obscure generated a lot of Game of the Year buzz when it was released in April, and despite a
26:23year loaded with incredible games, nothing has managed to top it in our eyes. Every aspect of it
26:29deserves nothing but praise. The writing and the performances have given us some of the deepest
26:34characters to ever appear in an RPG. The adaptive, turn-based battles, with a multitude of enemy patterns
26:40to learn, dodge, and parry are simply a joy. The art direction is stunning, and the musical score
26:49is both haunting and enchanting, combining to create a unique, fully realized world. The story,
26:55which ties all of these wonderful elements together, is one of grief, love, and resounding courage in
27:01the face of immense turmoil. What's your favorite year in gaming? Let us know in the comments!
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