20 Best Video Game Websites In The World
Here are our top 20 picks for the best free gaming websites online so you may waste even more time online than you already do. While many of them provide a selection of games that are remarkably similar, if not identical, each one stands out from the crowd thanks to a certain set of benefits.
1. Giant Bomb
Platform: Multi
Focus: Writing about
the games themselves, minus the seriousness of the industry.
Best Feature: Brutally honest, trustworthy reviews.
Giant Bomb was established with the intention of bringing back the excitement of sports reporting while retaining a high level of professionalism. The most notable achievement in games journalism in this sense since its launch in 2008 has been Giant Bomb.
2. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
URL: rockpapershotgun.com
Platform: PC
Focus: Witty coverage of all
things PC.
The book's strongest aspect is its game diaries, which are provided in discrete, frequently funny segments and offer insight into the author's personal experiences.
3. Polygon
URL: polygon.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Well-designed highbrow
content.
Best Feature: Beautifully presented feature articles.
Despite being relatively new compared to the majority of the websites on this list, Polygon's creative team is anything but young. The former editors in chief of a variety of websites, including Joystiq, Kotaku, and The Escapist, formed Polygon in 2012. Since then, Polygon has quickly built a reputation as a publisher of some of the most insightful content in the field of video games journalism.
The academic analysis that goes beyond simple buyer's guides and the articles that look at the human side of game manufacturing are two things that set Polygon's reviews apart.
4. Kill Screen
URL: killscreendaily.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: The arts and culture surrounding video games.
Best Feature: Well-written features that insist on treating games as a
respectable art form.
5. The
Escapist
Platform: Multi
Focus: Regular segments that
explore various aspects of gaming culture.
Best Feature: Ben Croshaw’s infamous ‘Zero Punctuation’ video reviews.
6. Gamasutra
Platform: Multi
Focus: Video game
development.
Best Feature: The ‘Post-Mortem’
features.
Gamasutra, a website that focuses on making video games, is written for developers but is also accessible to anyone who wants to learn more about the gaming industry. It has released a number of excellent interviews since its founding in 1997.
7. Destructoid
Platform: Multi
Focus: Blogger-style news and reviews.
Best Feature: The vast amount of original video content.
Gamasutra, a website that focuses on making video games, is written for developers but is also accessible to anyone who wants to learn more about the gaming industry. It has released a number of excellent interviews since its founding in 1997.
8. Edge
Platform: Multi
Focus: Broadsheet-style
industry stories and in-depth reviews.
Best Feature: The legendary yearly awards.
Edge, one of the few gaming periodicals to have endured for more than two decades, with its first issue appearing in 1993. Edge Magazine, which is famed for its anonymous writing style and connections to the industry, publishes the best games journalism money can buy.
While not creating content as swiftly and fiercely as many of the websites on our list, Edge is the epitome of quality over quantity.
9. Joystiq
URL: joystiq.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Blog-style news, sprinkled with a healthy dose of humour.
Best Feature: The high production
value Super Joystiq podcasts.
Of the several
popular gaming sites that started up a decade ago in 2004, Joystiq continues to
be the most reliable. Always a great source for general gaming news,
Joystiq has also ventured further into more extensive editorials in recent
years.
It may not be the
funniest, or the biggest, or the smartest site on our list, but Joystiq has
always operated at a high level of quality, with solid content and a
talented team of editors.
10. GamesIndustry International
Platform: Multi
Focus: Games industry coverage.
Best Feature: A great resource for people trying to break into the sector is the jobs section.
GamesIndustry International is totally focused on the business side of things and is aimed at those who are already in or trying to enter into the gaming industry. GamesIndustry International is a serious website with insider knowledge, so if you're seeking for the most recent Call of Duty multiplayer hints, look elsewhere.
GamesIndustry International should be your first choice for news and information about the video game industry if you have even the slightest interest in the industry that supports your favourite pastime.
11. IGN
Platform: Multi
Focus: News and reviews
behemoth that specialises in AAA game content.
Best Feature: The exclusive interviews
and event coverage..
IGN's video content is among the best produced currently and is especially valuable for its in-depth live coverage of business events. A high IGN review score can also play a big part in a game's commercial success because of how well-liked the website is.
IGN is a titan in the world of video game journalism because to its massive readership and top-notch exclusives, despite the fact that it may be fashionable to criticise the company's corporate image and businesslike approach.
12. Retro Gamer
Platform: Retro
Focus: Articles that take a
look back at the early days of gaming.
Best Aspect: A fascinating insight into the pasts of some of the most well-known video games in gaming history can be found in the "Making of" sections.
One of the few publications still available in print, Retro Gamer, has a small but devoted following. The history of gaming is the focus of the website Retro Gamer, which frequently revisits ancient games and the platforms they were played on.
13. Quarter To Three
Platform: Multi
Focus: Informal news and reviews.
Best Feature: the podcast known as Quarter to Three.
Quarter to Three has a large fan base, similar to many other entries on this list. The Quarter to Three forums, which are mostly made up of ardent gamers, include a tonne of insightful, straightforward conversation.
In-house gaming diaries, reviews, and analytical, informal feature stories are what the Quarter to Three website does best.
14. Pocket Gamer
Platform: Mobile
Focus: News and reviews for
mobile gaming.
Best Feature: One of the only places
to read trustworthy mobile game reviews.
Best Aspect: A fascinating insight into the pasts of some of the most well-known video games in gaming history can be found in the "Making of" sections.
One of the few publications still available in print, Retro Gamer, has a small but devoted following. The history of gaming is the focus of the website Retro Gamer, which frequently revisits ancient games and the platforms they were played on.
15. TIGSource
Platform: Multi
Focus: Indie game coverage.
Its main feature is the TIG database, which gathers the best indie gaming releases.
Derek Yu, the creator of Spelunky, is currently in charge of TIGSource, one of the more active communities committed to the development of independent video games. The website contains TIGdb, a selection of hand-picked independent games with download links, screenshots, and user reviews, in addition to gaming news.
Anyone who has ever felt the urge to develop a game in their room, cellar, or shed should start with TIDSource.
16. CheapAssGamer
Platform: Multi
Focus: Advising gamers on a
budget.
Best Feature: Price Tracker's often updated.
Even while it's hardly the most expensive hobby ever, building up a significant gaming collection will soon deplete your savings. Thankfully, the Cheap Ass Gamer community is working hard to ensure that even the least frugal gamer has no excuse for paying full price for a game.
17. Kotaku
Platform: Multi
Focus: Off-beat news and features.
Best Feature: The "In Depth" area continues to have informative, in-depth articles on a range of subjects.
Since its launch in 2004, Kotaku has rapidly expanded to rank among the most well-known gaming websites ever. Despite its lack of focus and compulsive obsession with Japanese peculiarities, Kotaku's vast range of postings are consistently hilarious.
The website Kotaku may have annoyed a lot of people over the course of its (almost) ten-year existence, but it has constantly generated high-quality content and kept current by catering to an increasing viewership.
18. RPGamer
Platform: Multi
Focus: RPG gaming content.
Best Feature: The reviews that are
aimed squarely at the needs of RPG fanatics.
A classic that dates back to 1995, RPGamer first appeared as the UnOfficial SquareSoft HomePage before taking on its current look in 1998. As the name implies, RPGamer is a prominent source of news, interviews, and reviews for the role-playing game genre, covering the European, North American, and Asian markets.
If you are familiar with Atelier Roronas and Baten Kaitos, RPGamer is a website that is well worth your time.
19. Gamers
With Jobs
Platform: Multi
Focus: articles for those who love gaming but are short on time.
Best Aspect: The GWJ podcasts make for excellent morning commute listening.
Many of us may long for the days when we would skip class to gain a little extra experience or stay up all night working on a new release. Unfortunately, as people age, they take on more responsibilities and have less time for gaming.
Any self-respecting gamer should be a part of the fantastic community known as Gamers With Jobs. Additionally, it includes a lively forum.
20. GameTrailers
Platform: Multi
Focus: Video content.
The recurring series of Angry Video Game Nerd is the best feature.
Some of the most well-known gaming programmes are offered online by GameTrailers, a company that specialises in video content. GameTrailers has routinely put out top-notch movies since it was redesigned in 2007, including Top Tens and Pach-Attack.
But GameTrailers' main draw is unquestionably the Angry Video Game Nerd reviews. The show's creator, James Rolfe, frequently makes cameo appearances in character and disparages games throughout history that he feels are especially horrible.
