Looking back from 2026, it’s hard not to feel a rush of nostalgia remembering the seismic year that was 2013. A full console generation ago, the Metacritic scoreboard felt like the ultimate battleground, and the end-of-year top 20 was treated like a sacred text. I recently dug up the final critics’ consensus for that year, and let me tell you: the list is a time capsule of masterpieces, portents of genre shifts, and a few surprises that still hold up brilliantly. What better way to appreciate how far we’ve come than to walk through the titles that critics anointed as the very best?

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The chart is spearheaded by two giants that need no introduction even today. Grand Theft Auto V roared to a near-perfect 97 on both PS3 and Xbox 360, a score that still echoes in the industry’s memory. The Last of Us followed closely with a 95 on PS3, a figure made all the more impressive when you realize it was hit with a baffling 60 from one outlet and a 75 from another. Can you truly call a game divisive if only two critics dared to break the 90+ consensus? I’ve always wondered how that 60 reviewer felt a decade later, watching the franchise expand into TV and remakes.

The Top 20 at a Glance

🏆 1. Grand Theft Auto V (PS3, Xbox 360) – 97

🥈 2. The Last of Us (PS3) – 95

🥉 3. Super Mario 3D World (Wii U) – 94

🔥 4. BioShock Infinite (PS3, PC) – 94 (93 on Xbox 360)

🔧 5. Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection (PS3) – 93

📱 6. DEVICE 7 (iOS) – 92

🗡️ 7. Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS) – 92

🌈 8. Skylanders Swap Force (Wii U) – 92

🌸 9. Flower (PS4) – 91

🎸 10. Rayman Legends (Wii U, PS3) – 91 (90 on Xbox 360)

🚀 11. Asphalt 8: Airborne (iOS) – 91

🎣 12. Ridiculous Fishing (iOS) – 91

👽 13. XCOM: Enemy Unknown (iOS) – 91

🌀 14. Fez (PC) – 91

🎵 15. Rocksmith 2014 Edition (PC) – 91

⛵ 16. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Wii U) – 90

🔷 17. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS) – 90

⛏️ 18. Spelunky (PC) – 90

👬 19. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PC) – 90

⚔️ 20. DOTA 2 (PC) – 90

When I look at this lineup, the dominance of the ageing PS3 and Xbox 360 generation is palpable. Yet hidden in plain sight is the quiet arrival of the next generation. Flower on PS4 was the sole new-console standard bearer, scoring an elegant 91 – four points higher than its original PS3 release. That fact alone makes me ask: was the launch lineup for PS4 and Xbox One that underwhelming, or were critics simply too cautious to anoint unknown hardware with sky-high scores? The numbers suggest the former; FIFA 14 came closest with an 87 on PS4 and 88 on Xbox One, but no other launch title breached the 90 barrier.

Meanwhile, the Wii U was already in its stride, carving out a niche with four entries: Super Mario 3D World, Skylanders Swap Force, Rayman Legends, and The Wind Waker HD. That might surprise anyone who remembers the system’s commercial struggles, but it underscores how Nintendo’s first-party magic could always generate critical acclaim. It’s worth noting too the surge of mobile games on the list – DEVICE 7, Asphalt 8, Ridiculous Fishing, and XCOM on iOS all landed at 91 or 92, a sign that smartphone gaming was no longer dismissed as trivial.

Notably absent? Any Xbox One exclusive. The green team’s launch window just couldn’t generate the same critical fire, a preview of the uphill battle they’d spend the next decade trying to correct. On the PC front, the list was a glorious mishmash: Fez, Spelunky, Brothers, and the still-massive DOTA 2 each hitting 90, each a testament to how indie and competitive titles had fully matured.

Thirteen years later (yes, it’s 2026 already!), I can’t help but see this chart as a prophecy. GTA V turned into the most profitable entertainment product of all time. The Last of Us spawned a media empire. Fire Emblem: Awakening saved its franchise from extinction. And DOTA 2? It just wrapped up another International championship with an even more ludicrous prize pool. Isn’t it almost chilling how well that Metacritic snapshot predicted the long haul? Critics in 2013 weren’t just scoring games; they were inadvertently handing out licenses for immortality. Every time I scroll through Game Pass or the PlayStation Store and see these titles still in rotation, I tip my hat – the top 20 wasn’t just a list, it was a blueprint.