The first full year of the PlayStation 5 is in the books, and with it came a copious amount of excellent games. 2021 included a blend of different genres, new sequels, remasters of already fantastic games, big expansions, and so on. Those lucky enough to obtain a PS5 were able to experience many of these games with a fresh coat of paint, new content, better frame rates, and faster loading times.

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It says a lot about the top games when other great games, such as Resident Evil: Village and Returnal, are left off. It illustrates that even though some highly anticipated titles were pushed to 2022, there was still no shortage of games worth picking up in 2021. Among the PS5 titles that did make the cut, only one stands above the rest as the best-received game on Metacritic in 2021.

Note: This list only considers games with a Metacritic ranking

10 Guilty Gear: Strive Strove For Fighting Game Greatness, And Mostly Succeeded (87 Metacritic Score)

Ky Kiske and Giovanna

Arc System Works has grown to become one of the premier and most popular developers in the fighting game genre. While their anime fighters have long been a niche within a niche, their release of Dragon Ball FighterZ in 2018 brought more eyes to their titles. In 2021, Arc System Works released a new entry in the long-running Guilty Gear franchise with Guilty Gear: Strive. Sporting gorgeous visuals, electric music, and silky smooth rollback netcode, Strive was widely praised by fans and critics alike. Not all fans bought into Strive, however, as some lamented the simpler approach to gameplay compared to crazier past entries.

Guilty Gear: Strive was not the only game to receive an 87. Tales of Arise, The Nioh Collection, and Chicory: A Colorful Tale were each well received by critics and deserve at least a mention.

9 Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut Brings One Of 2020's Best Games To PS5 (88 Metacritic Score)

Jin on Iki Island

Ghost of Tsushima dazzled players when it was released in 2020. The Sucker Punch Productions title explored a feudal Japan setting and classic samurai film style that has long been underutilized in gaming and created a breathtaking experience. The Director's Cut not only includes a new expansion and PS5 functionality (such as haptic feedback and faster adaptive trigger support), but it also includes full Japanese language lip-sync to give players a truly complete experience.

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The "Iki Island" expansion, which was released alongside the Director's Cut version of the game, received an 84 on Metacritic. "Iki Island" received praise for delving deeper into Jin's backstory as well as the bountiful content that fills the island of Iki.

8 Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Was One Of The First Games To Give Players A True Next-Gen Experience (88 Metacritic Score)

Rivet and Clank

The Ratchet & Clank series has become as synonymous with PlayStation as Mario is with Nintendo and Halo is with Xbox. Whenever a new PlayStation console releases, a Ratchet & Clank game closely follows. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart continues the story from Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus and sends the iconic heroes into a multidimensional adventure that takes full advantage of the PS5's SSD.

Rift Apart would become a game many players cite as the first console game that truly felt next-gen thanks to the lightning-fast transition between dimensions and worlds.

7 Deathloop Had Players Constantly Coming Back For More (88 Metacritic Score)

Julianna fights Colt

Arkane Studios took much of what they've learned from the Dishonored series and introduced players to an addictive time-bending shooter in Deathloop. The premise of Deathloop is simple: the player, assuming the role of Colt, is tasked to assassinate a group of people known as the Visionaries, with Juliana being the final target.

The catch is if Colt dies or the clock strikes midnight, the player is whisked back to the start of the day to try again. The player will have to learn enemy patterns and the world around them to ultimately succeed, or die and die again.

6 It Takes Two Is One Of The Best Co-Op Games On The PS5 (88 Metacritic Score)

Cody and May from it Takes Two

While many games like to include co-op as an option, It Takes Two requires the player to play with someone else. There is no single-player option. And similar to Hazelight Studio's original title, A Way Out, it's for the better. It Takes Two is at its absolute best when played with a close acquaintance such as a significant other. The story of It Takes Two centers around Cody and May, a married couple planning on divorcing, and their daughter Rose who's committed to repairing their broken relationship.

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It Takes Two would impress so many players that the game would go on to win 2021 Game of the Year at The Game Awards, beating out the likes of Deathloop, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Resident Evil: Village.

5 Disco Elysium: The Final Cut Put Player's Detective Skills To The Test (89 Metacritic Score)

A dialog option in Disco Elysium

2019's captivating murder mystery, Disco Elysium, made its way to the PS5 in 2021 with Disco Elysium: The Final Cut. Disco Elysium is an RPG where the player assumes the role of an amnesiac detective as he's tasked with solving a murder mystery. In the process, unraveling his own past. Disco Elysium takes many cues from older Fallout games, such as the isometric perspective, dialog options, traits, and skill checks.

The Final Cut version expands and, in places, reworks the original game. The most significant addition with The Final Cut is the inclusion of voice acting, providing a voice to hundreds of the game's characters.

4 Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Brings Fan-Favorite Yuffie Into The Remake Fold (89 Metacritic Score)

Yuffie engaged in combat

After a long wait, the dreams of many Final Fantasy fans were realized when they got their hands on the Final Fantasy VII Remake in 2020. A year later, Final Fantasy VII Remake would receive an updated version for PS5 titled Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. This updated version contains subtle quality of life changes (such as an improved Synergy materia) as well as a new story DLC bringing fan-favorite Yuffie into the Remake-verse.

The "Episode INTERmission" DLC itself received an 81 on Metacritic. Much like "Iki Island" for Ghost of Tsushima, "Episode INTERmission" was widely praised for delving deeper into a character's past, in this case, the loveable Yuffie, as well as simply being more of an already great game.

3 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Was The Return To Glory Tony Hawk Fans Were Long Waiting For (90 Metacritic Score)

Tony Hawk skating in the Warehouse

The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise experienced a downhill progression over the years, and questions were raised of whether or not the series could be viable over 20 years after the original's release. However, fans were thrilled with the love and attention to detail in 2020's remaster of the original two games, titled Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2.

In 2021, the game was ported over to the PS5. This port primarily included basic enhancements such as improved visuals and frame rate, but it does include new gear for Create-A-Skater as well as a retro skin for classic skaters like Tony Hawk himself.

2 Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker Was One Of The Biggest Releases In 2021 (92 Metacritic Score)

Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker

Yes, "Endwalker" is an expansion for Final Fantasy XIV and not a game in itself. However, it warrants a spot on this list for its monumental release. The release of "Endwalker" was so massive that Square-Enix had to suspend sales of the game to accommodate the server load. "Endwalker" was well received by critics and fans alike as the game also has a user score above 9.0 as of the time of this writing.

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"Endwalker" marks the end of the first story arc of Final Fantasy XIV in grand fashion while also increasing the level cap to 90 and introducing the Sage and Reaper classes.

1 Hades Was Worth The Wait For PlayStation Players (93 Metacritic Score)

Zagreus preparing to fight

Whenever Supergiant Games releases a game, it's a safe bet the game will have gorgeous visuals, an amazing soundtrack, and an engaging story. Their roguelike 2020 release, Hades, truly felt like the culmination of their past works drawing from the best aspects of Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre. Hades centers around the son of Hades, Zagreus, as he attempts to escape the underworld. Along the way, he meets many colorful figures from Greek Mythology in what is an incredibly deep narrative.

In 2021, Hades received a special Best Video Game Hugo Award, making it the first video game to receive the literary honor for science fiction or fantasy.

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