15 Best Years In Video Game History

Notable Releases - The Last of Us, GTA V, BioShock: Infinite, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

By the time 2013 reached its end, no gamer felt unsatisfied. Assassin's Creed IV was (and still is) the pinnacle of the series. A Link Between Worlds was probably the most innovative Zelda entry on any handheld system.

Even though reboots are always a risky move, Tomb Raider's redux couldn't have turned out better. Metal Gear Solid: Revengeance's title doesn't make a lick of sense, but it was fun as hell. 2010's Final Fantasy XIV was abominable, but the heavily revised A Realm Reborn turned out so well, it redeemed SquareEnix's folly. On top of that, The Stanley Parable, Gone Home, Papers Please, Rogue Legacy, and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons proved indie hits could hold there own against AAA titles.

However, there are three games that perfectly encapsulate how high the standard was in 2013 - The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto V, and BioShock Infinite. Games this good usually come out once per decade and yet, we got to experience all three within six months of each other.

Although the gaming industry has been perceived as brainless entertainment by non-gamers for decades, games like this shattered the stigma, since they focused more on character-driven narratives. For the first time, it felt like society was starting to recognise video games weren't just a source of leisure, but an art form.