Gaming experts pick the 10 best games ever made

The number one spot might be a surprise to some...

When it comes to the best games, it is different to pretty much any other medium, maybe save for books. If you ask someone to pick their favourite movie, or song, or album, or TV show, more than likely you'll get a lot of "Uhmmm"s and "Aaaahh"s, as they try to talk you down to giving a top five or a top ten instead.

But when it comes to best games, chances are much higher that they'll have one specific title in mind. Everyone's best games choice can often feel much more personal and much more memorable because it created a specific reaction within them, be it from the story they're unravelling while playing, or from being so massively impressed by the mechanics and evolving technology they're getting hands-on with.

To that end, GQ asked over 300 gaming experts - from developers to script writers to journalists to gaming actors - to pick out their best games of all time, and the finished article racked up a top 100.

Below is the full top ten, but some (perhaps surprising) titles missing out on those top spots include Red Dead Redemption II (No.15) and Grand Theft Auto V (No. 48). The newest game on the list, 2022's Elden Ring, ranks quite high at No.20, while the oldest title, 1985's Super Mario Bros., rocks in at No.96.

Check out the top ten best games list right here:

10. Half-Life 2 (2004)

9. Dark Souls (2011)

8. Portal II (2011)

7. Metal Gear Solid (1998)

6. Mass Effect 2 (2010)

5. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (2015)

4. Bloodborne (2015)

3. Tetris (1985)

2. The Last Of Us (2013)

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

And you can check out the full top 100 list right here.