Honestly, looking back at what games came out in 2021, it feels like a fever dream. We were all still stuck inside, mostly. The "next-gen" consoles—the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X—were technically a year old, but good luck finding one without paying a scalper double the MSRP. Because of the global supply chain mess and the shift to remote work, the industry was in a weird spot. Big AAA delays were the norm. Yet, somehow, 2021 became the year of the "prestige" indie and the experimental time-loop game. It was a year where the weird stuff finally got the spotlight it deserved because the big-budget blockbusters were busy being pushed to 2022.
2021 wasn't just about playing games; it was about surviving them.
The Year the Time Loop Took Over
If you look at the list of what games came out in 2021, you’ll notice a bizarre trend. It felt like every developer simultaneously decided that players should live the same day over and over again. Maybe it was a reflection of our collective reality at the time?
Take Deathloop from Arkane Lyon. It was stylish. It was loud. It had that 60s grindhouse aesthetic that made every gunshot feel like a panel in a comic book. You played as Colt, stuck on Blackreef, trying to assassinate eight targets in a single day. If you failed, you started over. Simple, right? But then there was Returnal on the PS5. Housemarque took the bullet-hell DNA they were famous for and shoved it into a high-budget rogue-like. It was punishingly difficult. It was gorgeous. It also had no save-and-quit feature at launch, which drove everyone absolutely insane. You had to leave your console in Rest Mode just to take a break.
Then there was The Forgotten City. Originally a Skyrim mod, it evolved into a full-blown philosophical mystery set in ancient Rome. You’re trapped in a city under the "Golden Rule"—if one person sins, everyone dies. It was brilliant because it didn't rely on combat; it relied on your ability to talk your way out of a paradox. These games defined the year. They forced us to master small spaces instead of sprawling, empty open worlds.
Halo, Metroid, and the Return of the Kings
While the indies were getting weird, the old guard decided to show up late to the party.
Halo Infinite was a massive deal. After a disastrous 2020 gameplay reveal that gave us "Craig the Brute," 344 Industries took the extra year to polish the experience. When it finally dropped in December, the multiplayer was free-to-play. It felt like 2004 again. The grappling hook changed everything. Suddenly, Master Chief wasn't just a walking tank; he was a 1,000-pound Spider-Man.
On the Nintendo side, we finally got Metroid Dread. Fans had been waiting for a "Metroid 5" since Metroid Fusion on the Game Boy Advance. That’s nearly two decades of waiting. MercurySteam delivered a game that was fast, fluid, and genuinely stressful. The E.M.M.I. robots hunted you through specific zones, and the sound of their metallic clicking still triggers a fight-or-flight response in most players. It sold incredibly well, proving that 2D side-scrollers aren't just "retro" fodder—they're a premium experience.
Forza Horizon 5 also launched, taking the festival to Mexico. It was arguably the first game that felt truly "next-gen" in terms of visuals. The dust storms were massive. The cars looked better than real life. It was pure, unadulterated joy in a year that felt pretty heavy.
The Survival of the Social Game
Remember Valheim? It felt like every person on the planet was suddenly a Viking architect. Iron Gate AB, a tiny team, released this low-poly survival game into Early Access in February, and it exploded. It wasn't just about hitting trees; it was about the atmosphere. The lighting was beautiful. Building a longhouse with your friends while a thunderstorm rolled in felt cozy in a way survival games rarely do.
And then there was It Takes Two. Josef Fares, the guy who famously said "f*** the Oscars," created the best co-op game of the decade. You couldn't even play it alone. You had to have a partner. It was a bold move that paid off when it won Game of the Year at The Game Awards. It was a divorce drama wrapped in a Pixar-style adventure, featuring a talking book that everyone hated but eventually respected. Sorta.
Resident Evil Village and the "Tall Lady" Phenomenon
You can't talk about what games came out in 2021 without mentioning Lady Dimitrescu. Capcom’s marketing for Resident Evil Village was a masterclass in internet culture. They knew exactly what they were doing with the 9-foot-tall vampire countess.
✨ Don't miss: State of Survival Codes: Why You Keep Missing the Best Rewards
But beyond the memes, the game was a fascinating pivot for the series. It took the first-person horror of RE7 and mixed it with the action-heavy pacing of RE4. You had a werewolf-infested village, a creepy dollhouse that gave everyone nightmares, and a factory full of cyborgs. It was campy, gory, and undeniably fun. It solidified Capcom's "Redemption Arc" that started back in 2017.
The Stealth Hits and the "Burnout" Era
Not everything was a massive success right out of the gate. Psychonauts 2 took years to arrive, but when it did, it was a miracle. Double Fine managed to capture the exact spirit of the original cult classic while modernizing the platforming. It dealt with mental health in a way that felt empathetic rather than exploitative.
On the flip side, we had the "disasters." Battlefield 2042 launched in a state that I can only describe as "optimistic." It was missing basic features like a scoreboard. It had maps that were too big and too empty. It was a reminder that even the biggest franchises can stumble when they try to chase trends instead of focusing on what makes them work.
And we have to mention Cyberpunk 2077—wait, that was December 2020. But 2021 was the year of the Cyberpunk apology tour. Most of the year was spent watching CD Projekt Red try to fix the game for consoles. It cast a long shadow over the industry, making developers much more cautious about release dates.
A Quick List of Major 2021 Releases You Might’ve Missed:
- Hitman 3: The perfect conclusion to the "World of Assassination" trilogy.
- Inscryption: A card game that is absolutely not just a card game. Don't look it up, just play it.
- Shin Megami Tensei V: A brutal, gorgeous JRPG that pushed the Switch to its limits.
- Life is Strange: True Colors: A return to form for the series with a protagonist you actually liked.
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The biggest surprise of the year. It had better writing than most MCU movies.
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits: An indie game that looked like a high-budget animated film.
Why 2021 Matters for Players Today
The legacy of what games came out in 2021 is really about the death of the "filler" game. Because development was so hard, the games that actually made it to the finish line usually had a very strong identity. We saw the rise of the "AA" space—games that aren't quite indies but aren't $200 million blockbusters either.
If you're looking through your library and wondering what to play, 2021 is a goldmine. Many of these games have since received "next-gen" patches or are now deeply discounted.
What you should do next:
- Check Game Pass or PS Plus: A huge chunk of the 2021 roster, including Halo Infinite, Psychonauts 2, and Returnal, are available on these subscription services. It's the cheapest way to catch up.
- Play Inscryption: If you missed this one because you "don't like card games," you're making a mistake. It’s a meta-horror experience that transcends the genre.
- Give Guardians of the Galaxy a chance: It often goes on sale for under $15. For the dialogue alone, it's worth the price of a movie ticket.
- Revisit Resident Evil Village: If you haven't played the "Shadows of Rose" DLC that came out later, it wraps up the story of the Winters family nicely.
2021 was a year of resilience in the gaming world. It wasn't the year of the "mega-hit" like 2023 ended up being, but it was the year that gave us variety when we needed it most. Whether it was fighting off a giant vampire lady or building a shack in the woods with your friends, these games provided a much-needed escape.