The Last of Us Part II 2020
Why it still holds upThe fights are still worth playing for how many ways they leave open: you can sneak through, set human groups and the infected against each other, or shoot your way out.
2020s games that still hold up
Games
The Last of Us Part II 2020
Why it still holds upThe fights are still worth playing for how many ways they leave open: you can sneak through, set human groups and the infected against each other, or shoot your way out.
It Takes Two 2021
Why it still holds upWith a partner it is still worth playing now: the ideas change level after level, and every one of them needs both players.
Ghost of Tsushima 2020
Why it still holds upIts sword fights still make it worth playing: each one asks you to read the enemy, pick the stance for it and break its guard.
Black Mesa 2020
Why it still holds upPlayed now, it keeps Half-Life's mix of shooting and puzzles on a newer engine, with physics that the original never had.
Final Fantasy VII Remake 2020
Why it still holds upThe battles are the reason to play it now: real time action that stops when you spend the ATB bar, to choose a spell or switch to whoever suits the fight.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps 2020
Why it still holds upThe way the map opens up is still the reason to play: each ability Ori finds sends you back through Niwen by a route that was shut.
Omori 2020
Why it still holds upThe story is the draw today, moving between a cheerful dream and the real world, and from comedy into psychological horror.
On sale
Doom Eternal 2020
Why it still holds upThe fights are why it is worth playing now: every arena asks you to keep moving and pick the tool that refills what you are short of.
On sale
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020
Why it still holds upAny flight is worth taking now, since the whole planet is there to cross, in the weather and at the hour you choose.
On sale
Psychonauts 2 2021
Why it still holds upThe minds are why it is still worth playing: each level is a new place drawn from someone's head, and most end with Raz helping that person.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart 2021
Why it still holds upThe arsenal and the rifts, which move you between worlds in seconds in the middle of a fight or a set piece, make it a shooter worth picking up today.
Factorio 2020
Why it still holds upThe factory is still what makes it worth playing now: every machine's output feeds the next, and there is always a part to rebuild bigger.
On sale
Cyberpunk 2077 2020
Why it still holds upPlayed now, in its updated form, Night City is the draw, a dense city full of side jobs to take on in whichever way you built V.
Demon's Souls 2020
Why it still holds upEach area is still worth learning: the enemies, the traps and the boss stay put, and the bloodstain gives you one chance to win back what you lost.
On sale
Resident Evil Village 2021
Why it still holds upPlayed now, the variety carries it: every section brings its own enemies, puzzles and boss.
Astro's Playroom 2020
Why it still holds upPlayed now, every level is still built around a new way to use the controller.
Metroid Dread 2021
Why it still holds upIt still plays well because of how the map opens up, and because the E.M.M.I. areas turn the exploring into a chase every so often.
On sale
Hitman 3 2021
Why it still holds upIts maps are built to be replayed, and every routine and every disguise is another way to the same target, which is why it is worth going back to now.
On sale
Risk of Rain 2 2020
Why it still holds upPlayed today, the random items keep you coming back: they stack without limit, while the clock keeps pushing you on.
On sale
Yakuza: Like a Dragon 2020
Why it still holds upIts party is the reason to play it now, with jobs and friendships that decide how the fights go, and a Yokohama full of things to do between them.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2020
Why it still holds upPlayed a little every day, the island is still the reason to come back: it changes with the real seasons and takes the shape you give it.
Desperados III 2020
Why it still holds upToday every level is still a puzzle with many answers, because each character's tools combine with the others'.
On sale
Returnal 2021
Why it still holds upEach run is still worth starting: the layout and the weapons change every time, and the fights ask you to keep reading and dodging.
On sale
Crusader Kings III 2020
Why it still holds upBecause it is played through people, it is still worth playing now: their skills, traits, marriages and rivals decide where a dynasty goes.
On sale
Little Nightmares II 2021
Why it still holds upThe tension is the reason to play it now: slow stretches of sneaking give way to desperate escapes, with Six at your side.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time 2020
Why it still holds upPlayed today, the platforming is the draw, with the masks and the other characters changing what each jump asks of you.
On sale
Death's Door 2021
Why it still holds upFights where a few hits end you, and levels whose shortcuts keep leading back to the door you came in by, are why it plays so well today.
On sale
Deathloop 2021
Why it still holds upEvery loop teaches you something, and that is still the pull today, until you can plan the one day that gets all eight.
Deep Rock Galactic 2020
Why it still holds upWith a full team it holds up today, since each class brings a tool the others lack.
On sale
Monster Hunter Rise 2021
Why it still holds upThe loop is why it is worth playing now: every monster is a fight of its own, and its parts make the gear for the next one.
On sale
Streets of Rage 4 2020
Why it still holds upThe fights hold up today because the specials and the combos both pay you for hitting without being hit.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated 2020
Why it still holds upThe collecting holds up today, because reaching every part of a level takes the moves of each character it gives you.
On sale
Inbento 2020
Why it still holds upAs a puzzle game it keeps adding ideas, and each new kind of piece changes how you fill the box, which is why it is worth playing now.
On sale
Hell Let Loose 2021
Why it still holds upA squad with a role to fill still gives a big battle its structure.
On sale
Unrailed! 2020
Why it still holds upA runaway train still turns teamwork into a rush of chopping and laying rails.
The part of the decade the site has reached so far: a game joins once it has had time to prove itself, so the years of this one arrive one at a time.