Going by favourite as "Left the most lasting impression on me" it would have to be:

1. Monster Hunter World

2. Crosscode

3. Outer Wilds

Only three is a cruel restriction; I grant myself at least a top four.

• Morrowind
• The Neverhood
• Diablo 2
• Hyper Light Drifter

It's hard as there's a lot of different games that I like for different reasons, but if I had to narrow it down it'd probably be:

• Minecraft
• Mirror's Edge
• Dragon's Dogma

• Oldschool RuneScape
• Factorio
• Baldur's gate 3

Top 3 is hard. I'll start with the first three that came to mind, in no particular order:

• Witcher 3

• Star Control 2

• Monkey Island 2

But there are so many that I could have listed instead.

The Commander Keen games are amongst the first I remember playing, I loved those and played through them so many times.

Baldurs Gate 3 was such a masterpiece, it probably could bump W3 off that list.

Although, Ultima 7 was the first RPG I played where I became properly immersed in the story. The world, the characters, the way the mystery of the main story unfolds. And it is actually a really good jump-in point for the series as it's set a couple centuries after number 6.

Fallout 1 also could easily make the list. I loved the way such a small and intimate quest for your vault unfolds into something bigger.

1. Super Metroid
2. Hollow Knight
3. Dead Cells

1. GTA San Andrays
2. Halo 3
3. AOE 2

These games are rooted in my childhood and connected to memories of simpler times and good friends. I Still play video games but I don't think I could ever experience the same level of joy and excitement that I got from gaming as I did when I was younger. These days I'd rather just go for a nice walk with my dog like the boring old man that I am.

1. RimWorld - I don't think I've ever seen a game care so much about making the player feel like part of the story; just all around amazing. Damn near everything is configurable and for anything that isn't the modding community probably has a fix for (and then some).
2. Terraria - Certainly has its quirks and annoyances, but I like that it has sandbox elements to be creative and do whatever, but also always feels like the game has an objective to work towards. I've probably played though at least half a dozen times between solo runs and multiplayer games with friends/ family and I just keep coming back to it.
3. Stardew valley - it's just cozy with a slight hit of nostalgia. I have childhood memories of staying up entirely too late monopolizing the TV/ GameCube playing Harvest Moon and this scratches the same itch. Beyond that you can feel the love and attention to detail that the dev has poured into the game. Plus the skill ceiling is pretty low, so even my non-gamer friends/ family can play and have a good time.

Honorable mentions:

• Factorio
• Slay the Spire
• FTL

Copy Kitty

Anno 1800

Satisfactory

1. TF2

Its just so good, played it a fair bit when I was a young teen and picked it up again a couple years ago and haven't stopped playing 8 - 20 hours a week. Best game ever imo, never gets old.

2. Garry's Mod

Easily my favorite game when I was in middle school and high school, and it still holds a very dear spot in my heart and memories from that era of my life. Excited for s&b

3. Cyberpunk 2077

I remember seeing the teaser trailer when I was a preteen and was so hyped, took like 10 years but when it did come out I had covid (which was lucky for me because I didn't feel that sick and I got paid leave for 14 days to play the game). Played on PC from day 1 and beat the game In a week or so, it wasn't that buggy imo. I loved the story and I encountered minimal issues during my play through, and only one that caused me to need to reload a save.

Other favs probably rimworld, gta 4, stanleys parable

• Doom/Doom II. They somehow lucked the hell out on mechanics, speed of movement, ease of modding etc. John Carmack did us all a massive solid and got the game released under GPL license only four years after it came out. As a result of the incremental improvements enabled by that, the game keeps my interest to this day.
• TIE Fighter. I used to be a massive Star Wars fan, and this game was just the best thing ever for a detail-oriented kid. I memorized the stats of every single ship and for the rest of time was pissed whenever someone got it wrong. The missions truly require you to use your brain and every advantage at your disposal (in-flight map; reinforcements; wingmates; ship characteristics; good tactics). 've'never come across a better flight sim to this day (although the Freespace series comes close).
• Diablo II. I was 15 when this game came out. I rollerbladed all the way across town to buy this game without my parents knowing. The clerk almost didn't sell it to me because he thought I looked too young but in the end he did me a solid. The game was worth it and then some. It consumed the rest of my teenage years. Digital crack.

Games that deserve to be in the top three but don't fit:

• PlanetSide. I still remember being in shock watching a hundred people shoot at each other without massive rubberbanding etc. It totally redefined what was possible in a game. I was obsessed with making loadouts for every situation. TR forever!

• Dark Souls. They totally nailed the feeling of being in some sort of dark fantasy fever dream. So beautiful, and I love how the lore is relevant to how you feel trying to overcome the adversity of the game. First half of the game has some of the best world design I've ever seen.

• World of Warcraft. I flunked out of college because of this game. I think it was worth it.

From my youth:

Mega Man 2
Super Metroid
Fallout

Current, as games have grown as a medium:

Borderlands
NieR Automata
Baldur's Gate 3

My favorite type of games were really always the story-rich non-linear storytelling of the Baldur's Gate/Fallout style but in my youth I was far more attracted to Fallout than Baldur's Gate. However, there are no modern iterations of Fallout in the same style. New Vegas is fun and all, but what I would give for a modern fallout in the style of BG3.

• Uncharted (series)
• RDR2
• Minecraft

Honorable mention: No Man’s Sky

I'll cheat because picking just 3 is impossible.

1. Nethack / Alundra (PS1) / Sim City 2000 / Transport Tycoon Deluxe / Prey / Doom 2016 / Elite / Dwarf Fortress / Rimworld / International Karate / Paradroid

2. System Shock / Ultima 3-8 / Alpha Centauri / GTA5 / Titanfall 2 / Control / Eye of the Beholder / Sensible Soccer / Star Control 2 / Total Annihilation / Impossible Mission

3. Undertale / Bioshock Infinite / S.O.M.A. / Nemesis the Warlock (entirely because of the title song) / Pirates! / Stardew Valley / Revenge of the Mutant Camels

BOTW

Fallout: New Vegas

Skyrim

1. Chrono Trigger
2. Final Fantasy 7
3. Expedition 33

Off the top of my head, in no particular order:

• Portal (or maybe Portal 2)
• Doom (the 1993 one) (or maybe Doom 2)
• Stellaris

All great games

1. Earthbound. I replay it every few years for nostalgia and just a feel good game.
2. Xenogears. Hands down one of the best stories for an RPG.
3. SOMA. The dark, post apocalyptic world is so gritty, I just love it. The ending really left me speechless.

Gonna show my age a bit here.

1. Chromehounds. Nothing since has filled that 20 story tall mecha hole in my heart. The way you could build your hound into the role you wanted to play really hasn't been done well in any game since

2. MAG (massive action game). Ps3/ps4 128vs128 matches online? It was such a clusterfuck and I loved it.

3. Binding of Isaac and all its expansions. Game has been a solid and consistent time sink in my life for more than 10 years. Quirky and infinitely replayable.

1. Super Mario RPG. I played through this game so many times as a kid.
2. Dust: An Elysian Tail
3. Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Star Wars Pod Racer Halo Reach Word of Warcraft

Pod racer was the first game I was better than my younger sibling and when I bought my very first CD (Green Day). I spent hours playing that game with my CD on repeat.

Halo Reach was the first Halo game I was really into and first console modern game played. I spent so many hours playing online and IRL with friends.

World of Warcraft is the game I’ve played the longest. I’ve been playing since a few months after launch. Even though I initially thought it was “too cartoony”, it has kept me entertained for decades. Some of my favorite books are from Warcraft lore. I’ve played countless hours with friends, but now I play solo more than anything. I chase achievements, transmogs, and pets.

Probably:

• Fallout 2
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
• Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars

Fallout 2 isn't as refined and tight as Fallout but I personally enjoy it more. It's arguably far too big but as I've played it so many times (unusual for me - I'm usually a one-and-done person when it comes to time sink RPGs) that isn't a bad thing. I enjoy the writing, mechanics, and atmosphere. Also I voice a robot dog in a mod for it.

Red Alert 2 is the best C&C game ever. I do not care for any of the 3D ones and Red Alert 1 is rather too difficult for me. However RA2 I have finished on hardest difficulty several times. I've never really bothered with the multiplayer for it outside of co-op because I don't play to be competitive. I tend to take my time and like it that way.

Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars is maybe my favourite point and click RPG. I go back to it every few years and it always sucks me in. I know most of the puzzles off by heart but I'm more there for the sense of escapism and gentle humour. There's other amazing point and click games but for whatever reason this one really speaks to me. It's not even a nostalgia thing - I've only ever played the 2009 director's cut! I'm old enough to have played the '90s version but never did.

Honourable mentions:

*Startopia
*The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
*Theme Hospital
*What Remains of Edith Finch

Startopia's music, humour, and gameplay are all top notch. Runs on a potato, makes me laugh, and features my old pal, Arona.

BoI:R is great. I've put a ridiculous number of hours into it. The latest DLC has made it a bit too big for my tastes but in general I enjoy it a great deal.

Theme Hospital is like Two Point Hospital but tighter, funnier, and prettier. Lots of fun.

What Remains of Edith Finch is art. It's funny, moving, tragic, and beautiful. I encourage everyone to play through it. It won't take that long - a few hours. Such a fantastic experience. Gone Home is pretty damn good too.

1. Satisfactory
2. Stardew Valley
3. Baldur's Gate 3

Not that they're the best games, but they're definitely my favorites. Though if I'm being honest there's a large gap between number one and number two, and anything other than Satisfactory feels like it could move in the top 10 depending on my mood.

So I guess if I'm being honest with myself it's more like
1: Satisfactory

~massive gap~

2-∞: any other traditionally well-liked game, depending on my mood on a given day

Elden Ring, Dwarf Fortress, and Disco Elysium.

• Diablo II
• Chrono Trigger
• Halo 3

I don't get to play games much nowadays but I was a rank 50 lone wolf back in the day. Good times.

cyberpunk 2077

eve online

counter strike source

I want to know what titles were knocked out of top place for OP

Not gonna rank them because I can't.

Age of Empires II I've played since release and still do occasionally.

Everhood 1 everything about it I love. During covid things got very dark for me personally and this game just hit perfectly on some stuff plaguing my mind at the exact right time I most needed it. The devs were one hit wonders unfortunately. Coming from that, the sequel was atrocious.

Thief 2: The Metal Age. It's like crack to this brain of mine. Yes I play The Dark Mod too.

Runners up:

LISA: The Painful

Diddy Kong Racing

1. Prey 2016 - I love the designs, the art, the story, the lonely feeling in space, the soundtrack (Mick Gordon!).
2. Nier Automata - The only game that ever made me cry - multiple times. Great Soundtrack too!
3. Grim Dawn - for me personally the best ARPG ever made, and they are working on a new expansion, after all this time!

Edit: Honorable Mentions: x) Fallout NV, but i can't be arsed to mod it AGAIN, and vanilla is too buggy, so currently no NV for me x) Dragon Age - Origins: played this through on the Xbox 360 3 times! x) Dead Cells: i wish i were young enough for the reflexes needed to get to 5 boss cells. Doesn't stop me from trying, tho!