The best game of all time, according to Metacritic, isThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,which has a near-perfect score of 99. In fact,Zeldashows up 10 more times in the rankings of games with more than 90 on the esteemed media rating website. Most of the other titles rated over 90 on the site are names that will be familiar to gamers, likeMetroid, Baldur’s Gate, Resident Evil, Halo,and so many other well-known games.
Not every good game can reach the same level of fame as these beloved franchises, and some of thehighest-rated titles on Metacriticremain surprisingly obscure. In fact,it’s possible you’ve never even heard of these lesser-known games, ranked over 90 on Metacritic.
10Against the Storm Is Rated 91 On Metacritic
A Clever But Lesser-Known City-Building Roguelike
Against the Stormisn’t as well-known as some bigger titles, but those who play the 2023 game from Eremite Games tend to love it. The game has arating of 91onMetacritic, and isn’t so much a forgotten title as an overlooked one.
The game is aunique combination of city-building and roguelike gameplay,featuring quick, goal-oriented rounds interspersed between segments of city creation. Reviews praisedAgainst the Stormfor its innovative design, landing it a spot among the top games on Metacritic, but not quite reaching a large enough audience to be widely known.
9Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar And Twilight of the Arnor Are Both Over 90
Two Expansions To A Lower-Rated Game
Technically, neitherGalactic Civilizations II: Dark AvatarnorTwilight of the Arnorare full games. Instead,both are expansions to Stardock’s 2006Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords,which doesn’t quite make the cut at 86 onMetacritic. Still, if theElden Ring: Shadow of the ErdtreeDLC couldbe up for Game of the Year, then it’s safe to say that these expansions also stand on their own.
The base game, aturn-based strategy set in space, has only “generally favorable” reviews, but its expansions—Twilight of the Arnor(92 onMetacritic) andDark Avatar(91 onMetacritic)—make it onto Metacritic’s “Must-Play” list. Sandrock went on to release several more entries in the series, but the fourth title (released in 2022) wasn’t as well-received as the second game in the franchise.
8Skies of Arcadia Was One Of The Best Dreamcast Games
Its High Rating Is Well-Deserved, But It’s Often Overlooked
Overworks was a studio within Sega that was best known for theSakura Warstitles, but during its brief existence, it also created the RPGSkies of Arcadiafor the Dreamcast and GameCube. Those who playedSkies of Arcadiaremember it fondly as a “sublime” experience, with a focus on airship-based exploration.
The title is often said to be one of thebest games for the Dreamcast. Sadly, despite having a highscore of 93onMetacriticand positive reviews, the title never became as recognizable as some of the other games that members of the team went on to work for, which includeValkyria Chroniclesand7th Dragon.
7Homeworld Revolutionized The RTS Genre
But Was Left In The Dust By Its Successors
Even if you don’t recognize the nameHomeworldor its developer, Relic Entertainment, you probably know the two other big names that followed:Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of WarandCompany of Heroes. Thespace-faring sci-fi real-time strategy gamewas the studio’s first game, and it went on to be the highest-rated game of 1999 on the review site.
It maintains this high rating today, sitting at a comfortablerating of 93onMetacritic, andhelped to shape the future of the RTS genre. A remaster was published in 2015 by Gearbox and Aspyr, which only helped to reinforce the title’s place in gaming history.
At the time of this writing, theHomeworldremaster, along with all other Gearbox games, is getting review-bombed due to a fan campaign to protest EULA changes, according toIGN.
6SSX Has Three Games Rated Over 90 On Metacritic
A Sports Series That Fizzled Out Over Time
Sports games don’t tend to make it to “best of all time” lists, with the exclusion of theTony Hawk’s Pro Skaterseries. EA’sSSXseries, which stands forSnowboard Supercross, is the exception. The series released six games from 2000 to 2012, of whichthe first three have ratings higher than 90 on Metacritic.
The games that make the cut are the original title that started it all,SSX(93 onMetacritic), the second game,SSX Tricky(92 onMetacritic), andSSX 3(93 onMetacritic). Subsequent games received lower and lower ratings, untilthe snowboarding franchise petered out and was axed by the studioin favor of more lucrative endeavors.
5Braid Was Groundbreaking For Its Time
The Indie Boom Overshadowed Braid’s Success
In the mid-2000s, the gaming industry started to shift from large, big-budget games, to smaller titles made by independent creators. Today, many people can make their own games, and indies abound, but back around 2008 the indie boom was just starting.Braidentered the industry at exactly the right moment to make an impact.
The game, developed by Jonathan Blow under a studio named Number None, pushed the boundaries of storytelling and time-bending gameplay mechanics in video games. It was a puzzle platformer with a twist that was highly praised, earning aMetacriticscore of 93. Over the next few years, indies continued to experiment, and the innovative game got buried in the landslide of independently developed games that followed.
4Dwarf Fortress Is Beloved But Niche
Many Have Heard Of It, Not As Many Have Played It
Dwarf Fortressis a title that might look familiar, whether by name or itsstrikingly old-school, minimalistic style. The roguelike may look like it wasdeveloped in the early 1900s, but it was actually released by Bay 12 Games first as a free ASCII title in 2002 and then as a slightly more detailed version in 2006.
The game is beloved by many who play it and received universal acclaim onMetacriticwith a score of 93. However, itssteep learning curve and niche appealmake it more of a curiosity for the mainstream audience.
3Burnout 3: Takedown Was The Best Game In A Dying Franchise
You’ll Be More Familiar With The Series That Followed
TheBurnoutfranchise had a rough history. The first and second games in the series were developed by Criterion Games and published by Acclaim, to a lukewarm fan response. When Acclaim filed for bankruptcy and EA acquired Criterion, the new publisher managed to turn the seriesaround and release the successfulBurnout 3: Takedown.
This third game took inspiration from EA’s other hit sports game,SSX, which resulted in a94 ratingonMetacritic. Despite its success, the series never achieved a higher success than the third game, and the team behind it was eventuallyfolded into a much more recognizable racing franchise,Need for Speed.
2Jet Set Radio Was One-Of-A-Kind
Being Different Made It More Memorable, But Not Enough
If you took theTony Hawk’s Pro Skatergames, hyper-stylized them, and added even more grunge and alternative influence, you’d getJet Set Radio.The beloved game was originally developed by Smilebit and published for the Dreamcast by Sega, anddrew heavy influence from American hip hop and Japanese pop culture.
The result was a brightly colored game that had players inline skating around various stages inspired by Tokyo while spraying graffiti and rocking out to a grunge soundtrack. The game’sscore of 94onMetacritichighlights how unique it was, and although it’s definitely still remembered fondly by many fans, its name is nowhere near as widely recognized as other titles with a similar rating.
1The House in Fata Morgana Is A Very Divisive Title
The Metacritic User Score Tells The Whole Story
You might at least have heard ofJet Set RadioorSSX,but the long-titledThe House in Fata Morgana - Dreams of the Revenants Edition -isthe most obscure of the bunch.It’s also the highest-rated title of the bunch, with animpressive score of 96onMetacritic. Even more surprisingly, thevisual novel titlestarted as a PC and mobile game—one of the only 90+ rated games on Metacritic to do so.
The story was published by Novectacle (now known as Novect) and told the tale of aspirit that wakes in a house in different time periods. Guided by a maid who never seems to change appearance, this spirit must figure out what happened in this mansion, solving mysteries and regain its memories.
There’s one more detail that setsThe House in Fata Morganaapart from otherhighly-rated games on Metacritic: Its user score is an abysmal 7.0 (based on 605 ratings). The incredibly divisive nature of this game left some players in tears and others bored and confused. Regardless of what you think of it, this title remains one of the highest-ranked games of all time on Metacritic, right up there with giants likeThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
