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Chart · 20 rankings

Best Games of 2012

How many of the 20 rankings — not the rank
1Borderlands 2on 4 of 20 rankings2Persona 4 Goldenon 4 of 20 rankings3Mass Effect 3on 2 of 20 rankings4Dishonoredon 2 of 20 rankings5The Walking Deadon 2 of 20 rankings6Guild Wars 2on 2 of 20 rankings7Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoningon 1 of 20 rankings8The Cat Ladyon 1 of 20 rankings9Diablo IIIon 1 of 20 rankings10Darksiders IIon 1 of 20 rankings11Journeyon 1 of 20 rankings12Animal Crossing: New Leafon 1 of 20 rankings13Kid Icarus: Uprisingon 1 of 20 rankings14Dragon's Dogmaon 1 of 20 rankings15Assassin's Creed IIIon 1 of 20 rankings16Mark of the Ninjaon 1 of 20 rankings17Thomas Was Aloneon 1 of 20 rankings18Spaceteamon 1 of 20 rankings19FTL: Faster Than Lighton 1 of 20 rankings20Max payne 3on 1 of 20 rankings21Far cry 3on 1 of 20 rankings22Dear Estheron 1 of 20 rankings23XCOM: Enemy Unknownon 1 of 20 rankings24Sleeping Dogson 1 of 20 rankings25Deponiaon 1 of 20 rankings
Beside this chart
Best Games of All TimeEvery top list
Genres
Best Adventure Games98 rankingsBest RPGs98 rankingsBest Shooter Games82 rankingsBest Puzzle Games55 rankingsBest Platformer Games52 rankingsBest Strategy Games51 rankingsBest Hack & Slash Games40 rankingsBest Simulation Games36 rankings
Platforms
Best PlayStation Games99 rankingsBest PC Games96 rankingsBest Xbox Games95 rankingsBest Nintendo Switch Games73 rankingsBest Nintendo Switch 2 Games56 rankings
Modes
Best Multiplayer Games9 rankingsBest Co-op Games2 rankings
Years
Best Games of the 2010s93 rankingsBest Games of the 2000s73 rankingsBest Games of the 2020s58 rankingsBest Games of the 1990s44 rankingsBest Games of 201839 rankingsBest Games of 201538 rankingsBest Games of 201037 rankingsBest Games of 201735 rankings
How this ranking is made
The answer

According to Made the Cut's census of 20 independent rankings, recounted 20 October 2026, the best game of 2012 is Borderlands 2, followed by Persona 4 Golden and Mass Effect 3.

How this is counted

This chart counts 20 ranking sources, one voice each: the published ranking of games from that source with the most titles released in 2012, cut down to those titles, in the order that source listed them. A title's place is its average position across all sources counted: a title someone left off their ranking counts as tied with their last place (here, that source ranked titles of this kind and left this one out). A small pull toward the middle keeps one enthusiastic list from crowning a #1. Every title in the computed chart has a numbered position, with its source count shown beside it. It is recounted whenever a ranking is published, changed or removed, last on 20 October 2026. Member rankings and attributed external lists use the same calculation. Multiple lists from one member or external author count once; linked slices add no extra vote. Frozen links, private or unlisted lists and unmatched titles are never counted. The full method.

Rankings behind this chart
My Top 100vintik91 · @6c3tk3zsexyimmigrant1998: top 5 gamesSource: sexyimmigrant1998 on Redditwourstoffal: top 5 gamesSource: wourstoffal on RedditSunCrux: top 5 gamesSource: SunCrux on RedditFocusFlukeGyro: top 5 gamesSource: FocusFlukeGyro on RedditReasonable_Slide6304: top 5 gamesSource: Reasonable_Slide6304 on RedditJohncurtisreeve: top 10 gamesSource: Johncurtisreeve on Reddittgalvin1999: top 10 gamesSource: tgalvin1999 on RedditZenyukai: top 2 games (excerpt)Source: Zenyukai on Redditblertzz: top 5 games (excerpt)Source: blertzz on Redditlaggy1000: top 10 gamesSource: laggy1000 on Reddit100percentnotgood: top 10 gamesSource: 100percentnotgood on Reddit

12 of the 20 published rankings of games this counts, in the order they were published.

Your 2012 order, not theirs.Rank games yourself and this chart moves.
Rank games yourself
The full games ranking