Quarterly Report: The 25 Best PlayStation 3 Games

Comments: ↓ 9 user comments
by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor
Publish Date: October 1, 2013

Our "Quarterly Reports" provide a handy list of the 25 best games for each platform, both for the current year so far and for all time. There's a separate report for each platform, and they will be updated again during the first week in January.

Best-reviewed PS3 games of 2013 (as of October 1st)

Games released during the last three months (if any) are marked with a symbol.

	Game		Publisher	Metascore
1		Grand Theft Auto V	Rockstar Games	97
1		Rockstar's latest Grand Theft Auto title has unseated The Last of Us from its #1 position for the year, while currently standing less than a point behind its predecessor (GTA IV) in the all-time high scores list.
2	The Last of Us		SCEA	95
3	BioShock Infinite		2K Games	94
4	Rayman Legends		Ubisoft	91
5	Tomb Raider		Square Enix	87
6	MLB 13: The Show		SCEA	87
7	Hotline Miami		Devolver Digital	87
8	NBA 2K14		2K Sports	87
9	Bit.Trip Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien		Aksys Games	86
10	FIFA 14		EA Sports	86
11	Diablo III		Blizzard Entertainment	86
12	Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch		Namco Bandai	85
13	Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons		505 Games	85
14	DmC: Devil May Cry		Capcom	85
15	Guacamelee!		DrinkBox Studios	84
16	Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist		Ubisoft	84
17	Dragon's Crown		ATLUS	83
18	Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara		Capcom	83
19	Spelunky		Mossmouth	83
20	GRID 2		Codemasters	82
21	Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon		Ubisoft	82
22	Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn		Square Enix	81
	Terraria		505 Games	81
24	Pool Nation		Cherry Pop Games	81
25	Puppeteer		SCEA	81
... and the worst-reviewed:
105	Aliens: Colonial Marines		Sega	43
106	Time and Eternity		NIS America	42
107	Arcania: The Complete Tale		Nordic Games Publishing	41
108	Painkiller: Hell & Damnation		Nordic Games Publishing	40
109	The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct		Activision	34

Includes games released between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013 with at least seven reviews in our database. Note that games are ranked by Metascore prior to rounding. The Metascore is a weighted average of critic reviews on a scale of 0 (bad) to 100 (good). All scores are from October 1, 2013.

Best-reviewed PS3 games of all time

Games released during the last three months (if any) are marked with a symbol.

	Game	Publisher	Metascore
1	Grand Theft Auto IV (2008)	Rockstar Games	98
2	Grand Theft Auto V (2013)	Rockstar Games	97
3	Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)	SCEA	96
4	Batman: Arkham City (2011)	Warner Bros. Interactive	96
5	LittleBigPlanet (2008)	SCEA	95
6	Red Dead Redemption (2010)	Rockstar Games	95
7	The Last of Us (2013)	SCEA	95
8	Portal 2 (2011)	Valve Software	95
9	BioShock Infinite (2013)	2K Games	94
10	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)	Activision	94
11	Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)	Activision	94
12	BioShock (2008)	2K Games	94
13	Mass Effect 2 (2011)	Electronic Arts	94
14	Street Fighter IV (2009)	Capcom	94
15	Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)	Konami	94
16	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2007)	Bethesda Softworks	93
17	Braid (2009)	Number None Inc.	93
18	Mass Effect 3 (2012)	Electronic Arts	93
19	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)	Bethesda Softworks	92
20	God of War III (2010)	SCEA	92
21	Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011)	SCEA	92
22	Super Street Fighter IV (2010)	Capcom	92
23	Rock Band (2007)	Electronic Arts/MTV Games	92
24	Journey (2012)	SCEA	92
25	The ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (2011)	SCEA	92

Games with fewer than 7 reviews are not eligible for inclusion.

For a complete list of all PS3 high (and low) scores, visit Metacritic's PlayStation 3 section.

We're sorry, but comments are closed for this article.

Comments (9)

First to Last
Latest

Zeek
- Apr 18, 2011 12:31PM
There's never going to be unbiased lists. I mean, look at the target audience when it comes to PS3 and Xbox 360 owners. Pretty much every game that has realistic violence is going to get points just for that. I mean, if I designed and published the "perfect" falling piece puzzle game (think Tetris and Puyo Puyo games), even if it deserved at least a 95/100, it wouldn't break the top 10 list because it doesn't involve shooting someone.

I get the idea of lists, but really they're only meaningful if you seperate them by genre. If you stick just M-rated shooters in a column, then you can figure out which ones are the best. Same with less violent adventure games or RPG's. And, of course, the no-longer-existant puzzle types.
Bernardo
- Apr 17, 2011 3:22PM
@ BlackArmorTails

I'm not saying user reviews in general aren't reliable. Metacritic user scores aren't though. This place is awfully prone to troll attacks. How else would you explain why LittleBigPlanet, Mordern Warfare 2 and Dragon Age 2 are rated so low here but are in the 7-8-9s in pretty much in every other site out there? (and yes I'm talking user scores)

And the MW2 multiplayer issues only had to do with the PC version anyway, why are they reflected in the PS3 version's user score? Just further proof these numbers need to be taken with a pinch of salt.
BlackArmorTails
- Apr 17, 2011 2:07PM
@Bernardo, User reviews are more legitimate than critic reviews. Proven fact, given that there are legitimate complaints for MW2 regarding the broken multiplayer. There are times where critics admit to grading scores not out of opinion, but on what people will like.
Bernardo
- Apr 17, 2011 11:16AM
Dragon Age 2 is as much a 3.9 as LittleBigPlanet is a 6.5, MW2 is a 5.7 or Hyperdimension Neptunia is a 8.3.

Metacritic user reviews... smh
BlackArmorTails
- Apr 16, 2011 8:16PM
@Gustav, Spoken for truth. This sort of bias needs to be regulated, honestly. What I saw on this list is worse than any form of anti-Wii bias on the web combined (by the way, I own a PS3 & Wii). These PS360 folk need to wake up and expose these money-drunken "critics" (really shareholders in disguise) for who they really are.
gustav
- Apr 16, 2011 6:56PM
This is why I ignore the critics. They give good scores to big games that don't deserve it and ignore or bash smaller games. This is especially true when the big game is developed in the West and the other is a niche Japanese game (Hyperdimension Neptunia is a good example) that the fans like but the reviewer doesn't even like the genre to begin with and it shows.
lolja
- Apr 16, 2011 12:45PM
indeed, a game who received an average score of 8.3 for user reviews is THE "worst" reviewed...

I see a list of bias filled with FPS and Western corporations like Electronic Arts who fills half the freakin chart.
BlackArmorTails
- Apr 15, 2011 5:14AM
@Barry, you're right, too. In fact, not only are some of these games not exclusives, but they also have awful ratings from actual users. For example, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has a critic rating of 94, but a user rating 0f 5.7. Dragon Age 2 has it the worst: critic rating - 82, user rating - 3.9 (!!!)

Also, why are games like Peggle and TETRIS on the list? Where's Gran Turismo 5? Even if GT5 is a trainwreck at best, at least it is a somewhat worthy exclusive, considering the sales that game is earning is equal to the worst game everyone played known as MW2.
Barry
- Apr 15, 2011 2:21AM
This is probably the most biased list I have ever seen. Every game you have posted is what is considered a blockbuster hit due to large amounts of money spent on marketing, development, and reviewer giveaways. You don't even make a mention of the 2009 Game of the Year and overall underdog Demon's Souls. Hell this game beat COD: MW2, Halo 3, and GTA IV for game of the year with $0 spent on advertising and broke records for moving both software and hardware. Get your list straight man, because coming from me, all I see is a corporate shill who buys everything paid reviewers tell him to.

What Our Users Are Talking About

Film Friday: This Week's Movie News and New Trailers

October 11, 2013 - 1 comment
1. BobbyPeru : I can't wait for Inside Llewyn Davis. It looks so good. Also, Lars von Trier is hilarious and brilliant just like... Read »
Film Friday: This Week's Movie News and New Trailers

October 4, 2013 - 1 comment
1. FleshWorld : Not a fan of pine as Ryan Read »
TV Premiere Calendar

October 3, 2013 - 2 comments
1. NotchFilter : Excellent. It is good to see that this MetaCritic feature now has a permanent home. Thanks for your efforts! Read »
2. FleshWorld : As a TV addict, this is the most important bookmark on my iPad. Thanks for maintaining this! Read »
10 Best iPhone/iPad Games for September 2013

October 1, 2013 - 1 comment
1. robert999 : Smartball Gravity Games is a puzzle-action game with 30 levels that consists of 5 different types of puzzle action.... Read »
Episode Review: Breaking Bad Series Finale

September 29, 2013 - 15 comments
1. CassioSanfelice : "Felina" was a perfect episode. It was the wrap-up of these epic novel. The predictability of the episode, in my... Read »
Episode Review: Dexter Series Finale

September 22, 2013 - 6 comments
1. cbowell09 : This season 8 was beyond saving, and the Series Finale Episode just dug the hole and buried it. Its a shame Dexter's... Read »
Summer Movie Recap: Best Films, Prediction Results, and More

September 3, 2013 - 3 comments
1. Viewster : I enjoyed the Pacific Rim, although I expected it to be disappointing. It's my favorite because being surprised by a... Read »
2012 Emmy Awards: Winners, Reactions, and Reviews

September 24, 2012 - 10 comments
1. ajaybihani : Emmy Awards 2012 are very nice to watch I need a repeat action for 2012 awards Yebhi Coupons Read »
Quarterly Report: The 25 Best Nintendo 3DS Games

October 1, 2013 - 3 comments
1. classicgamer321 : super mario 3d land should be #1. It's not as good as the super mario galaxy games, but it's very close, and it shows... Read »