You don't need company to live through the greatest gaming experiences. This Top 50 gathers the best retro games built for a single player, from adventures and RPGs to solitary challenges, based on RomWize's reassessed scores. For each title: its current score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"Still the benchmark open-world on Switch. Climbing anything and gliding wherever you want feels liberating, and the physics-driven systems reward experimentation. Weapon durability remains divisive, yet exploring Hyrule keeps its quiet magic."
"The sequel dares to rebuild everything around Fuse and Ultrahand. Cobbling together absurd contraptions becomes an endless playground, and the sky and depths genuinely expand Hyrule. A bit overwhelming at first, but wildly creative."
"Mikami's Resident Evil revolution, originally a GameCube exclusive. Over-the-shoulder camera, measured and tense action, an unforgettable Spanish rural village. Almost every set piece has become iconic. A high point of 2000s action gaming."
"Resident Evil 4 reinvents survival horror on PS2. Over-the-shoulder camera, surgical action and the unforgettable rural village. A peak of video games that reshaped a decade of TPS."
"Rockstar reach the absolute summit of modern open world with three protagonists, choreographed heists and a vibrant Los Santos. The satire of modern California lands with bite, and every outing feels like wrapping a proper film."
"An exemplary restoration. The remaster smooths the controls without betraying the original, and Tallon IV's lonely atmosphere still grips you. Scanning the environment can slow the pace, but the aiming and exploration have aged beautifully."
"The third BioShock trades the ocean depths for the flying city of Columbia and delivers an ambitious political and metaphysical tale. The bond formed with Elizabeth leaves a lasting mark, and its ending remains one of the most debated in the medium."
"A JRPG of rare elegance. Its menu style remains unmatched, and juggling stylish dungeon battles with high-school life builds an addictive rhythm. It's enormous, but the Royal additions and the third semester earn every hour."
"Absolute masterpiece that redefined open-world action-adventure. Total freedom, organic exploration, reactive physics and chemistry. WiiU execution is slightly inferior to Switch but the experience remains transcendent."
"Batman Arkham City is even better than Asylum. Open Gotham City, playable Catwoman, extraordinary villain gallery with Two-Face, Penguin and Ra's al Ghul. Dense and masterful narrative. An absolute masterpiece."
"Batman Arkham City GOTY with all DLC including Harley Quinn's Revenge, the most complete version of an absolute masterpiece. Catwoman, Nightwing and Robin also playable. The ultimate Batman game."
"First Metroid Prime, revolutionary FPS-adventure transposing Samus to 3D. Tallon IV exploration, encyclopedic environmental scanning, strategic combat with special visors. Isolated and atmospheric mood, ingenious backtracking level design. Wii Edition offers precise Wiimote controls, more natural than the original GameCube. An absolute Metroid series peak, essential."
"Super Mario Bros. Deluxe on GBC is the definitive portable version of the founding classic. The original game plus extra challenges, hidden levels and scores to beat. An absolute GBC must."
"The roguelike that converted the skeptics. Every escape attempt mixes things up through Boons, and the story weaves itself between deaths without ever dragging. Snappy combat and a loop you restart almost on reflex."
"Mass Effect 2 turns the promise into pure craftsmanship: the suicide mission stands as a game design peak, every companion grows unforgettable, and BioWare prove an RPG can be both space opera and tightly paced corridor thriller."
"A cornerstone of 3D adventure, plain and simple. Hyrule becomes a tangible world, Z-targeting reinvents combat, the dungeons are design masterclasses and Kondo's score lodges itself in the collective memory. Hard to spend two sentences on this peak without falling into obvious praise."
"GTA in 1980s Miami starring Tommy Vercetti. Neon and synth-pop atmosphere masterfully rendered, iconic soundtrack. Xbox version slightly graphically improved. One of video gaming's great classics in its best console version."
"Japanese release of Uncharted 2 Among Thieves, the absolute series peak. Exceptional cinematic staging, perfect pacing, refined gameplay and solid multiplayer. One of the finest PS3 games and an unmatched genre benchmark."
"God of War III is one of the greatest PS3 games. Kratos climbs Olympus and faces the gods one by one in titanic epic battles. Sublime art direction, perfect fluid combat, memorable bosses. A monument."
"The Last of Us is simply the absolute masterpiece of PS3 and one of the most important games ever created. Joel and Ellie in post-apocalyptic America, narrative of rare maturity and emotion. A perfect score well deserved."
