It’s time to share our Best Games of 2021 list, which are also the official nominations for Wccftech’s Best Game of the Year award.

2021 was hardly one of the best years ever when it comes to game releases, particularly due to the many delays that hit hugely anticipated projects like Horizon Forbidden West, God of War Ragnarok, and several others. Even so, many great games did release during the year that just went by, some of which sadly couldn’t make this best games of 2021 list. We settled on eight picks plus an equal amount of honorable mentions. Make sure to vote your favorite in the poll!

Check out Wccftech’s other Best Games of 2021 lists: Fighters, Platformers, Strategy & Simulation, Shooters, Sports & Racing, RPGs, Action, Horror, Indie, Adventure, and Multiplayer.  

Resident Evil Village (9.0)

CAPCOM’s first entry on this Best Games of 2021 list is the follow-up to Resident Evil VII. Village incorporated that game’s foundation while adding more action and variety. The publisher announced to have sold over five million units less than six months after launch, and our reviewer Nathan Birch certainly enjoyed his playthrough.

Psychonauts 2 (9.5)

Double Fine’s first game to be released under the Xbox Game Studios banner (despite the initial crowdfunding campaign on Fig) turned out to be as good as every fan of the original expected and then some, according to reviewer Rosh Kelly.

Forza Horizon 5 (9.5)

It had been three years since the release of Forza Horizon 4. That game was already extremely well received, but Playground Games somehow still managed to surpass the already lofty expectations for this sequel set in Mexico, as Chris Wray explained in the review.

Deathloop

Technically, this is the third title on this Best Games of 2021 list to be made by a Microsoft-owned studio, even though Bethesda had actually signed a timed deal with Sony for the PlayStation console exclusivity of Deathloop (and Ghostwire: Tokyo, which is due this year).

With Deathloop, Arkane Studios reinforced once again its unique position among triple-A game developers. While the game is more of a shooter than previous Arkane titles, the premise, setting, and gameplay formula all feature inspired twists that make it stand out in the genre and retain that immersive sim heritage the developer is known for.

The banter between main character Colt Vahn and Julianna Blake, the AEON’s program agent tasked with protecting the loop, is memorable thanks to the great voice acting performances. Additionally, once the game is over you can even decide to play as Julianna yourself and invade other players’ sessions in a 1v1 PvP mode.

Returnal (9.3)

Housemarque risked a lot by leaving arcade games behind for good. PlayStation 5 exclusive Returnal turned out to be so great that it might have all been worth it, though, and Sony clearly felt the same since they acquired the Finnish studio shortly after the game’s release. Here’s what Kai thought about it:

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (9.5)

Insomniac’s hot streak continued in 2021 with the latest installment in the Ratchet & Clank franchise. The developer’s output impresses for both quantity and quality, coming off hits like Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

Chris loved his time with the new PlayStation 5 exclusive franchise entry, as you can read below.

Monster Hunter Rise (8.6)

CAPCOM’s second title in our Best Games of 2021 list is, unsurprisingly, a new Monster Hunter title. Made with RE Engine specifically for the Nintendo Switch, which didn’t get the hugely popular Monster Hunter World, Monster Hunter Rise is also heading to the PC platform very soon. Meanwhile, here’s what Kai had to say about the version that launched on Nintendo’s hybrid console.

Metroid Dread (8.8)

MercurySteam’s Metroid Dread goes back to the 2D side-scrolling action that made the franchise great in the first place, and it does so spectacularly well, according to Rosh Kelly.

Honorable Mentions

  • Shin Megami Tensei V
  • Tales of Arise
  • The Forgotten City
  • Halo Infinite
  • Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
  • HITMAN 3
  • It Takes Two
  • Age of Empires IV