Patient Gamers

This might be cheating but I'm assuming mods/DLCs to a game count as part of the game.

1. Factorio. Pretty much endless amount of stuff you can do with mods on top of a top-tier base game.
2. Minecraft, also for the mods.
3. Geometry Dash. So many user created levels and the highest skill ceiling of pretty much any game.
4. Asetto Corsa, or whatever the most realistic, moddable car racing sim there is. I don't play this game but I don't want that genre to die.
5. ~~Really struggling to think of anything else so I'm just gonna go with another fun, replayable, moddable game: Balatro.~~ Edit: After reading other responses and me forgetting some games I think Skyrim would be a better choice here.

I'm assuming there'd be no online multiplayer or modding, as they'd be outside the realm of the game - it's content made by other people (and it's more interesting if you exclude them anyway), and I'm assuming there'd be no more updates (so only current or previous patches)

So we'd be looking for replayable single player games

1. Minecraft. If that's not on your list then you're joking
2. Terraria. Sandbox like minecraft, but the more legacy-focused scope of the game would be a nice change
3. Factorio. This game is called cracktorio for a reason
4. Monster Hunter world. Very replayable when you want to hit big monsters with big swords
5. Maimai. Bet you didn't expect a rhythm game to be here, bitch! With all other video games gone, maimai would explode in popularity, and I'd finally be able to play maimai locally instead of only in the city on the occasional day off. Yes, this list is just a place holder for the real number 1

• Garry's Mod
• Starcraft
• Team Fortress 2
• Minecraft
• Skyrim

that's already five - which one of these shouldn't be saved?

maybe Age of Empires 2, Stellaris, or Civ V instead of Starcraft?

maybe Oblivion, Morrowind, or Fallout 3 instead of Skyrim?

maybe Terraria, Stardew Valley, or Factorio instead of Minecraft?

maybe Counter-Strike, Half-Life 2, or Insurgency instead of Team Fortress 2?

This is an awful choice, a committee would have to decide this ...

we're really going to let all these games die?

not to mention games like:

• noita
• Rimworld
• Stanley's Parable
• Soma
• Alien: Isolation
• BioShock
• Silent Hill
• Amnesia
• Disco Elysium
• Grim Fandango
• Thief
• Beginner's Guide
• Cuphead
• Hotline Miami
• Celeste
• Command & Conquer
• tetris
• Super Mario Brothers
• Mario Kart
• The Legend of Zelda
• Pokemon
• Animal Crossing
• The Sims
• Halo
• Battlefield games
• Call of Duty games
• Grand Theft Auto
• World of Warcraft
• Doom
• Quake
• Mortal Kombat
• Street Fighter
• Dark Souls

You can find more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_games_considered_the_best

this question is evil, and I hate everyone's answers.

• Minecraft (A comfortable home away from home).

• Wii Sports (The one video game literally made for everyone).

• Bioshock (I may not play it again myself, but everyone should experience “Would you kindly” at least once in their lives).

• PlayStation Dreams (This one is kinda like wishing for infinite wishes).

• Bomberman Ultra (A stupidly fun couch-play game that my entire family has played together for more than 10+ years now. I have never NOT smiled when booting up this silly game).

And then the games I’d forever regret not saving for myself: SuperGlob (Arcade), Tempest (Arcade), Uncharted 4, Bayonetta, StarCraft, Resident Evil 4, Portal and Heavy Rain (A brutal punch in the gut that I loved dearly but never want to play again).

Damn… I gotta try and be diverse… as much as my narrow taste allows anyway:

1. The Wonderful 101: my choice for a PlatinumGames ambassador.
2. God Hand: beat'em up representation.
3. Ninja Gaiden 2: nonstop action and my favorite Team Ninja game.
4. Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R: my favorite fighting game.
5. Hellsinker: infinitely replayable shmup.

If I could choose, then I'd choose for humanity, games that most reasonable people would go "yeah, fair enough".

(Note, if it were just for me, I wouldn't pick any of these lol)

• Portal + 2
• Stardew Valley
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Elden Ring
• Final Fantasy VII (or X)

First place has to be Kerbal space program. I can't think of another game as profoundly educational as this. If you can land a craft on the Mün, then you have a better understanding of orbital mechanics than the average NASA engineer.

Second place goes to Nier: Automata. It's a selfish pick, but I struggle to think of a more flawless game.

I want at least one multiplayer PVE game and one PVP game, so third and fourth places go to Minecraft (version 1.18) and Team Fortress 2.

Lastly, for fear that it will count as a video game and otherwise be deleted, I save Lichess.org from annihilation

Not sure about 5,

but grim fandango should be one of them.

Bad Rats five times.

Since all of humanity will only get the 5 games

To encourage local play with your friends we will keep the n64 versions of Mario kart, super smash brothers, and Mario party 2. These are universally enjoyable to all ages and the top 3 local experiences imo.

For people inevitably desiring a strategy game I will choose StarCraft 1. And the RPG shall be Baldurs gate 3 because it allows full custom campaign mods and people can thus create any rpg in it.

Mario kart 64

Super Smash Brothers (64)

Mario Party 2

StarCraft 1

Baldurs Gate 3

• Sonic 2
• Oddworld
• Patrick's Parabox
• Crash Bandicoot 2
• Dead Space

Half-Life 2

Halo CE (MCC version I guess)

F.E.A.R. + Extraction Point DLC (Perseus Mandate and F.E.A.R 2/3 were dogshit)

Metro 2033 (Redux I guess since that's the only way I can get good HDR)

SOMA

Elder scrolls Skyrim all expansions dlc

Age of empires 2 with expansions

Halo master chief collection

If it counts World of Warcraft classic as a private server

Baldurs Gate 3

Mass Effect 2 because it's one of my favourite games. The only issue is I don't know how enjoyable it'll be without the first and third game.

Red Dead Redemption 2 because it's one of the finest pieces of media, period.

What Remains of Edith Finch because it's a shining example of how creative and immersive "walking sims" can be.

Bioshock because the first time you experience the moment is indelibly inked into my brain.

Civilization 4 because it's timeless and the moment you boot it up to hear Baba Yetu, it feels magical and special.

Do we get to save mods, too?

That's a huge factor. It'd put Rimworld and Minecraft squarely on the list for me, and I'd have to think about the others. There are some ridiculous mod communities out there though.

1. Bioshock - It's essentially perfect, the only downside is I can never play it for the first time again.

2. Inscryption - It's an odd choice, since it's pretty meta, but it's a game that I think about too much to live without.

3. Doom - Purely for historical relevance, which cannot be overstated in this case

4. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - I spent an embarrassingly long amount of time going back and forth between this and LTTP, but Ocarina also represents maybe the best year in game development history so it gets the edge.

5. Slay the Spire - Basically the same argument as Doom - this game is a fork point in all development trends for at least 5, maybe 10 years after its release.

Minecraft, Terraria, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, Portal 2

Well, I think games that have the greatest possibility between them make the best choices. So...

Stellaris. - I want a 4x and grand strategy and this one is a bit of both. Also considering how much it's changed since 1.0, the various versions of it provide a lot of variety in themselves. Also it's got great mod support. Its core systems have also been rebuilt a couple times, so I know it has a good deal of potential and isn't locked too hard into certain mechanics.

Conan Exiles. - This is a really weird choice cause the game isn't amazing in and of itself, or even all that good, and it's pretty buggy, but it's one of the most customizable, mod supported multiplayer games I know of. Maybe there's a better choice and if I had time to research it I'd pick that one. I know there's a multiplayer mod for Skyrim, for example, but I'm not technical enough to know if that has better possibilities than Conan. Hell, maybe Minecraft has potential here? I have never liked it much. It would be absolutely necessary to me that it can be updated to decent (not blocky) graphics though.

Elite: Dangerous. - This is another choice I'd like to research a better option for. The thing is I want a flight/space game, but I don't know enough about the genre, and this is the only one that immediately comes to mind. Its kind of my one mostly unselfish pick cause I haven't played this type of game in a long time.

Baldur's Gate 3. - It's not actually my favorite rpg or even my favorite Baldur's Gate, but Larian designed it with good mod support and tools. Also it can support multiplayer very easily. Like the others on this list, it's here for future adaptability; if we're never getting new games, mods of these 5 have to be as much like new games as possible.

An MMO. - This is the toughest one to answer myself cause I don't know enough about the back end of them. The trick is choosing the one with the most broadly applicable technical side. I want as much possibility in future development as I can get, and I'd really like one that isn't inextricably linked to the target based gameplay we currently know from most of them. If required to pick without research, I would reluctantly choose Guild Wars 2, cause it at least isn't tied to tab targeting, but I have no idea if it's good with my other criteria.

Now, you'll notice I didn't pick any games without multiplayer, and that's cause if these are going to be the only 5 games left until the end of time they should all support multiplayer. No single player only need apply.

Chrono Trigger

GTA V

Dragon Quest XI

Tetris (NES)

Capcom Vs SNK 2 Mark of the Millenium 2001

Logically, these must be hell of a repayable ones.

Homeworld

Binding of Isaac

Ballistic.NG

Elite Dangerous

Silksong

I feel like this list encapsulates the best of their respective genres.

Homeworld’s mechanics are excellent, as is the art direction, sound design, and story.

There are roguelikes I enjoy playing more than Isaac, but I think it’s breadth, theme, and messaging make it the best pick.

Ballistic.NG is the only racing game that always gives you room to grow without becoming played out, to me.

Elite literally has the whole galaxy to explore, and like Ballistic.NG it has a very rewarding skill curve.

Silksong is a work of art; a Metroidvania so sprawling in its ambition, flawless in its execution, and so punishing in its difficulty that a game-starved society would surely come to view it as a scripture of sorts.

• Stardew Valley
• Sims 4
• Skyrim
• Sim City 4
• The Arcana (app)

Can't say Mass Effect cause I would need the trilogy :(

All games for replayability!

Stardew I can play with friends.

Sims 4 and Sim City 4 are about building a life/world, so it's hard to get bored.

Skyrim is Skyrim- as much as i've played it I havent finished all storylines.

The Arcana has so many dating options with 2 different routes for each. The art is amazing.

For the good of humanity but also to try give the widest variety:
Super mario world - platformer
Final fantasy (which one i am not sure, not my expertise) - storyline rpg
Starcraft 2 - RTS
Need for speed - racing
Minecraft - creative

For me? The legend of zelda ALTTP
Donkey kong country 2
Pokemon Leaf Green
Super mariokart 64
Borderlands 2 (inc DLC)

Disco Elysium, Persona 5 Royal, Portal 2, Minecraft, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time :)