10 Video Games That Are a Blast From Start to Finish

Image via Nintendo Published Sep 10, 2026, 7:21 AM EDT Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. Sign in to your Collider account Fans play video games for many reasons, whether that is to be challenged in games like Elden Ring or to immerse themselves in a massive world and a specific role, like in Red Dead Redemption 2. No matter the reason, though, video games offer a way to experience whatever players want, and most of the time, that is fun. Gamers want to have fun more than anything, and that is why this list will rank the ten most enjoyable video games of all time. Based on aspects such as design, gameplay, fan opinion, critical acclaim, and overall quality, these titles are a blast from start to finish. Enjoyability is purely subjective, but this list collects the titles that the most fans and critics can agree on. ‘GoldenEye 007’ (1997) Image via Rare James Bond is the world's greatest and most beloved spy, and while the character is best known for his films, fans shouldn’t sleep on his games. Based on the film of the same name, GoldenEye 007 follows the suave spy as his next mission forces him to take down a terrorist group that wants to destroy London’s economy. Some fans may say GoldenEye 007 has aged poorly, but it still holds up better than many video games from that era. For its time, this was the go-to multiplayer game, creating enjoyable experiences because of its couch co-op or LAN parties. The gunplay was ahead of its time, and the missions were just as fun, proving it is a classic game that still knows how to have fun in the modern age. ‘Half-Life 2’ (2004) Image via Valve One of the biggest video game companies is Valve, and they are a master of fun since they don’t just have one game on this list, but two, starting with Half-Life 2. Set after the first game, Gordon Freeman leads the remnants of humanity in a revolution against their alien oppressors in City 17, hoping to take back their planet. Valve isn’t a part of the big three of gaming, but it really should be because most of their games are some of the best of all time. Half-Life 2 boasts an impressive narrative, but the best part is that it works in tandem with the gameplay, which keeps the flow intact and the entertainment going. Not to mention, the game's physics engine is a total blast to toy with, with or without the main campaign. Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one. 🏜️Paul Atreides 🖖Capt. Kirk ✊Princess Leia 🔦Ellen Ripley 🔥Max Rockatansky FIND YOUR HERO → 01 How do you lead when the stakes couldn't be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you. AI absorb everything — every variable, every pattern — and move only when I know the path forward. BI read the room, make the call, and own the consequences. Hesitation costs more than mistakes. CI rally people. A cause needs a voice, and I refuse to let fear be louder than conviction. DI assess the threat, establish what needs doing, and get it done without waiting for permission. EI don't lead. I act. Others can follow or not — I'm already moving. NEXT QUESTION → 02 What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails. APrescience — the ability to see further ahead than anyone else and plan accordingly. BImprovisation — I'm at my best when the plan falls apart and I have to invent a new one. CConviction — I know what I'm fighting for, and that certainty doesn't waver under fire. DComposure — I stay functional when everyone around me is falling apart. Panic is a luxury. EEndurance — I outlast things. I take the hit and keep moving long after others have stopped. NEXT QUESTION → 03 What is the thing you'd sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass. AThe survival and dignity of my people — even if I have to become something frightening to ensure it. BThe safety of my crew — every single one of them. No one gets left behind. CFreedom — for my people, for every world still crushed under the weight of an empire. DThe truth — what actually happened, what's actually out there, whether anyone believes me or not. EThe one person — or the one memory — that still makes any of this worth surviving for. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are. AWith intensity and distance — I care deeply, but the weight I carry makes closeness complicated. BWith warmth and irreverence — I take the mission seriously, not myself. CWith directness and trust — I say what I mean, and I expect the people I work with to rise to it. DWith professional care but clear limits — I'll protect you, but I won't pretend we're family. EWith wariness that slowly becomes loyalty — I don't trust easily, but when I do, it holds. NEXT QUESTION → 05 You're facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you're the only one who sees it defines everything. APrepare in silence. If they won't listen, I'll be ready when they finally have to. BKeep pushing until someone listens — and if no one does, handle it myself. CBuild the case, find the allies, and make the threat impossible to ignore. DDocument everything. The truth matters even if no one believes it yet. EStop trying to convince anyone. Survive it. That's the only argument that counts. NEXT QUESTION → 06 What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they'd pay it again. AMy innocence — I've seen what I'm capable of, and I can't unsee it. BPeople I loved — the command chair has a view, but it's a lonely one. CA normal life — I gave up everything ordinary the moment I chose the cause. DMy sense of safety — I know exactly what's out there now, and I can't pretend otherwise. EAlmost everything — and I'm still not sure what I'm carrying it all for. But I keep going. NEXT QUESTION → 07 How do you feel about the rules of the world you're in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What's yours? AI understand them deeply — and I know exactly which ones must be broken, and why. BI respect the spirit of them and bend the letter when the situation demands it. CThe system is the problem. I'm not here to work within it — I'm here to dismantle it. DI follow protocol until protocol stops being useful. Then I make the call myself. EThe rules collapsed a long time ago. What's left is instinct, and mine are reliable. NEXT QUESTION → 08 When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you. ADestiny — or something that feels so much like it that the difference no longer matters. BThe people on my ship — their faces, their trust, the fact that they're counting on me. CThe belief that what we're fighting for is worth every sacrifice, including this one. DSheer refusal to let it win — whatever it is. I don't stop. That's just who I am. EI'm not sure anymore. But the road is still there, and I'm still on it. REVEAL MY HERO → Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible. Paul AtreidesYou carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you're capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become. You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you. You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn't ask for but can't escape. Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway. That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won't, is exactly you. Captain KirkYou lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you've always believed there's a third option nobody else has thought of yet. You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously. Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you've earned it. Kirk's genius isn't tactical — it's human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction. That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours. Princess LeiaYou are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you're fearless, but because giving up simply isn't something you're capable of. You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable. You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you've never looked back. Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion. That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you. Ellen RipleyYou are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone's hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters. You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself. Ripley's heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn't have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan. You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn't there. When it counts, you don't flinch. That's everything. Max RockatanskyYou have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril. You don't ask for help, don't need validation, and don't wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply. Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it's earned in silence and tested in action, not in words. Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting. That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ ‘Animal Crossing’ (2001) Image via Nintendo When it comes to entertainment value, there aren’t many better companies than Nintendo, and their first game on this list is the original Animal Crossing. In this game, players build their dream town full of anthropomorphic guests, managing time, paying loans, fishing, catching bugs, building the infrastructure, and whatever else it takes to develop a successful village. People have fun in many different ways, and many players find Animal Crossing enjoyable because of its relaxing atmosphere and calming tasks. This no-stress game is the perfect title to unwind, except if they want to forget about paying their mortgage. Animal Crossing is a charming delight and an enjoyable game that acts as the perfect escape from stress. Image via Bethesda The Elder Scrolls is one of the best fantasy game franchises of all time, and while all of them are fun, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind is the most so. Taking place on Vvardenfell, a strange island with bizarre plants and animals, players set out on a grand adventure to fulfill the prophecy as the hero who will defeat the demigod who has corrupted the province. There are so many great Bethesda video games, and some will say that Skyrim should be here, but Morrowind is the perfect balance of originality, scope, immersion, and bugs. The power system may be broken, but it just makes the game more fun to tinker with and create outrageous magic spells. Morrowind is also simply a fantastic RPG that fully immerses the player into this fantasy world. 'Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver’ (2009) Image via The Pokémon Company One simply needs to find the biggest gaming franchise in order to determine what games are enjoyable to all, and in this case, it is Pokémon. This list includes Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, a remake of the classic Johto experience where trainers set out into the region in order to defeat the gym leaders, Elite Four, Champion, and Team Rocket, all at the age of 10. Pokémon games are enjoyable because of their timeless formula, and everyone loves the gameplay loop of catching, training, and battling. It is simple yet effective, and that is why HeartGold and SoulSilver are so beloved. These games bring back the nostalgia of the original Johto experience and remake it with perfected 2D art and gameplay, making it a title that every Pokémon fan has fond memories of. ‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’ (2018) Hot off the rails of one Nintendo game is another, except this one merges all of the franchises into one. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate lets gamers choose between a massive roster of Nintendo favorites and battle it out in familiar locations. Whether players want to fight friends, family, the computer, or strangers, the competitive spirit lives and dies in this game. It is kind of ironic because the same people who find Super Smash Bros. Ultimate enjoyable are the same people who rage at it. This game may not be a stress reliever, but it is the definitive fighting game of the 21st century that can be as simple or as challenging as the competition. It is a perfect experience that features in-depth combat with hundreds of gimmicks and added mechanics to ramp up the chaos and the fun. ‘Portal 2’ (2011) Image via Valve As mentioned earlier in this list, Valve will have multiple entries featured, and the second, and arguably most enjoyable video game is Portal 2. Taking place years after the first game, Chell wakes back up to the same scientific facility, except this time it is run down. With the help of a robot, players need to escape the facility without being caught by GLaDOS. Like Half-Life 2, Portal 2 also features one of the greatest physics engines in video game history. The portal gun is one of the most fun main mechanics in gaming, allowing for creative puzzles and wild solutions that are even better to experiment with. On top of its gameplay prestige, Portal 2 also has a witty narrative and sharp dialogue to create an engaging experience from start to finish. ‘Minecraft’ (2011) Image via Mojang Studios It is only natural that some of the most enjoyable video games are also the best-selling, and that is especially true with Minecraft. With no main goal, players can create whatever motivations they want, whether that falls under the umbrella of fighting, mining, crafting, building, or exploring. Either building the realm of their dreams or defeating the Ender Dragon, the possibilities are endless. Minecraft is one of the most fun video games of all time, and that is because it gives players the agency to enjoy it in any shape or form. There is no "right" or "wrong" way to experience it, and everyone can find their own niche in this game because there are so many possibilities in each category. Plus, the procedurally generated worlds mean replay value is through the roof, making Minecraft enjoyable years ago, now, and years into the future. ‘Balatro’ (2024) Image via LocalThunk Indie games are getting more and more popular, meaning an increasing number of fans are finding them more enjoyable, including Balatro. In this poker-themed roguelike, players build decks in order to defeat the opposing enemy’s hand, with each match getting more difficult and entertaining. Balatro's genius lies in how players can break the game, letting them create any hand they want with incredible sensory feedback. This game features a fast pace that keeps players' attention at all times, forcing them to be invested with quick gameplay and gorgeous visuals. Balatro is a stimulating video game that hooks everyone who plays it. ‘Tetris’ (1984) Image via Tetris Holding, LLC Sometimes, simple is better, or more fun at least, and that is proven by new games like Balatro, or older ones such as Tetris. A random mixed bag of shapes slowly falls down one at a time, and it is the player's job to organize them in a way that leaves them enough room for the next piece. If they do well enough, they go to the next level, but if the pieces reach the top of the level, they lose. Tetris may be a straightforward game, but players can have more fun when they aren’t bogged down in mechanic-heavy games that take a hundred hours to beat. Simple yet effective, Tetris is an addictive video game that is satisfying to play and impossible to put down. Young and old players can all intuitively learn and enjoy Tetris, and that is why it is the most enjoyable video game and has been for over forty years.