Best Sci-fi Game From Every Year In the 2000s

Highlights

• Sci-fi games have evolved into immersive worlds where humanity battles aliens and robots gain sentience. Pushing imaginations to the future.
• The 2000s marked a significant period for sci-fi games, with groundbreaking technology, graphics, and storytelling setting the stage for online gaming dominance.
• From Deus Ex to Bioshock and Dead Space, iconic titles like Half-Life 2 influenced the industry, setting new standards in narrative-based shooters.

Sci-fi games have been a regular fixture within the industry since Space Invaders hit the shelves and became an instant classic. Each year, developers release more and more stunningly realized sci-fi worlds. Innovative titles that push our imaginations into the future. Where humanity wars with alien races, robots gain sentience, and travel between the stars is no longer just a dream.

The 2000s saw video games grow and develop, with the industry becoming the worldwide juggernaut we see today. The decade was a standout year for sci-fi games, with technology improving, graphics took a huge leap forward, allowing for immersive and detailed game worlds for players to explore. First-person shooters evolved, with richer storylines and groundbreaking gameplay introduced to the genre. Looking back at the decade, the 2000s gave the world some all-time classic titles and set the stage for online gaming to take over the industry.

10 Deus Ex (2000)

Metascore: 90

In the first year of the new millennium, when the world was looking to the future, the standout title of that year was Deus Ex. This action FPS stealth game takes players into a dystopian cyberpunk future, where the nanotechnology-enhanced agent JC Denton fights to take out any threats that would threaten the status quo.

The game incorporates many RPG elements, including weapon modification and character upgrading. Skill points are used to enhance the character’s abilities, while nano-augmentations can be collected to give the character further abilities. The game was a critical success and went on to win several best game awards. It was highly praised for its level of freedom, addictive gameplay, and compelling atmosphere.

9 Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)

Metascore: 97

Halo is set in the twenty-sixth century, where faster-than-light travel is possible, and the human race has started to expand into the galaxy. The story revolves around a war between humanity and a rival alien race known as The Covenant, as they attempt to control the mysterious artificial world known as Halo.

Halo: Combat Evolved is undoubtedly one of the most influential titles in the modern gaming industry. As one of the true benchmarks in cooperative FPS games, Halo pushed online play into the future. A hit with players and critics alike, the game was an instant classic, rocketing its lead character, Master Chief, into iconic status. Halo has become a long-running and successful franchise that continues to engage fans today.

8 Metroid Prime (2002)

Metascore: 97

As the decade continued, gamers were treated to the fifth entry in the beloved Metroid series, Metroid Prime. The game was a major turning point in the series, as it was the first entry to incorporate 3D graphics and a first-person perspective. The game continues the story of Samus Aran, as she travels through the world of Tallon IV seeking out twelve Chozo Artifacts.

The game may have changed perspective, but it continued many of the mechanics that helped create the Metroidvania genre. As players move through the world, they will unlock new areas and new abilities, which help them to progress through the game and defeat various enemies and bosses. The game was another critical success for the series and won several best game awards for that year.

7 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (2003)

Metascore: 94

Before Bioware took players into the expansive world of Mass Effect, their first foray into sci-fi RPG gaming was with Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. Set four thousand years before the events of the film series, the game follows the adventures of a player-controlled Jedi, who fights to take down a galactic-wide Sith attack from Darth Malak.

At the beginning of the game, the player can choose between various subclasses for the character, with each option having different stats and abilities. While the combat in the game seems fluid, it is, however, broken down into small rounds, with each combat action taking its success from an invisible D20 roll. After its release, it became Xbox’s fastest-selling title and went on to receive critical acclaim, winning many Best Game awards for that year.

6 Half-Life 2 (2004)

Metascore: 96

As the decade moved towards its halfway mark, players were treated to the long-awaited sequel Half-Life 2. This standout release pushed the FPS genre into the future, with its exceptional graphics, world-building and physics-based gameplay. Half-Life 2 continues the story of Gordon Freeman, who has joined the human resistance, fighting the Combine, the multidimensional aliens that have invaded Earth.

Half-Life 2 was released to widespread critical acclaim, becoming an instant classic and cementing the series as one of gaming’s most beloved franchises. It would go on to win many awards and become very influential, setting the standard for any story-centered shooters that would follow.

5 F.E.A.R. (2005)

Metascore: 88

This psychological FPS horror game follows the work of the First Encounter Assault Recon unit, who are tasked with investigating supernatural events, and dealing with them how they see fit. F.E.A.R. is an ambitious game. With its complex particle system, the game creates a dark and foreboding atmosphere. Together with a semi-destructible world and the Reflex-Time mechanic, used to slow down time, the game is a unique shooter experience. The time-slowing mechanic simulates the player character’s superhuman abilities and allows players greater freedom in taking out enemies.

2005 was not a great year for sci-fi video games, with many of the year’s biggest titles, such as Shadow of the Colossus, and God of War, falling into the fantasy genre. F.E.A.R. was a supernatural sci-fi shooter that offered a great atmosphere and excellent gameplay. It was well received by critics and became a commercial success.

4 Gears of War (2006)

Metascore: 94

Kicking off the second half of the decade, Gears of War is a third-person shooter that offers both co-op and single-player modes in its campaign. The game follows an elite squad of soldiers tasked with protecting the human inhabitants of the Planet Sera from the bloodthirsty race known as the Locust.

The game has a strong emphasis on using cover, rather than rushing towards the enemy in a hail of bullets. Its strong combat system, stunning sound design, and high-end graphics made it an instant hit with audiences. It soon became one of the most popular releases to come out on Xbox 360, winning many awards in the process.

3 Bioshock (2007)

Metascore: 96

Bioshock was a landmark moment in FPS gaming, setting new standards for narrative-based shooters. The game is set within the underwater city of Rapture, a supposed haven for artists and free thinkers. In the game, the city has fallen into depravity and chaos, with much of the population falling into murderous madness. Players control Jack, as he navigates the many perils hiding in the shadows of the broken city.

Along with an array of weapons, Bioshock also introduced Plasmids, strange elixirs that grant supernatural powers such as electrocution and pyromancy. The narrative of Bioshock twists and turns as the player uncovers more of the world and characters in the game. Bioshock blends horror, sci-fi, and action in a stunningly realized world that is now considered one of the best games ever made.

2 Dead Space (2008)

Metascore: 89

More than just Resident Evil in space. This sci-fi horror gem took players to new realms of terror with an innovative dismemberment system and terrifying setting. Dead Space follows engineer Issac Clarke, as he and his crew are trapped on the doomed spaceship, Ishimura. Issac soon discovers the inhabitants have been turned into horrific monsters known as Necromorphs, which can only be killed by dismembering their limbs.

Dead Space is an immersive horror experience, filled with gruesome details and heart-pumping set pieces. The combat system rewards weapon accuracy over damage, with the enemies in the game being fast and dangerous. Dead Space was critically praised and would go on to be a financial success, leading to several sequels, as well as a remake in 2023.

1 Killzone 2 (2009)

Metascore: 91

Having been largely forgotten in modern gaming, the end of the decade saw the high point of the Killzone series in Killzone 2. This intense FPS video game series revolves around a war between two human superpowers. Those of the ISA or Interplanetary Strategic Alliance, fighting against the fascist Helghan Empire. With stunning visuals, improved combat, and high-octane chaotic action, Killzone 2 improved on the first game in every way.

The game also introduced a mechanic that allowed for peaking and shooting from cover. This created a higher level of immersion and strategy when assaulting targets. Killzone 2 was released to critical acclaim that the series would not see again. While the game was not the commercial success the developers hoped it would be, it still went on to win several awards. Killzone 2 would be followed by four other entries into the series, none of which would live up to the acclaim of this second outstanding entry.