2021 In Video Gaming
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In the
video game industry The video game industry encompasses the development, marketing, and monetization of video games. The industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs worldwide. The video game industry has grown from niches to mainstrea ...
, 2021 saw the release of many new video games. The numerous delays in software and hardware releases due to the continuation of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
heavily impacted development schedules, leading to many games being delayed into this year or indefinitely. Additionally, computer and console hardware were impacted by the combined effects of
semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way. ...
shortage (partially from post-COVID-19 effects) and a rising growth of
bitcoin mining The bitcoin network is a peer-to-peer payment network that operates on a cryptographic protocol. Users send and receive bitcoins, the units of currency, by broadcasting digitally-signed messages to the network using bitcoin cryptocurrency ...
that strained the supply of critical components.


Top-rated games


Major awards


Critically acclaimed games

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
is an aggregator of video game journalism reviews. It generally considers expansions and re-releases as separate entities.


Financial performance

According to market research firm Newzoo, the global video game market reached total revenues of , a 1.4% growth from 2020. Of this, 52% of the revenue was attributed to the mobile game market and the larger growth over the prior year, 28% to the console games market (including hardware and software), and 20% to the personal computer market.


Largest markets

According to market research firm Newzoo, the following countries were the largest video game markets in 2021.


Highest-grossing mobile games

The following titles are the top ten highest-grossing mobile games of 2021.


Highest-grossing games in China

The following titles were 2021's top six highest-grossing video games in China.


Best-selling premium games by region

The following titles were 2021's top ten best-selling premium games by region (excluding
microtransactions Microtransactions, often abbreviated as mtx, are a business model where users can purchase virtual goods with micropayments. Microtransactions are often used in free-to-play games to provide a revenue source for the developers. While microtransact ...
and
free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
titles) on PC and
console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...
platforms, for Japan, the United States, and Europe.


Major events


Notable deaths

* February 3 – Robert A. Altman, 73, co-founder and CEO of
ZeniMax Media ZeniMax Media Inc. is an American video game holding company based in Rockville, Maryland, and founded in 1999. The company owns publisher Bethesda Softworks with its development unit Bethesda Game Studios (developer of ''The Elder Scrolls,'' ...
. * March 11 – Gordon Hall, 51, co-founder of
Rockstar Leeds Rockstar Leeds Limited (formerly Möbius Entertainment Limited) is a British video game developer and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Leeds. Ian J. Bowden, Dave Box, Gordon Hall, and Jason McGann founded the company as Möbius Entertainmen ...
. * May 28 –
Benoît Sokal Benoît Sokal (28 June 1954 – 28 May 2021) was a Belgian comic artist and video game developer, best known for his comics series ''Inspector Canardo'', and the ''Syberia'' adventure game franchise. Biography Benoît Sokal was born in Brussel ...
, 66, creator of the ''
Syberia ''Syberia'' is a franchise of graphic adventure games created by Belgian comic artist and video game developer Benoît Sokal. Set within an alternate universe designed by Sokal and introduced in the 1999 video game '' Amerzone'', the series ...
'' series. * June 4 – Ebbe Altberg, ca. 57, CEO of
Linden Lab Linden Research, Inc., doing business as Linden Lab, is an American technology company that is best known as the creator of ''Second Life''. The company's head office is in San Francisco, with additional offices in Boston, Seattle, Virginia a ...
, creators of ''
Second Life ''Second Life'' is an online multimedia platform that allows people to create an avatar for themselves and then interact with other users and user created content within a multi player online virtual world. Developed and owned by the San Fra ...
''. * ca. June 27 – "Near" aka "Byuu", ca. 38, developer of the
higan is a Buddhist holiday exclusively celebrated by Japanese sects for seven days; three days before and after both the Spring equinox ( shunbun) and Autumnal equinox ( shūbun). It is observed by nearly every Buddhist school in Japan. The tra ...
emulator for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. * ca. August – David Lawson, 62, co-founder of
Imagine Software Imagine Software was a British video games developer based in Liverpool which existed briefly in the early 1980s, initially producing software for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20. The company rose quickly to prominence and was noted for its polished, ...
and
Psygnosis Psygnosis Limited (known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Hetherington, Jonathan Ell ...
* September 12 – Brandon Ashur, 36,
Minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java (programming language), Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made pub ...
YouTuber A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006. Influence Influe ...
and
livestreamer An online streamer or live streamer is a person who broadcasts themselves online through a live stream to an audience. History Streaming arose in the early 2010s, originating on sites like YouTube where users could upload videos of themselves i ...
also known as Bashurverse. * September 16 – Clive Sinclair, 81, founder of
Sinclair Research Sinclair Research Ltd is a British consumer electronics company founded by Clive Sinclair in Cambridge. It was originally incorporated in 1973 as Westminster Mail Order Ltd, renamed Sinclair Instrument Ltd, then Science of Cambridge Ltd, then ...
, the company behind several early personal computers like the
ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...
* September 18 –
Mick McGinty Mick McGinty (December 7, 1952 - September 18, 2021) was an American artist who specialized in airbrush, digital, and fine art oil painting. He graduated from ArtCenter College of Design, Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, in 197 ...
, 69, traditional artist for television, film, and video games, including artwork for '' Street Fighter II'' and other games in the 1980s and 1990s. * September 30 –
Koichi Sugiyama was a Japanese composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He was best known for composing the music for the '' Dragon Quest'' franchise, along with several other video games, anime, film, and television shows. Classically trained, Sugiyama was ...
, 90, composer of the '' Dragon Quest'' series among others. * October 16 –
Hiroshi Ono Hiroshi Ono can refer to: * Hiroshi Ono (photographer) (born 1971), Japanese photographer * Hiroshi Ono (scholar) (born 1934), Japanese scholar * Hiroshi Ono (weightlifter) (born 1950), Japanese Olympic weightlifter * Hiroshi Ono (artist) ( ...
, 64, graphic artist for
Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, ...
who did most of their pixel art for their early arcade games, and was otherwise known as "Mr Dotman". * December 6 –
Masayuki Uemura was a Japanese engineer, video game producer, and professor. He was known for his work as an employee of Nintendo from 1971 to 2004, most notably for serving as a key factor in the development of the Nintendo Entertainment System. A former em ...
, 78, lead architect of the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. * December 14 –
Ian Hetherington Ian Hetherington (June 1952 – 14 December 2021) was a British businessman who co-founded computer games developer Psygnosis. Biography He was a co-founder of Psygnosis, a company that developed computer games. Along with Jonathan Ellis, Hethe ...
, 69, co-founder of Imagine Software and Psygnosis, chairman of
Evolution Studios Evolution Studios Ltd. was a British video game developer based in Runcorn, Cheshire. The company was founded in 1999 by Martin Kenwright and Ian Hetherington, following the purchase of their studio Digital Image Design's publisher Ocean Soft ...
and
Realtime Worlds Realtime Worlds Ltd. was a British video game developer based in Dundee, Scotland. The company was founded by David Jones in 2002. After developing '' Crackdown'' (2007) and '' APB: All Points Bulletin'' (2009), Realtime Worlds filed for admin ...
. * December 28 –
John Madden John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, who he led to eight pl ...
, 85, American football coach and commentator, and namesake of
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...
' ''
Madden NFL ''Madden NFL'' (known as ''John Madden Football'' until 1993) is an American football video game series developed by EA Tiburon for EA Sports. It is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden and sold more than 130 m ...
'' series.


Hardware releases

The list of game-related hardware released in 2021.


Game releases


Series with new entries

Series with new installments include '' Age of Empires'', ''
Alex Kidd is a platform video game series developed by Sega, and starring the titular Alex Kidd. Games The franchise includes seven titles. * ''Alex Kidd in Miracle World'' - 1986, Master System * '' Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars'' - 1986, Arcade, 1988 ...
'', '' Alien'', '' Angelique'', '' Aragami'', ''
A-Train is a series of business simulation video games developed and published by Japanese game developer Artdink in Japan. The first game in the series was published in 1985. The first release in the United States was ''Take the A-Train II'', published ...
'', ''
Baldur's Gate ''Baldur's Gate'' is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms '' Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting. The game has spawned two series, known as the ''Bhaalspawn Saga'' and the ''Dark Alliance'', both taking place mostl ...
'', ''
Battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...
'', '' Big Brain Academy'', ''
Blaster Master ''Blaster Master'' is a video game series that was originally developed and published by Sunsoft. It began with the 1988 video game '' Blaster Master'' for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and the series has been rebooted twice. The first reb ...
'', ''
Blue Reflection ''Blue Reflection'' is a role-playing video game developed by Gust. It was published by Koei Tecmo in March 2017 in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, and was released in September 2017 in North America and Europe for the PlayS ...
'', '' Bus Simulator'', ''
Bravely Default ''Bravely Default'', known in Japan as ''Bravely Default: Flying Fairy'', is a role-playing video game developed by Silicon Studio for the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console, handheld console. ''Bravely Default'' was originally released in 2012 ...
'', ''
The Caligula Effect ''The Caligula Effect'' is a role-playing video game developed by Aquria. It was released for the PlayStation Vita in Japan in June 2016, and by Atlus USA in North America and Europe in May 2017. A remake of the game, ''The Caligula Effect: Overd ...
'', '' Call of Duty'', '' Chivalry: Medieval Warfare'', '' The Dark Pictures Anthology'', ''
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge. It follows teenage Tanjiro Kamado, who strives to become a demon slayer after his family was slaughtered and his younger sister, Nezuko Kamado, Nezuko, turned into a ...
'', '' DC Super Hero Girls'', '' Diablo'', ''
Disgaea is a series of tactical role-playing video games created and developed by Nippon Ichi. The series debuted in Japan on January 30, 2003, with '' Disgaea: Hour of Darkness'', later re-released as ''Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness'' and ''Disgaea D ...
'', '' Doctor Who'', '' Dragon Quest'', ''
Drakengard ''Drakengard'', known in Japan as is a series of action role-playing video games created by Yoko Taro. The Drakengard (video game), eponymous first game in the series was released in 2003 on the PlayStation 2, and has since been followed by a s ...
'', ''
Dynasty Warriors is a series of Japanese hack and slash action video games created by Omega Force and Koei (now is Koei Tecmo). The series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy '' Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' series, based upon the Chinese novel of ...
'', ''
Everspace ''Everspace'' is a 3D space shooter with roguelike elements developed and published by German studio Rockfish Games. It was released in 2017. A sequel, ''Everspace 2'' is set to be released on April 6, 2023. Gameplay ''Everspace'' is a space ...
'', '' Evil Genius'', ''
Far Cry ''Far Cry'' is an anthology franchise of first-person shooter games, all of which have been published by Ubisoft. The first game, '' Far Cry'', was developed by Crytek to premiere their CryEngine software, and released in March 2004. Subsequen ...
'', ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...
'', ''
Five Nights at Freddy's ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' (''FNaF'') is a media franchise created by Scott Cawthon. The first video game of the same name was released on August 8, 2014, and the resultant series has since gained worldwide popularity. The main series cons ...
'', '' Forza'', '' Ghosts 'n Goblins'', ''
Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It may more specifically refer to: Comic book teams * Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...
'', ''
Guilty Gear is a series of fighting games by Arc System Works, created and designed by artist Daisuke Ishiwatari. The first game was published in 1998, and has spawned several sequels. It has also adapted to other media such as manga and drama CD. ''Gu ...
'', ''
Halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...
'', ''
Hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may ...
'', '' Hot Wheels'', ''
The House of the Dead ''The House of the Dead'' is a horror-themed light gun shooter video game franchise created by Sega in 1996. Originally released in arcades, it utilizes a light gun on the platform, but can be played with standard controllers on consoles and a ...
'', '' The Idolmaster'', '' King's Bounty'', '' Jurassic Park'', ''
League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL''), commonly referred to as ''League'', is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by '' Defense of the Ancients'', a custom map for ''Warcraft III'', ...
'', '' The Legend of Heroes'', '' Life Is Strange'', '' Little Nightmares'', '' Lone Echo,'' ''
Mario Golf There have been numerous sports games in the ''Mario'' franchise. Although originally a branch of the Mario sports games, the ''Mario Kart'' series is not included in this list, as it has since become a stand-alone series in the Mario franchise. ...
'', ''
Mario Party is a party video game series featuring characters from the ''Mario'' franchise in which up to four local players or computer-controlled characters (called " CPUs") compete in a board game interspersed with minigames. The games are currentl ...
'', ''
Megami Tensei ''Megami Tensei'', marketed internationally as ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (formerly ''Revelations''), is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji Okada, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed ...
'', '' Metroid'', ''
Monster Hunter is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fantasy-themed action role-playing video games that started with the game '' Monster Hunter'' for the PlayStation 2, released in 2004. Titles have been released across a variety of platforms ...
'', '' No More Heroes'', '' Oddworld'', '' Pac-Man'', ''
Psychonauts ''Psychonauts'' is a 2005 platform video game developed by Double Fine Productions. The game was initially published by Majesco Entertainment and THQ for Microsoft Windows, Xbox and PlayStation 2. In 2011, Double Fine acquired the rights for t ...
'', ''
Ratchet & Clank ''Ratchet & Clank'' is a series of action platformer and third-person shooter video games. The franchise was created and developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation consoles, such as PlayStation ...
'', ''
Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known in Japan as is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...
'', ''
Rune Factory is a franchise of fantasy role-playing simulation games created by Yoshifumi Hashimoto, and primarily published by Marvelous. The games are developed by Hashimoto's studio Hakama, taking over from Neverland after they ceased operations in 201 ...
'', ''
R-Type is a horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and released by Irem in 1987 and the first game in the ''R-Type'' series. The player controls a star ship, the R-9 "Arrowhead", in its efforts to destroy the Bydo, a powerful ...
'', ''
Samurai Warriors is the first title in the series of hack and slash video games created by Koei's Omega Force team based closely around the Sengoku ("Warring States") period of Japanese history and it is a sister series of the ''Dynasty Warriors'' series, relea ...
'', '' Sniper: Ghost Warrior'', '' Star Wars'', ''
Stronghold A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...
'', ''
Story of Seasons ''Story of Seasons'', known in Japan as and formerly known as ''Harvest Moon'', is an agricultural simulation role-playing video game series created by Yasuhiro Wada and developed by Victor Interactive Software (acquired by Marvelous Entert ...
'', ''
Subnautica ''Subnautica'' is an open-world action-adventure game developed and published by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. The game has the player as a non-essential systems maintenance chief who is the only survivor of a spaceship crash on the alien planet ...
'', '' Super Mario'', ''
Syberia ''Syberia'' is a franchise of graphic adventure games created by Belgian comic artist and video game developer Benoît Sokal. Set within an alternate universe designed by Sokal and introduced in the 1999 video game '' Amerzone'', the series ...
'', '' System Shock'', '' Tales'', '' Vampire: The Masquerade'', ''
Wario is a fictional character in Nintendo's ''Mario'' series, designed as an arch-rival to Mario. He first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy game '' Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins'' as the main antagonist and final boss. His name is a portmanteau ...
'', '' Werewolf: The Apocalypse'', ''
The World Ends with You ''The World Ends with You'' is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and Jupiter and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS. Set in the modern-day Shibuya shopping district of Tokyo, the game uses urban fantasy elements insp ...
'', ''
Wonder Boy The series, also known as the series, is a franchise of video games published by Sega and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment (formerly Escape). Beginning with the original '' Wonder Boy'' arcade game released in April 21, 1986, the game has ...
'', and ''
Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...
''.


January–March


April–June


July–September


October–December


Video game-based film and television releases


Discontinued games

* '' Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island'' ( Win,
PS4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in E ...
, XBO)


See also

* 2021 in games


Notes


References

{{History of video games Video games by year