The 20 Best Video Games of 2021 So Far

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – July 7, 2021

Which games impressed professional reviewers the most during the first half of the year? Above, we rank the best-reviewed videogames released between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021 by Metascore. Games must have at least 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible for inclusion.

Note that ...

If a game was released on multiple platforms, we included only the version receiving the largest total number of reviews (usually, but not always, the PS5 or PS4 version).

Multi-game compilations and newly released ports of games released in prior years on other platforms are excluded, unless they are substantially different from the prior release(s) (for example, an HD remaster of a previous-gen game that also adds some new content).

3 of 21 photo by Awaken Realms

82 #18: Tainted Grail: Conquest

A PC-only deck-builder/RPG/roguelike hybrid from tabletop game company Awaken Realms, Tainted Grail is set in a fantasy world that riffs on Arthurian legend. But King Arthur is dead, the Knights of the Round Table are in disarray, Avalon is cursed, and a mission to save the world has already failed. Now, it is up to you and your motley band of heroes to reach Kamelot and find the Grail. The Kickstarter-funded game features turn-based card battles and exploration.

“Any game so good that you can't resist doing just one more battle in is a game well worth paying attention to, and Tainted Grail definitely manages that.” —TheSixthAxis

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