We’re listing the ten Games of the Decade. These are the ten PlayStation titles released over the past ten years that we believe have left a historic mark on the industry. Whether it’s Destiny's impact on the Games as a Service space or Journey’s innovative approach to online connectivity, these are the releases that the industry will be referencing well into 2020 and beyond.
There is no escaping Grand Theft Auto V. Launching in 2013 for the ageing PlayStation 3, Rockstar's latest satirical open world epic opened to critical acclaim and big sales, but it's what the game would go on to become that makes it so remarkable. The last-gen release was followed up by an enhanced edition for the shiny new PS4. The game includes a host of improvements and new features that make an already fantastic title that little bit better. GTA V has sold extremely well across platforms, as you'd expect, but it's gone further than that. It stands as the most profitable entertainment product of all time -- and there's at least one very good reason for that.
GTA Online is this game's biggest innovation. Most titles with online multiplayer, including other open world adventures, are happy to bolt on some competitive modes and call it a day. In GTA V, online play means the entire map becomes a playground in which to let loose. Though the initial launch of the mode had its setbacks, Rockstar has honed the experience for the better part of this decade, turning it into a wildly popular destination for all kinds of gameplay experiences.
You can wreak havoc in the open world with your chums, engage in PvP battles, partake in races, perform organised heists, and more besides in your pursuit for experience points and cash. You're living out an absurd, violent second life. Every year since its inception, GTA Online has grown with countless updates, expanding the already huge offering. It's become something arguably bigger than GTA V itself -- the level of post-launch support has been staggering to see. It's become immeasurably huge, a phenomenon that even Red Dead Redemption 2's online play is failing to replicate.
It's set the bar almost unfeasibly high for other online-focused titles, but that of course hasn't stopped them from trying. There are lots of persistent online games out there, but GTA V has arguably done it the best -- and that's on top of the gigantic offline experience starring Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. Talk about the whole package.
What do you think of GTA V and GTA Online? Has it made a lasting impact on modern games? Are you still playing this monstrously popular title? Let's hear it in the comments below.
Comments 38
It’s no Sleeping Dogs though is it
Word. It's the most memorable thing of the decade for me. Most mechanics are obsolete and outdated by now, but I still enjoy being in that world. Hopping back online is always like going out for a walk in the park to relax. And it adds so much more to the experience when you are aware of all the references the environment and radio stations make to other things. Can't have enough of the gags on radio.
The game is 5-6 years old but still never gets old, still better than most newer games. I don't even know where to start, just sorry for you if you can't get into it. It's not even about preference or opinion, you just gotta acknowledge the timelessness, classiness and masterpieceness of this game.
I really wanted to love this game but jumping between the three characters kind of spoiled it for me, along with Rockstars usual weird contrast between tightly railroading you through missions and total freedom the rest of the time. Lots of fun memories though and I regularly get the urge to have another go at it, then I think about the install time...
Tried online a few times, wasn’t really for me.
2nd only to the witcher 3 for me
Loved GTAV and still love GTA Online. The sandboxes created by Rockstar are stunningly detailed and they get better and better as the technology develops. I can't wait for GTAVI.
my favorite game series period but I hate GTA online & never play it gutted we did not see a Story expansion for GTA 5 was a huge letdown. & I hope we get a GTA 4 remaster I loved that game
Weird to think the GTAV lifespan will be longer than the birth and replacement of the PS4.
Bought and still own GTA5 but if I'm honest I've hardly played it. It's one of them games I regret getting away from me.
It's shameful but although I've bought every GTA game, (Even GTA London on the PS1) I don't think I've ever completed a single one. I used to always get side tracked messing around in the open world. And then some other beautiful looking single player game would come along and grab my attention. 😍
Gta 5 the legendary game .man the game already looks and play great on ps3.now on ps4 amazing.this games was and still a wonderful game.3 characters with different personalities.and style.word up son
Never really got into GTA online but i acknowledge the impact it has had on the industry.
I'm more of a SP gamer so i played the story mode multiple times and just hope the success of GTA online doesn't make Rockstar focus less on the story mode in the inevitable GTA 6.
If the witcher isn't Involved we riot lol
Never could get into Online, mostly because GTA is 10x the experience with mods. It’s definitely a fun sandbox and it being the best selling media product of all time definitely means its influential.
I had fun with GTA V but never as much as Vice City or San Andreas. The 3 character thing didn't add much and the heists were disappointing but the world was greatly detailed and the story was good. In reality its only real rivals are it's own series and I had a lot of fun with it overall and it deserves its place amongst the best of the decade. As for the online, I only dabbled in the early days so I can't really comment on that as its completely different today by all accounts.
My only real criticism of Rockstar games is the lack of freedom in the missions which is completely at odds with their open worlds
Unbelievably, I’ve never played GTA Online.
My adventure with GTA ended with GTA4, at which point I got bored with this series but I definately agree that GTA has been a monster of a game and deserves to be here. That said, I'd rather play Sleeping Dogs for the 5th or 6th time.
This is still the most fun I've ever had with a game online. Playing with a huge group of people from another forum I use was just brilliant fun and completing all of the online heists with the same group was equally awesome. I'd never be able to dedicate time to do something like that again though..
The single player is a masterpiece of a sandbox, los Santos is brilliant!! The detail is incredible and the heist missions whilst scripted, are right up with the best levels/missions in any games. I did a couple of missions in the online with randos and enjoyed the heist but couldn't be assed with the weird music in the bacground/so high forgot the controls/whale griefers!! The prison heist and stealing the F-16 whilst highway to the danger zone blared on the radio were memorable though!! Still love san Andreas more though
Have to admit that I never got into the online side of the game, but nevertheless it’s an amazing game. I played through the SP story twice - first on the Xbox 360 and then on the PS4. I still remember playing it for the first time (360) and thinking “how the hell is this running on this console?!?!” The one thing that makes Rockstar’s open world games superior to most others is the stunning attention to detail.
Just bought GTA V this morning (hopefully downloaded when I get home from work) - can't wait to check it out. Having just bought a PS4, I couldn't be more excited by the number of quality games I'm going to experience for the first time!
@Bondi_Surfer so it’s people like you keeping it in the charts lol
@playstation1995 not a patch on RDR2 though man
I couldn't really get into the game when I played it on PS4, unfortunately. It was an incredibly polished and impressive product, though, and its legacy is hard to overstate.
Who’s getting the Re-remaster for PS5? They can get loads of people to buy it again and keep it in the charts until 6 releases.
Joking aside (I hope) I really enjoyed the game and the online can be fun with a few mates. One of my hardest earned but still fun Platinum trophies.
Couldn't get into it. For a game about committing crimes the law was the most annoying part for me. That and I really didnt't like the controls and plus how slow and clunky your character feels in GTO.
Am i the only person on earth who doesnt own gta5?
Really enjoyed the singleplayer campaign but never played the online part. I do hope part six will play in a different country though (here's looking at you Sleeping Dogs).
My favourite part of GTA V online was the race editor. Made some ridiculous races with friends, whack them all in a playlist and off we go.
@JoeBlogs I just felt like it made the story feel too fragmented, the flow of the narrative in open world games is usually a bit awkward sometimes anyway due to the fact you have more control over when events unfold and this made it a bit worse I thought. I would have just preferred a single protagonist at the end of the day.
I can see why this belongs here unlike the last absurd game you chose, however I for one hope Rockstar don't make another game like GTA V or RDR 2 (let me explain.)
The worlds of both games and the graphics at the time were great, RDR 2 had a much stronger storyline and array of characters but both games were still fairly consistent in these aspects.
The things I am talking about that I don't want to see replicated are the lack of innovative gameplay design or mission structure, Rockstar have beat this horse even beyond the grave.
Even in RDR2 which I enjoyed I simply couldn't give it a 9-10/10 due to how lacklustre large sections of the main story were and how outdated the gameplay feels in their titles when compared to other games of the same ilk.
I always love the worlds, stories and meticulous detail put into their games, I just want to see them actually make the step to Next-Gen in not looks alone, but gameplay and functionality.
It's a good game I suppose, but very unremarkable and somewhat stale if you ask me. Then again I stopped playing online games since Sony began taxing people, so perhaps I would feel different if I had.
Six years after launch, and I'm STILL finding new things in the huge, huge open world. Mental.
@Wesker I want a new Sleeping Dogs game.
One of the best games ever. I still play online to this day
Put countless hours into both the 360 and PS4 versions and i don't even play GTA Online, personally i feel San Andreas is the best GTA but GTA V is not far behind it. Even know i still play it and muck around with Trevor (i love how no matter what you do it always feels in character when playing as him).
Funny how you guys place this game in the top list for the online which it's my least favorite thing of the game, I mean I love the game and have a little bit of fun with the online stuff but not enough to say that's the thing that make me play it, in fact I think that's the worst part of the game because it added micro transactions
I find gta 4 better in every way, story, atmosphere, characters, car handling, damage model, physics... Even the online had its charm and I played the hell out of it. Gta 5 is just not my thing, too much super rocket boost cars and all that flashy stuff, not my thing.
Tried it was lost on what was going on, I’m good with the SP campaign
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