Best of 2020: Top Video Games of the Year
In 2020, Sony introduced the PlayStation 5, while Microsoft unveiled the Xbox Series S and X; however, the initial games did not fully reflect their capabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic hindered development but led to a surge in home gaming. Key titles released during this time included: Cloud Gardens (Noio) for PC and Mac; Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Mediatonic, Devolver Digital) for PC and PS4; If Found… (Dreamfeel, Annapurna Interactive) for PC, Mac, iOS, and Switch; In Other Waters (Jump Over the Age, Fellow Traveller) for PC, Mac, and Switch; Kentucky Route Zero (Cardboard Computer, Annapurna Interactive) across various platforms; Paper Beast Folded Edition (Pixel Reef) for PSVR and PC; Paradise Killer (Kaizen Game Works) for PC and Switch; Signs of the Sojourner (Echodog Games) for PC and Mac; The Longing (Studio Seufz) for PC, Mac, and Linux; and Umurangi Generation (Origame Digital) for PC.
Key facts
- Sony released PlayStation 5 in 2020
- Microsoft released Xbox Series S and X in 2020
- COVID-19 pandemic slowed game development but increased playtime
- Cloud Gardens by Noio is in Early Access on PC and Mac
- Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is by Mediatonic and Devolver Digital
- If Found… is set on Achill Island, Ireland in the early 1990s
- In Other Waters draws on Lynn Margulis's theories of symbiosis
- Kentucky Route Zero concluded in 2020 after starting in 2013
- Paper Beast is by Éric Chahi, creator of Another World
- Paradise Killer features a soundtrack by Barry 'Epoch' Topping
- Signs of the Sojourner uses deck-building for conversations
- The Longing requires 400 real days of waiting
- Umurangi Generation means 'red sky' in Māori, referencing Australian bushfires
- Umurangi Generation is by Māori developer Naphtali 'Veselekov' Faulkner
Entities
Artists
- Éric Chahi
- Naphtali Faulkner
- Barry Topping
- Gareth Damian Martin
- David Lynch
- Gabriel García Márquez
- Lynn Margulis
- Salvador Dalí
Institutions
- Sony
- Microsoft
- Noio
- Mediatonic
- Devolver Digital
- Dreamfeel
- Annapurna Interactive
- Jump Over the Age
- Fellow Traveller
- Cardboard Computer
- Pixel Reef
- Plug In Digital
- Kaizen Game Works
- Echodog Games
- Studio Seufz
- Application Systems Heidelberg
- Origame Digital
- Playism
- Kickstarter
- Mega Crit Games
- Michael Brough
- David OReilly
- Kara Stone
- Artribune
Locations
- Ireland
- Achill Island
- Dublin
- United States
- Australia
- Kyffhäuser
- Florence
- Italy