Has it really been over 20 years since the first Halo game came out? Whoo boy. We’re all going to have to deal with the implications of time passing by here. To help us do that, we’re going to highlight some of the best video games of the 00s.
Shooters were elevated to an art form in franchises like Halo, Call of Duty, and Counter-Strike. Epic journeys came alive in games like Fallout and Mass Effect. The video game sports bros found homes in Madden and NBA 2K. And countless NPCs were tormented in elaborate ways in The Sims.
Oh yeah, Valve also dropped The Orange Box (2007) in this era, and it was easily the most incredible bundle of games ever unleashed upon mankind, featuring Portal, Team Fortress 2, and Half-Life 2 all in one package. Mother of God…
Join us as we travel back to an era that is sort of close yet somehow so very far away now.
Halo: Combat Evolved (2003)
This is one of the most iconic 2000s games, for sure. It helped put the Xbox on the map. Say what you want about the moon jumping physics – the reveal of the Flood is forever burned into our memories. Just trying to somehow battle through the mass of monsters with our MA5B had us sweating bullets, even if we were in co-op mode.
The larger story was the online multiplayer community that ultimately grew out of this franchise, hitting its stride amazingly by Halo III, where sticky ‘nades, rocket attacks, and flying banshee rampages made objective modes unbelievably fun. This era of shooters further laid the groundwork for a global phenomenon that today supports entire professional leagues of e-sports organizations.
Shoutouts: Gears of War (2006), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), and Counter-Strike (2003).
Recommended Casino Game: Space Horror, a slot game with a scary alien enemy theme.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
PlayStation 2 went crazy with classic video games, and this is one of the very best. GTA III walked so this game could run (and hopefully, VI can fly). C.J. and Grove St. are unforgettable. The characters (Big Smoke, Wu Zi Mu, The Truth) had so much personality. The world was so full of life (ongoing gang wars in every ‘hood). And the ability to work out and get muscular from eating Cluckin’ Bell while sitting on the couch IRL was too funny.
And all we had to do was follow the damn train…
Recommended Casino Game: Gangster.
The Sims (2000)
This masterpiece of early 2000s gaming lets us live whole family lives in a little dollhouse world. We could pick careers, decorate, and even try to secure a spouse. Hilarity would ensure when our sim would have basic needs and be unable to meet them, no matter how hard we tried to help. They also were masters of setting their houses on fire in this version of the game, for some reason. In any event, many happy hours were spent arranging a virtual life (even if our actual life was figuratively catching fire in the background).
Recommended Casino Game: Mirror House – think of it like a spooky mansion build.
World of Warcraft (2004)
One of the best retro games of the 00s, hands down. This game has swallowed so much time that there are people who can accurately say they’ve “lived” the last 20 years in Azeroth. A titan of massively multiplayer online RPGs, World of Warcraft brought the world together in guilds to raid, battle, and chase accomplishments like beating M’uru. Clear the next 8 hours of your schedule, your leader is pinging you on Ventrillo!
Recommended Casino Game: Ogre Empire slot game.
Resident Evil 4 (2005)
This franchise is pretty solidly among our group of iconic 2000s games. It really hit a nice note in this installment, which brought in intensity like never before. This is a quintessential edge-of-your seat game. And instead of zombies, it was plague-infested people. Turn off your lights, rev up your GameCube, and be suspicious of anyone who coughs too loud. Sound familiar?
Recommended Casino Game: Zombie Apocalypse.
Madden 10 (2009)
People live for this game, making it one of the all-time classic video games. There are guys who will legitimately throw a fit if they lose a game of Madden. You can input plays like a real offense, defend with a strategic mindset, and then blow your stack when the game decides that you’re getting intercepted or that a particular runner just can’t be brought down. In any event, this game established the standard for getting your football fix in a video game. Also, shoutout: NBA 2K2 (2001).
Recommended Casino Game: Try another type of football in Football Mayhem (warning: contains soccer).
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)
In the early 2000s, gaming saw the rise of a really fun new fighting game format that we simply called “Smash.” SSBB lets us duke it out on fun stages with iconic characters, chaotic items, satisfying special attacks, and the ability for four people to go at it in one single match. Blasting your buddies off the board was incredibly fun and led to many long nights of matches and rematches. The competitive scene is absolutely crazy, with players so skilled that you probably can’t even score a hit on them before they demolish you.
Recommended casino game: Skylantis 2 Wild Fight
Fallout 3 (2008)
Bethesda knocked it out of the park with this game. Visit sunny Washington, D.C., after the apocalypse! Dust off your Pip-Boy, crack open a lukewarm Nuka-Cola and gun down some ghouls on your way to one of four main endings. Crack the door on over 160 vaults, but don’t hold us responsible for the weird stuff you find in there.
Shoutouts for related games: Mass Effect (2007) and BioShock (2007).
Recommended Casino Game: Mutant Trawlers, where Fallout meets fishing.
Rock Band (2007)
The genre of rhythm games hit a high note here, in a mega-fun game, you could play with your friends. It’s one of the ultimate party games, featuring a guitar, drums, and a mike, so you can play and sing along to your favorite songs and get a score for being musically talented. This game got loud in the best way possible. 100 %-ing some of the hardest tracks is legitimately a hard accomplishment requiring many hours of practice. There’s never a bad time to play this, but your neighbors may hate you for getting it.
Shoutout, Guitar Hero.
Recommended Casino Game: Rock Live (bingo rock!)
Diablo 2 (2000)
The era started off beautifully with a game for the ages. Procedural generation was still new then, and the idea that dungeons would change each time you started a fresh save was still revolutionary. This game is built on the memorable classic Diablo to take us into more expansive, more creative demonic realms. Diablo II is still getting replays and attracting eager speedrunners to this day. The only question is: amazon, necromancer, barbarian, sorceress, or paladin?
Recommended Casino Game: Demon Fox.
Wii Sports (2006)
Actually moving around while you play video games? What is this sorcery? The Wii got the entire family not just playing games but up and exercising. You could truly bowl, swing a bag, hit a golf ball, and play a vigorous game of tennis in your living room. Just keep that controller wrist strap on tight, or you’re definitely going to destroy something.
Wii really changed what a video game experience could be, and we’ll forever remember this as one of the classics, even if the “mii” characters are laughably cartoonish. That was part of the charm!
Recommended Casino Game: Baseball Fever.
Wii Sports (2006)
Actually moving around while you play video games? What is this sorcery? The Wii got the entire family not just playing games but up and exercising. You could truly bowl, swing a bag, hit a golf ball, and play a vigorous game of tennis in your living room. Just keep that controller wrist strap on tight, or you’re definitely going to destroy something.
Wii really changed what a video game experience could be, and we’ll forever remember this as one of the classics, even if the “mii” characters are laughably cartoonish. That was part of the charm!
Recommended Casino Game: Baseball Fever.
Super Mario Sunshine (2002)
Every era has an amazing Mario game or two (or three or four), and this was no exception. In Sunshine, we got a hydro jetpack named F.L.U.D.D. that we could use to rocket into the sky, hover, and skip along the ground with. We could spray enemies and clean off that dang graffiti that was making Delfino Plaza so unsightly.
The vibes were immaculate for summertime, and the environments were a pleasure to explore. The Nintendo team, as always, gave us an experience to remember on our GameCubes with this one.
Recommended Casino Game: Sunny Bikini.
More Games We Didn’t Have Space to Talk About, But That Were Amazing and Must Be Honored
- Little Big Planet
- Kingdom Hearts
- Deus Ex
- Shadow of the Colossus
- Final Fantasy 9-13.
- God of War
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- [Your favorite game that we somehow forgot 🙁 ]
Why the 2000s Were a Pivotal Decade for Gaming
Multiplayer online gaming came alive so much in this decade. Whether it was online shooters, Warcraft customs taking off (giving rise to MOBAs like Dota and League of Legends), or Counter-Strike and Halo kicking off the heyday of e-sports shooters and Major League Gaming, this time was so pivotal. The environments got more detailed, the cutscenes were more cinematic, and the orchestral scores were legendary. Classics from the 2000s are hard to beat.
Want to Fire Up a Game?
Check out an emulation site like this, or head to a subreddit community for your console of choice (e.g., PS2) to relive the nostalgia.