--- title: These Are the Best Video Games of 2018 description: Here are TIME’s best video games of 2018, from Red Dead Redemption 2 to God of War. canonical: https://time.com/5455710/best-video-games-2018/ author: Alex Fitzpatrick article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-16T12:00:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:43:37.268Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: The 10 Best Video Games of 2018 og:description: From 'Dandara' to 'God of War' og:url: https://time.com/5455710/best-video-games-2018/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a69822d66232123/69893f1e656a3f016bbd5fb2/best-video-games.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Top 10 Best Video Games 2018 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The 10 Best Video Games of 2018 twitter:description: From 'Dandara' to 'God of War' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a69822d66232123/69893f1e656a3f016bbd5fb2/best-video-games.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The 10 Best Video Games of 2018 > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/), [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/) and [Patrick Austin](https://time.com/author/patrick-lucas-austin/) Nov 16, 2018 12:00 PM UTC  God of War; Spider-Man; Red Dead Redemption 2 God of War; Spider-Man; Red Dead Redemption 2Sony Interactive (2); Rockstar Games by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/), [Eliana Dockterman](https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/) and [Patrick Austin](https://time.com/author/patrick-lucas-austin/) Nov 16, 2018 12:00 PM UTC As the world seems increasingly tumultuous and hostile, it’s only natural to seek some means of escape—if only for a few hours at a time. Luckily for those of us who prefer video games as our means of a temporary reprieve from reality, 2018 offered an embarrassment of riches. This year, gamers have been treated to everything from refreshing takes on longtime favorites (like _God of War_ and _Super Mario Party_) to bizarre yet utterly enjoyable titles that push the medium forward in new and exciting ways (like _Donut County_ and _Florence_). Whittling down the list of the year’s best games is an annual challenge, one that seems only to get harder every time. That’s a good thing, of course, reflecting the outstanding quality coming from major studios and indie designers alike. For TIME’s list of the best video games of 2018, we focused on the games we couldn’t put down this year, the games that surprised us in some delightful way, and the games that were just simply gave us the most joy to play. ## **10\.** **_Donut County_** **(PS4, iPhone, PC)**  Donut County Annapurna Interactive Among the year’s strangest games, _Donut County_ turns each player into a giant hole in the ground swallowing up as many houses, people and pets as possible. Lurking just beneath the surface of this enjoyable oddball is a surprisingly poignant message about selfishness and greed. ## **9\.** **_Dandara_** **(PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, iPhone, Android)**  Dandara Raw Fury In a radical update to the old-school 2-D platformer, _Dandara_ players dart from point to point to help the titular hero (inspired by a 17th century Afro-­Brazilian abolitionist of the same name) save her “world of Salt” from the mysterious and infectious Golden Idea. The beautiful graphics and wide range of attacks make the steep learning curve worthwhile. ## **8\.** **_Assassin’s Creed Odyssey_** **(PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)**  Assassin's Creed Odyssey Ubisoft The latest in Ubisoft’s long-running series drops players in ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War. While it offers gamers more plot-altering choices than ever before and (finally) gives them the ability to pick between genders, it largely takes an if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it approach to deliver a Greek-­history geek’s dream game. ## **7\.** **_Super Mario Party_** **(Switch)**  Super Mario Party Nintendo _Super Mario Party_ is a satisfying return to form for a classic franchise. This time, Nintendo’s designers have wisely simplified _Mario Party_’s board-game elements while bolstering the crowd-­pleasing mini-games. This version also takes advantage of the motion sensors in the controllers, letting players shake, flip and stir their way through seriously silly contests. ## **6\.** **_Florence_** **(iPhone, Android)**  Florence Annapurna Interactive A standout in an emerging genre that blurs the line between video games and interactive stories, _Florence_ is a novel experience in which gamers solve puzzles to help the main character advance her new relationship. In _Florence_, unlike other puzzle games, the challenges actually get easier as the game goes on, a moving metaphor for the bond that grows between people over time. ## **5.** **_Red Dead Redemption 2_**(PS4, Xbox One)  Red Dead Redemption 2 Rockstar Games A prequel to 2010’s much loved original, Rockstar Games’ _Red Dead Redemption 2_ is a sprawling tale about the decline of the lawless West. Players fill the shoes of gang member Arthur Morgan, on the run after robbing an oil magnate’s train. The otherwise enjoyable game was marred by reports of overworked developers. ## **4\.** **_Subnautica_** (Xbox One, PC)  Subnautica Unknown Worlds Entertainment _Subnautica_ is a sci-fi survival game in which brains, not brawn, are key to staying alive. Players take the form of a futuristic astronaut who crash-lands on a mysterious ocean world. While the deep blue sea is beautiful, it’s also dangerous. As a bonus: developer Unknown Worlds refreshingly kept guns out of the game to make it feel like an escape from real-world violence. ## **3\.** **_Into the Breach_** **(**Switch, PC)  Into the Beach Subset Games From the makers of the award-­winning _FTL: Faster Than Light_ comes this turn-based strategy game set in a nightmarish future world overrun by monsters. As in chess, successful players must think ahead and make sacrifices for the greater good. ## **2\.** **_Spider-Man_** **(**PS4)  Spider-Man PlayStation 4 Sony Insomniac Games has made the best-yet video game featuring Spider-Man—in fact, players will so enjoy the simple act of swinging around a hyperrealistic New York City that they might forget about fighting classic Spidey foes like Wilson Fisk and Electro. ## **1\.** **_God of War_** **(**PS4)  God of War Sony Interactive Previous _God of War_ games focused on Spartan turned deity Kratos’ brutal acts of revenge against the gods who killed his family. This more mature story shows the aging demigod as a stoic father and grieving widower. _God of War_ impresses with its game play, but players may need a tissue or two when the father-son dynamics get more real than mythic. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5455710/best-video-games-2018/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5455710/best-video-games-2018/"},"headline":"The 10 Best Video Games of 2018","datePublished":"2018-11-16T12:00:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:43:37.268Z","description":"From 'Dandara' to 'God of War'","url":"https://time.com/5455710/best-video-games-2018/","keywords":["Video Games","Tech","Best of Everything 2018"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a69822d66232123/69893f1e656a3f016bbd5fb2/best-video-games.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Fitzpatrick","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Patrick Austin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/patrick-lucas-austin/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a69822d66232123/69893f1e656a3f016bbd5fb2/best-video-games.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Top 10 Best Video Games 2018","caption":"God of War; Spider-Man; Red Dead Redemption 2","creditText":"Sony Interactive (2); Rockstar Games","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/video-games/","name":"Video Games"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5455710/best-video-games-2018/","name":"The 10 Best Video Games of 2018"}}]}] ```