What Is the Best Video Game? (It Depends — Here's How to Decide)

There is no objective "best game." The answer is 100% dependent on **what you value in an experience**.

Answer These 5 Questions — I'll Give You *Your* Best Game

1. What are your top 3 favorite games of all time? (This calibrates your taste better than genres.)
2. What platform(s) do you play on? PC / PS5 / Xbox Series / Switch / Mobile / Steam Deck / Retro.
3. What *feeling* do you want right now?
   • Flow / Mastery (Celeste, Devil May Cry 5, Sekiro)
   • Discovery / Wonder (Outer Wilds, Subnautica, Breath of the Wild)
   • Story / Emotion (Disco Elysium, Red Dead 2, Last of Us, Final Fantasy XIV)
   • Creativity / Expression (Minecraft, Factorio, Dreams, Mario Maker)
   • Social / Competition (Valorant, League, Rocket League, Melee, Project Zomboid MP)
   • Relaxation / Comfort (Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, PowerWash Sim, Dorfromantik)
   • Intellectual Challenge (Baba Is You, Stephen's Sausage Roll, Zachtronics games)
   • Horror / Tension (Alien Isolation, Resident Evil 7, Signalis, Amnesia)
4. How much time do you have? 2h (Roguelike), 10h (Tight Action), 40h (RPG), 100h+ (Open World/MMO), ∞ (Live Service).
5. Any hard "No"s? First-person, Turn-based, Grind, Jumpscares, Multiplayer-only, Anime aesthetic, Pixel art, Reading-heavy.

Universal "Desert Island" Lists (Critic Consensus)

• Metacritic Top 5 (All Time): Ocarina of Time, Tony Hawk 2, GTA IV, SoulCalibur, GTA V (Critic avg).
• User Polls (Golden Joystick, BAFTA, Famitsu, ResetEra, Reddit): OoT, Witcher 3, Minecraft, Tetris, Dark Souls, Portal 2, Chrono Trigger, Mass Effect 2, Elden Ring, BG3.
• Design Textbooks: Mario 64 (3D platforming), Half-Life 2 (pacing), Doom (encounter design), Ico (minimalism), Portal (tutorialization), System Shock (immersive sim).

Reply with your answers to Q1–5 and I'll prescribe 3 games tailored to you.