Before we get started, let’s settle on a few things — we will be talking about some of the most fantastic single-player experiences that AAA games have given us, and we will list them in no particular order. Moreover, this is a personalized list, so not only am I aware that I will miss quite a few games heralded as masterpieces and G.O.A.T.s, but I’m hoping to keep the conversation going with more additions.
As someone who’s been gaming for 23 years now, it’s a tough (and unenviable) task to list out “the greatest” games ever. The best one can do is just to talk about their personal favorites that become timeless, deliver stellar, unforgettable experiences, and stay with us for years after the credits roll. Every single game on here can claim that title, and that’s why I consider them the greatest single-player games ever.
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12
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
The Metroidvania that redefined the genre
To this day, I can’t believe it took me until 2018 to play Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I’d played a couple of them here and there on knock-off NES consoles, but never a mainline game. That changed in 2018, when I bought the Requiem collection, fresh from watching the Netflix animated series. Suffice it to say that I felt like I’d wasted 20 years of my life not having played Symphony of the Night. You can clearly see how the game laid the foundation for Metroidvania games. Even the original PS1 version, almost 30 years later, holds up fantastically well.
A game that hasn’t just aged perfectlybut remains one of the greatest single-player games ever, Symphony of the Night delivers nearly 15 hours of unadulterated fun as you make your way through Dracula’s castle. The invasion of the castle is still one of the most memorable gaming moments in history, and rightly so. Plus, in Symphony of the Night, you’ve got one of the best art styles ever, as the game boasts an ageless Gothic design which, to this day, is remarkably atmospheric.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
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11
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Combat, comics, and cinema
Having come across a DVD of the game at a flea market, I went ahead and bought Arkham Asylum, not knowing I was purchasing the greatest superhero game ever. Arkham Asylum is the story of a single, grueling night, as Batman fights an entire posse of villains and thugs to regain control over Arkham Asylum, where Mark Hamill’s excellent Joker has taken over. Not only was the story of Arkham Asylum brilliantly written and a clear love letter to the Caped Crusader, but it also raised the bar for every combat system in gaming. The free-flowing combat of Arkham Asylum wasn’t just fluid and cinematic, but mixed with combo takedowns and throws, with gadgets thrown into the fray, and freedom of movement as your cape flew all across the arena, taking down thugs like they owed you rent.
The sequels only improved and diversified this perfect formula, and to this day, Arkham Asylum’s influence on all beat-em-ups is more than visible. With an impactful and memorable story, game-changing combat, and comic-accurate atmosphere, Batman: Arkham Asylum was a smash hit and rightfully deserves its place in the annals of single-player gaming history.
Since then, every superhero game has owed something to this game, and most are still playing catch-up.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
10
Resident Evil 4
It’s on the bingo card for third-person-shooter royalty
Resident Evil 4 isn’t just one of the best single-player games ever made — it’s one of the most important games in history. Every third-person action game with over-the-shoulder shooting owes a debt to RE4 for revolutionizing survival horror and reinventing it. The dynamic pacing, adaptive AI, and that signature laser-sight aiming system felt years ahead of its time. Add tight level design, high-octane action, and some genuinely eerie moments, and you’ve got a game that didn’t just define its era — it shaped the next two decades of game design.
What makes RE4 special, though, is how it balances action and atmosphere, never letting one overpower the other. And with Capcom’s phenomenal 2023 remake, that balance was preserved and polished to perfection. The remake preserves the original’s charm, sharpening it for a modern audience, reminding us why Leon Kennedy’s mission to this derelict Spanish village became the blueprint for action-horror done right. This is gaming canon, plain and simple.
Resident Evil 4 (Remake)
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9
Fallout: New Vegas
Choice and consequence at its finest
Fallout: New Vegas didn’t have the polish of its predecessor, nor the budget of its successors, but it had so much soul that it’s become the favorite of almost every Fallout fan. This entry into the Fallout universe dared to prioritize player agency above all else. You’re not a messiah or a chosen one — you’re just a courier who got left for dead, and the world moved on. Every faction, every choice, and every alliance you make shapes the Mojave Wasteland into something different.
New Vegas made me feel like I was truly carving out my own legacy in a post-apocalyptic world. Would I side with the militaristic NCR, the brutal Caesar’s Legion, or go full wild card and reshape Vegas for myself? That level of narrative flexibility, combined with sharp writing, unforgettable characters, difficult choices, and surprisingly deep RPG systems, is what makes New Vegas not just one of the best Fallout games, but one of the greatest single-player experiences in history.
Janky? Absolutely. But I wouldn’t trade its quirks for anything in the world.
Fallout: New Vegas
8
Red Dead Redemption 2
A swan song for the outlaw
If I had to point to one game that exemplifies gaming as a storytelling medium, it’d be Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar’s magnum opus is a sprawling, emotional, gorgeously realized descent into the twilight of the Wild West. You play as Arthur Morgan, a rugged outlaw caught between loyalty and morality, and by the time the credits rolled, I felt like I knew him. Few games have ever delivered such a gut-wrenching arc, backed by some of the most nuanced writing and character work in the entire medium.
The world of RDR2 is a living, breathing world, complete with emergent storytelling, dynamic encounters, and an attention to detail so staggering and borderline obsessive that it still stands head and shoulders above other open worlds. From the crackle of a campfire to the shifting weight of Arthur’s horse (among other things), every system works together to immerse you in a journey of brotherhood, betrayal, and ultimately, redemption. It’s one of those rare games where every moment feels handcrafted, and long after I finished it, I couldn’t stop thinking about its world — or the man I became in it.
Red Dead Redemption 2
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7
Shadow of the Colossus
Titans, tragedy, and the beauty of stillness
Few games manage to convey the magnitude of scale, silence, and sorrow quite like Shadow of the Colossus. I myself might have experienced this game through YouTube playthroughs in sixth grade since we couldn’t afford a PS2, but I remember the game being an insanely haunting and beautiful experience in my life. You play as Wander, a silent protagonist on a solemn quest to resurrect a loved one — and to do that, you must take down sixteen colossi scattered across a barren, mysterious land. No other enemies, no dungeons, no towns. Just you, your horse, your sword, and giants to slay.
The genius of Shadow of the Colossus lies in its minimalism — there’s no music for long stretches, yet every silence feels profound. The game doesn’t spoon-feed its story — it lets the weight of your actions creep in slowly, until you start questioning whether you’re the hero at all. A masterclass in environmental storytelling, scale, and emotional ambiguity, Shadow of the Colossus is a timeless single-player journey that forces you to confront the meaning of sacrifice — and what it costs to defy fate.
Shadow of the Colossus
6
Elden Ring
A brutal, beautiful open world like no other
Elden Ring was the first Soulsborne game I ever played because, from the outside, the Souls games had always seemed like convoluted RPGs in which I’d have no interest. 234 hours as Tarnished later, I still can’t wait to return to the game. Elden Ring puts you in the shoes of a “foul”, “lowly” Tarnished, rising up to a monumental journey of defeating Demigods, expanding into an open world for players to explore at their own pace.
The lore sucked me in from the get-go, and the story, co-written by George R.R. Martin, is certainly a grand epic that even my partner was interested in. It’s the Soulsborne structure, honed to perfection and wielded beautifully in Elden Ring. It could’ve been tricky to merge the Souls formula with an open-world format for an entirely new audience, but damn, FromSoftware stuck the landing, and ended up creating one of the greatest open-world games ever. And unlike most open-world games, every inch of The Lands Between feels deliberate, rewarding curiosity in a way few games ever have, and every game must follow.
Elden Ring
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5
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
A monster slayer with the heart of a philosopher
There aren’t a lot of RPGs out there that can veritably claim the title of greatest RPG of all time, but The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt certainly comes close. Back when it came out in 2015, I couldn’t believe the visuals — the flowing landscapes, the way Roach’s tail swung as Geralt rode, the way the blood ebbed and flowed during combat, and how Geralt himself danced around the arena, his silver and steel swords doing the talking for him. With almost 150 hours to spend by yourself on this gorgeous and rich map, players can easily lose themselves in every single quest The Witcher 3 offers. Add to that the excellent DLC expansions, and you have a masterpiece that kept getting better.
What made The Witcher 3 unforgettable, though, wasn’t just its open-world scale or next-gen visuals — it was the storytelling. Whether you were retrieving a stolen frying pan or unraveling the trauma of the Bloody Baron’s family, each mission carried weight and consequences. It wasn’t about clearing objectives — it was about being Geralt, making choices, facing consequences, and living with them in a world that never stopped feeling real.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
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4
The Last of Us (Complete)
Humanity, vengeance, and moral ambiguity
There’s a reason The Last of Us is regarded as a watershed moment in gaming history — it brought together a cinematic, narrative-driven, and emotionally heavy story for the PS3, pushing not just the console to its limits but also the medium itself. For Part I, the story is simple—cure the zombie apocalypse. A simple plot but complex characters made us fall in love with the first game, where Joel eventually learns to reconnect with his lost humanity through a newfound love for his child companion.
Then comes Part II, reminding us that the world of The Last of Us is a brutal, unforgiving place. Part I isn’t complete without Part II; the story must always be told together. Actions bear consequences, and hate begets vengeance. One of the most narratively complex and bold stories I’ve ever seen attempted in gaming, The Last of Us has earned its place in the hall of fame of single-player, narrative-driven games. Let’s not forget the gameplay, either, which absolutely nails stealth and brutal combat, always keeping you on your toes as you plan and rethink every single action throughout the grueling 35 hours of both games combined.
The Last of Us Part I and II
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3
Half-Life 2
Gaming’s most influential single-player
There’s before Half-Life 2, and then there’s after. When Valve dropped this game in 2004, it didn’t just raise the bar — it rebuilt it from scratch. It was the kind of generational leap that felt impossible at the time. The Source engine wasn’t just a technical flex, but a revolution. Physics-based gameplay, facial animations that actually conveyed emotion, AI companions that felt alive, and a story that unfolded in-world without ever breaking immersion — Half-Life 2 pulled you in and never let go. It made you believe that first-person shooters could be cerebral, cinematic, and deeply atmospheric without sacrificing a lick of gameplay.
But the real kicker? It still holds up. The gravity gun is still one of the coolest tools ever put in a player’s hands. Ravenholm still creeps under your skin. Alyx still feels like a real person. And Gordon Freeman — silent though he may be — remains one of gaming’s most iconic protagonists. Half-Life 2 didn’t just define what single-player games could be. It dared to ask: why not make them unforgettable? Valve answered, and did so resoundingly.
Half-Life 2
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2
Cyberpunk 2077
Single-player fun at its peak
Cyberpunk 2077 might just be the most ambitious single-player game ever made — its ambition cost it dearly, but boy, did it get back up in the saddle. I remember being completely sold on the idea of Night City long before the game launched. I was captivated by the neon-lit vertical chaos, the haunting synths, and the promises of a gritty RPG sandbox unlike anything we’d seen before. And while it’s true that the game’s launch version missed the mark in more ways than one, what followed was one of gaming’s most impressive redemption arcs.
Years later, especially with the 2.0 overhaul and Phantom Liberty, Cyberpunk 2077 finally became the game I once dreamed of. It’s not just the best first-person RPG I’ve ever played — it’s the most immersive. Few games make you feel like your character the way Cyberpunk does. You are V. Your voice, clothes, apartment, relationships, implants, car, and choices — they all reflect you, and you alone. It may have stumbled, but in the end, Cyberpunk 2077 found its soul. And in doing so, it earned its place among the very greatest.
Cyberpunk 2077
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1
Honorable mention — Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Unlimited ammo and a license to kill
How many AAA games can you name that are truly romantic, not just with a love story, but a romantic tragedy at their core? We’ve seen plenty of great relationships blossom across games, sure, but Max Payne 2 stands apart. It’s not just a tale of crime, revenge, and noir — it’s a full-throated plunge into love, loss, and the inescapable pain that lingers in between. While the original Max Payne put us on a bloody path of vengeance, Max Payne 2 is where the soul of the series emerged fully.
Set over a long, rain-soaked New York night, Max Payne 2 saw Max fall for a femme fatale — and with that, came a war between his heart and his mission, all while a real one raged on the streets of New York. The writing was poetic, cynical, and devastating, all delivered in panels dripping with noir perfection. The gameplay? Absolutely iconic — from bullet-time shootouts to groundbreaking physics that still hold up today. Max Payne 2 remains unmatched in the way it blends its aching story with stylized action, and I genuinely can’t wait for the remake to remind the world of its brilliance.
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
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There’s no such thing as a definitive top 10 — and that’s a good thing
In the end, there’s no such thing as a definitive list of the greatest single-player games ever made — only deeply personal ones. These games left a mark on all of us, and I’m sure everyone’s list looks a little different. That’s the beauty of gaming — our experiences are our own, and there’s always something out there that changes how we see storytelling, combat, or even ourselves. The true joy comes from discussing the games we love and cherish, celebrating single-player greatness together.
