Best games you won’t believe are turning 25 in 2026

2001 was 25 years ago. If you were already playing games back then, you probably live in disbelief, aware that it takes a decade’s worth of games to compare to the sheer amount of amazing games we used to get in one single year. Let’s reminisce.Gran Turismo 3 Image via PlayStation Gran Turismo 3 was originally going to be called Gran Turismo 2000, because that was absolutely the coolest and most futuristic number anything could be associated with back then. It ended up launching a year later to face massive competition, but it came out so fast, beautiful, and feature-rich that it easily rivaled all the big games of its year, and easily destroyed all its challengers in the genre.Devil May Cry Image via Capcom Devil May Cry began as one of many attempts to make Resident Evil 4, but it was so unique and had so much personality that it became its own thing. Many had their introduction to the fast-paced demon-slaying extravaganza via an unassuming demo disk bundled with Resident Evil Code Veronica X for the PlayStation 2, and, if I am to be believed, the demo alone was more fun than the full game it was merely meant to tease.Halo: Combat Evolved Image via Microsoft Sadly, the Halo series is seen as a relic of the past by many, and as “what the hell are you even talking about, old man?” by people younger than 25. Still, the cockily-titled Halo: Combat Evolved told no lies, and truly was the game that made PC purists understand that consoles could totally rock shooters. Halo once carried the Xbox and completely changed an entire genre for the better.Metal Gear Solid 2 Image via Konami/Steam Metal Gear Solid 2 had the difficult task of following up on the legendary original and of being the PS2’s first truly massive release. The first reactions showered the game with praise, then everyone did a 180º when they realized the plot was too weird even for Kojima’s standards. In the time that has passed, however, many have realized that the good in this massively ambitious sequel far outweighs the bizarre plot points.Super Smash Bros. Melee Image via Nintendo Many Smash Bros. titles and Smash Bros. clones have come out since Melee, but no game ever came close to it in the hardcore competition arena, and it’s very unlikely that any game ever will. Melee reigns supreme, and its only downside is that getting one in the second-hand market will hurt your wallet.Final Fantasy X Image via Square Enix Final Fantasy X had the difficult task of bringing one of the most beloved series in gaming to the PS2, a seemingly simple task that many popular series did not survive. Not this one, though, which rose above the challenge to deliver the first fully-3D Final Fantasy world and become the highest-selling game in the series. Even though its cast of characters is arguably one of the weakest ensembles in the series, there’s no denying the X's charm and lasting appeal.Silent Hill 2 Image via Team Silent If you were already playing games when SH2 came out, I wouldn’t have blamed you for thinking the world was going mad when you heard people call The Last of Us the deepest and most heartfelt narrative in video game history. It’s not even a matter of one walking so that the other gets to run, as Silent Hill 2 remains, to this day, the deepest, most harrowing, and, while we’re at it, scariest dive into the darkness of the human psyche. The remake is surprisingly good, but you should still treat yourself to finding a way to play the original nowadays—so long as it’s not the dreadful HD remaster, that is.Ico Image via PlayStation The PlayStation 2 ushered in a beautiful era of visually gorgeous and emotionally impactful 3rd-person adventure titles, and it all began with Ico. The mysterious nature of the tale about a boy and a girl against the forces of darkness in a scary castle made it so that people of all ages could understand the story not with their brains but with their hearts. What a prelude to Shadow of the Colossus.Conker’s Bad Fur Day Image via Microsoft Before the Nintendo 64, Nintendo was known for family games starring cute characters. The titular Conker sure is cute, but I’d love to see the face of any parent who bought this for their kid, thinking it was a family-friendly game. Conker's Bad Fur Day was, and remains, Nintendo at its darkest, most acidic, and, let’s be honest, most hilarious.Grand Theft Auto 3 Image via Rockstar I'm gonna guess you actually are well aware of this one, considering how it influenced pretty much every game that followed. Yeah, it's totally been 25 years, even though Rockstar only released two more numbered entries after this one, which somehow caused millions of fans to lose their minds. Wild, huh? The post Best games you won’t believe are turning 25 in 2026 appeared first on Destructoid.

May 16, 2026 - 04:31

Best games you won’t believe are turning 25 in 2026

2001 was 25 years ago. If you were already playing games back then, you probably live in disbelief, aware that it takes a decade’s worth of games to compare to the sheer amount of amazing games we used to get in one single year. Let’s reminisce.

Gran Turismo 3

Image via PlayStation Gran Turismo 3 was originally going to be called Gran Turismo 2000, because that was absolutely the coolest and most futuristic number anything could be associated with back then. It ended up launching a year later to face massive competition, but it came out so fast, beautiful, and feature-rich that it easily rivaled all the big games of its year, and easily destroyed all its challengers in the genre.

Devil May Cry

Image via Capcom Devil May Cry began as one of many attempts to make Resident Evil 4, but it was so unique and had so much personality that it became its own thing. Many had their introduction to the fast-paced demon-slaying extravaganza via an unassuming demo disk bundled with Resident Evil Code Veronica X for the PlayStation 2, and, if I am to be believed, the demo alone was more fun than the full game it was merely meant to tease.

Halo: Combat Evolved

Image via Microsoft Sadly, the Halo series is seen as a relic of the past by many, and as “what the hell are you even talking about, old man?” by people younger than 25. Still, the cockily-titled Halo: Combat Evolved told no lies, and truly was the game that made PC purists understand that consoles could totally rock shooters. Halo once carried the Xbox and completely changed an entire genre for the better.

Metal Gear Solid 2

Image via Konami/Steam Metal Gear Solid 2 had the difficult task of following up on the legendary original and of being the PS2’s first truly massive release. The first reactions showered the game with praise, then everyone did a 180º when they realized the plot was too weird even for Kojima’s standards. In the time that has passed, however, many have realized that the good in this massively ambitious sequel far outweighs the bizarre plot points.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Image via Nintendo Many Smash Bros. titles and Smash Bros. clones have come out since Melee, but no game ever came close to it in the hardcore competition arena, and it’s very unlikely that any game ever will. Melee reigns supreme, and its only downside is that getting one in the second-hand market will hurt your wallet.

Final Fantasy X

Image via Square Enix Final Fantasy X had the difficult task of bringing one of the most beloved series in gaming to the PS2, a seemingly simple task that many popular series did not survive. Not this one, though, which rose above the challenge to deliver the first fully-3D Final Fantasy world and become the highest-selling game in the series. Even though its cast of characters is arguably one of the weakest ensembles in the series, there’s no denying the X's charm and lasting appeal.

Silent Hill 2

Image via Team Silent If you were already playing games when SH2 came out, I wouldn’t have blamed you for thinking the world was going mad when you heard people call The Last of Us the deepest and most heartfelt narrative in video game history. It’s not even a matter of one walking so that the other gets to run, as Silent Hill 2 remains, to this day, the deepest, most harrowing, and, while we’re at it, scariest dive into the darkness of the human psyche.

The remake is surprisingly good, but you should still treat yourself to finding a way to play the original nowadays—so long as it’s not the dreadful HD remaster, that is.

Ico

Image via PlayStation
The PlayStation 2 ushered in a beautiful era of visually gorgeous and emotionally impactful 3rd-person adventure titles, and it all began with Ico.

The mysterious nature of the tale about a boy and a girl against the forces of darkness in a scary castle made it so that people of all ages could understand the story not with their brains but with their hearts. What a prelude to Shadow of the Colossus.

Conker’s Bad Fur Day

Image via Microsoft Before the Nintendo 64, Nintendo was known for family games starring cute characters. The titular Conker sure is cute, but I’d love to see the face of any parent who bought this for their kid, thinking it was a family-friendly game. Conker's Bad Fur Day was, and remains, Nintendo at its darkest, most acidic, and, let’s be honest, most hilarious.

Grand Theft Auto 3

Image via Rockstar I'm gonna guess you actually are well aware of this one, considering how it influenced pretty much every game that followed. Yeah, it's totally been 25 years, even though Rockstar only released two more numbered entries after this one, which somehow caused millions of fans to lose their minds. Wild, huh?

The post Best games you won’t believe are turning 25 in 2026 appeared first on Destructoid.

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