The Best Video Games Of All Time, According To Metacritic

gamespot.com:

Tastes may differ and times may change, but some games have stood out from the pack with glowing reviews--and a critical consensus--over the years. We've rounded up the best games of all time, according to the numbers gathered by GameSpot's sister site Metacritic. We aimed to highlight the 10 best games of all time from a critical consensus, but unsurprisingly there are plenty of ties. So we wound up with 17 games on the list, all of which hold a 97 Metascore or higher.

Before diving in, there are a few details that are worth mentioning. Games released over the past 10 to 15 years tend to have Metascorees based on a higher number of reviews than older games. Unsurprisingly, the reach of video games and the number of outlets writing about them has grown exponentially over the years, which leads to the discrepancy. Also, games often have varying Metascores on different platforms; we chose to include the highest rated edition of each particular game, but we noted those platform specific details for games that aren't exclusives. Lastly, we got the idea of this because of Elden Ring, which had held a 97 Metascore near launch. Unfortunately, it has since fell to 96 (a very crowded Metascore), so you won't find it on this list.

Metascore: 99 | Based on 22 reviews

The mid- to late-1990s--or the final years of the 1900s if you want to feel really old--marked a paradigm shift for video games. Blockbuster titles were coming out every month, but few games could hold a candle to what has long been considered one of the milestones in gaming, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. An expansive world, fascinating gameplay mechanics, and then-revolutionary 3D visuals earned it rave reviews across the board. Decades later, it's still one