The Best Video Games Released So Far in 2021

It has been a year of great chaos and transition for the video game industry. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are less than a year old. Cyberpunk 2077, which was widely expected to be one of the great masterpieces of this generation of consoles, arrived in such a buggy and flawed state that Sony pulled it off its digital marketplace altogether. Meanwhile, many of the most anticipated games on the horizon — the God of War sequel on PlayStation 5, the Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel on Nintendo Switch, Halo Infinite on Xbox Series X/S — still don’t even have concrete release dates. And for a hefty chunk of gamers, that might not even matter: Widespread shortages have meant that even finding one of those consoles is still a sizable challenge.

But in the midst of all that chaos, there have been plenty of great games to play in 2021 if you know where to look — and if you don’t, we’re here to help. GQ has taken a look at every major platform and singled out some of the absolute best. (And for the sake of making sure we’re actually tipping our hat to new games, this list excludes all re-releases, remasters, and remakes — so no Nioh Collection, Mass Effect Legendary Edition, or Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139… here.)

Here are the best video games released so far in 2021, along with where you can play them:

11. Mundaun (PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X/S and One, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC)

You might have missed this self-described "lovingly pencilled horror tale," when it quietly arrived in March. This sepia-tinged horror title puts the player in the shoes of a young man who travels to a small town in Switzerland when he hears his grandfather has died there under murky circumstances. What follows after you arrive? Twists, puzzles, passable stealth/combat, and a surprising number of goats.

10. Clap Hanz Golf (iOS)

If you have any nostalgia whatsoever for the Hot Shots Golf franchise that earned a loyal following on the PlayStation in the late 90s, you’ll feel right at home in Clap Hanz Golf, which is a direct sequel in everything but name. Working with the same basic formula as their old franchise — cartoony characters dropped into a surprisingly realistic golf sim — developers Clap Hanz elegantly rework the series for mobile phones, with an intuitive swiping mechanic that uses the touchscreen for every drive, chip, and putt.

9. The Climb 2 (Oculus Quest)

Though VR has improved by leaps and bounds over the past 10 years, many games still feel more like tech demos than something you’d actually spend a lot of time playing. But you get a glimpse of VR’s potential when you play something like The Climb 2, which encourages you to scramble and leap across mountains and skyscrapers in a climbing simulation convincing enough that your actual palms might start sweating. Global leaderboards will keep you returning to the same slopes, risking sheer cliff faces to shave a second or two from your personal best times. Acrophobics: Please do not try this one.

8. Overboard! (Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, PC)

Overboard! starts with a can’t-miss premise: The year is 1935, and you’re a woman who just pushed your husband off a ship to his death. Can you get away with murder? From there, this story-driven comedy-thriller spins off into pretty any direction you choose, as you work to scheme, bribe, or murder your way past the other suspicious passengers and toward freedom. Overboard! has enough branching paths to ensure plenty of replayability, so don’t feel bad if you get caught — there’s always the next time around.

7. Returnal (PlayStation 5)

If you like your video games hopelessly addictive and tough as nails, don’t sleep on this sci-fi shooter about an astronaut who crash-lands on a hostile alien world and discovers she is caught in a time loop that inevitably ends with her death. That "loop" also makes up Returnal’s core gameplay: No matter how deeply you explore the planet, shooting aliens and finding new gear, your death will rocket you right back to the beginning with a weak pistol in your hands. The game can be frustrating, but the mysterious sci-fi/horror plot and tense, brooding atmosphere will keep you hooked. (Pro tip: Play Returnal with a headset that has 3D audio capabilities — there’s nothing quite like actually hearing an alien creature creeping up behind you.)

6. Fantasian (iOS)

Cell phone games have a reputation for being pretty simple — but every once in a while, you get something like Fantasian, the brainchild of Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. Though Fantasian is an epic RPG in the classic sense — with little numbers popping up when you attack monsters and everything — it’s also a thoughtful and novel modern update of the genre, with a mobile-friendly mechanic that allows you to put off battles until you actually feel like dealing with them. Best of all is the game’s singular visual design, in which the animated characters traverse actual, physical dioramas that were lovingly crafted and photographed to bring Fantasian’s world to life.

5. It Takes Two (PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X/S and One, PC)

Coming out right around the time COVID-19 restrictions were starting to wind down, It Takes Two offers a welcome opportunity to spend quality time with a partner or friend from the comfort of your own homes. Living up to its title, the game is a two-player-only experience in which each player takes the side of a couple headed for divorce. That might sound grim — but from that premise, the game spins out a sunny, whimsical puzzle platformer in which both players must work together to advance. It’s a clever metaphor for what two people can do in harmony, and a pleasant way to connect with someone either on your couch or thousands of miles away.

4. Bowser’s Fury (Nintendo Switch)

Based purely on the title, you might assume that the second game in the Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury package is an afterthought. But while there’s no shortage of fun to be had with Super Mario 3D World, which originally released on the Wii U in 2013, it’s the brand-new game in this collection that really shines. The surprisingly meaty Bowser’s Fury plays like a cross between Super Mario Sunshine and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. After a quick intro, Mario can freely explore a chain of islands, solving little quests and occasionally transforming into a giant cat who spars against a Godzilla-sized Bowser. Leave it to Nintendo to do something this bizarre with its flagship franchise, and to pull it off with so much panache and polish.

3. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PlayStation 5)

At a time when most developers are using the PlayStation 5 to push the limits of photorealism, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart veers in the opposite direction, delivering a rollicking sci-fi adventure that looks like it could have been animated by Pixar. This new installment in the popular franchise centered on a furry animal and his robot pal offers the same stuff longtime fans have always loved — sharp writing, tight platforming, and a seemingly endless array of wacky guns to shoot at the robots and skeletons in your way — and adds a flashy new mechanic that lets you jump between different dimensions. From beginning to end, Rift Apart is as joy-inducing as a Saturday morning cartoon (though you’ll have to provide your own sugary cereal).

2. Resident Evil Village (PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X/S and One, PC)

25 years (and several dozen games) after the first Resident Evil terrified a generation of gamers, Capcom is still finding new ways to shake up the formula of its beloved survival-horror franchise. With a story that picks up shortly after 2017’s terrifying Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Village takes an unexpected, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to modern horror, packing in werewolves, creepy dolls, and a very tall, blood-drinking countess who has inspired a staggering number of thirsty tweets. There’s nothing like Resident Evil, and Village proves the franchise still has a bright and bonkers future ahead of it.

1. Hitman 3 (PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X/S and One, Nintendo Switch, PC)

The final installment in IO Interactive’s triumphant "World of Assassination" trilogy is, like its predecessors, impossible to describe without sounding like a sociopath. Yes, it’s a murder simulator — but it’s a hilarious murder simulator. By dropping you into a big map and giving you endless ways to hunt and kill a target, the Hitman franchise nudges the player toward Rube Goldberg-style black comedy with assassination opportunities like exploding golf balls or falling moose statues. Though it hits the same highs as the previous two games, HItman 3 also adds some new wrinkles to the formula, including a fiendishly clever level that lets you cosplay as the detective in an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery at a British country manor.