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[IbizaPocholo]

There's always something special about a video game remake. Whether it's fully rebuilt from the ground up or modernized in enough ways to make it feel brand new, it's always exciting to see our childhood memories in a fresh and polished light.

For this list, we avoided adding video game remasters. Seeing a game remastered is often a sight to behold, but doesn't quite qualify as a full-on remake. So to that end, here are IGN's top 10 video game remakes of all time.

Our full list:

1. Resident Evil 2 Remake
2. Final Fantasy 7 Remake
3. Demon's Souls (2020)
4. Resident Evil Remake
5. Metroid: Zero Mission
6. Half-Life Black Mesa
7. Live A Live
8. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
9. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2
10. Shadow of the Colossus

 

[Captain Toad]

Final Fantasy VII Remake is not a remake. I don't care what its name is. It's a sequel.

Resident Evil 1 and 2 are among my favorite actual remakes. RE2 is pushing the definition though, as it's close to a full re-imagining.

Demon's Souls too. It doesn't hurt those are three of my all-time favorite games.

 

[adamsapple]

CTRL + F "Twin Snakes"

"No results found"

 

[SeraphJan]

Best Remake has to be Resident Evil 2, one of the most atmospheric game, the game give a fresh feeling while maintain its original vibe

Demon Souls is also good, but the gameplay is literally the same as PS3 version

 

[Fbh]

Final Fantasy VII Remake is not a remake. I don't care what its name is. It's a sequel.

Resident Evil 1 and 2 are among my favorite actual remakes. RE2 is pushing the definition though, as it's close to a full re-imagining.

Demon's Souls too. It doesn't hurt those are three of my all-time favorite games.

Yeah it's weird having it mixed up with the others in the list.

I liked it and it has "remake" in the name but when you change the gameplay, story, overall structure and it's based on just a fraction of the original is it really a "remake" in the traditional sense?
Specially with that ending too

 

[Shifty1897]

Never thought I'd say this about an IGN list article but that's a solid list. Edit: I just realized Nier Replicant isn't on the list. It probably isn't one of the best 10 but I still love it for making the original Nier bearable to play.

And yes RE2 is definitely the best remake, that game is incredible.

 

[Danjin44]

Final Fantasy VII Remake is not a remake. I don't care what its name is. It's a sequel.

I think even devs themselves confirmed that they named it "remake" for entire different reason rather than trying actually remake the game.

 

[Arachnid]

RE2 is definitely the best remake. It should have won GOTY.

 

[Fuz]

"10 video games remakes of all times"

 

[Captain Toad]

I think even devs themselves confirmed that they named it "remake" for entire different reason rather than trying actually remake the game.

Yeah, Sephiroth is doing the remaking, not Square.

But there IS a FF7 remake coming. For mobile. But, it doesn't look like it would be on any "best of" lists.

 

[Handel]

There aren't that many actual remakes in gaming, hard to think of any that aren't on this list off the top of my head. Still they got the order wrong, REmake and RE2R are the clear #1 and #2 in whichever order you prefer them (RE2R the better overall game, REmake the better remake). FFVIIR is not actually a remake, and Demon's Souls remake is largely 1:1 to the original so it's mostly a visual asset remake.

Would take off SOTC remake and put in Link's Awakening remake even though that is largely a visual remake itself, because the visual changes are more impactful for LA atmosphere than anything done in SOTC's visual remake.

 

[Paltheos]

AM2R (Another Metroid 2 Remake) deserves a spot imo. I can understand why it wouldn't get one, what with it (a) being a fan game and (b) ostensibly stepping on the feet of the official Samus Returns release, which, together, might push a little too hard on the sensibilities of a Reputable publication like IGN. That being said, I think it belongs in the discussion.

 

[JimmyRustler]

I think it's a bit weird to put Demons Souls above Resident Evil as former was basically just a graphics update but yeah, good list. RE2 was simply amazing. Still hard to believe it turned out this good after how long we've been asking for it.

 

[ZehDon]

I still consider stuff like Demon's Souls and Shadow of Colossus as remasters, as they changed nothing but the presentation. REmake and REmake 2 are full blown remakes - re-built from the ground up.

With that said, REmake 2 is my favourite remake, and its the gold standard. Is it perfect? No. But, apart from REmake, there isn't anything close to what it did.

 

[Aure]

They made an incredible remake with RE2 despite all the differences and cut corners. I loved it, same with RE1 Remake. RE3 Remake, just no, absolute dumpsterfire.
THPS1+2 was so good, if only they would continue remaking them.

Tomb Raider Anniversary was another one of my list that i loved back then, truly an excellent remake.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Take Zero Mission out of the list for great justice, and there's a couple titles in there that are literally nothing but 1:1 reissues with a nice coat of paint.

 

[IbizaPocholo]

What are the qualities of a good video game remake? Once upon a time, it was enough for a remake to simply update something with modern graphics. But as the games industry has evolved, so have tastes and gameplay systems, and thus remakes have changed, too. Now, a remake can offer a truly new experience to both long-term and new fans, with fresh new takes on decades-old ideas. The very best remakes are carefully observed balancing acts that find the sweet spot between faithful recreation and exciting new ideas. In some cases, that's the game exactly as you thought you remembered it, now unshackled from old hardware limitations. In others, it's radical recreations that provide an alternate vision of the original's core idea.

With all that in mind, let's explore the very best video game remakes. From Resident Evil 2 to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake series, these are the 15 strongest examples of remakes, judged not by their overall quality as games, but by how each project achieved its new, upgraded ambitions and brought new perspectives to old classics.

1. Resident Evil 2 Remake
2. FF7 Rebirth
3. Resident Evil (2002)
4. Silent Hill 2
5. Persona 3 Reload
6. Resident Evil 4
7. Metroid: Zero Mission
8. Demon's Souls
9. Shadow of the Colossus
10. FF7 Remake
11. Black Mesa
12. MGS Delta: Snake Eater
13. Live a Live
14. Link's Awakening
15. Pokemon Heart Gold/Soulsilver

 

[Durin]

Black Mesa should be higher, because it does what so many other remakes do in making fundamental improvements to the core game, but was done as a community effort..and it's $20.