26. Grand Theft Auto V
It’s no surprise that we start off our list with one of our favorite games from one of our favorite series. Since 1997, the Grand Theft Auto series has allowed gamers to unlock the darkest parts of their inner desires. It isn’t hard to figure out what makes this game such an all-time favorite. The open sandbox format, limitless in-game options, and a darkly humorous narrative all make it an easy first choice for our list. Not to mention the intricate and beautiful environment, intense car chases, and a bountiful amount of explosions and mayhem.
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25. Mario Party 2
The first of several Nintendo games, Mario Party 2 kept us entertained endlessly when it first released, and still holds up to this day. The Mario Party series took the board game format and seemlessly translated it into a 4-player party game that was best suited to play with friends. The first installment in the series was solid, but Mario Party 2 took it to an entirely new level. New mini games, a story packed with humor, and six beautiful maps kept players entertained for hours on end. Be careful though, because no game ruined friendships quite like Mario Party.
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24. Super Mario Bros.
You can’t go wrong with any of the original Super Mario Bros. games, but the first installment holds a sense of nostalgia. Every single level was deeply immersive, containing hidden puzzles, stars and unique enemies. On top of that, each level had to be played multiple times, attempting to accomplish a different objective each time. Without gaining a certain amount of stars, you couldn’t progress into the next painting to start the process anew. For many young gamers, this was the introduction to our favorite plumber, and what an introduction it was. This author personally spent an obscene amount of months trying to beat this game. A true sign of an addictive game is how one can come back years later and enjoy the game as much as they did their first play through, and this game is a glowing testament to that idea.
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23. Tetris
Some classics deserve recognition — Tetris is one of those classics. Originally released in 1989, this game still exists in a million and one forms to this day. It is still played on our phones, computers, consoles and of course the arcades from which the game originally spawned. Need proof that this game deserves to be on our list? Simply look at the high scores logged online or in the arcades across the globe. Thinking about the amount of time spent to achieve those scores, we can’t help but wonder how those gamers can also make a living.
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22. The Sims
How many virtual lives did you ruin, reader? You can be honest with us, we are only judging you a little. The entire game was essentially based on building up our virtual Sims’ lives, and then doing everything in our power to ruin said lives. OK, maybe that wasn’t originally intended when the creators developed the series, but human nature may have just taken the reins on this one.
Players could spend hours customizing the look of their Sims, developing backstories, assigning jobs, and building a house. It’s a reality simulator that you control, and who doesn’t love to be in control every once in a while?
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21. NBA 2K18
The Madden series dominated the sports gaming world for over a decade, with the Canadian developed FIFA and NHL recently making pushes for the top spot. However, all three series currently fall back in line to Take Two’s NBA 2K series.
2K’s recent surge can be attributed to their MyCareer game mode. Gamers create an avatar, select their position, earn points through practice and games, and spend those points to develop their player. Those players can then be taken online to the “Park” or the “Pro-Am” arena to battle it out online with fellow gamers. Career modes have taken the sports gaming world by storm, and 2K18 has the best version with their MyCareer.
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20. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege
Battling with other popular first-person shooters is often an uphill battle, but the Tom Clancy series has been able to stand the test of time and remain relevant today. Being able to team up with your friends to take on other groups of four made this a strategic battle for supremacy. Unlike other shooters, the Rainbow Six series isn’t just about pointing and shooting. You have to work as a team to get things done. The combination of unique perks offered by each character, the maps, and the gameplay itself make this game hopelessly addictive. Each match online feels completely different – an obvious plus to any game you plan to spend a huge amount of time on.
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19. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
These days, when a game gets a lot of hype, it becomes increasingly hard to live up to those expectations. Companies can run a very successful advertisement campaign for a game that makes it seem incredible, only to have it fall short when the game is released (still heartbroken about Assassin’s Creed: Unity). So when a game not only lives up to the hype, but ends up being even better than what everyone expected, you know it must be something special. Breath Of The Wild falls under that category. Nintendo Switches flew off the shelves once gamers got their first look at the full game. The story is compelling, the world and graphics are beautiful, the gameplay is everything one loves about the Zelda series, and the side quests could keep you entertained for hours.
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18. Overwatch
Blizzard consistently puts out some of the best games on the market. Like many Blizzard games, it’s best played online with other human players. The shooter has a host of unique personalities to choose from, and they’re constantly working to balance their roster and add new faces with each passing update. Blending together layers of skill with tactics, the game can quickly lead to endless time trying to improve and keep up with a community that is dedicated to being the best.
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17. Angry Birds
We couldn’t rightfully name this list “26 Most Addictive Games” without mentioning the games on our phones that keep us occupied (or distracted, whichever) for days on end. Angry Birds launched in 2009 and is so widely popular that is has gotten books, comics, an animated series, and even a full feature-length movie made. Also important to note is that the series is at 17 games now with three spin-offs as well. It proved that simple games can still capture the attention of players everywhere.
Image Source: Macworld
16. Dota 2
On Dota 2‘s website, we are treated to some incredible claims that show just how popular the game is. Besides being able to claim the title of “most downloaded game on Steam”, the website also states that “Every day, millions of players worldwide enter battle as one of over a hundred Dota heroes. And no matter if it’s their 10th hour of play or 1,000th, there’s always something new to discover. With regular updates that ensure a constant evolution of gameplay, features, and heroes, Dota 2 has truly taken on a life of its own.” Their own promotion acts as sufficient proof of how addicting this game can be.
Image Source: Dota2.com
15. Diablo II
The pinnacle of dungeon crawling, Diablo II took loot-lovers on the adventure of a lifetime when it released in 2000. Millions of games have since tried to recreate the model Blizzard has set forth with their Diablo series, but nobody has quite hit the mark at the same level. Diablo II set the bar for hack-and-slash games, and revolutionized the genre by rewarding players for their work. Playing online unlocked the full capabilities of this title, as you could join up with friends or strangers to complete tough missions or trade rare items.
Just a year after its release, Blizzard released the Lord of Destruction expansion that unlocked two new classes, hours of new gameplay, and tons of fittings and equipment to deck out your character.
Image Source: Instant-Gaming.com
14. Mario Kart 64
Another oldie but goodie, Mario Kart 64 holds a nostalgic space in our hearts. Playing this game with your friends meant, of course, you were going to go through every level, maybe twice if you really had something to prove. How else were you going to prove that you aren’t actually worse at the game, but it was the damn banana peels and blue shells that stopped you from winning? For others, it is about proving Toad is in fact faster than Donkey Kong. A party game that remains as popular today as it did when played on the N64, Mario Kart easily has earned its place on our list.
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13. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
One of the top games ever developed in the RPG genre, Skyrim has been remade and remastered for every system throughout the years. It has endless quests, monsters, crafting, skills, and storylines. The depth of this game is difficult to quantify. You could spend hours doing virtually anything — from decking out your house, to working on your archery skills, to doing fetch quests for the Thieve’s Guild. These limitless possibilities and objectives never leave the adventurer wanting, and before you know it, you’ve logged hundreds of hours into the game.
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12. PlayerUnknown’s Battleground
The battle royale genre is booming. In a game that feels very much like The Hunger Games, 100 players are parachuted onto an island to scavenge for weapons and survive on an island against each other. As this is going on, the border of the map is shrinking and those who aren’t fast enough to escape the closing border are killed. The ever shrinking map leads to more combat, making the game feel intense the entirety of its run through. You need to be quick on your feet to survive, as everybody else in the game is thinking of innovative tactics to take you down. Widely popular, it is quickly becoming one of the most played and downloaded games on the market, with a rapidly growing community of gamers ready to delve into combat and survive for as long as possible.
Image Source: playbattlegrounds.com
11. Counterstrike
For plenty of gamers, this was the first taste of an online first-person shooter. Counterstrike laid the groundwork for just about every other shooting game on this list. At its purest form, Counterstrike is a 100-percent skill-based game. It did away with cute gimmicks, and gave each player a small arsenal to defeat their enemies with — no luck, just skill. As a community and game, it is still active and played by many people today. To put that in context, the game was released in 2000. 18 years of addiction is noteworthy.
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10. Team Fortress 2
Many games have come and gone that have gotten inspiration from the Team Fortress 2 format. Some of those games are actually on this list! Released in 2007 and still widely played today, TF2 has grown into one of the cornerstone gaming communities. So while games like Overwatch are evolving quickly (and rightfully so), a game like Team Fortress 2 has already firmly embedded itself into the gaming community as a timeless classic. What’s the rough part about these games? More of our free time going into a lot of online combat.
Image Source: The Orange Box
9. Halo 2
Just two years prior to Halo 2‘s release, Microsoft launched its famed Xbox Live service which allowed gamers from everywhere to link up and shoot baddies together from the comfort of their own living room. Timing is everything, and Halo 2 cashed in on that timing. As one of the most popular games of its time, Halo 2 essentially catapulted online console gaming. Professional events were being held across the world, with cash prizes totaling in the millions.
The Halo series also prided itself on a great campaign mode that took players through an epic fight with an alien species. For having both the online and offline sides covered, Halo 2 will forever be in our hearts.
Image Source: Halo Waypoint
8. League Of Legends
Just log on to the gaming website Twitch.tv to get an idea of how popular this game has become. This MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) sets the standard for the genre, and is still going strong nearly 10 years after its initial release. League of Legends is a 5-on-5 multiplayer game in which each person (or summoner, as the game refers to you as) controls a character (or champion) with a primary goal to infiltrate their opponents’ base and destroy their nexus. It may seem pretty simple, but when you have over 100 champions each possessing their own unique abilities, it becomes a test of wit and savvy. It’s one of the most popular games on the professional circuit, and hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down.
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7. Fortnite: Battle Royal
The competitor to our 12th entry and following the exact same game play and rules, Fortnite is the cartoon-y sibling of PlayerUnknown’s Battleground. It has a a brighter style with more hokey items, which has endeared itself to its fan base. This game is doing even better however, and has also created a series of hilarious YouTube videos. Countless celebrities from rapper Drake to NBA star Ben Simmons have already hopped on the bandwagon. When busy stars set aside time for a game, you know it must be fairly addicting.
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6. Super Smash Bros. Melee
A competitive scene that is still alive, Super Smash Bros. Melee has thrived long past the due date of even its host game system, the GameCube. Going further than that, there have only been two other games of the series released past it, and only one game before it. These four are all popular and eagerly played, but the true competitors and gamers will always gravitate towards Melee. What seperates Melee from many other games is the intricacies of the battle system. To this day, professional players are still finding new techniques and button combinations to unlock strategies that have never been seen before.
Image Source: Smashpedia
5. Pokémon Red and Blue
These are the games that launched alongside the show that changed millennials’ lives forever. Dramatic? Maybe. Incorrect? Nope. Pokémon as a brand is a worldwide phenomenon, one that has stretched across generations with its popularity. With tons of games and a continuing animated series, Pokémon is an everlasting brand that has changed the gaming and anime world. The original games don’t quite hold the test of time, but there’s no questioning how many hours each gamer put into their original cartridge back when it released in 1998. Since then, the series has updated the games to be more player-friendly, but the formula remains the same. And what a formula it is.
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4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
In a long lineage of successful games, Call Of Duty 4 is widely hailed as the king of the series. It has already been remastered, and had one of the best online gaming experiences out of any generation of consoles. The Call of Duty series stood out in the gaming world as a shooter that tried to emulate a real-life battle field. That sort of realism resonated with gamers, and made them feel like they were legitimately part of squadron. Customization was huge in Modern Warfare, as the game allowed its users to fit their soldiers with endless amounts of toys and perks. It is truly the pinnacle of a historic series.
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3. Minecraft
A game limited only by one’s imagination, Minecraft has spawned pieces of art and magic that only a game with an open sandbox format could do. The fan base and players of the game have showed endless creativity and ability to design. The results of this time speak for themselves, so much so that we try to ignore how truly attached to the game the creator of this art must be.
Image Source: Time Magazine
2. Candy Crush
According to ThinkGaming.com, Candy Crush has a daily revenue estimate of $1,652,802 and a daily install estimate of 35,251 downloads. This is all for one mobile game, in which all you have to do is swipe your thumb and match colored candies together. The creators of the game seem to have found a way to tap into the parts of our brain that handle addiction.
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1. World of Warcraft
The ruler of MMORPG’s, World Of Warcraft peaked in 2012 at 12 million active players. The game was released in 2004 and still releases new content and upgrades almost daily. The expansions bring long time players back consistently, and is often referred to within the community as “online cocaine.” Even to this day, another expansion is set to be released this year, as fans will certainly rally again for the next adventure. For anyone who has ever played the game (we reckon that’s a lot of you), you understand why this game takes the #1 spot on our list.
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