Top 200 Games of All Time: By the Numbers

Top Years

Years with the most entries on the list

1. 22 games: 1998
2. 12 games: 1996
3. 10 games: 1994
4. 11 games: 1999
5. 9 games: 1993, 1997, 2000, 2008, 2010

And the years with just a single entry: 1983, 1985, 2020. 

I don't think this is surprising. I think many people consider 1998 to be one of the greatest years in gaming. 

It also happened to be the year I was getting paid decent money watching my brothers and I had unlimited time to play games. 

Systems at a Glance

1. 46 games: PC
   
2. 34 games: PlayStation
3. 19 games: Xbox 360
4. 16 games: NES
5. 14 games: Sega Genesis
6. 10 games: PS4
7. 9 games: Gamecube
8. 8 games: PS3
9. 7 games: Super Nintendo
10. 5 games: Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2
11. 4 games: Arcade, Wii
12. 3 games: Nintendo Switch, Wii-U, PlayStation Vita
13. 2 games: Xbox One, Gameboy
14. 1 game: Nintendo DS, Dreamcast, Gameboy Color, PSP, Xbox

What does this mean? Well, it probably means I didn't own a Nintendo 64 or Dreamcast until much later. Or it means, I had a Nintendo DS and PSP in college when I didn't have much time for games. 

PC got bolstered numbers by it being a platform that has existed since the mid-80s. It doesn't sink or swim on the 8 year console cycle. And you can see the PlayStation was around during my formative years when I had all the time in the world... conversely, the Xbox 360 was also around at a time where I had all the time in the world. 

Top Developers

1. 10 games: Nintendo EAD
   
2. 9 games: Capcom
3. 8 games: Konami
4. 5 games: id Software
5. 4 games: Midway, Naughty Dog, Square Enix, Valve

I assumed that Nintendo's top team would be on this list and I was right. When you basically own Mario, Zelda, Mariokart, F-Zero, and Star Fox you're going to make it. 

Capcom wasn't surprising either with Resident Evil and Street Fighter. 

I think the tragedy here is Konami sits up in this list and knowing that I likely will not get another Silent Hill or Metal Gear Solid from Konami. (Unless they sell)

Top Publishers

1. 26 games: Nintendo
   
2. 12 games: Sony
3. 11 games: Konami
4. 10 games: Capcom
5. 9 games: Electronic Arts

When you combine Nintendo EAD, Nintendo R&D 1, and the 2nd party companies Nintendo publishes, it's no surprise they are at the top of this list. I guess I'm a Nintendo fanboy?

The only other surprises on here is I expected Sony to be closer to 20 games and then Konami and Capcom swapping places from the two lists. 

I'm also surprised Ubisoft didn't make it in the top, considering I pretty much pick up every one of their games. I think EA squeaked on because in the mid-90s, they had some really interesting properties.