Which game from 2002 would you keep if you could only have one? We picked 16 of the best games of 2002 and put them head to head. Pick one of the two on screen, and the winner stays on to face the next game. Fifteen picks later, only your favorite is left, and you can share the result.
Every game here came out in 2002 somewhere in the world, from console giants like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to PC classics like Neverwinter Nights. We kept to games people still talk about, so expect some painful choices.
The 16 Games
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Metroid Prime
Retro Studios took Samus into first person on GameCube, and it worked better than anyone expected. It made our best GameCube games list. The art is from the 2023 remaster.
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Super Mario Sunshine
Nintendo’s GameCube Mario, with a talking water pack named FLUDD and a whole island to clean up. It is on our GameCube list too.
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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Rockstar North’s neon 1980s Miami riff, and a soundtrack people can still sing. The art is from the 2021 Definitive Edition. Our guides are on the GTA hub.
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Kingdom Hearts
Square and Disney’s unlikely team-up, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy on PS2. The shot is from the later HD remaster. Our Kingdom Hearts guides.
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The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Bethesda’s strange island of ash and giant mushrooms, with no quest markers to hold your hand. What to do first.
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Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Blizzard’s real-time strategy story of Arthas, and the custom map scene that gave us the first Dota. The art is from the 2020 Reforged remake.
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Neverwinter Nights
BioWare’s Dungeons and Dragons RPG, with a toolset that let anyone build and host their own campaign. The shot is from the 2018 Enhanced Edition.
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Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
Ubisoft Montreal’s debut for Sam Fisher, all night vision goggles and long shadows.
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Hitman 2: Silent Assassin
IO Interactive’s second outing for Agent 47, sneaking through contracts from Sicily to Japan.
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Resident Evil
Capcom’s GameCube remake of the 1996 original, and the mansion has rarely looked better. The art is from the later HD Remaster. Our Resident Evil guides.
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Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Raven Software’s shooter turns into a great lightsaber game the moment Kyle Katarn gets his saber back.
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Age of Mythology
Ensemble Studios swapped history for gods and monsters, with Greek, Egyptian, and Norse sides. Our Age of Empires guides cover the series it came from.
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Ratchet and Clank
Insomniac’s first outing for the Lombax and his robot, with a shop full of silly guns. The art is from the 2016 remake. More from the era in our best PS2 games list.
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Mafia
Illusion Softworks’ 1930s crime story, set in the fictional city of Lost Heaven. Our guides to Mafia: The Old Country.
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Medieval: Total War
The Creative Assembly’s second Total War, joining a turn-based map of Europe to huge real-time battles.
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Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny
Capcom’s PS2 samurai action, with a hero modeled on the late actor Yusaku Matsuda.
What 2002 Gave Us
Few years spread this far across the platforms. The GameCube had its strongest year, the PS2 was everywhere, and PC strategy and RPGs were at a peak. Read our best GameCube games list or our best PS2 games list to see how the games around them stack up. Our other video game quizzes are one click away.