2020 was a strange year for all of us, with almost everyone experiencing some form of disruptions or cancellations in their lives. But whilst plenty of businesses are dealing with losses and further obstacles, the video game industry has gone from strength to strength over the course of the year.
Benefitting hugely from the amount of people at home with much more time on their hands, gaming has become worth more than the likes of the film and music industries put together.
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However, in true 2020 fashion, the games that dominated the year weren’t always the most obvious. 2020 brought with it the new generation of console wars and saw the release of some of the most hyped games in history, but there were several releases that took the world by storm that no one saw coming.
Here are some of the games that absolutely WON 2020.
1. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Released during the height of the first global lockdown, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout was the simple and silly game everyone needed to distract away from the issues of the year. The game takes inspiration from game shows such as Total Wipeout, and sees up to 60 players taking part in a series of minigames where a certain number of players are eliminated after the completion of each round.
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There are 29 minigames in all, with them ranging from brain teasers, hit and run challenges, and obstacle course races. Though winning a tournament is the ultimate dream, the real fun of Fall Guys comes from the party feeling you get playing with friends and all the carnage that unfolds from the challenges.
The game was free to play on the PSN network, going a huge way in securing its popularity, and whilst it has disappeared somewhat at the backend of the year, 2020 will always be known as the year we all played Fall Guys.
2. Valorant
Playing video games professionally, known as Esports in the industry, became a billion-dollar industry over the course of 2020 with the likes of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 seeing huge spikes in their concurrent player bases over the year. Esports betting continues to be one of the most popular ways gamers have found to take their passions to the next level, and the online structure of the industry means that events and tournaments can still go ahead without too much disruption.
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Riot Games have established itself as one of the biggest players in the Esports world through their development and support of League of Legends. Whether it’s through checking out the latest LoL odds for the hottest events around the world, or joining the 250 million odd players the game boasts in a game on the server, Riot’s reach is unquestionable in the gaming world.
2020 saw the launch of Valorant, Riot’s first foray into the world of first person shooters. The game drew attention for its similarities to Valve’s Counter-Strike series, and has already started to produce a rivalry that could end up matching the rivalry the two companies already have for League of Legends and Valve’s Dota 2.
The game certainly made a splash this year, but it’ll be in the coming months that we really see the impact Valorant is going to have on the competitive scene.
3. Among Us
A classic whodunnit party game that understands gaming communities better than anyone else, Among Us is a game that revolves around a group of players who have to work together to repair a ship and work out which member of their crew is an imposter working against them.
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Among Us is a game with a simple premise, wide appeal and an endless amount of possibilities in the way it can be played. No game of Among Us is ever the same, giving it an immense replayability value, and it really taps into the multiplayer staples of community and interaction that always chimes well with gamers.
Perhaps the only strange thing about its inclusion in a list about the best games that won 2020 is the pure fact that it was actually a title released all the way back in 2018. According to the latest reports for the latter half the year, Among Us was averaging nearly 60 million players a day, marking a huge surge and a real change in fortunes for its developers, Inner Sloth.
