Video Game Franchises Tier List: Every Big Name Ranked
We argue about this stuff so you don't have to, but honestly, you should argue back. Here are 46 of gaming's biggest franchises, from century-defining juggernauts to series that burned bright and then just kind of stopped. This covers everything from Mario to Borderlands, plus the JRPGs, the shooters, the horror series and the sports-adjacent racers that shaped entire decades.
The ranking below reflects what fans and critics broadly agree on across forums, review scores and years of discourse, with our own call made wherever the community is genuinely split. Disagree with where we put Kingdom Hearts or Assassin's Creed? Good. That's the point. Rank it yourself and see if you land somewhere different.
The tier list
The community’s tier list fills in as members vote. It appears once 5 members have ranked or voted on these.
Think you can rank them better?
Make your own tier listFree account. Your ranking stays private unless you share it, and it counts toward the community tier list.Vote
SS Tier: The untouchables
Super Mario
The blueprint for 3D platforming and still the gold standard decades later. Odyssey alone shows Nintendo hasn't lost a step, and the sheer range from kart racing to tennis to Galaxy's gravity puzzles is unmatched.
About Super Mario
Nintendo's flagship platforming series starring Mario, running since the arcade days of Donkey Kong and the NES launch of Super Mario Bros.
- Debut
- 1985 (Super Mario Bros.)
- Publisher
- Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda
Breath of the Wild didn't just reinvent the series, it reset what open-world games are supposed to feel like. Ocarina of Time is still cited as one of the most influential games ever made, and that's before counting Link's Awakening or the Wind Waker's art style.
About The Legend of Zelda
Nintendo's action-adventure fantasy series following Link's recurring battle to save Hyrule and Princess Zelda.
- Debut
- 1986
- Publisher
- Nintendo
Pokémon
The highest-grossing media franchise on the planet isn't an accident. It nailed collecting, trading and battling as a social loop before 'live service' was even a phrase, and the anime and card game only widened its reach.
About Pokémon
The monster-collecting RPG series from Game Freak that spawned an enormous media empire including anime, films and trading cards.
- Debut
- 1996 (Red/Green)
- Publisher
- Nintendo / The Pokémon Company
Minecraft
A block-building indie project became one of the best-selling games of all time and basically its own creative platform. Kids learn redstone circuitry before they learn algebra because of this game.
About Minecraft
The sandbox building and survival game created by Markus 'Notch' Persson, now owned by Microsoft through its Mojang studio.
- Debut
- 2011 (full release)
- Developer
- Mojang Studios
The Last of Us
Two games, both era-defining, both proof that narrative in games can hit as hard as any film or prestige TV drama. Joel and Ellie's story in the first game alone reshaped what people expected from game writing.
About The Last of Us
Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic drama following Joel and Ellie, adapted into a successful HBO television series.
- Debut
- 2013
- Developer
- Naughty Dog
AA Tier: Genuinely great, almost no filler
Grand Theft Auto
GTA V has sold more copies than seems mathematically reasonable and GTA Online turned it into a decade-long cultural event. San Andreas and Vice City still get quoted constantly, which tells you how deep the satire landed.
About Grand Theft Auto
Rockstar's open-world crime series known for its satire, sprawling cities and massively popular online modes.
- Debut
- 1997
- Developer
- Rockstar Games
Final Fantasy
Few series swing this hard between wildly different styles and still land. FFVII reinvented the JRPG for a generation, FFXIV clawed back from a disastrous launch to become one of the best MMOs running, and FFX still makes people cry.
About Final Fantasy
Square Enix's long-running RPG series, with each mainline entry typically featuring a new cast, world and battle system.
- Debut
- 1987
- Developer
- Square Enix
Half-Life
Half-Life 2 is routinely named one of the greatest games ever made, full stop. Valve's physics puzzles and Gordon Freeman's crowbar changed how shooters told stories, even if fans are still waiting (and waiting) on Episode Three.
About Half-Life
Valve's science-fiction first-person shooter series starring Gordon Freeman and the Black Mesa incident.
- Debut
- 1998
- Developer
- Valve
Dark Souls
FromSoftware didn't invent difficulty, but it built an entire design philosophy, and a genre nickname, around earning every victory. The interconnected world design in the first game is still studied by other developers.
About Dark Souls
FromSoftware's punishing fantasy action-RPG series known for interconnected level design and deliberately brutal combat.
- Debut
- 2011
- Developer
- FromSoftware
God of War
Kratos went from button-mashing rage machine to grieving Norse dad, and somehow the reinvention worked better than anyone expected. 2018's single-take camera trick wasn't just a gimmick, it made the whole journey feel unbroken.
About God of War
Sony's action series starring Kratos, originally rooted in Greek mythology before shifting to Norse mythology in 2018.
- Debut
- 2005
- Developer
- Santa Monica Studio
Resident Evil
Invented survival horror, then reinvented itself again with Resident Evil 4's over-the-shoulder action and again with the recent remakes. Few franchises have bounced back from a rough patch (RE6, let's be honest) this convincingly.
About Resident Evil
Capcom's survival horror series that helped define the genre, following various characters battling bioweapon outbreaks.
- Debut
- 1996
- Developer
- Capcom
Metal Gear
Kojima's stealth saga is as famous for codec call rambling about nuclear disarmament as it is for the actual sneaking. Metal Gear Solid 3's Snake Eater is still held up as a high point for the entire genre.
About Metal Gear
Hideo Kojima's stealth-action series following Solid Snake and other operatives across decades of espionage plots.
- Debut
- 1987
- Developer
- Konami
Street Fighter
Street Fighter II basically created the modern fighting game template and the tournament scene that followed. Ryu and Ken throwing hadoukens is as recognizable a gaming image as the Mario mushroom.
About Street Fighter
Capcom's foundational fighting game series, credited with popularizing the genre's competitive tournament scene.
- Debut
- 1987
- Developer
- Capcom
Super Smash Bros.
A crossover fighter that somehow keeps getting bigger with every generation, to the point where Ultimate's roster reads like a museum of gaming history. It turned button-mashing chaos into a legitimate esport.
About Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo's crossover fighting series pitting characters from across gaming history against each other.
- Debut
- 1999
- Developer
- HAL Laboratory / Sora Ltd.
Doom
The original basically invented the first-person shooter as a mass phenomenon, and 2016's reboot pulled off one of gaming's great comeback stories. Rip and tear, as the saying goes, never gets old.
About Doom
id Software's fast-paced first-person shooter series, widely credited with popularizing the FPS genre.
- Debut
- 1993
- Developer
- id Software
Halo
Halo put Xbox on the map and gave console shooters a real backbone with Master Chief, the Covenant, and a campaign that still holds up. It never quite stays at the very top because recent entries have been shaky, but Combat Evolved through Reach remains a genuine landmark. Multiplayer alone earns it a permanent seat at the grown ups table.
About Halo
Halo is a science fiction video game franchise originally developed by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries, published by Xbox Game Studios. It centers on the Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier, and his fight against alien alliances and ancient threats across the galaxy. The series helped define console first-person shooters and became a flagship franchise for Microsoft's Xbox platform.
- First game
- Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
- Original developer
- Bungie
- Current developer
- 343 Industries
- Platform
- Xbox
BB Tier: Reliable and beloved, with some bumps
Mega Man
The Blue Bomber's boss-weakness-swap formula was ahead of its time and still gets copied constantly. Capcom's neglect of new mainline entries for years was a genuine shame given how beloved the classic run remains.
About Mega Man
Capcom's action-platformer series starring the Blue Bomber, known for its boss-weapon-swap mechanic.
- Debut
- 1987
- Developer
- Capcom
Sonic the Hedgehog
Genesis-era Sonic was genuinely Nintendo's biggest rival for speed and attitude, and Sonic Mania proved the classic formula still works. The 3D era has been a rollercoaster of good ideas buried under bad cameras, though Frontiers clawed back some goodwill.
About Sonic the Hedgehog
Sega's speed-focused platforming mascot series, originally built to rival Mario in the 16-bit era.
- Debut
- 1991
- Developer
- Sega
Mortal Kombat
Fatalities made it infamous before it made it respected, but NetherRealm's modern entries have genuinely great story modes that most fighting games don't even attempt. Scorpion's spear pull is permanently burned into gaming culture.
About Mortal Kombat
NetherRealm's violent fighting game series famous for fatalities and, more recently, cinematic story modes.
- Debut
- 1992
- Developer
- NetherRealm Studios
Assassin's Creed
Started as a stealth-assassination series, became a sprawling historical RPG machine with Origins and Valhalla. Fans are split hard on whether that shift saved the franchise or buried the thing that made it distinct.
About Assassin's Creed
Ubisoft's historical action series that evolved from stealth-assassination gameplay into large-scale open-world RPGs.
- Debut
- 2007
- Developer
- Ubisoft
The Elder Scrolls
Skyrim became a meme for being re-released on every device imaginable, which is its own kind of tribute. Morrowind's weirdness and Oblivion's jank both have passionate defenders who'll argue the series peaked before Skyrim smoothed everything out.
About The Elder Scrolls
Bethesda's open-world fantasy RPG series, with Skyrim becoming a long-running pop culture phenomenon.
- Debut
- 1994
- Developer
- Bethesda Game Studios
Fallout
Post-apocalyptic black comedy with genuine heart under the radiation. New Vegas is the fan-favorite darling for its writing and choices, while 76's rocky launch still colors how people talk about the series today.
About Fallout
Bethesda's post-apocalyptic RPG series known for dark humor and branching choices in a retro-futuristic America.
- Debut
- 1997
- Developer
- Bethesda Game Studios
Call of Duty
Modern Warfare's campaign and the multiplayer loop it perfected basically built the modern military shooter industry. The yearly release treadmill gets fair criticism, but Warzone proved the formula still pulls massive numbers.
About Call of Duty
Activision's military shooter series, now a yearly release spanning historical, modern and futuristic settings.
- Debut
- 2003
- Developer
- Various (Infinity Ward, Treyarch, Sledgehammer)
Monster Hunter
A slow burn in the West for years before World turned it into a global phenomenon. The gear-grind loop of hunt, craft, hunt bigger thing is as addictive as game design gets.
About Monster Hunter
Capcom's cooperative action RPG series built around hunting giant creatures for gear and materials.
- Debut
- 2004
- Developer
- Capcom
Persona
Persona 5's style alone (that UI, that soundtrack) made it a cultural object beyond just RPG fans. Balancing high school social links with demon-summoning dungeon crawls shouldn't work as well as it does.
About Persona
Atlus's RPG series blending high school social simulation with dungeon-crawling and demon summoning.
- Debut
- 1996
- Developer
- Atlus
Diablo
Loot-chasing click-fests don't get more foundational than this. Diablo II's itemization still gets referenced by every action-RPG that followed, even as Diablo III and IV drew real fan disagreement over direction.
About Diablo
Blizzard's dark fantasy action-RPG series, foundational to the loot-driven dungeon crawler genre.
- Debut
- 1996
- Developer
- Blizzard Entertainment
Fire Emblem
Permadeath tactics that make you actually grieve a fictional archer. Awakening is widely credited with saving the series from cancellation by softening the difficulty just enough to find a new audience.
About Fire Emblem
Nintendo's tactical RPG series known for permadeath and complex character relationship systems.
- Debut
- 1990
- Developer
- Intelligent Systems
Metroid
Super Metroid basically invented the 'Metroidvania' half of that genre name, and Metroid Prime proved first-person exploration could work without becoming a shooter. The long gaps between entries test fan patience every time.
About Metroid
Nintendo's sci-fi action-adventure series starring bounty hunter Samus Aran, credited as the namesake of the Metroidvania genre.
- Debut
- 1986
- Developer
- Nintendo
Kirby
Deceptively cute, deceptively deep, and Kirby's copy-ability mechanic gives every entry a reason to feel fresh. Forgotten Land's jump to 3D proved the pink puffball could handle a bigger stage without losing its charm.
About Kirby
Nintendo's cute platforming series starring the pink, copy-ability-wielding hero of Dream Land.
- Debut
- 1992
- Developer
- HAL Laboratory
Donkey Kong
From arcade cabinet legend to Donkey Kong Country's technical showcase on SNES, this one's quietly versatile. The platforming spinoffs hold up better than people give them credit for.
About Donkey Kong
Nintendo's long-running platforming series starring the barrel-throwing gorilla, dating back to the original arcade cabinet.
- Debut
- 1981
- Developer
- Nintendo
Pac-Man
The maze-chase game that made video games mainstream pop culture in the first place. It doesn't have the modern relevance of other legacy names here, but the yellow circle is still instantly recognizable worldwide.
About Pac-Man
Namco's maze-chase arcade classic, one of the most recognizable video game characters in history.
- Debut
- 1980
- Developer
- Namco
Animal Crossing
New Horizons landed at exactly the right cultural moment and turned debt-to-a-raccoon simulation into a genuine phenomenon. The slow, no-pressure daily loop is the whole appeal, and it's rare for a series to feel this relaxing without feeling empty.
About Animal Crossing
Nintendo's life simulation series centered on village life, collecting and decorating alongside anthropomorphic neighbors.
- Debut
- 2001
- Developer
- Nintendo
Tekken
Deep, technical 3D fighting with a roster so absurd it includes a boxing kangaroo and a bear. Tekken 3 is frequently named one of the best fighting games ever made, and the series has stayed remarkably consistent since.
About Tekken
Bandai Namco's 3D fighting game series known for its deep juggle combo system and sprawling cast.
- Debut
- 1994
- Developer
- Bandai Namco
Dragon Quest
Huge in Japan to the point of being a cultural event, still a slower build in the West despite Akira Toriyama's character designs being instantly likeable. The traditional turn-based formula gets called old-fashioned, but it's comfort food done right.
About Dragon Quest
Square Enix's classic turn-based RPG series, enormously popular in Japan and character-designed by Akira Toriyama.
- Debut
- 1986
- Developer
- Square Enix / Armor Project
Mass Effect
The trilogy's choice-driven storytelling across three games was a genuine achievement, even if the ending debate became its own internet event. Garrus alone has more fans than some entire franchises on this list.
About Mass Effect
BioWare's space opera RPG trilogy known for choice-driven storytelling across a galaxy-spanning conflict.
- Debut
- 2007
- Developer
- BioWare
BioShock
Rapture's opening reveal is one of gaming's great gut-punch moments, and 'would you kindly' reshaped how people thought about player agency in games. Infinite split the fanbase over its ending, but the atmosphere across all three games never dipped.
About BioShock
A narrative-driven first-person shooter series known for its philosophical themes and striking underwater and sky-bound settings.
- Debut
- 2007
- Developer
- Irrational Games / 2K
Gears of War
Cover-based shooting got codified right here, chainsaw bayonet and all. The Xbox exclusivity kept it from the widest possible audience, but within that space it's been remarkably consistent.
About Gears of War
Microsoft's cover-based third-person shooter series known for its chainsaw-bayonet rifle and brutal alien enemies.
- Debut
- 2006
- Developer
- Epic Games / The Coalition
Uncharted
Naughty Dog's answer to blockbuster action-adventure, with set pieces that still get clipped and shared. Nathan Drake's charm carried some thinner plots, but Uncharted 4 closed the series out on a genuine high.
About Uncharted
Naughty Dog's cinematic action-adventure series following treasure hunter Nathan Drake.
- Debut
- 2007
- Developer
- Naughty Dog
CC Tier: Good highs, real inconsistency
Far Cry
Vaas in Far Cry 3 is one of gaming's best villains, full stop, and the open-world formula around him was genuinely fresh at the time. Every entry since has felt like the same outpost-clearing loop with a new coat of paint.
About Far Cry
Ubisoft's open-world first-person shooter series known for its sandbox outposts and memorable villains.
- Debut
- 2004
- Developer
- Ubisoft
Crash Bandicoot
The PS1 mascot platformer everyone's nostalgic for, and the N. Sane Trilogy remaster proved the games are still fun, if brutally hard in spots. New original entries have been rare enough that it runs mostly on goodwill.
About Crash Bandicoot
Naughty Dog's original mascot platformer starring the titular bandicoot, a defining PlayStation-era series.
- Debut
- 1996
- Developer
- Naughty Dog (originally)
Kingdom Hearts
Disney characters and Final Fantasy characters sharing a plot that somehow involves hearts, darkness and a guy named Xehanort. The gameplay and emotional core are genuinely good, but the story's spread across so many spinoffs that even devoted fans admit it's a mess to follow.
About Kingdom Hearts
Square Enix and Disney's crossover action-RPG series blending Final Fantasy characters with Disney worlds.
- Debut
- 2002
- Developer
- Square Enix
Battlefield
Large-scale destruction and vehicle warfare that Call of Duty never quite matched at its best, Battlefield 3 and 4's multiplayer chaos earned real devotion. But 2042's launch problems showed how quickly the series can stumble when it chases trends instead of its own strengths.
About Battlefield
EA's large-scale military shooter series known for destructible environments and vehicle combat.
- Debut
- 2002
- Developer
- DICE
Tomb Raider
Lara Croft was a genuine gaming icon in the 90s, and the 2013 reboot found real critical success reinventing her as grittier and more grounded. The gap between highs has been long, and the series has struggled to hold a consistent identity across eras.
About Tomb Raider
The action-adventure series starring archaeologist Lara Croft, rebooted in 2013 with a grittier tone.
- Debut
- 1996
- Developer
- Core Design (originally), Crystal Dynamics
Need for Speed
Underground's tuner-car culture and Most Wanted's cop chases are genuine high points for arcade racing. But the series has changed developers and direction so many times that it's hard to say what a Need for Speed game even is anymore.
About Need for Speed
EA's long-running arcade racing series that has cycled through numerous developers and styles over the years.
- Debut
- 1994
- Developer
- Various (EA Black Box, Ghost Games, Criterion)
The Sims
A massive, genre-defining life sim that's sold enormous numbers and spawned a deep expansion-pack economy. Critics and fans alike agree the core game hasn't evolved as much as the modding community has carried it, especially with The Sims 4's long, bumpy life cycle.
About The Sims
EA's life simulation series letting players build and control the daily lives of virtual people.
- Debut
- 2000
- Developer
- Maxis
DD Tier: Coasting on nostalgia
Borderlands
The loot-shooter hybrid that mixed Diablo-style grinding with first-person gunplay, and the cel-shaded style and Claptrap humor earned it a loyal following. The writing leans hard on a joke style that's worn thin for a lot of players over time.
About Borderlands
Gearbox's cel-shaded loot-shooter series combining first-person combat with Diablo-style gear grinding.
- Debut
- 2009
- Developer
- Gearbox Software
How we ranked them
We weighed cultural impact, consistency of quality across entries, how well the franchise has aged, innovation at the time of release, and sheer longevity. A series with one or two masterpieces can outrank one with twenty decent games, but franchises that kept delivering across decades got extra credit. Where fan opinion splits hard (looking at you, post-Ocarina Zelda debates and Resident Evil's uneven middle years) we picked the side the evidence and broader consensus supported.
Think we got it wrong?
Drag all 46 video game franchises into your own tier list, then download the image or share a link.
Rank these yourselfFAQ
What's the single best video game franchise of all time?
By broad consensus, it's a toss-up between Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon. All three have decades of consistent quality, massive cultural reach and genuine innovation behind them, which is why they sit at the top of our S tier.
Why is Call of Duty ranked lower than people might expect?
It's not a knock on quality so much as consistency fatigue. The yearly release model has produced genuine highlights like Modern Warfare, but critics and fans broadly agree the franchise leans on its formula more than it innovates these days.
Is Kingdom Hearts actually good or is it just a meme about confusing lore?
Both, honestly. The combat and emotional beats in the core games are well-regarded, but even devoted fans admit the overarching story across all the spinoffs and mobile games is genuinely hard to follow.
Why isn't anything ranked in F tier here?
Every franchise on this list has enough genuine fans, sales numbers or critical highlights to avoid the bottom tier. Borderlands comes closest to the floor in our ranking, but even that series has a loyal following that keeps it out of F.
Do remasters and remakes count toward a franchise's ranking?
Yes. Things like the Resident Evil remakes, Crash Bandicoot's N. Sane Trilogy and the Tomb Raider reboots all factored into how we judged a franchise's overall consistency and relevance, not just its original releases.
More rankings
Image credits
- Super MarioLogo: Original: Nintendo Vector: Hayden Schiff, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- The Legend of ZeldaLogo: Nintendo, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- PokémonLogo: Pokémon, Nintendo/Creatures Inc./Game Freak Inc., Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- MinecraftLogo: Mojang Studios, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- The Last of UsLogo: Naughty Dog, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Grand Theft AutoLogo: Rockstar Games, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Final FantasyLogo: ™/®Square Enix Co. Ltd, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Half-LifeLogo: Valve Corporation, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Dark SoulsLogo: various, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- God of WarLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Metal GearLogo: Konami Digital Entertainment, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Street FighterLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Super Smash Bros.Logo: Nintendo, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- DoomLogo: id Software; Bethesda Softworks, LLC, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Mega ManLogo: Capcom, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Sonic the HedgehogLogo: Sega, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Mortal KombatLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's CreedLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- The Elder ScrollsLogo: ZeniMax Media The original uploader was IceWelder at English Wikipedia., Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- FalloutLogo: Bethesda Softworks, LLC, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Call of DutyLogo: Activision, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Monster HunterLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- PersonaLogo: WikiPhoenix, optimised by VulcanSphere, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- DiabloLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Fire EmblemLogo: Intelligent Systems, vectorised by Zt-freak, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- MetroidLogo: Dominic Roberti, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- KirbyLogo: PAL and Nintendo, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Donkey KongLogo: Nintendo, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Pac-ManLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Animal CrossingLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- TekkenLogo: Bandai Namco Studios, Bandai Namco Holdings., Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Dragon QuestLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Mass EffectLogo: BioWare and Electronic Arts, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- BioShockLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Gears of WarLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- UnchartedLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Far CryLogo: Ubisoft, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Crash BandicootLogo: https://www.crashbandicoot.com/hub, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Kingdom HeartsLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- BattlefieldLogo: EA Digital Illusions CE, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Tomb RaiderLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- Need for SpeedLogo: Criterion Games, Electronic Arts, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- The SimsLogo: Maxis, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- BorderlandsLogo: Wikipedia · Source
- HaloLogo: ™/®Microsoft, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source