Top 10 Video Games from the 2010s We're Still Playing in the 2020s

After so many wonderful games were released in the 2010s, people were left wondering what the 2020s would bring. Sadly, the decade didn't exactly start out stellar. In fact, the COVID-19 outbreak was a terrible way to start the new decade. With the coronavirus spreading through the world, people knew it would have an impact on the video game industry. But even if that were the case, there were still lots of games that came out in the 2010s that would keep us busy if the development of our favorite games hit some major roadblocks. Here are ten games to get started and I'm very certain that people will be adding more. Just make sure to only add games that have been released between January 1st, 2010 and December 31, 2019. Which region they were released in doesn't matter.
The Top Ten
1 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Despite being the fifth entry in The Elder Scrolls series, this will probably be peoples' first experience with the series. It won numerous Game of the Year awards and once you dive into its vast open world, it's very easy to see why. The province of Skyrim is massive with many things to do and quests to undertake. You can rebuild the Thieves' Guild to its former glory, become the new Arch-Mage at the College of Winterhold, or even join the Dark Brotherhood in assassinating the emperor of all of Tamriel. It also had 3 DLCs; Dawnguard, Heartfire and Dragonborn which add even more content to an already impressively large game. It has been released on multiple systems since its release all the way in 2011 so you have a wide variety of platforms to play it on.

2 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

This is, to date, the biggest Zelda game to ever be released. After being showcased at E3 2014, fans waited with bated breath for three whole years and it was well worth it. The ability to climb just about any wall, the ability to paraglide and a huge open world to explore, it's been out for five years as of this posting and people are still discovering secrets from references to past Zelda games to new ways to get around the land of Hyrule. Eiji Aonuma wanted to recreate the openworld feel from the first Legend of Zelda in a 3D environment and needless to say, he didn't disappoint. It's a good thing this game has much replay value because fans' patience for Breath of the Wild 2 is starting to grow thin.

3 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Even though it's only the third installment in The Witcher series, Wild Hunt brings Geralt's story to a satisfying close. After being summoned by Emperor Emhyr to find Ciri who's being pursued by Wild Hunt, players are free to explore the vast open world which consists of Velen, Novigrad and the Skellige Islands. While these areas are huge, White Orchid, which is small in comparison, is still pretty big and packed with secrets. It also has an enduring cast of characters with multiple endings which gives you an incentive to replay the game even after you've done everything. There's also the Heartstone and Blood & Wine DLC which extend Geralt's final adventure even more.

4 Grand Theft Auto V

Ever since the release of Grand Theft Auto III on the PlayStation 2, Rockstar has always been aiming to make their sequels bigger and better. With Grand Theft Auto V, they might have raised the bar a tad too high, but I think that's a good thing. Players take control of Michael DeSanta, Franklin Clinton and fan favorite Trevor Phillips in a bigger and more flushed out Los Santos and Blaine County. While there may be many secrets to uncover, the real draw of GTAV is being able to cause mayhem to your heart's content. It's just a shame that Rockstar has put more focus on its online mode than give this game some proper DLC. But it's still an awesome game nonetheless.

5 Fallout 4

While many people consider Fallout 4 as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with guns in a post-apocalyptic world (it does use the same engine after all), it's still an awesome game in its own right. Being the first game to feature a protagonist born before the Great War, it's a true fish out of water story as they wake up to a new world where everything has changed. Another awesome addition is being able to customize settlements so that people can lead normal lives once more. There have been a few DLC packs for the game which extend the playtime even further so if you've completely plowed through Skyrim, then Bethesda has given you another game which will consume hours (if not days) of your time.

6 Persona 5 Royal

While this game was released in North America on March 30th, 2020, it still counts because of its Japanese release on October 31st, 2019. It might not be as open-world as the other games on this list, but what it lacks in exploration it more than makes up for with a solid story and likeable characters that you'll stay attached to long after the credits role. What makes the Persona games enjoyable is just chilling out with your confidants and while obtaining ranks gets you certain perks, some of them have awesome stories that you want to see through regardless. One of my favorites is how Joker's homeroom teacher Sadayo Kawakami is taking a second job as a maid for hire to make extra money for the foster parents of a student who passed away. It also tackles darker subject matter such as one of Makoto's friends being lured into an illegal prostitution ring. Suffice to say, even if you ignore all the side-content, you can expect to put into at least 100 hours. With it being ported to the PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and even the Nintendo Switch, there's no reason to not play it if this is your cup of tea.

7 Minecraft

While the blocky graphics look pretty primitive, it adds to its charm. There are many things that you can build and upload onto the internet. Ever since its 2011 release, it has been ported to many systems and we've seen all sorts of crazy creations. Probably the most famous one is "The Uncensored Library" which contains reporting from countries where "Freedom of the Press" doesn't exist such as Mexico and Russia. This just goes to show how something so simple can consume so much time.

8 Pokemon Go!

When Pokémon made its North American debut in 1998, it made one hell of a splash. In 2016, Niantic was able to recapture the magic with the release of the Augmented Reality game, Pokémon Go! Now players can walk around in real time looking for Pokémon to catch and transfer to select games. Even though it took the world by storm in summer of 2016, it's popularity seems to have dwindled over the years. But as long as the devout few continue to play this game, Niantic will be there to roll out updates.

9 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

What makes this entry surprising is how it was considered one of the worst games in 2010 when it debuted. Thankfully, Square Enix realized the major mistake they made and rebuilt it from the ground up. Now it's considered one of the best games to play. Even though the base game is pretty big, it includes four expansions; Heavensward, Stormblood, Shadowbringers and Endwalker. It's amazing how Square Enix was able to take a total failure and really turn it around. Now if only they could do the same with Marvel's Avengers.

10 Red Dead Redemption 2

The series first began as Red Dead Revolver for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox and it was largely overlooked. But Rockstar breathed new life into the franchise with the release of Red Dead Redemption for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, showing that open-world games in the old west can work. The sequel, set some time before the first RDR, has the player controlling Arthur Morgan who's part of Dutch Van Derlin's gang as they try to reclaim their money while surviving in the wilderness. There are many sidequests and mini-games to keep players busy for sometime as well as Red Dead Online. That is, if Rockstar decides to give it the TLC that it gave Grand Theft Auto Online.

The Contenders
11 Dark Souls III
12 Fortnite: Battle Royale
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