10 Greatest Video Game Masterpieces of the 2000s, Ranked

2 days ago 5

Published May 6, 2026, 8:31 PM EDT

Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts.

Every decade, the gaming industry seems to evolve further and further, with the medium today being the largest form of entertainment, and this is highlighted by popular titles such as Elden Ring and Call of Duty. However, one of the golden ages of gaming was the 2000s, which saw a significant spike in the quality of games as well as their popularity, proving to be an influential time for the medium.

This decade is home to some of the best gaming experiences ever. That is why this list will rank the ten best video games from the 2000s based on gameplay, narrative, design, originality, influence, fan opinion, critical acclaim, overall quality, and how well it reflects the decade. They may be around twenty years old, but these titles are still worth playing today, highlighting their staying power and longevity.

10 'Dragon Age: Origins' (2009)

The Dragon Age franchise has been up and down, with the mixed reviews of the most recent title thrusting the franchise into uncertainty. Still, fans at least have Dragon Age: Origins, which proved to be a staple of the 2000s. When the player is recruited into the Grey Wardens, they are tasked with uniting the fractured factions of the nation in order to stop a looming evil from destroying the world.

Dragon Age: Origins is a definitive fantasy experience that lets players craft their own path, becoming a staple RPG. From party building to its dense worldbuilding, this game crafts a distinct setting with immersive gameplay. The branching narrative and party control mechanics further enhance the sense of adventure in Dragon Age: Origins, making it an excellent video game.

Naked Snake looking out at The Boss (off-screen) in a field in Metal Gear Solid 3

Hideo Kojima is a legendary game designer known for the Metal Gear Solid franchise, and the best of them is arguably Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which recently received a remake. Set during the Cold War, Snake must infiltrate a Soviet Jungle and rescue a scientist who has defected, exposing the nation's new nuclear-equipped tank.

The first Metal Gear Solid was one of the best video games of the 1990s, and its third entry earned its spot in the 2000s, establishing the franchise as one of the best in gaming history. Snake Eater isn't just a thrilling cinematic narrative experience, but it is also an innovative stealth game where players manage their camouflage, hunt, and maintain their health. Snake Eater is an all-around masterpiece that is the pinnacle of stealth adventure.

8 'The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker' (2002)

Nintendo has a few games on this list, but its most critically acclaimed franchise is The Legend of Zelda, and while there are many deserving games from it, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker earns the spot. After a giant bird kidnaps Link's sister, he sets out on an adventure, traveling across the seas to find her and defeat the heinous Ganondorf.

Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess are also masterpieces, but The Wind Waker is timeless, with its graphics and sense of adventure not aging since release. It may have been bashed at first, but fans have come around to loving this game. The Wind Waker is a perfectly crafted world with seamless exploration, endearing characters, engaging side quests, and a distinct charm that makes it one of the best franchises.

7 'Halo 2' (2004)

Master Chief holding a smoke bomb in Halo 2.

The 2000s are known for many gaming titles, but one of the most definitive experiences from this decade is the Xbox and their flagship franchise, Halo. While there are many great games, Halo 2 is arguably the best, or at least the most influential. The covenant invasion finally reaches Earth, leading Master Chief to put up a last stand, while on the other side of the galaxy, a covenant commander learns of a haunting conspiracy.

The first Halo is influential, and the third perfected the gameplay formula, but Halo 2 is the perfect mix of innovative and riveting. The lobby and matchmaking system changed the way networking works, fundamentally shifting the multiplayer experience for the better. Outside of that, its narrative campaign is gripping from start to finish, and the co-op gameplay is nothing short of an FPS dream, cementing Halo 2 as one of the best sci-fi video games ever.

6 'Metroid Prime' (2002)

A still from Metroid Prime from within Samus' suit

The next Nintendo franchise to earn a spot on this list is Metroid, which is perhaps one of the most underrated of the company. The 2000s saw the release of Metroid Prime, which follows Samus Aran on a mysterious planet after tracking a group of pirates to it. By researching the ancient ruins and investigating the facilities, she hopes to stop the corruption at the source.

Metroidvanias are known for being 2D, but Metroid Prime completed the impossible task of converting 2D exploration into a 3D format with platforming and shooting gameplay. The world is an intricately designed puzzle with a designed experience that fosters curiosity, exploration, progression, and intrigue. Metroid Prime weaves gameplay into every aspect of its worldbuilding, resulting in a must-play video game from the 2000s.

5 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' (2004)

Grand Theft Auto's Carl 'CJ' Johnson dapping up with his friend Big Smoke in San Andreas

The Grand Theft Auto franchise is one of the greatest of all time, and as fans wait for GTA VI, they can go back and play one of the best games from the 2000s, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. After the murder of his mother, CJ returns to Los Santos after being framed for the crime. Now he must rebuild his old gang to unravel a dark conspiracy and clear his name.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is one of the most ambitious games of the 2000s, creating a sprawling and vibrant city full of systemic gameplay potential. Whether fans choose to create chaos with the given agency or go down the thrilling story mode, this game has much to offer. It pushed the boundaries, becoming a crime simulator of sorts, showcasing the passion that went into this game.

4 'Resident Evil 4' (2005)

One franchise that has seen a modern resurgence is Resident Evil, from its new, renowned games to a promising movie adaptation. However, the best of the franchise is still Resident Evil 4. Leon Kennedy is a special agent sent to Spain in order to rescue the daughter of the US president. However, she has been kidnapped by a cult controlled by mind-altering parasites, making Leon's job even harder.

Resident Evil 4 is a defining action-horror adventure with plenty of innovative features and an influential legacy. Its over-the-shoulder camera perspective became a new standard in the industry, allowing a range of view that made combat more immersive and fluid. The inventory management system also creates a unique and fun challenge. However, Resident Evil 4 is so renowned because of its relentless pace that builds tension with every step, not to mention how satisfying the gameplay is.

3 'Half-Life 2' (2004)

Valve needs to get back into the business of making games again because they have some of the greatest of all time, including Half-Life 2, which fans have been waiting decades for a third entry that will likely never come. Years after aliens take over the Earth, a scientist arrives in City 17, spurring a revolution and becoming a figure of hope in the meantime, while he tries to overthrow the aliens' oppressive grip.

Half-Life 2 is one of the most engaging sci-fi games that pioneered physics-based gameplay and environmental storytelling. This game is highlighted by its agency and immersion, and no other title offers the same experience. Avoiding cutscenes, Half-Life 2 keeps the gameplay rolling while showing the narrative at the same time, managing to deliver a narrative worthy of one of the best modern video games.

2 'Bioshock' (2007)

Fans don't know when Bioshock 4 will come out, but the original Bioshock is more than enough and has earned its title as a 2000s masterpiece. When Jack's plane crashes near a lighthouse, he immediately discovers a failed utopia built beneath the sea. Ravaged by political chaos, monsters, and other scientific abominations, he must find a way out.

Video games are known for their gameplay, and while Bioshock does excel at its first-person shooting mechanics and puzzle-based plasmid system, it is one of the greatest 2000s games because of its story and atmosphere. Its unrivaled aesthetic is a melancholic fascination that blends philosophy with politics and classical living to create an ambient horror that is felt in the lore and worldbuilding. The politically charged narrative mixed with one of the best plot twists further cements Bioshock as an all-time classic.

1 'Super Mario Galaxy' (2007)

Princess Rosalina an Luma flying through space in Super Mario Galaxy

The final and most well-known Nintendo franchise on this list is Mario, which has gone down in history as the most recognizable gaming character, and the plumber's best game of the 2000s is Super Mario Galaxy. After Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach, Mario must buckle up for a new adventure that takes him through the cosmos, teaming up with Rosalina to save the princess.

Mario essentially has a monopoly on the platforming genre, but when games like Super Mario Galaxy are so good, it is hard for anyone else to make anything remotely as good. It revolutionized 3D platforming with its gravitational system, innovating level design with imaginative puzzles and gameplay mechanics. Super Mario Galaxy is one of the greatest games of all time, remaining a flawless product of technical craftsmanship.

Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky

Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.

🏜️Paul Atreides

🖖Capt. Kirk

✊Princess Leia

🔦Ellen Ripley

🔥Max Rockatansky

FIND YOUR HERO →

How do you lead when the stakes couldn't be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.

AI absorb everything — every variable, every pattern — and move only when I know the path forward. BI read the room, make the call, and own the consequences. Hesitation costs more than mistakes. CI rally people. A cause needs a voice, and I refuse to let fear be louder than conviction. DI assess the threat, establish what needs doing, and get it done without waiting for permission. EI don't lead. I act. Others can follow or not — I'm already moving.

NEXT QUESTION →

What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.

APrescience — the ability to see further ahead than anyone else and plan accordingly. BImprovisation — I'm at my best when the plan falls apart and I have to invent a new one. CConviction — I know what I'm fighting for, and that certainty doesn't waver under fire. DComposure — I stay functional when everyone around me is falling apart. Panic is a luxury. EEndurance — I outlast things. I take the hit and keep moving long after others have stopped.

NEXT QUESTION →

What is the thing you'd sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.

AThe survival and dignity of my people — even if I have to become something frightening to ensure it. BThe safety of my crew — every single one of them. No one gets left behind. CFreedom — for my people, for every world still crushed under the weight of an empire. DThe truth — what actually happened, what's actually out there, whether anyone believes me or not. EThe one person — or the one memory — that still makes any of this worth surviving for.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.

AWith intensity and distance — I care deeply, but the weight I carry makes closeness complicated. BWith warmth and irreverence — I take the mission seriously, not myself. CWith directness and trust — I say what I mean, and I expect the people I work with to rise to it. DWith professional care but clear limits — I'll protect you, but I won't pretend we're family. EWith wariness that slowly becomes loyalty — I don't trust easily, but when I do, it holds.

NEXT QUESTION →

You're facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you're the only one who sees it defines everything.

APrepare in silence. If they won't listen, I'll be ready when they finally have to. BKeep pushing until someone listens — and if no one does, handle it myself. CBuild the case, find the allies, and make the threat impossible to ignore. DDocument everything. The truth matters even if no one believes it yet. EStop trying to convince anyone. Survive it. That's the only argument that counts.

NEXT QUESTION →

What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they'd pay it again.

AMy innocence — I've seen what I'm capable of, and I can't unsee it. BPeople I loved — the command chair has a view, but it's a lonely one. CA normal life — I gave up everything ordinary the moment I chose the cause. DMy sense of safety — I know exactly what's out there now, and I can't pretend otherwise. EAlmost everything — and I'm still not sure what I'm carrying it all for. But I keep going.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you feel about the rules of the world you're in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What's yours?

AI understand them deeply — and I know exactly which ones must be broken, and why. BI respect the spirit of them and bend the letter when the situation demands it. CThe system is the problem. I'm not here to work within it — I'm here to dismantle it. DI follow protocol until protocol stops being useful. Then I make the call myself. EThe rules collapsed a long time ago. What's left is instinct, and mine are reliable.

NEXT QUESTION →

When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you.

ADestiny — or something that feels so much like it that the difference no longer matters. BThe people on my ship — their faces, their trust, the fact that they're counting on me. CThe belief that what we're fighting for is worth every sacrifice, including this one. DSheer refusal to let it win — whatever it is. I don't stop. That's just who I am. EI'm not sure anymore. But the road is still there, and I'm still on it.

REVEAL MY HERO →

Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…

Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.

Paul Atreides

You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you're capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.

You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn't ask for but can't escape.
Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won't, is exactly you.

Captain Kirk

You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you've always believed there's a third option nobody else has thought of yet.

You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you've earned it.
Kirk's genius isn't tactical — it's human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.

Princess Leia

You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you're fearless, but because giving up simply isn't something you're capable of.

You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you've never looked back.
Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.

Ellen Ripley

You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone's hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.

You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
Ripley's heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn't have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn't there.
When it counts, you don't flinch. That's everything.

Max Rockatansky

You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.

You don't ask for help, don't need validation, and don't wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it's earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ