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The five best years in video game history ranked: Which gaming year was the greatest ever?
By Austin Perry
Published June 26, 2026
The second half of 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated time periods for video gaming in quite some time.
With the recent release of "Star Fox" for the Nintendo Switch 2 in addition to the "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" remake and "Grand Theft Auto VI" set to come out later this year, 2026 could be a banner year in the history of video games.
Will it be the best year ever, though?
I highly doubt it, but to see just how 2026 will stack up when things are all said and done, let's look back at five of the greatest years that video gaming has to offer.
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5. 2007
Actor Zac Efron poses with the Master Chief character from the Halo video game universe during the Midnight Madness Event at the Game Spot in Universal City, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2007. (Mark Davis/Getty Images)
If you needed an idea of just how packed this list is, 2007 just narrowly edged out 2017 for this final spot.
It's hard to find many flaws in 2007 as a whole, regardless of what genre you were into.
If you were a big first-person shooter fan, "Halo 3" gave you one of the greatest franchises of the genre (and one that will be appearing more on this list) in next-gen format, while "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" is one of the most recognizable shooters of all time.
Games like "Mass Effect" and "BioShock" were Triple-A action-adventure darlings with both critical and commercial appeal (before the franchises had been milked of all their creativity).
You even had games like "Portal" and "Rock Band" offering a diverse array of games for fans of all walks of life, and even the Nintendo fanboys got "Super Mario Galaxy," one of the best titles in the plumber's arsenal.
The only thing missing here is a big-time hardware/console release, but from a pure games perspective, 2007 can go toe-to-toe with almost any year.
4. 2004
Trisha Chaney and Maria Flores restock a display of the Xbox video game "Halo 2" at the Times Square Toys R Us store in New York on Nov. 9, 2004. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg)
Another year that failed to see a big-time console release (unless you count the Japanese release of the PSP) but made its mark based solely on its games was 2004.
Much like 2007, '04 had a Halo title — this time "Halo 2" — grip the masses with revolutionary gameplay, but a different sequel had everyone in the PC gaming world going bananas.
"Half-Life 2" had nerds everywhere foaming at the mouth thanks to its cutting-edge physics engine, and is still one of the most revered games more than 20 years later.
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Just those two games alone could have warranted 2004's inclusion on this list, but it doesn't stop there.
If you're a GTA fan, "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" was released in 2004, and many fans still view the game as the peak of the entire series.
Other standouts from the Class of '04 include "World of Warcraft," "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II," "Metal Gear Solid 3" and "Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door."
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Sequel-heavy, sure, but pound-for-pound, 2004 is one of the most explosive years in gaming.
3. 2001
Japan's Sega joint chief operating officer Tetsu Kayama delivers a guest speech while Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates listens during the opening of the Tokyo Game Show Spring 2001 in Makuhari, Chiba Prefecture, on March 30, 2001. (Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP)
Okay, I swear this is the last year with a Halo release in it.
This time, we travel back to 2001, where the very first in the series, "Halo: Combat Evolved," burst onto the scene and rewrote the entire FPS genre in the process.
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And where would Halo be — and Microsoft in general — without the Xbox, which was released on November 15 of that year?
Not to be outdone, Nintendo released a console of their own, the GameCube, which was a little underappreciated in its heyday, but has reached almost mythical status with the passage of time.
Two landmark console releases and one of the best shooters of all time would be enough for anyone to put this year in their top-five, but that doesn't even scratch the surface.
"Grand Theft Auto III" was released and promptly blew everyone's minds, inventing a new genre of 3D sandbox games that we still play to this day.
Seriously, every open-world sandbox game you have played or will play owes its existence to "GTA III," so show some respect.
"Super Smash Bros.: Melee," "Final Fantasy X" and "Metal Gear Solid 2" all ushered their respective franchises into the next generation with grace, and are all still fan favorites in their own right.
Hard to believe there are still two more years that rank ahead of this one.
2. 1997
A Japanese edition of the Nintendo 64 clear blue version is displayed with a collection of games alongside a Nintendo Classic Mini Nintendo Entertainment System and a Nintendo Classic Mini Super Nintendo console. (Guillaume Payen/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
This was about as close of a race for first and second place as any ranking list I've done while working at OutKick, but just barely getting knocked to the second-place podium is 1997.
No console release? No problem!
You could make the argument that roughly half a dozen franchises and/or genres reached their apexes with releases in '97.
Do you like first-person shooters? Does "GoldenEye 007" for the Nintendo 64 do anything for you?
How about RPGs? Ever heard of a little PlayStation classic called "Final Fantasy VII"?
Not to mention games like "Diablo," "Mario Kart 64," "Star Fox 64" and "Fallout" all came out in 1997.
I could go on, but you get the idea. This year is so loaded there are probably games I haven't even mentioned yet that are several gamers' favorite titles or at the very least find their way onto several people's Mt. Rushmores when ranking their own favorite games.
1997 is a genre-defining year in video gaming, and when I start saying it out loud, I almost can't believe I have another year ahead of it, but once you see which year I had in mind for the top spot, it will be hard to argue.
1. 1998
Visitors enjoy more than 100 original arcade machines at Retro Gamer 2023 in Zaragoza, Spain, an event that emulates large arcades from the 1980s. (Nano Calvo/VW Pics/Universal Images Group)
Was it ever going to be any other year?
It might be my '90s bias showing, but 1998 is the greatest gaming year of all time, and I feel pretty confident in saying that.
Yes, 1997 was epic, but 1998 is practically untouchable.
To start things off, how about the most critically acclaimed game of all time being released in '98? That would be none other than "Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," a game so great, they remade it not once, but twice for next-gen consoles.
Speaking of consoles, the Sega Dreamcast was released in 1998 as well.
Though it never got the love it deserved during its lifecycle, the Dreamcast is one of the most cherished consoles in retrospect and is a cult classic with several games attached to its name that have stood the test of time.
So, that's it, right? The greatest game of all time and a console that was maybe a little ahead of its time?
Not a chance!
"Banjo-Kazooie," "Half-Life," "Metal Gear Solid," "StarCraft," "Resident Evil 2" and "Baldur's Gate" were ALL released in the same year.
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Had enough? Well, let me ask you this: are you a Pokemon fan?
Both "Pokemon Red" and "Pokemon Blue" were unleashed on an unsuspecting public in '98.
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Any way you slice it, it's hard to argue with any other year taking this top spot, though I welcome any conversations to the contrary.
What was your favorite year in video gaming? Let me know in the comments below.
https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-culture/five-best-years-video-game-history-ranked-gaming-year-greatest-ever