How to Build Your Personal Top 10 Games List

Ranking your favorite games sounds easy until you try it. Is the game you loved at twelve better than the one you finished last month? Does a short, perfect game beat a long, great one? Here is a simple process that makes the whole thing manageable, and a little fun.

Step 1: Start with a long list

Write down every game that left a mark on you, in no order at all. Aim for 25 to 30. Do not judge them yet. If a title pops into your head, it gets on the list. Skim your old consoles, your Steam library and the games you still talk about with friends.

Step 2: Cut with one question

Ask yourself: would I happily play this again tomorrow? Games that get a clear yes stay. Games you respect but would not replay go into a maybe pile. This one question removes a lot of the "I should like this" entries without much effort.

Step 3: Use head-to-head matchups

Picking the best of fifteen games at once is overwhelming. Picking the better of two is easy. So pair your games up, choose a winner each time, then match the winners against each other. Keep going until the order settles. This is the same idea behind Gamerater, and it works because your gut is much better at comparing two things than at scoring one.

Step 4: Check your gut

Look at your top three. If one surprises you, ask why it is there. Sometimes that is a sign it truly earned the spot. Other times a strong memory is doing the work. Our guide on nostalgia bias can help you tell the difference.

Step 5: Accept that it changes

Your list is a snapshot, not a verdict. A new game can crack it, and an old one can slip. Revisit it once or twice a year and you will learn something about how your taste is changing.

Tips for a better list

• One game per series. Otherwise a single franchise can take over half your list.
• Think about replay value. First impressions are strong, but the games you keep returning to tell the truth.
• Do not copy the crowd. A list full of everyone else's picks is not yours.
• Mix eras and genres. You do not have to, but you might be surprised how varied your list already is.

Compare it with the community

Once your list is ready, vote on Gamerater and see how your picks stack up. You can check the all-time Rankings for where your favorites land, or look at the best game of every decade to find something you missed. Disagree with the crowd? Good. That is half the fun.