24/7 Insights

• Many of the best video games made by Bethesda are widely regarded as some of the best video games of all time.
• Not all the games on this list were made or published by Bethesda, but it owns the rights to them.
• 24/7 is your place for all things regarding consumer products and entertainment. If you want to get started on your financial journey, download our free report on two stocks we think every investor should own forever.

No industry is immune to the creative and ethical desert that is private equity and brain-dead executives who only want to make money instead of creating quality products. Wherever there is money to be made, greedy executives will fly in, milk it dry, and then jump to safety to destroy another company.

The video game industry is no different, as any modern game fan will tell you. Large AAA game developers and publishers have been pushing out expensive and disappointing games while the indie scene has pushed boundaries and created true works of art. One of the companies that comes from a long line of indie developers and has survived to publish some of the biggest and most successful games ever made, Bethesda has done it all.

For this list, we consulted the user reviews on Steam and only included full game releases. We did not include DLC, expansions, re-releases, alternate versions, free games, mobile games, and other similar products.

Why Are We Talking About This?

If you’re looking to invest in a game company or get started in developing games yourself, then you can learn a lot by looking at the trend of modern games: indie games are where success is being had and where customers are showing their greatest support. Once you can identify these trends and what customers want you will see why some of Bethesda’s games receive great acclaim while others crashed and burned.

#40 Redfall

• Rating: Mostly Negative (37% of 2,217 reviews)

Redfall received generally negative reviews upon release with players criticizing the bland story and missions, disappointing enemy AI, and cookie-cutter design. Created by the same company that developed the #1 game on this list, this was a severe disappointment for many people.

#39 Starfield

• Rating: Mixed (59% of 102,037 reviews)

Starfield was one of the most anticipated releases by Bethesda in recent years, being touted as “Skyrim in space”. Needless to say, people were disappointed. False advertising and false promises made by company executives led to players having big hopes for the game that simply were not met.

#38 RAGE 2

• Rating: Mixed (63% of 13,305 reviews)

What is the point of microtransactions in a game that has no multiplayer or co-op? Great question. RAGE 2 was a run-of-the-mill first-person shooter that didn’t do anything new or unique but still tried to squeeze every penny out of its players.

#37 The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard

• Rating: Mixed (66% of 111 reviews)

It’s our first Elder Scrolls game on this list, and definitely not our last. Redguard is unique in that it is the only entry in the franchise that doesn’t let players create a character and forces them to play in the third-person. The game was an instant flop and was part of the reason Bethesda struggled in the late 1990s.

#36 Rogue Warrior

• Rating: Mixed (66% of 1,024 reviews)

Rogue Warrior is a first-person shooter released in 2009. There were two versions of Rogue Warrior developed for Bethesda, with the first one being scrapped and a new developer brought it to start over from scratch. It was called one of the worst games ever made when it was finally released.

#35 Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

• Rating: Mixed (67% of 2,602 reviews)

Naturally based on H.P. Lovecraft’s horror fiction, this game combines first-person shooter elements, stealth gameplay, and action-adventure sections. Its development was constantly delayed and many of the best features planned for the game were dropped. It was generally well-reviewed but in the end, it was a commercial failure.

#34 Hunted: The Demon’s Forge

• Rating: Mostly Positive (75% of 956 reviews)

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge is a fantasy-action RPG. It is a largely linear game with some open areas available for exploration. It received mixed reviews at launch with many critics complaining about the graphics and design choices that made the campaign feel like a chore.

#33 RAGE

• Rating: Mostly Positive (75% of 11,355 reviews)

RAGE is a post-apocalyptic first-person shooter evoking themes of and comparisons to Mad Max, Fallout, Borderlands, and Duke Nukem. It received generally positive reviews despite its lack of story and memorable characters. It was nominated for several awards, but bugs and technical issues on PC continued to hinder the game long after release.

#32 Fallout 76

• Rating: Mostly Positive (76% of 60,341 reviews)

Fallout 76 is an action RPG MMO and serves as a prequel to the main games in the Fallout series. It received mixed reviews when it launched due to lack of content, boring gameplay, poor quality in the production of physical copies, and more. It was panned as boring, soulless, half-finished, and broken. Content updates have helped improve the game with the peak number of players being achieved shortly after the release of the Fallout TV show.

#31 Deathloop

• Rating: Mostly Positive (77% of 18,262 reviews)

Deathloop is a first-person shooter with RPG elements and stealth components. It was developed by Arkane, the same company that developed the #41 and #1 games on our list. It included several unique and imaginative gameplay elements and won awards for Best Game Direction and Best Art Direction at the 2021 Game Awards. It used many of the same elements in Arkane’s wildly successful Dishonored series.

It received generally positive reviews and many praised its dialogue and unique time mechanic.

#30 Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

• Rating: Very Positive (80% of 28,153 reviews)

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is the sequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order released in 2014 and is the seventh title in the series. It is a first-person shooter taking place in an alternate version of the 1960s in which the Nazis won World War II and conquered the United States.

The game was released to positive reviews and a favorable audience reception. It was nominated for several awards and was praised for its treatment of right-wing extremism in America and its fun, engaging gameplay.

#29 Fallout 3

• Rating: Very Positive (80% of 37,465 reviews)

Fallout 3 is the first game in the Fallout series to use 3D graphics and real-time combat instead of an isometric view and typical turn-based RGP combat. It received several Game of the Year awards and was called one of the best video games ever made at the time. Critics and fans praised it for its fun and creative gameplay and story and has earned a hardcore base of fans who continue to play it today.

#28 Ghostwire: Tokyo

• Rating: Very Positive (82% of 9,918 reviews)

Ghostwire: Tokyo is an action adventure game released in 2022 and set in a fantasy version of Tokyo. It was developed by the same studio that made The Evil Within series and received positive reviews across the board upon its launch, though the linear gameplay and repetitive combat drew criticism.

#27 The Elder Scrolls Online

• Rating: Very Positive (83% of 121,889 reviews)

The Elder Scrolls Online is an MMORPG set in the Elder Scrolls universe and originally required a monthly subscription to play. It received mixed reviews and so was re-released in 2015 with a new payment model and microtransactions, reviews subsequently improved. How this game is reviewed anywhere near, let alone above, a game like Fallout 3 is beyond our comprehension, but we don’t make the rules, we’re just reporting the results.

#26 Fallout 4

• Rating: Very Positive (83% of 246,671 reviews)

Fallout 4 was the highly anticipated sequel to the wildly successful Fallout 3. It takes place in the Boston area about 10 years after Fallout 3. It was positively reviewed and well received by fans, but it earned strong criticism because it reduced and pared back many of the RPG elements that were present in previous games, instead leaning toward the shooter aspect of the series.

It won several awards, including a handful of Game of the Year awards.

#25 The Evil Within

• Rating: Very Positive (84% of 17,887 reviews)

The Evil Within is a third-person horror game and was directed by the original creator of the Resident Evil series, which earned it significant attention after it was announced. It received praise for its excellent horror elements and gameplay, though the story and gameplay seemed to leave many disappointed.

#24 DOOM 3

• Rating: Very Positive (85% of 7,347 reviews)

DOOM 3 was not developed or published by Bethesda, but the company now owns the rights to the game. It was a reboot of the original DOOM, beginning a new original story. It received high praise and was a commercial success and was the most successful game developed by id Software up to that point.

#23 Quake 4

• Rating: Very Positive (87% of 2,450 reviews)

Like DOOM 3, Bethesda owns the rights to the Quake franchise. The game overall received positive reviews upon release, but the Quake games were best known for the fun and competitive multiplayer, and since Quake 4’s version of multiplayer was lackluster and disappointing, the series dropped off after this entry.

#22 The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall

• Rating: Very Positive (87% of 2,500 reviews)

The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall is the second game in the series that vastly expands the scope and RPG elements of the series. It was wildly successful and surpassed all sales estimates and goals and many retailers reported shortages of games due to demand. It continued to sell well for years after release. It was hailed as a revolutionary and groundbreaking fantasy game.

#21 Dishonored 2

• Rating: Very Positive (89% of 37,385 reviews)

Dishonored 2 is the sequel to the massively successful Dishonored, and both games are action-adventure games giving the player the choice to play stealthily (being able to complete both games without killing anyone) or engage in full combat. Depending on how the player completes the game, several endings are possible. It won awards for Best Action/Adventure Game and is largely regarded as one of the best games ever made in the genre.

#20 Prey

• Rating: Very Positive (90% of 32,347 reviews)

Prey is a reboot of the original videogame of the same name, but has almost nothing in common with its predecessor. It is an open-world game taking place on a space station and includes horror, stealth, role-playing, and shooter elements. It was positively received and is included on the list of the best games of 2017.

#19 Wolfenstein: The New Order

• Rating: Very Positive (90% of 38,713 reviews)

Wolfenstein: The New Order is the first “modern” version of the Wolfenstein series, incorporating a morality choice, a cover system, and modern shooter elements. It was nominated for several awards, including Game of the Year, but lost to other games. Unlike previous entries, it does not take place exclusively in Castle Wolfenstein.

#18 The Evil Within 2

• Rating: Very Positive (91% of 17,255 reviews)

The sequel to #26 on our list, The Evil Within 2 improved on its predecessor. It remains a survival horror game and received high praise for its atmosphere, gameplay, and visuals. It was a welcome sequel to a popular game in a genre that was full of games that had lost the plot of their own design. It was nominated for several awards.

#17 DOOM Eternal

• Rating: Very Positive (91% of 164,678 reviews)

DOOM Eternal is the sequel to the 2016 DOOM and is the seventh in the franchise. New modes and features improved on basically every aspect of the first game. It won Best PC Game and Best Action Game at the 2019 Game Critics Awards. DOOM Eternal was review-bombed online after Bethesda introduced Denuvo anti-cheat technology to the game launcher which uses kernel-level drivers, which are generally hated in the gaming and digital security communities.

#16 Return to Castle Wolfenstein

• Rating: Very Positive (92% of 6,804 reviews)

Released in 2001, Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a reboot of the Wolfenstein series. Like other games, Bethesda did not develop or publish the game but now owns the rights to it. It was a best-selling game when it was released. It won a handful of awards for its multiplayer and online gameplay.

#15 Wolfenstein 3D

• Rating: Very Positive (93% of 3,142 reviews)

Wolfenstein 3D was inspired by the original Castle Wolfenstein game and is the third in the series. It was wildly successful upon release and is considered to be one of the greatest video games ever made. It won many awards and is referred to as the “grandfather of 3D shooters”.

#14 DOOM 64

• Rating: Very Positive (93% of 6,336 reviews)

DOOM 64 was a spin-off game released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997. It was very positively reviewed and has since gained a cult following of fans who continue to develop ports of the game for other devices and mods for the game.

#13 Fallout 2

• Rating: Very Positive (94% of 11,422 reviews)

Fallout 2 is a direct sequel to the first Fallout released in 1997 and very much continues the style and gameplay of the first, with limited updates and gameplay changes. It was nominated for several awards, most of which were given to Baldur’s Gate which was released that same year. Given that the first was so popular and successful, it made sense to not change what wasn’t broken. It was the first video game to include same-sex marriage and among the first to have LGBT characters.

#12 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

• Rating: Very Positive (94% of 164,940 reviews)

You can’t go anywhere online these days without seeing something from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or another version of it being released, so you’d be forgiven for forgetting that this game was released way back in 2011. It was full of bugs when it launched, but still received widespread acclaim and is considered to be one of the best video games ever made. Being so successful and beloved, it makes sense that Bethesda would continue to milk it for all its worth by remaking it, re-releasing it, and developing ports of the game for every platform imaginable.

#11 Quake II

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (95% of 6,866 reviews)

Quake II is famous for diving fully into the now-familiar sci-fi setting of the series, abandoning the previous fantasy themes. It was widely praised not only for its gameplay but also for its technology and technical advancements which helped push the world of video games and multiplayer technology forward in a meaningful way.

#10 Doom II

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (95% of 7,617 reviews)

Doom II, riding the success of the first game and being a great game in its own right, has sold more than 1.8 million copies since its release, becoming one of the best-selling games of all time for several years. There were no substantial changes from the first game to the second, with much of the gameplay and game systems remaining the same, but better hardware allowed for larger levels and more enemies.

#9 Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (95% of 13,208 reviews)

The game that started it all, Fallout quickly gained fame for its open-ended gameplay, complex character creation system, mature plot, and creative setting.

It was nominated for several awards and won Role-Playing Game of the Year from Computer Games Magazine and Gamespot. Many video game critics credit Fallout with saving the RPG genre as a whole and is one of the best role-playing games of all time.

#8 The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (95% of 18,971 reviews)

Being unique among the Elder Scrolls games, Morrowind takes heavy inspiration from steampunk, Middle Eastern culture, and East Asian culture for its world and design. It included a vast, open-ended gameplay with more focus on side quests and exploration than previous or other similar games. It won several Game of the Year awards.

#7 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (95% of 37,117 reviews)

This was the first game in The Elder Scrolls series to feature fully-voiced NPC characters and the Radiant AI system which allowed NPC to make their own choices and behave in more complex ways. It won several Game of the Year awards. It received near-unanimous praise from fans and critics who celebrated the fact that it wasn’t just a fantastic RPG but also pushed the boundaries of what RPG games could be with improved detail and ambition.

#6 DOOM (2016)

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (95% of 130,061 reviews)

This version of DOOM was the first major game since DOOM 3 and was a reboot of the series. It was the second-best-selling game in the North American and United Kingdom markets when it was released. The game expanded the fast-paced, violent, and gory combat of previous games to include significant verticality and also expanded the lore of the series.

#5 Quake

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (96% of 11,496 reviews)

The first game of the Quake series continues to hold a special place in the hearts of many fans. It was a successor to the DOOM series, using much of the same technology and gameplay elements. Development of the game was fraught with challenges and the team eventually split after the game was released. It was universally loved but sales numbers did not match the hype, unfortunately.

#4 Fallout: New Vegas

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (96% of 171,617 reviews)

If there’s any game with a more fanatic and passionate fanbase than New Vegas on this list then we haven’t met them. Bethesda gave developers only 18 months to create Fallout: New Vegas, which is a very short time to create anything, let alone a best-selling AAA game. Yet, it ended up being a commercial and critical success. It is widely regarded as the best game in the entire Fallout series and arguably the best RPG video game of all time.

#3 Doom (1993)

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (97% of 15,868 reviews)

The gory, fast-paced, and violent game that started it all. It is called the “father” of modern first-person shooter video games and helped shift the cultural perception of video games due to its mature content and huge player base. It helped foster the growth of online gaming communities and inspired countless clones even to this day in which developers release games intentionally designed to replicate the style and feel of DOOM.

At one point, DOOM was installed on more computers than Windows 95.

#2 Hi-Fi Rush

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (97% of 24,374 reviews)

The story of Hi-Fi Rush is a tragedy in three acts. Its developers, Tango Gameworks are just the latest creatively free, talented, and inspiring small company to be closed down with its employees fired by large, greedy corporations. Hi-Fi Rush was released in 2023 to immense and universal positive reviews from critics, players, and other industry veterans. It was a refreshingly original and enjoyable rhythm-based action game. It was a stylish, imaginative, and surprising game that came out of nowhere. Unfortunately, almost immediately after its release, Tango Gameworks was shut down by Microsoft.

#1 Dishonored

• Rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (97% of 59,915 reviews)

Of all the games on this list, the author is happiest to see Dishonored at the very top. A truly original game in almost every aspect and groundbreaking in its storytelling and gameplay choices, Dishonored blew critics and players away with its nearly endless replayability, an engrossing and enchanting world, and gripping story. Though it was released in 2012, it still holds up extremely well today.

Dishonored won several awards for Best Game and other categories. The world is deep with many nooks and crannies within its unique art style that many players simply pass over, leading to memorable moments of exploration and discovery on subsequent playthroughs.

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