There's a seemingly endless stream of video games to keep up with these days. From mobile to VR, PlayStation to Xbox, and PC to handheld, this truth remains the same. While new games constantly vie for our attention, sometimes the classics are still the best and most replayable.
The year 2014 marked an interesting middle ground between the previous console generation and the start of the current one. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were nearing the end while the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One had just launched. This put developers in a unique position to create games that catered to both old and new systems.
The result was a slew of incredible 2014 titles with seemingly unlimited replay value that we still return to year after year. In this post, I’ll countdown the top 10 games from 2014 that we’re still playing today and examine what makes them so endlessly enjoyable.
10. Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition took the fantasy RPG series to new heights in 2014 with its massive open world areas to explore. As the Inquisitor, you must build an army and lead the charge to defeat a treacherous god of war. With addictive real-time combat, specialized party members to control, countless side quests, crafting systems, and conversation choices that impact the world, Inquisition always gives you something compelling to come back to.
Fans loved the ability to thoroughly customize their hero and base of operations, leading to playthroughs that felt uniquely their own. Add in some stellar writing and voice acting that brings the vivid world of Thedas to life, and Inquisition easily earns its spot as a top 10 game from 2014 we continually replay.
9. Alien: Isolation
For fans of the classic Alien film who want to be immersed in that universe, Alien: Isolation is a terrifying treat. Unlike action-heavy Alien games that came before, Isolation focused on survival horror mechanics like evasion and distraction to avoid the unstoppable xenomorph stalking you. With an incredibly tense atmosphere and anxiety-inducing cat-and-mouse gameplay, Isolation nails the tone of the original film perfectly.
Factor in the retro sci-fi environments and technology that feel ripped right from the late 70s/early 80s, and Isolation stands on its own as an Alien game we continually come back to test our bravery against one of film’s most iconic monsters. Just make sure to wear a diaper for maximum immersion!
8. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
As one of the strongest Lord of the Rings games, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor lets you explore Tolkien’s universe from a brand new perspective untouched by the books or films. It tells an original story of Talion, a ranger who shares a body with an elven wraith and seeks revenge against the orcs who killed his family. With similar combat to the Batman Arkham series, you can pull off stylish flowing attacks against the orc forces of Mordor.
What propels Shadow of Mordor to an all-time great is its revolutionary Nemesis system. Orcs you encounter have names, ranks, strengths, and personalities that create emergent storylines as they rise and fall within Sauron’s army. These dynamic nemeses react to your actions, forcing you to plan takedowns of war chiefs strategically. Coupled with Wraith abilities that let you manipulate enemies against each other, no two playthroughs feel quite the same thanks to the Nemesis system.
7. Bayonetta 2
Few action games reach the same stratospheric levels of depth and style as Bayonetta 2. A witch who uses her hair as a conduit for insane magic attacks, Bayonetta has an entire customizable moveset of punches, kicks, dodges, jumps, weapons, transformations, and over-the-top finishing moves. Mastering her unnamed martial art and chaining together eye-popping combos with frame perfect inputs leads to combat that looks straight out of an anime fight scene.
With colorful lollipop-filled witch realms to battle through, massive monsters and angels to take down, and a wonderfully campy B-movie style story complete with impromptu dance numbers, Bayonetta’s flair and personality cement its reputation as one of the most repayable stylish action games ever crafted.
6. Dark Souls II
The Souls series always emphasizes tense, methodical combat and boss battles that demand mastery. Dark Souls II continues this legacy with some of the most challenging — yet ultimately fair and rewarding — gameplay around. While many claim the original Dark Souls remains the peak, II features increasingly complex maps to explore, new fighting styles to experiment with, and deeper RPG growth thanks to the Soul Memory system and power stance abilities.
Of course, ruthless fights that require pattern recognition and quick reflexes against deadly knights, giant spiders, and dragons are the real draw here. Repeated failures only make finally beating that difficult boss more relieving and empowering. This adrenaline rush and feeling of hard-earned accomplishment keeps players coming back for more punishment time and time again. Praise the sun!
5. Goat Simulator
Sometimes, you just want to unwind and wreak silly hijinks with zero regard for realism. That’s exactly what the appropriately titled Goat Simulator accomplishes with its ragdoll physics sandbox of destruction. Want to smash stuff with your goat head? Slide into people and animals at high speeds sending them flying? Stretch your tongue to grapple onto vehicles or cling to buildings like Spider-Man? Goat Sim’s got you covered.
Since different maps like Goat City Bay or Goat MMO Simulator change objectives and locations, the zany emergent gameplay stays fresh. Plus, mutators that add effects like tornadoes, black holes that suck up everyone, and the ability to ride around as a giraffe wearing a fancy top hat help crank the madness factor way past 11. Sometimes there’s joy to simply run around headbutting things as a goat with wonky physics, and that’s what keeps players coming back years later.
4. Mario Kart 8
The Mario Kart franchise stands as Nintendo’s premier kart racer for good reason. Each new entry introduces innovations that keep tense races exciting without losing that classic Mario charm. Mario Kart 8 shook up gameplay with anti-gravity segments that literally flip tracks upside down. Driving along ceilings and walls fundamentally alters racing lines while allowing for new modes of attack.
Gorgeous visuals that run silky smooth in HD showcase the series most robust and creative track designs yet. Meanwhile new items like the Super Horn and Boomerang Flower spiced up item strategy during heats. Plus the DLC (now included by default) added fan favorite characters like Link from Zelda and Isabelle from Animal Crossing as racers. With tight controls, smart driving mechanics, colorful balls-to-the-wall action only Nintendo can deliver, and ongoing support years later (new tracks are STILL coming out), Mario Kart 8 earns a high placement among the top games from 2014 that won’t quit.
3. Destiny
At launch in 2014, the epic sci-fi shooter Destiny showed glimmers of groundbreaking potential with its innovative public event system and extremely fun raid activities that demanded tight team coordination. As time went on and expansions released, Destiny fulfilled that promise by growing into the addictive, Diablo style shared world shooter still supported now 8 years later in Destiny 2.
But everything stems from the rock-solid foundation established in the initial Destiny. Its satisfying mobility-focused combat against alien enemies keeps minute to minute gameplay engrossing even on repeat runs years later. Chasing new exotics through nightfall strikes, competing in the Crucible PvP, and repeatedly grinding raids with clanmates to max your level never gets old. Add in gorgeous sci-fantasy locales to explore like Venus, Mars, and the Moon, and Destiny remains one of the highest quality repeatable shooter experiences around.
2. Grand Theft Auto V
Initially released at the very end of PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 generation in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V truly found its audience the following year when ported to Xbox One and PS4 complete with first-person mode. As Rockstar’s crowning open world achievement, GTAV’s sprawling satire of Los Santos and Blaine County depicts a city that feels vibrantly alive and filled with dynamic happenings.
The campaign revolves around three playable characters to swap between at will: Franklin, Michael and the eccentric Trevor. Each brings distinct skills and flavor to missions ranging from intense heists to their personal lives. Beyond story, simply exploring the world finding collectibles or causing general mayhem breathes new life into this re-release. Expanding online support over the years through GTA Online cemented player investment with properties to buy, businesses to run, casino games to try, competitive modes etc. Eight years later, GTAV retains impressive graphical sheen and enduring gameplay systems worthy of return trips time and time again.
1. Five Nights at Freddy’s
Who knew that in 2014 an independently developed $4 game made in Clickteam Fusion would launch a horror sensation? But that’s exactly what animator Scott Cawthon accomplished with his project Five Nights at Freddy’s. The premise seems simple: survive five nights locked inside a creepy pizza restaurant animatronic stage while haunted bots try to get inside and stuff you violently into an endoskeleton suit.
Thanks to masterful ambiance, jump scares, and tension building however, surviving until 6 AM every night made for white knuckle gameplay with surprising depth and strategy. Viewing camera feeds drains power requiring proper resource management, while audio cues signal incoming threats from multiple bays to keep track of. Developing patterns and reflexes necessary to trigger closing doors, lights, or mask wearing at the right moments gets extremely challenging. This magnetically basic yet difficult horror loop garnered FNAF quick popularity.
Of course since 2014, Scott Cawthon expanded Five Nights at Freddy’s exponentially with loads of best-selling sequels, novels, merch, and even an upcoming film adaptation starring Emma Stone. But the original that started it all keeps players scream testing themselves routinely years later thanks to timeless frights. That cements its #1 spot among the top 10 endlessly replayable games of 2014.
Why We Keep Revisiting These Classics
Many of these top 10 titles likely bring up fond memories for those who played them when they launched. Recapturing and reliving those nostalgic experiences years later provides comfort and sentimentality. However, pure nostalgia alone typically wears thin quickly without engaging gameplay to back it up.
What truly elevates these 10 to hallmarks worth replaying is that they all showcase tremendous creativity that leapfrogs the technology available at the time. They pioneered new ideas or executed existing concepts at unbelievable levels of artistry and scope nearly a decade ago. Yet these innovations remain captivating, entertaining and meaningful even under scrutiny of today’s cutting edge hardware.
This capability to preserve magic and consistently impress across hardware generations despite their considerable age cements their reputations as classics. That enduring greatness supplies motivation to continually return to these benchmark 2014 games for both nostalgia’s sake AND because their sensational craft so impressively withstands the test of time.
