With the vast amount of video game reviewers now voicing their opinions all over the web, it can be difficult to keep track of what critics are saying about a new release. This is one of the many reasons why review aggregatorMetacritichas become so popular in recent years and why many people turn to it to get a quick snapshot of how critics reacted to a new release.
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Unsurprisingly,Metacritic’s top video games of all time pageis frequently viewed, as players look to see what critically acclaimed game to play next. The quality of the games is frequently debated, but one factor that is often overlooked is how long they take to beat. To help those curious about how much content they’ll be getting with their money, let’srank every game with a 97 or above score on Metacritic by their main story completion timeonhowlongtobeat.com.
Note: There are seventeen games with a Metascore of 97+ (excluding duplicates), but only sixteen will appear on this list as sports gameNFL 2K1doesn’t have a main story or campaign and consequently hasn’t been given a time on howlongtobeat.com.
Updated on March 7th, 2022, by Jack Pursey:One of the best aspects of the gaming industry today compared to a couple of decades ago is the sheer number of games released every week. Long gone are the days when players would have to wait months for the next game that took their interest, as thanks to the influx of heavily financed studios and popularization of indie gaming, there is always something new to play.
Despite this, there will always be a few games that stand head and shoulders above the rest and that players will go back to play many years after their release. To help people out who want to revisit thebest games of all time according to Metacritic, we’ve updated this list to include some more key features, such as which platforms each game can be played on and when they were released.
Release Date:22 June 2025
Available Platforms:Arcade, Xbox 360, Dreamcast, Android, iOS
Best Feature:The incredibly well-balanced combat, which ensures that the game is still enjoyable to play today.
The fighting genre is one of the most consistent in the gaming industry.Fighting gameswere some of the best and most popular titles back in the arcade days, and the genre has had excellent releases on each generation of console.
A completion time of 35 minutes may seem laughable when compared to the open-world adventures of today. However,SoulCaliburdoesn’t need a lengthy story, as jumping into a match as soon as possible is all most players want to do.
Release Date:10 August 2025
Available Platforms:Nintendo 64, Xbox One (Rare Replay)
Best Feature:The excellent FPS gameplay, which managed to improve upon the classicGoldenEye 007.
To say that Rare was in a great run of form before the release ofPerfect Darkwould be an understatement. Along with the classic platformerBanjo-Kazooie, Rare had revolutionized console gaming with the release ofGoldenEye 007.Consequently, there was a huge weight of expectations when the studio announced its next first-person shooter,Perfect Dark.
Perfect Darkdidn’t disappoint, providing one of its generation’sbest FPS campaigns, along with an excellent deathmatch multiplayer mode.
14Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 – 9 Hours
Release Date:28 May 2025
Available Platforms:Game Boy Color, PC, PlayStation1, PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64
Best Feature:It was the first game in the series to implement online play.
Those without much knowledge of gaming history may be surprised to learn that there are twoskateboarding gamesamong Metacritic’s highest-rated games of all time.
The games don’t take players on epic adventures like many quintessential titles, but they fully deserve their high scores for being among the most enjoyable titles of all time. Despite its whopping 97 Metascore,Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3isn’t the highest-rated game in the series.
13Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 – 9.5 Hours
Release Date:30 July 2025
Available Platforms:PlayStation 1, PC, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, Pocket PC, iOS
Best Feature:How addictive the scoring mechanic is.
The title of the highest-rated game in theTony Hawkseries goes to the second entry in the franchise,Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2.
Although they may not seem like much today, the game’s maps were incredible for the year 2000. As well as impressing players visually, their size was unparalleled at the time, encouraging people to explore the best spots to perform tricks.
Release Date:12 June 2025
Available Platforms:Xbox, Xbox 360, PC
Best Feature:The high level of innovation seen in the gameplay mechanics, weapons, enemy designs, and more.
Halo: Combat Evolvedhas a strong claim for being the greatest launch title of all time.
Related:Every Lord Of The Rings Game, Ranked By How Long They Take To Beat
Microsoft has often tried and failed to replicate other products' success, such as with Zune and Bing trying to compete with the iPod and Google, and many people thought that the Xbox would be a similar disappointment. However, the console immediately turned heads the day it hit stores, thanks to word getting around thatHalo: Combat Evolvedwas an incredible shooter that truly felt next-gen.
Release Date:01 August 2025
Available Platforms:Nintendo Switch
Best Feature:The huge open levels that are packed with collectibles to find.
Speaking of launch titles that immediately gave credibility to a console,Super Mario Odyssey,along withThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of theWildimmediately eased fears that the Nintendo Switch was going to flop like the Wii U.
AlthoughOdysseyis the shortestMariogame on this list, it arguably feels like the mascot’s biggest adventure. This is largely thanks to the impressive range of locations that players will travel to and the huge variation in gameplay styles thanks to the new Capture mechanic.
Available Platforms:Nintendo Wii
Best Feature:The welcome return of fan-favorite Yoshi.
It’s not often that Nintendo releases numbered sequels to its modern titles, which speaks to the quality and commercial success of the originalSuper Mario Galaxy.The space setting allowed for some ofMario’s mostcreative and innovative levelsever, makingSuper Galaxy 2’s announcement of little surprise, as the concept was far too good for just one game.
Super Mario Galaxy 2didn’t disappoint, offering creative and enjoyable levels just as players expected.
Best Feature:The innovative level design.
The aforementioned predecessor toSuper Mario Galaxy 2was released in November 2007, almost exactly one year after the Nintendo Wii hit stores. Many people were disappointed that aMariogame wasn’t launching with the Nintendo Wii, as the GameCube also didn’t have aMariolaunch title.
Complaints were soon silenced whenMario Galaxywas released, though, and it is today recognized as one of the gaming industry’s best-ever platformers.
Release Date:12 July 2025
Available Platforms:GameCube, Wii
Best Feature:The emphasis on exploration, which differentiated the game from other first-person shooters at the time.
Metroid Primewas initially released in 2002, and debates soon began as to whether it was the best entry in the entire franchise, which is especially impressive considering the classic games that are part of the series.
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Metroid Primedifferentiated itself from previous games in the franchise by switching to a first-person perspective, though it kept much of its Metroidvania style and puzzle-solving gameplay intact.
Release Date:20 June 2025
Available Platforms:PlayStation 2, PC, Xbox, Android, iOS
Best Feature:The open-world was far ahead of its time in 2001.
The first but not the lastGrand Theft Autogame to feature on this list,Grand Theft Auto IIIhit stores back in 2001 and was noticeably ahead of its time with its impressive and influential open-world.
The game’s open-world isn’t the only feature that has inspired games up until this day, asGTA IIIalso lets players have multiple ongoing missions at once, a unique option for a console game at the time.
