Best games
Best games of 1998
The 32 best games released in 1998, ranked from 14,376 critic and player ratings.
The best game of 1998 is Half-Life, with a critic score of 96/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1998.
- 32 games are listed on this page, carrying 14,376 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 32
01
Half-Life
Half-Life is a 1998 first-person shooter (FPS) game developed by Valve Corporation and published by Sierra Studios for Windows. It was Valve's debut product and the first game in the Half-Life series. The player assumes the role of Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist who must escape from the Black Mesa Research Facility after it is overrun by aliens following a disastrous scientific experiment. Its gameplay consists of diverse combat, exploration and puzzles.
96
/100
02
Sanitarium
A psychological horror point-and-click adventure game in which a man wakes up in a near-deserted sanitarium after a car crash without any recollection of who he is or how he got there.
92
/100
03
S
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the fifth main installment of The Legend of Zelda series and the first to be released for the Nintendo 64. It was one of the most highly anticipated games of its age, and is listed among the greatest video games ever created by numerous websites and magazines. The gameplay of Ocarina of Time was revolutionary for its time, it has arguably made more of an impact on later games in the series than any of its predecessors even though they had the same cores of exploration, dungeons, puzzles and item usage. Among the gameplay mechanics, one of the most noteworthy is the time-traveling system. The game begins with the player controlling the child Link, but later on an adult Link becomes a playable character as well and each of them has certain unique abilities. Ocarina of Time also introduces the use of music to solve puzzles: as new songs are learned, they can be used to solve puzzles, gain access to new areas and warp to different locations. Dungeon exploration is somewhat more puzzle-oriented than in earlier games but they are not too complex.
92
/100
Half-Life
Half-Life is a 1998 first-person shooter (FPS) game developed by Valve Corporation and published by Sierra Studios for Windows. It was Valve's debut product and the first game in the Half-Life series. The player assumes the role of Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist who must escape from the Black Mesa Research Facility after it is overrun by aliens following a disastrous scientific experiment. Its gameplay consists of diverse combat, exploration and puzzles.
96
/100
02
Sanitarium
A psychological horror point-and-click adventure game in which a man wakes up in a near-deserted sanitarium after a car crash without any recollection of who he is or how he got there.
92
/100
03
S
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the fifth main installment of The Legend of Zelda series and the first to be released for the Nintendo 64. It was one of the most highly anticipated games of its age, and is listed among the greatest video games ever created by numerous websites and magazines. The gameplay of Ocarina of Time was revolutionary for its time, it has arguably made more of an impact on later games in the series than any of its predecessors even though they had the same cores of exploration, dungeons, puzzles and item usage. Among the gameplay mechanics, one of the most noteworthy is the time-traveling system. The game begins with the player controlling the child Link, but later on an adult Link becomes a playable character as well and each of them has certain unique abilities. Ocarina of Time also introduces the use of music to solve puzzles: as new songs are learned, they can be used to solve puzzles, gain access to new areas and warp to different locations. Dungeon exploration is somewhat more puzzle-oriented than in earlier games but they are not too complex.
92
/100
04
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. It is the first game in the Baldur's Gate series and takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using a modified version of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) 2nd edition rules. It was the first game to use the Infinity Engine for its graphics, with Interplay using the engine for other Forgotten Realms-licensed games, including the Icewind Dale series, as well as other licensed D&D campaign worlds such as Planescape: Torment. The game's story focuses on players controlling a protagonist of their own creation who finds themselves travelling across the Sword Coast alongside a party of companions, to unravel the mystery surrounding a sudden iron crisis affecting the region and attempting to discover the culprits behind it, all while uncovering dark secrets about their origins and dealing with attempts on their life.
91
/100
05
A
Resident Evil 2 (1998)
Resident Evil 2 is a sequel to the first Resident Evil title. Like the previous game in the series, Resident Evil 2 is a 3D action-adventure using three-dimensional polygon characters over two-dimensional pre-rendered backgrounds, with the action viewed through a variety of cinematic fixed camera angles in each room. Players can choose to play as one of two possible characters; each goes through the same initial scenario but with differences in the type of weaponry they find and the people they meet along the way.
90
/100
06
Fallout 2
A turn-based tactical Western RPG in which the Chosen One is tasked with exploring post-nuclear California to locate and retrieve the fabled Garden of Eden Creation Kit for their famine-stricken tribe, while coming into contact through branching dialogue trees with numerous tribes, factions and micro-civilizations, each with their own virtues, vices, socioeconomic situations and political agendas.
89
/100
07
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX is an updated re-release of Link's Awakening with several new additions, the most notable of which being the entire game is now in color.
89
/100
08
StarCraft
StarCraft is a strategic game set in a Galaxy far away on multiple planets. Its style and balance between the three antagonistic species it features is unique and appealed to millions.
88
/100
09
Grim Fandango
A neo-noir adventure to the Land of the Dead. Something's rotten in the land of the dead, and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation.
86
/100
10
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
Engage in the ultimate battle of wits and wills with the most ruthless military force in history. Set in the backdrop of WWII, Commandos is a real-time tactical wargame that puts you in command of a squad of elite Allied Commandos whose job is to complete 24 dangerous missions behind enemy lines. Your goal is to thwart the German war effort by means of sabotage and tactical genius.This action-packed strategy war game is set apart by its revolutionary AI, and the ability to control 6 individual commandos, each with a specific skill, as they infiltrate hostile territories and engage in intense combat. Your perilous missions will take you from the parched desert of North Africa to banks of the Rhine, the mountainous fjords of Norway, and the beaches of Normandy.Experience the most realistic, visually stunning graphics with accurate 3D models of more than 350 structures, vehicles, and weapons from the WWII era.
84
/100
11
Xenogears (1998)
84
/100
12
Crash Bandicoot: Warped
84
/100
13
METAL SLUG 2
82
/100
14
Parasite Eve
81
/100
15
STAR WARS Jedi Knight - Mysteries of the Sith
80
/100
16
Unreal
80
/100
17
Metal Gear Solid
80
/100
18
Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition
80
/100
19
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
80
/100
20
Dune 2000
80
/100
21
Caesar 3
80
/100
22
Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now
79
/100
23
Mario Party
79
/100
24
Spyro the Dragon
79
/100
25
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
79
/100
26
Banjo-Kazooie
78
/100
27
MediEvil
78
/100
28
Tomb Raider 3: Adventures of Lara Croft
77
/100
29
Pokémon Trading Card Game
74
/100
30
Vangers
72
/100
31
SoulCalibur
60
/100
32
Sonic Adventure
55
/100
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. It is the first game in the Baldur's Gate series and takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using a modified version of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) 2nd edition rules. It was the first game to use the Infinity Engine for its graphics, with Interplay using the engine for other Forgotten Realms-licensed games, including the Icewind Dale series, as well as other licensed D&D campaign worlds such as Planescape: Torment. The game's story focuses on players controlling a protagonist of their own creation who finds themselves travelling across the Sword Coast alongside a party of companions, to unravel the mystery surrounding a sudden iron crisis affecting the region and attempting to discover the culprits behind it, all while uncovering dark secrets about their origins and dealing with attempts on their life.
91
/100
05
A
Resident Evil 2 (1998)
Resident Evil 2 is a sequel to the first Resident Evil title. Like the previous game in the series, Resident Evil 2 is a 3D action-adventure using three-dimensional polygon characters over two-dimensional pre-rendered backgrounds, with the action viewed through a variety of cinematic fixed camera angles in each room. Players can choose to play as one of two possible characters; each goes through the same initial scenario but with differences in the type of weaponry they find and the people they meet along the way.
90
/100
06
Fallout 2
A turn-based tactical Western RPG in which the Chosen One is tasked with exploring post-nuclear California to locate and retrieve the fabled Garden of Eden Creation Kit for their famine-stricken tribe, while coming into contact through branching dialogue trees with numerous tribes, factions and micro-civilizations, each with their own virtues, vices, socioeconomic situations and political agendas.
89
/100
07
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX is an updated re-release of Link's Awakening with several new additions, the most notable of which being the entire game is now in color.
89
/100
08
StarCraft
StarCraft is a strategic game set in a Galaxy far away on multiple planets. Its style and balance between the three antagonistic species it features is unique and appealed to millions.
88
/100
09
Grim Fandango
A neo-noir adventure to the Land of the Dead. Something's rotten in the land of the dead, and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation.
86
/100
10
Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines
Engage in the ultimate battle of wits and wills with the most ruthless military force in history. Set in the backdrop of WWII, Commandos is a real-time tactical wargame that puts you in command of a squad of elite Allied Commandos whose job is to complete 24 dangerous missions behind enemy lines. Your goal is to thwart the German war effort by means of sabotage and tactical genius.This action-packed strategy war game is set apart by its revolutionary AI, and the ability to control 6 individual commandos, each with a specific skill, as they infiltrate hostile territories and engage in intense combat. Your perilous missions will take you from the parched desert of North Africa to banks of the Rhine, the mountainous fjords of Norway, and the beaches of Normandy.Experience the most realistic, visually stunning graphics with accurate 3D models of more than 350 structures, vehicles, and weapons from the WWII era.
84
/100
11
Xenogears (1998)
84
/100
12
Crash Bandicoot: Warped
84
/100
13
METAL SLUG 2
82
/100
14
Parasite Eve
81
/100
15
STAR WARS Jedi Knight - Mysteries of the Sith
80
/100
16
Unreal
80
/100
17
Metal Gear Solid
80
/100
18
Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition
80
/100
19
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus
80
/100
20
Dune 2000
80
/100
21
Caesar 3
80
/100
22
Carmageddon II: Carpocalypse Now
79
/100
23
Mario Party
79
/100
24
Spyro the Dragon
79
/100
25
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
79
/100
26
Banjo-Kazooie
78
/100
27
MediEvil
78
/100
28
Tomb Raider 3: Adventures of Lara Croft
77
/100
29
Pokémon Trading Card Game
74
/100
30
Vangers
72
/100
31
SoulCalibur
60
/100
32
Sonic Adventure
55
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best game of 1998?
Half-Life currently tops the ranking with a score of 96/100 across 2,448 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.