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The best video games of 2021 so far: Ratchet & Clank, Monster Hunter, and more

It’s been a strange year for video games so far. The long-term effects of the coronavirus pandemic on game development didn’t really rear its ugly head until the start of 2021. That led to a sudden wave of delays, emptying out the year’s release calendar one month at a time.

Despite that, 2021 has seen a string of surprising hits, from established franchises to entirely new properties. We haven’t been buried in new releases in the past six months, but there’s been something worth checking out every few weeks. For those who are looking to play catch-up this summer before the holiday rush, here are the best games we’ve played in 2021 so far.

It Takes Two

A split-screen view of both characters in the multiplayer game It Takes Two.

Josef Fares, the eclectic game director famous for his unfiltered rants, likes to make big claims. When his multiplayer game A Way Out released, he seemed confident that it would change gaming as we know it. It didn’t, though the game received positive enough buzz. So when It Takes Two was first announced at The Game Awards and Fares started rolling out the effusive praise, some were understandably skeptical. He wasn’t overpromising this time though; It Takes Two actually is that good.

The co-op adventure shines thanks to brilliant multiplayer mechanics that are always changing. In one level, players are solving puzzles with a hammer head and nail gun. In another, they’re shooting down waves of wasps. Every hour of the game is totally unique and always makes sure to treat both players as the main character. While some have taken issue with the game’s oversimplified divorce narrative, it’s hard to argue with it from a pure gameplay standpoint. It has the confidence of a classic Nintendo platformer.

Read our It Takes Two review

Monster Hunter Rise

Players attack an enemy in Monster Hunter Rise.

The Monster Hunter series isn’t very friendly to newcomers. It has complex action, a myriad of materials, and a headache-inducing interface that’ll turn away even the most seasoned gamer. Monster Hunter Rise still has those barriers, but it’s the closest the series has come to offering an accessible experience yet (thanks in no small part to the fact that it’s on the Nintendo Switch).

Monster Hunter Rise includes all the hallmarks fans have come to know and love, like oversized weapons and giant monsters. But it’s the new features that make it shine. The Wirebug mechanic adds new mobility options to the game that make it easier to traverse maps. Rampage battles are a neat addition, adding tower defense battles to the mix. Toss in some excellent online multiplayer, and you have the recipe for a successful installment in the beloved franchise.

Read our Monster Hunter Rise review

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Rivet using hover boots in ratchet & Clank Rift Apart.

Heading into 2021, the PS5 had a problem. Everyone wanted to get their hands on the system, but there weren’t a lot of new games to play on it. With games like Gran Turismo 7 and God of War getting delayed, it seemed like the console would have trouble landing a killer app in its first year. Enter Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which is this console generation’s first bona fide system seller.

The 3D action platformer does what the series has always done best: It delivers thrilling set pieces and lots of creative weapons to toy around with. What makes Rift Apart really stand out, however, is its use of the PS5 hardware. It’s a technical masterclass that uses the system’s ultrafast SSD to create dimension-hopping magic tricks. It’s the first game that really makes it feel like we’re in a new era of gaming — and it’s fun as heck, to boot.

Read our Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart review

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

Mario escapes a fire-breathing Bowser in Bowser's Fury.

Super Mario 3D World was one of the last Wii U holdouts to make its way to Switch, but it was worth the wait. The platformer was always quietly one of the best games tucked away on Nintendo’s failed system, and it was high time it got a second chance with a wider player base. Those who never had a chance to play it got to experience one of Mario’s most joyous and vibrant adventures yet.

It’s not Super Mario 3D World that makes this package a must-own, though; it’s the original pack-in game that comes with it. Bowser’s Fury is an excellent Mario game in its own right, giving players a mini Super Mario Odyssey sequel that takes place in a series of islands. It’s a short experiment with the Mario form, but one that feels like the future of the series. The open world setup perfectly fits the genre, as Mario can hop from island to island collecting Cat Shines. Expect the next mainline Mario game to take some cues from it.

Read our Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury review

Returnal

Returnal

Returnal is the kind of left-field hit that makes the gaming industry so exciting. Developed by Hosuemarque, the sci-fi roguelite was always a curiosity in Sony’s State of Play presentations. It certainly made a statement with its creepy atmosphere and 3D “bullet hell” gameplay. As it turned out, Returnal was every bit as intriguing as it looked, giving the PS5 a fascinating original property.

There’s a lot to love in Returnal. The third-person shooting is fast and furious, it creatively mashes up genres, and it features a genuinely harrowing narrative. It’s a game that doesn’t feel like it was pushed into an AAA template. It’s a wholly original project that combines influences to create something entirely new. It’s also the best showcase of the DualSense controller outside of Astro’s Playroom, using haptic feedback to bring its alien world to life.

Read our Returnal review

Scarlet Nexus

A battle in Scarlet Nexus.

Speaking of surprise hits, Scarlet Nexus truly came out of nowhere. The RPG was featured in some of Sony’s earliest PS5 presentations, but news went a bit quiet as its launch drew nearer. That could have been cause for concern, but fortunately Scarlet Nexus turned out to be a fantastic hidden gem.

The game is most notable for its combat system, which allows players to chain together absurd combos and unleash a bevy of elemental attacks. It feels a bit like PlatinumGames titles like Astral Chain that put an emphasis on sharp action. A mystifying story and memorable characters pull the whole package together, turning it into an RPG that should be in any RPG fan’s backlog this summer.

Read our Scarlet Nexus review

Hitman 3

Agent 47 in Hitman 3.

When it comes to the Hitman series, there’s a fitting cliche: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. On paper, Hitman 3 is virtually identical to the previous two games in the series. It features the same excellent stealth gameplay that turns assassinations into one big puzzle. It’s more of the same, but that’s hardly a complaint with a franchise this rock solid.

Instead of reinventing the franchise, Hitman 3 simply ups the ante by offering some of its strongest levels to date. Agent 47 sneaks his way through a sprawling vineyard, a massive Dubai skyscraper, and more. The best of the batch is the game’s Dartmoor level, which is a full-on “whodunit” movie where Agent 47 can assume the role of a detective trying to solve a family murder. Or he can ignore that quest entirely and poison his target’s tea. That freedom makes it a memorable conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy.

Read our Hitman 3 review

Before Your Eyes

The protagonist of Before Your Eyes lays in bed as his family watches on.

For those who want to go deeper beyond this year’s high-profile releases, there are plenty of excellent indies to check out. Chicory: A Colorful Tale is a gorgeous painting adventure, Overboard! is a brilliant reverse murder mystery, and Apple Arcade subscribers shouldn’t sleep on Fantasian. There’s one indie that you really need to see to believe, though. Before Your Eyes is a game that’s entirely controlled with the blink of an eye.

The game features a truly one-of-a-kind premise. It hooks up to a webcam and tracks a player’s blinks. That system is used to tell a story about a character at the end of his life reliving his memories. Every time the player blinks in real life, they skip ahead in time — you’ll literally blink and miss it. What begins as a clever control experiment turns into a remarkable story that takes some unexpected emotional turns. You may find yourself struggling to keep your eyes open as the tears well up.

Editors' Recommendations

Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
One year later, Marvel Snap is my favorite mobile game of all time
Marvel Snap card list.

One year ago today, I gained access to the closed beta for an intriguing mobile collectible card game called Marvel Snap. I’d flirted with collectible card games (CCGs) like it before, but had dropped off titles like Hearthstone and Legends of Runeterra due to problems with their structure, monetization, and complexity. Within a few matches of Marvel Snap, I saw how disruptive it was into the CCG genre, circumventing many of my problems with it. I’ve been hooked ever since.
In the year since I first played Marvel Snap, rarely does a day go by where I don’t log in. On the first anniversary of its beta, I’m confident enough in the game to declare that it has become not only my preferred CCG to play, but my favorite mobile game of all time.
Why Marvel Snap stands out
Marvel Snap has been praised a lot, especially after it saw a wider release in October 2022, and everything said about it is true. It’s much faster-paced than most card games, as it’s only six turns and both people in a match play cards at the same time. This makes rounds enthralling across all six turns and quick enough that I never play only one battle when I boot Marvel Snap up. Couple that with all the potential deck builds that can be played and possible locations that can spawn during a game, and each Marvel Snap match feels very different from one another. They can be fun, frustrating, and even funny.

That’s even the case if you’re using the same deck for a while. For quite a long time, I was using a Patriot and Mystique deck that powered up cards with no abilities. As developer Second Dinner continued to introduce new cards, I started to experiment with different types of decks, like a Morbius/M.O.D.O.K. discard-focused deck, a Collector/Devil Dinosaur one where the goal is to get as many cards into my hand as possible, and most recently, a High Evolutionary/Hazmat setup that unlocks the secret abilities of some cards and greatly debuffs the enemy.
After a while in Hearthstone and Legends of Runeterra, I’d feel limited in the decks I could build and the viable enough strategies I could use. Neither are issues for me in Marvel Snap. Even when certain decks dominate the high-level metagame, that doesn’t mean other types of decks aren’t viable. Additionally, the number of recognizable characters turned in the cards encourages me to experiment with and use them.
There’s also the fact that I have an inherent familiarity with the cards I use. While I casually enjoy the worlds franchises like Warcraft and League of Legends occupy, I am less familiar with them than the Marvel Universe, and thus less excited when I pull a creature that I know nothing about. As a die-hard comics fan, though, I get excited each time I earn a new character in Marvel Snap. This game also allows me to play with weirder, obscure characters -- like Hell Cow, Orka, Aero, Darkhawk, or The Infinaut -- that are extremely unlikely to ever appear in a more traditional video game.
Good cards also aren’t usually locked behind paywalls, but that’s not to say Marvel Snap’s microtransactions are perfect. The $100 offers in the store are eye-raising, but I don't feel punished for not spending.
And unlike many mobile games, Marvel Snap’s progression is fair and engaging. Daily and seasonal challenges exist to keep players coming back and they refresh often enough that it’s usually worth booting up Marvel Snap a couple of times a day whenever I have a break. The objectives are all achievable enough for those with good knowledge of the game’s systems and they reward ample credits so you typically can upgrade a card or move up a tier in the battle pass within a day.

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The best GTA characters of all-time
The protagonists of GTA V pose for the camera.

Ever since the GTA franchise became what it is today with Grand Theft Auto 3, Rockstar has packed their worlds full of colorful and rich characters. While we've only been able to control male characters up until now (though that is set to change if the GTA 6 rumors are true), they have all had distinct and interesting personalities and stories. That said, sometimes it's the side characters that can steal the show too. Looking back at the entire series, we've come up with our picks for the best GTA characters of all time.
Carl 'CJ' Johnson -- GTA: San Andreas

Good old Carl Johnson, better known as CJ, is way more than just a meme. San Andreas was the second game in the series to really focus on character in a major way, and the team nailed it with their lead. Not only was the entire cast filled with bonafide actors, but CJ's personal story as a gang member whose mother is murdered was far more nuanced and emotional than the media would lead you to believe. The real draw was the relationship CJ had with the main antagonist Officer Tenpenny (who may or may not be mentioned later on). This game set the standard for how Rockstar would reveal more about the characters and world through casual conversation throughout the story.
Tommy Vercetti -- GTA: Vice City

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Alan Wake 2: release date, trailers, gameplay, preorder, and more
Alan Wake.

The original Alan Wake is a game that went through quite a troubled development before it was finally released. After many iterations and changes in scope and direction, the final product was initially a cult hit but didn't hit the mass market it needed -- at least not initially. After two DLC episodes, a sequel was in the works to build upon the first game and revive some of the elements that had to be cut from the first in order for it to ship, but this was ultimately not meant to be. The sequel was canceled and a smaller downloadable game, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, was released instead.

Since then, we hadn't heard from our intrepid writer until he showed up in a very unlikely place. Featured in the AWE expansion for a completely different game, Control, Alan was back in the picture. With a remaster of the initial game catching everyone up on his first appearance, now was the perfect time to announce that the long-awaited sequel was back in development. We haven't found all the manuscript pages yet, but here is everything we know about Alan Wake 2.
Release date

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