No matter how big or small, every game has a team of hardworking developers behind it. But then come those AAA studios that alter the course of history with their games. These are giant companies with hundreds of talented developers leading the charge. They might not release video games yearly, but when they do, their games are enjoyed by millions and they set a new bar for immersiveness. Here are the five best game studios of all time.
Best Game Studios of All Time
There aren’t enough words in the world to praise all the game studios we owe our childhoods and adulthoods to. With countless awesome developers like Naughty Dog, Santa Monica Studio, Ninja Theory, and others not making the cut for this list, you might disagree with the rankings and may want to voice a different opinion. Luckily, you can fire away to your heart’s content in the comments below.
5. Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games’ track record is spotless. All of their mainline Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption games have broken records and set new standards for the level of detail obtainable in an open-world setting.
Whether it’s a game set in modern-day like GTA 5 or a story set in a fictional Wild West like Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar has proved time and time again that their game design is second to none. When you think of the best games Rockstar has put out, it’s hard to rank them since they all were spectacular during their time.
It’s a shame the studio’s output has diminished considerably in the past decade. That said, whenever a new Rockstar game is on the horizon, the world always bands together to witness what next-generation content it’s going to have. Just look at GTA 6, its trailer already has over 170 million views.
Related: When Is GTA 6 Coming Out? Release Window Confirmed
4. Capcom
The thing with Capcom is that it has seen both good times and bad times, and right now the days have never been better.
The 2000s were legendary for Capcom. The Devil May Cry games, Resident Evil, and Street Fighter were the hottest kids on the block and many adult gamers today credit these franchises for shaping their childhood. Then we entered the 2010s and it was a rocky ride for the studio until the Resident Evil remakes started hitting, Devil May Cry 5 revived the hack-and-slash genre, and Street Fighter 6 etched its name as the best fighting game on the market.
Each of Capcom’s latest titles has been a blast and fans couldn’t be any happier. What’s equally good is that Capcom’s future line-up looks even more glorious and after all that, how could you not call it one of the best game studios of all time?
3. Bethesda Softworks
Unlike Capcom, Bethesda Softworks has been in a tight spot ever since the Xbox and ZeniMax merger. However, you can’t deny Bethesda has played a huge part in video game history. The Elder Scrolls and Fallout are the pinnacle of RPGs and the level of immersion, freedom, and content both game series have offered over the past 4 decades is unparalleled.
Bethesda’s subsidiary studios Arkane (Dishonored), id Tech (Doom), and Tango Gameworks (The Evil Within) are no joke either. The entire Bethesda Studios family has dominated the gaming industry since the beginning and if you fall in love with a shooter or RPG today, just know that Bethesda played a giant part in making them happen.
Related: Bethesda Promises Big Things For Starfield In 2024
2. Nintendo
Nintendo has had skin in the industry since the 80s. It’s a conglomerate that has produced the world’s best-selling handhelds and iconic video game franchises like Mario and The Legend of Zelda. Nintendo has been there and done it all: was a pioneer of 2D games, made some of the biggest open-world games, re-ignited the passion for handhelds with the Switch, and most importantly, despite having lower performance hardware it managed to bring breathtaking adventures to its platform like Tears of the Kingdom.
Year after year Nintendo has brought something new to the table. It has re-innovated its franchises, especially Zelda and Mario, and still shows no signs of stopping. It’s clearly deserving of being called one of the top game studios of all time.
You might not own a Nintendo Switch or maybe haven’t played a Zelda, Mario, or Pokémon game in your life but one thing you can’t deny is that Nintendo’s one of the oldest game studios and has day-in and day-out managed to satisfy its customers with amazing video games.
1. FromSoftware
No microtransactions, no bazillion in-game currencies, New Game +7 included day one, minimal bugs, and sometimes, even free DLC, this sounds like too much to ask for in a game in this day and age but FromSoftware is one studio that overdelivers every single time by giving all this and plenty more. Dark Souls 2 in 2014, Bloodborne in 2015, Dark Souls 3 in 2016, Sekiro in 2019, Elden Ring in 2022, and now Armored Core 6 in 2023, FromSoftware has been on an insane spree of creating masterpieces one after the other.
Whether you want to be a sorcerer, a samurai, a knight, or an assassin, FromSoftware’s games will support your wildest fantasies. This “Soulslike” genre FromSoftware has created keeps on getting better with every new title they release. Better bosses, visuals, designs, stories, bigger worlds, there’s almost no area you can critique FromSoftware in.
Over the past decade, FromSoftware has immensely grown and their games show that. Each of them is better than the last and if it means anything, no developer except for FromSoftware has won Game of the Year two times in a row when their game was nominated at The Game Awards. FromSoftware is unquestionably setting the bar for single-player games right now, and in the coming years, it’s the developer you should have your eyes on.
