Starting in 1974, with the trade magazine Play Meter, video game journalism has now hit its 30th year as an established form of popular media. From printed magazines to entire broadcast television channels, video games journalism has only risen in popularity with the increased mainstream appeal of interactive entertainment.
Now, in the wake of printed media’s steady decline, the internet has naturally risen to become the new home of video games journalism. With low startup costs and an instantly accessible international audience, a web-based magazine is an appealing prospect over the time and finances required to distribute printed content.
Due to the ease in which anyone can start their own web-based magazine, competition in the industry has never been fiercer. From small sites that only cover a specific genre, to high-budget conglomerates that are able to publish the latest AAA exclusives, there’s a wealth of constantly updated content for even the most discerning video game fan to dig into.
In this list, we’ll be taking a look at the 20 best video game sites that have earned a place in your bookmarks bar. By providing unique content, producing the most entertaining videos, or just hiring the best writers in the industry, every video game website on this list excels in their given niche.
20. GameTrailers
URL: gametrailers.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Video content.
Best Feature: Angry Video Game Nerd’s regular series.
Specialising in video content, GameTrailers offers some of the most widely popular gaming series online. From Top Tens to Pach-Attack, GameTrailers has constantly pumped out high-quality videos since its makeover in 2007.
The main draw of GameTrailers though, has to be the Angry Video Game Nerd reviews. Created by James Rolfe, the show typically involves Rolfe in-character, commentating negatively on games throughout history that he considers to be particularly awful.
OK, so GameTrailers may not feature the most in-depth, analytical commentary available online. However, for those just looking to relax while watching some well-produced, high-quality gaming content, GameTrailers beats out almost anything you’ll find broadcast to your TV.
19. Gamers With Jobs
URL: gamerswithjobs.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Articles for people with little time, but lots of love for gaming.
Best Feature: The GWJ podcasts are perfect listening for the morning commute.
Many of us may long for the days of pulling all-nighters to complete a new release, or skipping school to grind out that extra bit of XP. Unfortunately, with adulthood comes greater responsibilities, often leaving very little time for gaming.
The creators of Gamers With Jobs understand this plight though. Working hard to provide the time-challenged with ways to enjoy their hobby, Gamers With Jobs has a wealth of high quality content that anyone can enjoy. Most famous for its long-running podcast, the ‘Gamers With Jobs Conference Call’ has been entertaining commuters for years with its witty discussions regarding recent gaming news.
Also hosting a very active forum, Gamers With Jobs offers a fantastic community for any self-respecting gamer to dive into.
18. RPGamer
URL: rpgamer.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: RPG gaming content.
Best Feature: The reviews that are aimed squarely at the needs of RPG fanatics.
An oldie but a goodie, RPGamer started up as the UnOfficial SquareSoft HomePage in 1995, before emerging into its current form in 1998. As the name suggests, RPGamer is one of the leading voices for the role-playing genre, providing news, interviews and reviews that cover the European, North American and Asian markets.
RPGamer has a sizable following, and is well-known for its regular fan-submitted content, ranging from art to editorials. Most notable though, are it’s reviews, which cover all the elements that are of most interest to your typical RPG fanatic. For example, every review contains specific scores based on the strength of the story and battle system, while also noting down the hours required to complete the title.
If you know your Atelier Roronas from your Baten Kaitos, then RPGamer is a site more than worthy of your attention.
17. Kotaku
URL: kotaku.co.uk
Platform: Multi
Focus: Off-beat news and features.
Best Feature: The ‘In Depth’ section still offers interesting, lengthy features about a variety of topics.
Launched in 2004, Kotaku has swiftly become one of the most popular gaming blogs ever. Despite a somewhat unfocused style of content delivery, and a rather unhealthy obsession with Japanese oddities, Kotaku is consistently entertaining with its wild variety of posts.
Kotaku has had its fair share of controversy, particularly regarding what some consider to be sensationalist journalism. Regardless of inflammatory headlines though, Kotaku’s ‘In Depth’ section continues to be an excellent source of well-researched, fascinating articles that often have something genuinely interesting to say about their chosen topics.
Kotaku might have annoyed more than a few people in its (almost) ten-year run, but the site has managed to remain relevant and produce high quality content, while adapting to the tastes and needs of a growing readership.
16. CheapAssGamer
URL: cheapassgamer.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Advising gamers on a budget.
Best Feature: The frequently updated Price Tracker.
While not the most expensive hobby ever, owning an extensive games library is still a fast way to drain your wallet. Fortunately, Cheap Ass Gamer’s community is working hard to ensure that even the least frugal gamer has no excuse for buying a title at full price.
Almost entirely community-driven, Cheap Ass Gamer hunts down the best online bargains, presenting them in the site’s famous Price Tracker. The site also hosts a hugely popular podcast series, the CAGcast, which offers video game news and discussion.
A must for any money-minded gamer, make sure you pay Cheap Ass Gamer a visit the next time you’re hunting down an elusive pre-owned title.
15. TIGSource
URL: tigsource.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Indie game coverage.
Best Feature: The TIG database, compiling the best that indie games have to offer.
Currently run by Spelunky developer Derek Yu, TIGSource is one of the more proactive communities dedicated to indie game development. Offering more than just gaming news on its pages the site also hosts TIGdb, a database of handpicked indie titles complete with download links, screenshots and community ratings.
It’s a fantastic place to discover real, home-brewed indie titles, and the friendly community is always ready to help out with any queries from newcomers. TIGSource’s competitions have also resulted in several games that have gone on to receive critical acclaim, such as 2D shooter Gang Garrison 2.
For anyone that’s ever had the urge to make a game in their bedroom, basement or shed, TIDSource is a great place to start.
14. Pocket Gamer
URL: pocketgamer.co.uk
Platform: Mobile
Focus: News and reviews for mobile gaming.
Best Feature: One of the only places to read trustworthy mobile game reviews.
With the ease and availability of downloading through Apple’s App Store or the Google Play Store, many may question the need for a traditional review site when it comes to mobile gaming. It’s also become an area notorious for paid articles and ‘sponsored’ reviews, placing mobile games journalism on shaky ground.
Pocket Gamer is the biggest and best mobile-only reviews site, and one of the few places we can trust to deliver truly honest reviews. The site also has a well-presented Buyer’s Guide, split up into different sections like “Best Time Management Games” and “Best Running Games”, making it easy to quickly find recommendations based on the type of game you currently fancy playing.
With a huge amount of content and coverage of almost every mobile platform, Pocket Gamer team have worked hard to become one of the only reputable mobile gaming review sites online.
13. Quarter To Three
URL: quartertothree.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Informal news and reviews.
Best Feature: The weekly Quarter to Three podcast.
Like several other entries on this list, Quarter to Three has a huge community behind it. Made up primarily of hardcore gaming enthusiasts , the Quarter to Three forums contain a lot of interesting, no-nonsense discussion.
The Quarter to Three website itself excels in producing analytic, informal feature articles, game diaries and reviews. The regular podcasts are a particular highlight, with a format that resembles a group of (clearly knowledgeable) friends just sitting around and casually chatting about a variety of interesting topics.
Named after the early hours that are often seen during a dedicated gaming session, Quarter to Three is a relaxed site that will appeal those belonging to the more hardcore end of the gamer spectrum.
12. Retro Gamer
URL: retrogamer.net
Platform: Retro
Focus: Articles that take a look back at the early days of gaming.
Best Feature: The ‘Making of’ segments provide an interesting insight into the stories behind some of gaming history’s most iconic games.
One of the few magazines to still exist in print form, Retro Gamer has a relatively small, but hugely dedicated following. Devoted entirely to gaming’s past, the Retro Gamer website continues to revisit old games and the hardware they were played on.
Despite focusing only on early gaming titles, the Retro Gamer team regularly publishes new, nostalgia-filled content. With a strong portfolio of industry connections, Retro Gamer frequently posts features that explore the history behind some of the most legendary games in history, through exclusive interviews and fascinating anecdotes.
Although Retro Gamer is living in the past, the site also frequently takes a look at more modern titles in its ‘Future Classic’ segments, attempting to predict which titles will be remembered or forgotten by history. A delight for anyone that remembers gaming before digital downloads and multi-million advertising deals, Retro Gamer offers a well-written journey down memory lane.
11. IGN
URL: ign.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: News and reviews behemoth that specialises in AAA game content.
Best Feature: The exclusive interviews and event coverage.
Simply too big to ignore, IGN is by far the most popular website for video game content. With 400 employees (and a butt-load of cash), IGN is unrivaled in the sheer quantity and variety of content that it’s able to publish daily.
Particularly useful for its extensive live coverage of industry events, IGN’s video content has among the best production values on the market. Also, thanks to the site’s extreme popularity, a high IGN review score can be an important part of a game’s commercial success.
While it may be fashionable to be critical of the company’s corporate image and business-like approach, IGN’s quality exclusives and high readership numbers have made it a titan in the world of video game journalism.
10. GamesIndustry International
URL: gamesindustry.biz
Platform: Multi
Focus: Games industry coverage.
Best Feature: The jobs section is a fantastic resource for those hoping to break into the industry.
Aimed entirely at those either in, or hoping to break into the gaming industry, GamesIndustry International is all about the business side of things. A serious site filled with insider information, GamesIndustry International isn’t the place to go if you’re looking for the latest Call of Duty multiplayer tips.
GamesIndustry International’s primary focus is on up-to-date coverage of industry news, although it frequently publishes a number of interesting editorials that are written from an industry perspective. The site’s Jobs section is also stocked full of listings, with placements at developers and publishers of all sizes.
If you have any interest whatsoever in the business behind your favourite hobby, GamesIndustry International should be your number one choice for video game industry news and information.
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.
Joystiq’s best output though, is the reliably entertaining Super Joystiq podcast, which brings together all the editors in a different role each time. Featuring some great, well-informed discussion that occasionally gets a bit silly, the Super Joystiq podcast is well worth a weekly download.
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.
8. Edge
URL: edge-online.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Broadsheet-style industry stories and in-depth reviews.
Best Feature: The legendary yearly awards.
With it’s first issue printed in 1993, Edge is one of only a handful of gaming magazines that can claim to have survived for over two decades. Famous for its anonymous writing style and industry connections, Edge Magazine is just about the highest standard of games journalism money can buy.
Edge’s website doesn’t hold up quite as well as the printed magazine (hey, they’ve got to make money somehow), but it still contains some of the best written reviews and news pieces on the web. Notoriously difficult to please, Edge has awarded only 16 games with its coveted 10/10 score in its 21-year run. If Edge says that a game is worth playing, you can be damned sure that it is.
Despite lacking the fast and furious output of many sites on this list, Edge is a classic example of quality over quantity.
7. Destructoid
URL: destructoid.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Blogger-style news and reviews.
Best Feature: The vast amount of original video content.
Fiercely independent, Destructoid set out in 2006 to be a “video game lover’s sanctuary”. And, judging from one of the loudest communities in gaming, that’s exactly what it has become.
With its never ending stream of original content, Destructoid is relentless in its wry, tongue-in-cheek approach to games journalism. Additionally, Destructoid’s video content is exceptionally high in both regularity and quality, varying from deep analysis to full on comedy.
A mish-mash of styles, Destructoid is a celebration of the many facets of gaming culture, backed up by a fantastic community that also produces a huge amount of top notch content.
6. Gamasutra
URL: gamasutra.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Video game development.
Best Feature: The ‘Post-Mortem’ features.
Specialising in video game development, Gamasutra is written for developers, while remaining accessible enough for anyone that has an interest in the business of gaming. With some outstanding interviews published since its formation in 1997, Gamasutra is enormously respected for its behind the scenes looks at the industry.
Gamasutra’s most fascinating features though, have to be their regular post-mortems of popular games. These take a look at the best and worst aspects of a game’s development, in an attempt to identify the reasons for its success or failure. With many developers claiming that these post-mortems have been highly conducive to their own works, Gamasutra is a necessity for anyone serious about the video game industry.
Providing some tremendously valuable articles in its time, Gamasutra has long been a voice of authority for all things video game development.
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.
The Escapist online magazine is one of the top providers of well-written, stimulating editorials, and famous for its humorous outlook on video game culture. The site has also played host to some of the most well-known gaming personalities, including Tom Chick and Jim Sterling.
By far the most infamous feature of The Escapist though, is Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw’s Zero Punctuation video review series. Reportedly quadrupling the site’s traffic upon its implementation, Zero Punctuation takes a droll look at a current game release, usually focusing heavily on its negative aspects. More like comedy pieces than serious reviews, Yahtzee’s videos have nonetheless proven influential, and are frequently acknowledged by developers and publishers.
More than just the “Zero Punctuation website”, The Escapist is a brilliant source of excellent writing and hilarious videos.
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.
Kill Screen has been called everything from “pretentious” to a “breath of fresh air”, but there’s few who would argue that Kill Screen isn’t unique in what it does. Claiming that “play is a fundamental human endeavor”, Kill Screen closely examines what it believes makes up the meaningful aspects of gaming.
Many of Kill Screen’s articles can read more like poetry than a piece of games journalism, often presenting a unique view both in its arguments and design. Occasionally the site’s content veers dangerously close to pomposity, but no-one could call Kill Screen with it’s wild and weird articles boring.
The total antithesis to the ‘buyers guide’ style of writing, Kill Screen takes all your preconceptions about what video game journalism should be, rewrites them into symmetrical rhyming stanzas, then smacks you round the face with them.
3. Polygon
URL: polygon.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Well-designed highbrow content.
Best Feature: Beautifully presented feature articles.
Although Polygon is a relative newcomer compared to most on this list, the team behind its sleekly designed pages are anything but. Launched in 2012 by the ex-editor-in-chiefs of various sites such as Joystiq, Kotaku and The Escapist, Polygon has quickly made a name for itself as a publisher of some of the best highbrow content in video games journalism.
Living up to its name, Polygon specialises in high quality feature articles that tend to approach a topic from an unusual angle. In particular, their articles often focus on the development process behind video games, in an entertaining manner that sets it apart from much drier sites such as GamesIndustry International.
In addition to their features that look at the human side of game development, Polygon’s reviews are also remarkable for their scholarly analysis that acts as more than just a buyer’s guide.
2. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
URL: rockpapershotgun.com
Platform: PC
Focus: Witty coverage of all things PC.
Best Feature: The game diaries, which are presented in personalised, often hilarious entries that give insight into the writer’s subjective experiences.
Rock, Paper, Shotgun may provide a platform for some of the funniest personalities in the business, but you’d be mistaken in thinking the site is anything but deadly serious when it comes to video games. Based in the UK, Rock, Paper, Shotgun’s articles take an unflinching look at all facets of PC gaming.
The site’s ‘Wot I Think’ segments are brutally honest, and don’t tend to skim over the issues that many mainstream review sites often overlook. Rock, Paper, Shotgun’s game diaries are also refreshing, in that they provide openly subjective opinions that develop with the writer’s gameplay experience.
Rock, Paper, Shotgun’s greatest accomplishment is in ensuring that their content is not only analytical and thought-provoking, but also extremely enjoyable to read. This, combined with an assortment of consistently entertaining regular features, has cemented Rock, Paper, Shotgun’s place as our PC gaming site of choice.
1. Giant Bomb
URL: giantbomb.com
Platform: Multi
Focus: Writing about the games themselves, minus the seriousness of the industry.
Best Feature: Brutally honest, trustworthy reviews.
Giant Bomb was originally started up with the intention of putting the fun back into games coverage, while maintaining a high degree of professionalism. In this respect, Giant Bomb has been games journalism’s biggest triumph since its launch in 2008.
The formation of Giant Bomb can be directly attributed to the release of what would otherwise be a mediocre third-person shooter of little note, called Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Jeff Gerstmann, then GameSpot’s Editor in Chief, reviewed the title with a score of 6.0. This allegedly led to corporate pressure that resulted in Gerstmann’s dismissal from GameSpot. The aftermath saw popular writer Ryan Davis leave in response, along with several other journalists.
Armed with the support of a large fan following, and the intention to escape the kind of environment that caused the original dismissal, Davis and Gerstmann set about creating their own website. Wanting to write less about the industry and more about the actual games they loved, Giant Bomb was formed.
Giant Bomb has gone from strength to strength, and gained a respectable, solid readership due to its wide range of fun, informative content. The team behind the site is tiny but dedicated, and has reliably produced original, endlessly entertaining content through the years.
With the untimely death of co-founder Ryan Davis last year, Giant Bomb lost one of its biggest personalities, drawing thousands of fans to the site in order to pay their respects. In spite of this tragedy, the site that Gerstmann and Davis started almost 6 years ago has powered on, continuing to produce multimedia content of the utmost quality.
Giant Bomb’s community is notoriously loyal and outspoken, and for good reason. One of the most beloved websites of all time, Giant Bomb has truly earned the top spot as the greatest video game website currently running.
