The 20 Best Video Games of 2021 So Far
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).
Set in "America's 34th most haunted city," A Fumble in the Dark is a comedic, pixel art-styled, indie point-and-click adventure for consoles and PC, and a sequel to 2017's The Darkside Detective. The new game features six new standalone mysteries at locations ranging from a carnival to a retirement home, and it received even better reviews than the original. (Newcomers, fear not: Fumble includes a quick recap of events for those who didn't play the previous game.)
“A ridiculous and funny point and click adventure that anyone can enjoy. The style of gameplay is simple, allowing you to enjoy the art, music and especially the writing even more. It will feed you that good mix of absurd and self-aware comedy that you didn’t even know you were hungry for.” —Checkpoint Gaming