About / FAQ

Caring about art, in any of its forms, means caring about the people who make it, the people who write about it, the communities that value it, and the world that we all exist in. Visitors of this site are encouraged to support workers unions, to participate in movements calling for greater action on climate change, and to fiercely oppose acts of war and imperialism. In particular, the ethnic cleansing of Lebanon and Palestine, carried out by Israel and supported by many countries in the West, deserves the strongest condemnation. Users of this website are encouraged to pressure their governments to cut ties with Israel, and support the boycott campaigns listed here.

History

AcclaimedMedia began in early 2020 as a project to determine the most critically acclaimed video games of the past decade. An algorithm was developed that could fairly aggregate lists covering drastically different time periods—in this case end-of-year lists and the recently published end-of-decade lists. The project gradually grew to cover all video games and AcclaimedVideoGames launched as a website in March 2023. The project then expanded to music, and AcclaimedMedia launched in October 2026.

How are the rankings calculated?

The AcclaimedMedia rankings are not based on anything like a point system, and no inherent value is assigned to any particular list type or ranking. Instead, the value of appearing on a list is determined solely by what video games or albums it appeared ahead of, and what video games or albums appeared ahead of it. For an album or video game to be highly ranked on AcclaimedMedia, it needs to consistently rank ahead of other strong video games/albums, while rarely being ranked behind weaker video games/albums.

Before this ranking process, the source lists are weighted according to the reputation of the publication and the age of the list (newer lists are slightly favoured). A penalty is also applied to publications that have repeated themselves across multiple lists to prevent the most prolific publications from dominating the rankings. The strength of these penalties varies depending on the degree of overlap between the lists, and are applied at the match-up level.

Is AI involved in the ranking process at all?

No. All of the data entry is done manually, and the ranking algorithm does not use any machine learning tools.

Will other mediums be added in the future

Potentially, though it won’t be any time soon.

What lists are eligible?

The source data includes any list from a reliable source chosen primarily by the publication's editorial staff, or outside consultants (lists based on reader polls are excluded). Lists can cover any time period, and they can be ranked, unranked, or partially ranked. Lists that limit the number of albums per artist (for albums) or games per series (for video games) are also eligible, and this is accounted for by the algorithm. Currently, the following types of lists are ineligible:

  • Lists that are not explicitly greatest video games/albums lists
  • Genre exclusive lists
  • Collections of individual staff lists
  • Lists based on review scores or other lists
  • Lists with a single entry
  • Lists covering less than a year
  • End-of-year lists limited to a specific platform (video games)
  • Console lists released before the console's end of life (video games)

What albums are eligible?

For now, only singles are excluded. Studio albums, live albums, remix albums, EPs, compilations, and box sets are all eligible. Albums from 2020 onwards will appear once there is enough data to meaningfully rank them (i.e. once end-of-year lists have been added).

What video games are eligible?

This is determined on a case-by-base basis, but as a general guide:

  • Base games are almost always eligible
  • Remakes and standalone expansions are usually eligible
  • Mods are sometimes eligible
  • Expansion packs, DLC and remasters are almost always ineligible
  • Games without a full release are included in the source data, but usually won’t appear in the rankings until they have a full release
  • Games from the current year are eligible but usually won’t be ranked at least until the bulk of the end of year data has been entered

What's with the video game platform data?

The listed platforms are the ones that the eligibility checker for the ranking program assumes eligibility for. Ideally, the listed platforms are the ones where the game’s performance on lists exclusive to that platform will be representative of its overall strength. This is often, but not always, the systems that it was originally released on. Very rarely will it be every system that the game is available for. Feedback on the platform data is encouraged as there is necessarily a degree of subjectivity to it. If you'd like to suggest a change, you can do so by emailing me directly, or via the contact form.

I found a mistake!

It happens from time to time. Please let me know by either emailing me or using the contact form.

There’s a list that you haven’t included yet!

If you’re sure that the list is eligible (please check the eligibility criteria above), and if you can provide a reliable source for it, then please pass it on either via email or the contact form.

Are these the definitive greatest video games and albums of all time?

No. The aim of this project is to determine the most acclaimed video games and albums of all time, and no one is obliged to think that what’s most acclaimed is also the best. Critics are imperfect people working in an imperfect industry, and their tastes are inextricably linked to factors such as their worldview, history, and what space they think music and video games should occupy in the broader cultural landscape. The rankings are a reflection of all of this, and criticism is encouraged.

Are there any other websites that are similar to AcclaimedMedia?

Yes! Here are some others, covering all sorts of media:

I would like to give feedback or contact you for some other reason.

Sure, I'd love to hear from you. I can be reached by email at contact@acclaimedvideogames.com, on X (formerly Twitter) at @AVGRankings, on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/avgrankings.bsky.social, or via the contact form.

Thanks to

  • Kris/Delfeir for helping me untangle the video game industry's various complexities, and for your help early on with the data entry. (Also for putting up with my rants whenever I was stuck on something.)
  • Ian for guidance in the early stages of developing the ranking algorithm.
  • Sean for building and maintaining the website up until November 2025.

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