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Best games of 2000

The 45 best games released in 2000, ranked from 15,111 critic and player ratings.

The best game of 2000 is Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, with a critic score of 95/100 — updated November 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: 2000.
  • 45 games are listed on this page, carrying 15,111 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 13 November 2026.

Top 45

Played them? Give your tier with the + next to each game. No account needed to try — create one to keep your tiers.

01 Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn 2000 · 153 ratings 95 /100
02 Jet Set Radio Jet Set Radio 2000 · 509 ratings · finished by 4% 94 /100
03 Paper Mario (2000) Paper Mario (2000) 2000 · 281 ratings Paper Mario, a turn-based JRPG entry in the Mario franchise with a paper-based aesthetic and platforming elements, sees the titular character working his way through the Mushroom Kingdom's diverse locales and biomes, meeting its inhabitants, fighthing unruly enemies and recruiting an array of companions in order to once again save Princess Peach from the clutches of the evil Koopa King Bowser. 93 /100
04 Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition Unreal Tournament: Game of the Year Edition 2000 · 224 ratings · finished by 9% 92 /100
05 Vagrant Story (2000) Vagrant Story (2000) 2000 · 92 ratings Adventure into a world of unparalleled depth and danger with SquareSoft's Vagrant Story. In this sweeping dungeon-crawling epic you play as Ashley Riot, a young assassin and spy for the organization known as Riskbreakers. Your goal is to unravel a deep and twisted plot and come to terms with the recent death of your wife and child. If this sounds a bit too cerebral never fear. Your path to recapturing your sense of humanity hinges on the destruction of countless vicious monsters and the exploration of dark and dangerous dungeons. Vagrant Story is awash in gorgeous scenery and features designs from Yasumi Matsuno and Akihiko Yoshida, the acclaimed artists and creators behind Final Fantasy Tactics. 92 /100
06 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 2000 · 422 ratings Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 redefined an already great game. Its addition of stellar new features (like Create-A-Park), and great game-play tweaks (the manual maneuver will be copied for years to come) made it the best installment in a killer series of games. Anyone who has ever skated the Philadelphia level will agree -- this game is a masterpiece of level design. Hell, it's a masterpiece all around. There isn't a bad park or dull moment, just pure gaming nirvana! 91 /100
07 Spyro: Year of the Dragon Spyro: Year of the Dragon 2000 · 219 ratings Spyro: Year of the Dragon is the third installment in the Spyro series and the last Spyro game Insomniac developed. In this 3D adventure, Spyro have to retrieve 150 eggs that the evil Sorceress has stolen from Dragonworld. To survive, he will have to utilize all of his signature moves along with several he's recently picked up, like the ability to control vehicles like tanks, submarines, and speedboats. As an extra bonus, you have the option to choose from a wacky cast of characters: Sheila the kangaroo, Sergeant Byrd the flying penguin, Bentley the Yeti and Agent 9 the space monkey. 91 /100
08 Mario Tennis Mario Tennis 2000 · 134 ratings All of your favorite characters hit the court in a wild and wacky multiplayer tennis game from the makers of Mario Golf. Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Toad, and Donkey Kong lead off the all-star, 14-player line-up. The fast-paced action will have you unleashing vicious volleys, life-saving lobs, ballistic backhands and electrifying super-charged smashes! 91 /100
09 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask S The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 2000 · 881 ratings · 1 Tier vote The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, it utilizes the same engine and visual style as its predecessor. The game retains the traditional elements of Zelda games as well as those introduced in Ocarina of Time, such as active blocking with a shield, various throwing items, and the usage of melodies played on the ocarina to solve puzzles. Compared to the previous Zelda games, this installment is more oriented towards interaction with NPCs and has a larger variety of items, optional quests, and mini-games. It also includes a time system that spans three days, and this cycle must be reset periodically to progress through the game. 90 /100
10 Deus Ex Deus Ex 2000 · 841 ratings A philosophical first-person WRPG set in a dystopian 2052 in which JC Denton, a nano-augmented agent for the anti-terrorist organization UNATCO, is tasked with stopping the invasion of Liberty Island by the terrorist group NSF. As events unfold, Denton finds that he plays a large part in a world-spanning conspiracy which forces him to ponder his allegiances, beliefs, morality, and view of right and wrong. 90 /100
11 Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition 2000 · 576 ratings · finished by 7% 90 /100
12 Banjo-Tooie Banjo-Tooie 2000 · 179 ratings 90 /100
13 Diablo II Diablo II 2000 · 1,196 ratings · finished by 65% 88 /100
14 Counter-Strike D Counter-Strike 2000 · 773 ratings · 1 Tier vote · finished by 12% · 26 h to beat 88 /100
15 The Sims The Sims 2000 · 530 ratings 88 /100
16 Spider-Man (2000) C Spider-Man (2000) 2000 · 401 ratings · 1 Tier vote 87 /100
17 Thief II: The Metal Age Thief II: The Metal Age 2000 · 159 ratings · finished by 4% 87 /100
18 Icewind Dale Icewind Dale 2000 · 118 ratings 87 /100
19 Dino Crisis 2 Dino Crisis 2 2000 · 167 ratings 86 /100
20 Medal of Honor: Underground Medal of Honor: Underground 2000 · 86 ratings 86 /100
21 American McGee's Alice American McGee's Alice 2000 · 165 ratings 85 /100
22 Diablo II Diablo II 2000 · 1,617 ratings 90 /100
23 Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy IX 2000 · 973 ratings · finished by 28% 84 /100
24 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 2000 · 437 ratings 84 /100
25 Metal Slug 3 Metal Slug 3 2000 · 196 ratings · finished by 12% 82 /100
26 Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes 2000 · 133 ratings 80 /100
27 Jet Grind Radio Jet Grind Radio 2000 · 92 ratings 80 /100
28 Dark Cloud Dark Cloud 2000 · 80 ratings 80 /100
29 Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn 2000 · 566 ratings 90 /100
30 Escape from Monkey Island Escape from Monkey Island 2000 · 155 ratings 90 /100
31 Soldier of Fortune Soldier of Fortune 2000 · 139 ratings 90 /100
32 The Operative: No One Lives Forever The Operative: No One Lives Forever 2000 · 142 ratings 79 /100
33 Pokémon Crystal Version Pokémon Crystal Version 2000 · 433 ratings 85 /100
34 Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed 2000 · 242 ratings 78 /100
35 Breath of Fire IV Breath of Fire IV 2000 · 81 ratings 80 /100
36 Mario Party 3 Mario Party 3 2000 · 114 ratings 74 /100
37 Hitman: Codename 47 Hitman: Codename 47 2000 · 320 ratings · finished by 15% 73 /100
38 Perfect Dark Perfect Dark 2000 · 180 ratings 70 /100
39 Project I.G.I.: I’m Going In Project I.G.I.: I’m Going In 2000 · 106 ratings 70 /100
40 Crash Bash Crash Bash 2000 · 192 ratings 68 /100
41 Driver 2 Driver 2 2000 · 113 ratings 62 /100
42 Pokémon Stadium 2 Pokémon Stadium 2 2000 · 181 ratings 60 /100
43 Tomb Raider V: Chronicles Tomb Raider V: Chronicles 2000 · 105 ratings · finished by 5% 60 /100
44 Mega Man X5 Mega Man X5 2000 · 102 ratings 50 /100
45 Spider-Man Spider-Man 2000 · 306 ratings 35 /100

By genre

Best Action games of 2000Best Arcade games of 2000Best Platformer games of 2000Best RPG games of 2000Best Shooter games of 2000

By platform

Best PC games of 2000Best Mac games of 2000Best PlayStation 1 games of 2000Best PlayStation 2 games of 2000Best Nintendo 64 games of 2000Best Dreamcast games of 2000

Other years

Best games of 2026Best games of 2025Best games of 2024Best games of 2023Best games of 2022Best games of 2021Best games of 2020Best games of 2019Best games of 2018Best games of 2017Best games of 2016Best games of 2015

Nearby rankings

Best games of 1999Best games of 2001

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best game of 2000?

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn currently tops the ranking with a score of 95/100 across 153 ratings. Ranking updated November 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.