Every year since I started this blog I have always kept my eye on all the latest video game releases. Reading the reviews, watching the walkthroughs on YouTube and playing them myself so I can find out what the best games of the year are. So here is my list of the most fun, challenging and creative games of 2021, separated by genre. At the end I will reveal which one is my personal favorite of the year.

Best Side-Scrolling Platformers

Cyber Shadow

Kaze and the Wild Masks

Sockventure

Lost Ruins

Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield

Astalon: Tears of the Earth

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

Unbound: Worlds Apart

Blaster Master Zero 3

Hoa

F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch

The Artful Escape

Metroid Dread

Aeterna Noctis

Best 3D Platformers

Blue Fire

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Psychonauts 2

Solar Ash

Best Adventure Games

It Takes Two

Before Your Eyes

Say No! More

Subnautica: Below Zero

Chicory: A Colorful Tale

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

The Forgotten City

Twelve Minutes

Life Is Strange: True Colors

Lost in Random

Sable

Best Action Games

Knockout City

DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power

Chivalry 2

Death’s Door

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Lost Judgment

Best Role-Playing Games

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

Persona 5 Strikers

Bravely Default II

Monster Hunter Rise

Scarlet Nexus

Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny

Monster Hunter Stories 2

Cris Tales

NEO: The World Ends with You

Grime

Tales of Arise

Eastward

Tales of Iron

Deltarune Chapter 2

The Riftbreaker

Guardians of the Galaxy

Super Robot Wars 30

Blue Reflection: Second Light

Shin Megami Tensei V

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story

Best Roguelikes

Undermine

Curse of the Dead Gods

Returnal

Rogue Lords

Inscryption

Best Strategy Game

Age of Empires IV

Best Shooter Games

Habroxia 2

R-Type Final 2

New Pokémon Snap

Boomerang X

Deathloop

Lemnis Gate

Far Cry 6

Back 4 Blood

Halo Infinite

Best Beat ’em Up

Clone Drone in the Danger Zone

Best Stealth Game

Hitman 3

Best Survival Games

Resident Evil Village

The Eternal Cylinder

Best Fighting Game

Guilty Gear Strive

Best Puzzle Games

Little Nightmares II

Lego Builder’s Journey

I Expect You to Die 2: The Spy and the Liar

I Am Fish

Best Party Game

WarioWare: Get it Together!

Best Sandbox Game

Jurassic World Evolution 2

Best DIY Game

Game Builder Garage

Best Remakes

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

Alan Remake Remastered

Mario Party Superstars

Eli’s Favorite Game of 2021

It Takes Two

Developed by Hazelight Studios, the Swedish company behind the 2-player action-adventure game A Way Out (2018), It Takes Two does an even better job creating a fun and rewarding cooperative multiplayer experience. The dramatic story at the center of the game involves a husband and wife who plan to get a divorce, which is made even more complicated by the fact that they have a daughter. But the drama soon gives way to romantic comedy as the couple finds themselves magically transformed into the bodies of their daughter’s hand-made dolls and must learn to put their differences aside and work together to reach their daughter and get back into their human bodies, while also possibly rekindling their love for each other. The gameplay is varied and endlessly creative as you and another player must cooperate through a number of activities to progress from the garden shed to the house. It forces you to be creative yourself but the game is more fun than anything, especially since you have endless lives and the environment is often packed with things to interact with. Its funny writing combined with its wide variety of gameplay styles made this game endlessly satisfying and memorable.