The 2010s In Gaming: Ranked

The dust has not long settled on the 2010s, and while a vast majority of us still have absolutely no idea how to define or categorise the decade, one thing's for sure; it had games in it. In regards to just how good they were for videogames, here's every year in the 2010s - ranked from worst to best.
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Gaming.
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I own none of the footage or music used in this video.
0:00 - 2:18 Intro
2:18 - 5:46 #10
5:46 - 7:53 #9
7:53 - 10:19 #8
10:19 - 12:27 #7
12:27 - 14:30 #6
14:30 - 16:24 #5
16:24 - 19:05 #4
19:05 - 21:33 #3
21:33 - 23:50 #2
23:50 - 25:56 #1
25:56 - 27:37 Post-Video

[@CritsVG]

2017: "I'm sure there's a lot more that I'm missing" - I bet that's why you decided to add Xenoblade Chronicles 2 music in the background, am I right? 😆

[@NocturnalFudj]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[@fybso3057]

Fire emblem echoes was big for me

[@MarkdaMerk]

"The company feeling the need to push out two huge first party system sellers..." And also a rocking ass JRPG with headbanger music and a suspect amount of anime tiddies at the last minute-- aka the video game video essay music library of 2017 onward

[@mbletz3958]

Me who always plays games like 3 years after they release: "Oh yeah, that year was soooo good for games... Yeah..."

[@RagingBigfat]

Yeah I played The Witcher 3 for the first time during the pandemic and despite buying it when it came out I played the most MHW of my life during the pandemic too. So yeah 2020 was the best gameing year for me

[@nocturnaliism]

@@RagingBigfat 2020 was the year I played botw for the first time, so same here. Quarantine was amazing, Change my mind

[@jalalal8056]

@@nocturnaliism No

[@nocturnaliism]

@@jalalal8056 lmao

[@shotostudios2392]

This was kind of a Mind-Blowing List to look back on. Having played Games since 4, a lot of that being on Older Hardware until about 2012-ish, it's Honestly Astonishing just how much this Medium has changed in such a Short Span of Time. I'd almost call the 2010s to be a true Reinassance within Video Games as a whole. But anyway this was a Wittily Nostalgic Retrospective Dude, very Concise while still having some Insightful Jabs and a few downright Touching Sentiments. Good Work Fudj, I sincerely hope the Wider G A M E R Audience checks this out. Get a good idea of How Far the Artform's come and all the Horizons/Hurdles we've yet to Surmount. Long Story Short: Gud Vid Feeds Hungy Brain Gud, Makes Emotion Happen :)

[@rapidriver]

Really loving the memes representing the year appearing before the year itself. It is jarringly cringe to see these old memes but the guess factor of trying to remember what year it was keeps it fresh and adds a bit of extra excitement to it... a stunning editing choice all around.

[@japoonboals718]

it's criminal how underrated your content is, man. I appreciate the effort you put in. Your humor is spot on, the editing is sleek and comedic timing is excellent. Thanks for using the internet.

[@Cashanator]

I loved 2010 videogames so much. Felt so good to have amazing and simplified, but complex and polished handheld games in abundance. Console games get a lot of love, and its always deserved, but handheld games get pretty overlooked when it carried a lot of the decade on its back

[@goodchicken1785]

I am really sad that I don't hear you say "good chicken" at the end of your episodes anymore, but to be honest it is for a good reason so I am actually very happy! This was a very good video; your delivery and script are, as usual, good and fun! Now rate every single year in gaming since the Atari was released :)

[@-aexc-]

i love that my short term memory is so fucked that i can come back to a video 4 days later and be able to rewatch it cause i dont remember a thing

[@whim165]

What a great paced video! Even if I don't think have everything of the decade or agree with every take, you made sure to take most of the biggest's games and really do a well spoke out "overview" of what people thought at the time and after. Really made me nostalgic and reflexive, even. Really shows how much you care about, "gaming", and remind us about why we love games. Thank you for that

[@yarakamil9654]

Very exciting! This is best channel on this platform.

[@n0odle184]

Based.

[@cosmicspacething3474]

18:32 feels like a surreal comedy skit

[@emerson_5]

Hey KZbin algorithm, it’s me! I’m commenting to boost this under-recommended video from one of my favourite creators! Love how much traction all of Fudj’s hard work has gotten on your perfectly fine, non-problematic platform!!!!

[@chad0ch0]

Definitely agreed with your ranking of #1 here. Some of the best platforming and adventure games ever made

[@-aexc-]

this video is really good, even your more traditional videos are so unique

[@lacanm1554]

Good video but i dunno about that placing for 2019. You're right about most big publishers not doing too much but im surprised you didnt mention nintendo's second half of that year. Had plenty of great experiences like Mario Maker 2, Luigis Mansion 3, Fire emblem, and astral chain. Baba is You and Outer Wilds were also standouts.

[@aturchomicz821]

-Outer Wilds Ignored💀... Ah who am I kidding, Disco Elysium reigns supreme, GOTY 2019 WOOO!!😎

[@HasXXXInCrocs]

This is one of your best videos yet, great job!!

[@thats4thebirds]

Of course I had to miss the premier. Neat video, dawg!

[@deebzscrub]

Near A Tomato alone makes that year the number one. Great stuff as always, it was nice having this look back over the last decade and remembering all of the games that came out and when. It's wild to consider how old some of my favorite games are now, and how much things have changed for hashtaggaming over the years.

[@thexaeras]

What a video :O greatly enjoyed watching it. Thank you for such a quality piece lookback :)

[@austinmitchell2652]

Great video man, and what a bombastic thumbnail to boot!

[@Vsirugo13]

Absolutely amazing channel and video. These types of videos are super fun especially to me. I’m so sorry you’ve had a rough time of this whole KZbin thing. I hope you break out and become as recognized as you deserve to be. Much love!

[@HeyNodnoc]

This is amazing ! I thought you where off KZbin and just doing twitch now your back. I appreciate all the vids thanks for all the hard work you do

[@chefb0x159]

You are the only KZbinr that I will sit and watch all the way through. I love your video topics and love listening to your opinions as well.

[@amansaxena5898]

No love for Outer Wilds, in 2019 😭

[@bristowski]

I like this. I'm glad Bradley is back.

[@sooubic]

Thank you for continuing to make content despite the slow growth Fudj. I’ll stay here and hope you eventually take off in the algorithm or get noticed by a bigger creator.

[@SatoshiEK]

It's great to have you back, man. You're just one of my favorite KZbinrs

[@ChinoWantan]

0:05 "Got a Light?"

[@izzy4559]

Leaving a comment for the algorithm, love your videos ^^

[@sdw-hv5ko]

I had an n64 and ps2 growing up but fell off gaming in later generations. 2017 I had a resurgence when I bought a Switch (exclusively for BotW) and now I wanna go back and play a lot of the great games I missed. This video was an awesome little history lesson for me, excited to try some of these games out!

[@aturchomicz821]

Ok that was actually brilliant using one of that years big Meme as the the drop in to give us a hint at what Year might be on next, Amazing List that made me realize the 2010s were actually rock solid!

[@DonutSwordsman]

i love that pic of sonic you used for number 8, hilarious

[@cosmicspacething3474]

I’m disappointed you didn’t mention Kirby’s return to dreamland on 2011. Probably the best game in the series at that point.

[@adamyohan]

Dying Light released in 2015 and it has aged well ever since. I think it pumps the year up.

[@liamreeves344]

miraculously enough, this showed up in my subscription feed

[@fybso3057]

Video slapped!

[@Icyc0bra]

That last line... oof. Really hit me in the feels

[@chao3948]

bruh why did it take me so long to watch this video this is literally the best gaming experience of 2022

[@richanddarksbane1439]

The premise of this tier list is very creative

[@dariusdash8866]

Based take on Rayman Legends. Awesome video man! Keep it up!

[@tristanneal9552]

"Raisin cookie masquerading as chocolate chip" We are reaching dangerous levels of relatability here

[@rumit7338]

I have very little objections to the list itself, but I think that the 2000s were much more impactful for gaming. It feels like developers found new things to do and push the boundaries of the current dimension of gaming in the 2010s, but the 2000s saw the definite elevation of gaming and the step forward into the dimension we are currently in. So if you feel like it and have the time I would love to see a video just like this about the 2000s.

[@placeadrien5566]

Imo the rise of indies during the 2010s was the best thing to happen to gaming.

[@DanielFiala]

Can't believe you forgot my personal favorite year smh. good editing though King 🤴

[@ButterDew]

Let's go he's back!

[@DiegoRedeemedLover]

It made me so happy to see Monster Hunter: World referenced for 2018. It was a big game for me that year (I got into MonHun in 2016) and I also sunk so many hours into it and it's astounding how massive a success it was for Capcom. 😊

[@titojdavis8374]

The Disco Elysium and Untitled Goose Game contrast joke had me laugh out loud

[@jacobmonks3722]

Yeah 2017 and 2011 were pretty damn incredible. They will go down in history along with 1994, 1997, and 2007 as some of the most significant and enjoyable years in gaming. Edit: And now you can add 2023 to the list.

[@WillowEpp]

2014 was the year of Monster Hunter 4U. 2015 was the year of Monster Hunter Generations. Everything else that happened in those years is basically irrelevant to me.

[@WillowEpp]

​@@nocturnaliism Why are you getting your panties in a bunch over a clearly marked opinion? Also, Doom was 2016.

[@ffrjegs08]

*Video opens with dr lady leg’s theme song Me: oh yes I will enjoy list

[@masculineshiver]

Fudj: not that many good games in the first half of 2012 Me: *cries in Kid Icarus: Uprising*

[@BaselardFE]

More decades would definitely be nice

[@hopestarr9869]

I loved that this was ranking the years instead of the games in the years

[@clvr51]

The fact that you didn't mention Outer Wilds as a massive bump for 2019 saddens me deeply :( You even showed it in the intro lol

[@JJLiew]

We got Yakuza 0 in 2017, that alone makes it the best year ever for me

[@wildohhh]

The west getting both 0 and Kiwami in the same year is still mad, GOATed year for sure

[@droofinsmirts]

Can't wait

[@daviddavidson1450]

What's the song at the very end of the video?

[@seekernomanjango]

That J.D Salinger joke had me coughing

[@DCftw0]

Ah another video that didn’t initially appear in my page

[@ssbm_crisc0672]

fucking right I knew it was gonna be 2017 from the very beginning. No *shot.* Hollow Knight, BotW, Odyssey, and HZD were K I L L E R.

[@doodoo951100]

4:22 Didn't fire emblem awakening release in 2013? (for international)

[@BDbiogamer]

Please pretty please can someone tell me the name of the song used in the background during the #1 segment? I have been trying to figure it out for months now, but that's kinda hard since there aren't any lyrics ;-;

[@NocturnalFudj]

you're after Mor Ardain from Xenoblade 2

[@BDbiogamer]

@@NocturnalFudj AT LONG LAST!!! Thank you sir, you are a saint 🙏

[@sambenneeett9407]

What is the music in the 2017 segment? I recognize it, I think from smash bros but I can't remember what it is.

[@BDbiogamer]

currently on the hunt for that myself, really wish ppl would just credit these things in the video or description somewhere :c

[@helloasywgsdga1187]

Mor Ardain: Roaming The Wastes

[@randominternetname2430]

i actualy liked skyword sword... when the motion controlls worked, THEY WORKED.

[@randominternetname2430]

the liniarity never bothered me.

[@wenisknees]

Funny how I was literally just talking about how absolutely mental 2017 was for gaming with a friend earlier today.

[@gringomoderfoquer8287]

2017 set the bar so high that every year past that felt boring to me

[@vertigofy6699]

so true

[@armandostockvideos8386]

2022 Will BE 2017: PART 2, mark my words.

[@CrispyJM]

Near A Tomata is my favourite game from 2017

[@HeavyWeapons52]

I cannot BELIEVE you listed 2013 without so much as a mention of Ride to Hell: Retribution T_T

[@contrastdab359]

banger

[@Zylefer]

2nd time watching, and this video's still great

[@seetrogreen2042]

LETS GOOO NEW FUDJ NEW FUDJ LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOO

[@ruzinus_]

The year where DA:I was the goty is in the top 5 and I am personally offended.

[@minionpeter]

Danm imangen in 8 years when we gonan talk about 2022

[@TheMoonPersonTV]

sad i missed the premiere damn

[@cheesychip97]

gamers and gaming

[@creakingskull7008]

Creaking Skull

[@stevedomique9278]

My small sacrifice to the algorithm gods

[@firesquid6]

Dang I'm in school when this premiers

[@jon_ass]

should've done honorable mentions

[@helioarenas3008]

Wtf youtube why you so cruel on this COOL vid

[@TheMoonPersonTV]

LMAO I had no idea you also entered Smash 4 tournaments. on god he just like me

[@Jagzin909]

2015 is slept on tbh

[@eazybuxafew]

Cup head straight basura. But everything else listed for 2017 maaaaan what a year. Didn’t get around to playing most of them until 2018/19 as I got deployed that year but maaaaaaaaan

[@-aexc-]

whats wrong with cuphead. it was kinda frustrating to me but i just assumed cause im bad at games. (it took me around 35 hours to beat)

[@eazybuxafew]

@@-aexc- nah the game took me just shy of 30. I wasn’t too good initially either. Try & try again because when you get it you’ve got it! But what bothered me was the minstrel show/ Jim Crow esthetics and the creators refusal to acknowledge that or the harm those depictions caused to black people

[@swampingaway]

@@eazybuxafew LOL THIS IS THE MOST PATHETIC SHIT IVE EVER SEEN

[@forestholdeman8644]

Hype

[@AhmedAhmed-fc8gh]

16:45 hahaha BOG

[@EthansSpace]

2017 has the best music and movies too

[@JANJANOJAN]

6:59 i legit played mn9 yesterday and genuinely had alot of fun, wish it had animated cutscenes and more expressions for characters but overall loved the chara design. i think the game is p good only flaw i think it has is lives just like all the megaman games have idk. people will act like classic series bs didnt exist and this game was incredibly easy for me to play and any death i died was deserved (the oneshots werent even am issue i think it happened to me 5 times?). i think not fulfilling patreon tiers was scummy but the actual game isnt as ass as people make it out to and tbh id prefer playing it over mm1-6. again it had flaws with story and Va but literally mm has always had that issue nothing new keiji inafune literally made what people asked for in terms of gameplay and chara design and im honestly shocked at the overwhelming opinion of this game being all bad and no reedeming qualities at all like bruh. it couldve been better for sure but i loved the new ideas it was smooth and fast paced.

[@liamthellama8386]

Amazing video! Although I’m noticing a severe lack of Knack 2, so I’m going to have to give it a 0/10

[@henryfleischer404]

I'd put 2016 and 2010 higher, because of Kirby Planet Robobot and Koumajou Densetsu 2 respectively, as they are some of the best 2d action-platformers ever. I'd say the same for every year that got a Touhou game, but a Touhou game coming out is as remarkable as a COD game coming out, if COD was great and in a genre I like.

[@nocturnaliism]

You forgot about DOOM, arguably one of the best games of the 2010’s released in 2016..

[@versus_bugs]

the marx buste

[@OffAirProductions]

Feeding the algorithm, don't mind me. Every time I think about how Sony created and did almost nothing with the Vita still hurts me a little bit inside. That pain gets easily healed once you hack the thing though. It's honestly incredible how the most minor tweaking tools from the homebrew community can enhance even the crappiest Vita ports.

[@TheWrathAbove]

I remember that my vita ended up existing to only ever play Persona 4 Golden, Binding of Isaac, and Spelunky.

[@chrisgratton6436]

2 corrections halo 4 sucked and most halo fans hated it and black ops 2 was not just run of the mill but it is regarded by the majority of the cod fanbase as the best cod ever even though imo that belongs to mw2. Other than that great video like always, long time fan :)

[@slickl9608]

I got temporal whiplash from dat boi

[@jamesgraham3789]

now rank them by the amount of ludonarr- I have since realized that you are the one who makes the jokes. I will go back to my hole now

[@TaleOfTheToaster]

Right well tonight's looking like a no-sleeper so have some section by section thoughts Intro - never let me hear you say coitus ever again 2012 - this was an interesting one to reflect on because I was purely a Nintendo baby bitch boy in this era and all I knew of the Xbox landscape and beyond was, well, people in school complaining about Mass Effect 3, weirdly not talking about Halo 4, COD discussion remaining a universal constant... and then man, you went and reminded me about Sticker Star. That was the same year as Mass Effect 3? Jesus christ. At least lil bitch boy over here got Inazuma Eleven 2 and the best year of Eurovision to date so I was happy even if nobody else was. Had to collect myself after you took a long pause before calling FE Awakening "good" in the same way you do to prohibit this exact scenario in a World's Worst Review. Loved this opening segment, just as I loved my one underrated game of 2012, Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure... 2016 - This was one of my favourite years of gaming and the last truly great one I had before Being Busy took over, but that wasn't down to new releases really. It just happened to be the year I got into Zero Escape, Danganronpa, Ace Attorney, the best 'new' games I can think of were, what, Kirby Planet Robobot? Eh it probably had Pokémon or something (ignore the fact that all decades do) 2019 - After two reflective looks back at the distant past oh man I am not ready to face the reality of 2019 again but sucks for that year that Smash Ultimate squeaked out into December 2018. I vividly remember that the ONLY new game I played in this year was AI: The Somnium Files (and I finished it in 2020 anyway). I got nothing on this year and I think you dedicating most of the segment to your Disco Elysium agenda sums up its maximum impact 2015 - So the UNDERTALE year still falls into the lower half... fair enough, we're probably deep into Mario Tennis Ultra Smash territory by now. Sure enough, you didn't mention Nintendo at All outside of Satoru Iwata and I'll have to take your word for it on all the other companies... guess Undertale can't carry it all the way. Anyway, I was playing Little Battlers eXperience for the 3DS at this point and bugger it I'll herald that as a hidden gem for largely just my own benefit 2010 - oh now we're deep back into school territory, every page of my English course book would have a daily countdown to Super Mario Galaxy 2, the start of the World Cup, and my birthday - to a kid, this felt like an elite year, but come to think of it only one of those things was actually a game. Handheld games have generally gotten the jip in this video so far (very The Game Awards of you, Can Handheld Games Be Considered Art?) but I think on this front the DS had like, Pokémon Black and Okamiden, that was your lot. Easy to look back on fondly though. 2014 - Wowee we got a Smash Bros year, but at least that was late into the year so I can somewhat remember the 2014 leading up to it, and damn I mean people are still playing Mario Kart 8 now. Other than that, ah who am I kidding, I just played Inazuma and this was apparently the year the first Danganronpas came out to a player base of noone, I don't know jack TBC

[@TaleOfTheToaster]

2018 - The year that makes me think "did the Switch come out this year? No, no it didn't". As a result, Year 2 of Switch gave me very little until Smash once again took over my life and that alone is enough to carry. Glad that Red Dead and Monster Hunter were there to bolster it more generally in the wider world that I was largely ignorant to, this is why we have a Fudj 2013 - Well now we're really running out of years before '17 steals number one, glad to see this also gives de facto second place to 2011 and here in the 2013 segment, we finally get a mention of a 3DS game in A Link Between Worlds! I was more bothered about Animal Crossing New Leaf, Pokémon XY and more anime football gaming, but it's in there! Bloody hell this was also GTA V year, the only game on this list that can outdo Mario Kart 8 on the "how is this still selling" shockometer 2011 - Right then, second place is 2011, giving us the launch of the 3DS and its classic early life cycle games like, well, Pilotwings Resort... yeahhh I may be a 3DS fanboy bitch boy but even I could tell the focus was elsewhere, no young schoolboy could dodge the impact of Minecraft, peak COD era, Skyrim and more. But the dual launch of Skyward Sword and Mario 3D Land on the same day... THAT is one that gripped me for weeks in advance, I couldn't believe my luck as a teenager. Even if 3D Land ended up sucking for Me and Skyward Sword sucking for You but screw it I was happy with at least one 2017 - By no means a bad thing that the obvious candidate took the crown, 2017 just took no prisoners. Jump forward a decade and it should still be talked about. Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey aLONE would put 2017 in the top half by itself, especially backed up by the Other frequent Switch releases, but like... I didn't even play Persona 5 and that still became one of the most unavoidable games on the planet, yet another byproduct of 2017 that didn't even make your script. That's bonkers. Weirdly I think 2022 is shaping up to be an unexpectedly strong gaming year and one that should stand out in the future, but 2017 is looking proper untouchable. Bloody loved this video, could hardly predict it all the way through, and now i can piece together which other 3DS games i forgot to bias blast the years of 2011-2015 into my own thoughts of each year, cheers for that

[@Melkac]

shakira shadows don't lie

[@yosoyunapina]

How the heck do you rate 2012 at the very bottom and then not even mention Dishonored, critical darling and arguably the best game of that year??

[@MrDiana1706]

You better destroy them dude

[@hyrulehero2773]

Before watching this list, I'm going to predict that 2016 is the worst year by far. I remember that year being filled with absolutely horrible games, almost nothing from Nintendo, and like 2 good games total. I'll also predict that 2017 was the best year with hit after hit after hit. Edit: I might have guessed 2012 if I remembered that was when the Wii U released.