Lachlan's Games of the Years

I'm really cornering the market on stupid things that nobody asked for.

See also: Every Game I've Ever Finished

Updated 2023-06-01

2022

1. Iron Lung

2. Tunic

3. Vampire Survivors

4. Let’s Build a Zoo

5. Tinykin

2021

1. Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye

2. Metroid Dread

3. Halo Infinite

4. Age of Empires IV

2020

A year of solid remakes and remasters, both fan-made and official.

1. Black Mesa

2. Rayman Redemption

3. Pikmin 3: Deluxe

4. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

5. Super Mario 3D All-Stars

6. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

2019

1. Outer Wilds

2. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

3. Cadence of Hyrule

4. They Are Billions

5. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

2018

1. Celeste

2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

3. Tetris Effect

4. Deltarune Chapter 1

5. Age of Empires: Definitive Edition

2017

Stiff competition with 2011 for strongest gaming year of the decade.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

2. Cuphead

3. Night in the Woods

4. Super Mario Odyssey

5. SteamWorld Dig 2

6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

7. Puyo Puyo Tetris

8. Middle-earth: Shadow of War

9. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

10. Persona 5

11. Tacoma

12. Halo Wars 2

13. Sonic Mania

14. Chess Ultra

2016

1. Doom

2. Titanfall 2

3. Stardew Valley

4. Superhot

5. Overcooked

6. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD

7. Abzû

2015

1. Kerbal Space Program

2. Undertale

3. Halo 5

4. Ori and the Blind Forest

5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

6. Crypt of the Necrodancer

7. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

8. Rare Replay

9. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

10. Grow Home

11. Rocket League

2014

1. Halo: The Master Chief Collection

2. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

3. Puyo Puyo Tetris

4. Mario Kart 8

5. Far Cry 4

6. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

7. Wolfenstein: The New Order

8. South Park: The Stick of Truth

9. Shovel Knight

10. Alien Isolation

11. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS

12. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

13. Hyrule Warriors

14. Goat Simulator

2013

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

2. Rayman Legends

3. Steamworld Dig

4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD

5. Pikmin 3

6. Rogue Legacy

7. Animal Crossing: New Leaf

8. BioShock Infinite

9. Age of Empires II: HD Edition

10. Rayman Fiesta Run

11. Saints Row IV

12. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D

13. Sonic Dash

14. Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time

15. Super Motherload

2012

1. FTL: Faster Than Light

2. Rayman Jungle Run

3. Halo 4

4. Fez

5. Black Mesa (Part 1)

6. Plague Inc.

7. The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard

8. Rayman 3 HD

9. The Room

10. Thirty Flights of Loving

11. Kid Icarus: Uprising

2011

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

2. Minecraft

3. Portal 2

4. Xenoblade Chronicles

5. Saints Row the Third

6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

7. Rayman Origins

8. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

9. Frog Fractions

10. Batman: Arkham City

11. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition

12. Pullblox (Pushmo)

13. Star Fox 64 3D

14. Mighty Switch Force

15. Sonic Generations

16. Rayman 3D

2010

1. Minecraft (Beta)

2. Super Meat Boy

3. Halo Reach

4. Monster Hunter Tri

5. Super Mario Galaxy 2

6. VVVVVV

7. Limbo

8. Metroid: Other M

9. Pac-Man CE DX+

10. Age of Zombies

11. Cut The Rope

12. 007: GoldenEye

13. Donkey Kong Country Returns

14. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

15. Super Scribblenauts

16. Sonic Colours

17. Aliens vs. Predator

2009

1. Metroid Prime Trilogy

2. Plants vs Zombies

3. Minecraft (Alpha)

4. Pikmin 2 (New Play Control)

5. Pikmin (New Play Control)

6. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

7. Batman: Arkham Asylum

8. Halo 3: ODST

9. Doodle Jump

10. New Super Mario Bros. Wii

11. Canabalt

12. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

13. Angry Birds

14. Trine

15. Bit.Trip Beat

2008

1. Braid

2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

3. Mario Kart Wii

4. World of Goo

5. Guitar Hero: World Tour

6. Gears of War 2

7. Spore

8. Dead Space

9. Call of Duty: World at War

10. Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes

11. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

2007

1. The Orange Box

2. Halo 3

3. Portal

4. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

5. Half-Life 2: Episode Two

6. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

7. Super Mario Galaxy

8. WarioWare: Smooth Moves

9. Team Fortress 2

10. Peggle

11. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

12. BioShock

13. Prince of Persia: Rival Swords

14. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

15. The Simpsons Game

16. Link's Crossbow Training

17. Jetpac Refuelled

18. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

2006

1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

3. Half-Life 2: Episode One

4. Dwarf Fortress

5. New Super Mario Bros.

6. Metroid Prime Hunters

7. Rayman Raving Rabbids

8. Wii Play

9. Red Steel

10. Wii Sports

11. Over the Hedge

12. Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII

2005

1. Star Wars: Battlefront II

2. Empire Earth II

3. Mario Kart DS

4. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved

5. Psychonauts

6. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

7. Lego Star Wars: The Video Game

8. Shadow the Hedgehog

9. Madagascar

10. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

11. Rayman: Hoodlum's Revenge

12. Rayman DS

2004

1. Half-Life 2

2. Pikmin 2

3. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

4. Halo 2

5. Star Wars: Battlefront

6. Motherload

7. Garry's Mod

8. Counter-Strike: Source

9. Metroid: Zero Mission

10. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

2003

1. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

2. Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc

3. Zuma

4. The Simpsons: Hit & Run

5. Mata Nui Online Game

6. Beyond Good & Evil

7. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

9. Rayman 3 (GBA)

2002

1. Metroid Prime

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PC)

4. Metroid Fusion

5. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords

6. Marble Blast Gold

7. Men in Black II: Alien Escape

8. Age of Mythology

9. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle

10. Star Wars: The New Droid Army

2001

1. Pikmin

2. Super Smash Bros. Melee

3. Halo: Combat Evolved

4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

5. SSX Tricky

6. Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo

7. Sonic Adventure 2

8. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages / Seasons

2000

1. Rayman 2: Revolution

2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

3. Rayman 2: The Great Escape (PS1)

4. Legoland

1999

1. Rayman 2: The Great Escape

2. Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings

3. Half-Life: Opposing Force

4. Super Smash Bros.

5. Bugdom

6. Donkey Kong 64

7. Aliens versus Predator

1998

1. Half-Life

2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

3. Sonic Adventure

4. Putt-Putt Enters the Race

(The ranking between Half-Life and OoT could go either way, honestly)

1997

1. Age of Empires

2. Star Fox 64

3. Turok: Dinosaur Hunter

1996

1. Super Mario 64

2. Crash Bandicoot

3. The Neverhood

1995

1. Rayman

2. Star Wars: Dark Forces

1994

1. Super Metroid

2. Donkey Kong Country

3. SimTower

4. The Elder Scrolls: Arena

1993

1. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

1992

1. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

2. Ecco the Dolphin

3. Super Mario Kart

1991

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

2. Sonic the Hedgehog

3. Metroid II: Return of Samus

4. SimAnt

1990

1. Super Mario World

2. F-Zero

1989

1. Minesweeper

1988

1. Mega Man 2

1987

1. Punch-Out!!

1986

1. The Legend of Zelda

2. Metroid

1985

1. Super Mario Bros.

2. Ice Climber

3. Gunfright

1984

1. Tetris

1983

1. Jetpac

2. Lunar Jetman

3. Atic Attac

1982

1. Ms. Pac-Man

2. Dig Dug

1981

1. Galaga

2. Donkey Kong

1980

1. Pac-Man

1978

1. Space Invaders

By Evan-Amos [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons