The top five videos games of 2021 selected by the NPR staff

In a world that remains anything but normal, gaming has become a source of companionship and catharsis. The game industry has struggled to keep up as major releases like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarök have once again been delayed by the pandemic. But you'd be hard pressed to find a year with more breadth. Over 11 thousand unique titles were released to the online marketplace Steam, thousands more than any other year. Consoles like the Xbox Series X, PS5, and Nintendo Switch each deepened their catalogs with new franchises and remasters of old classics, and independent games enjoyed heightened visibility at The Game Awards and on platforms like YouTube and Twitch.