>> best steam games of 2009 the full ranking

These are the best Steam games of 2009 — the releases of that year players still rate highest, years after the reviews stopped counting.

No launch-week scores, no hype: every position comes from head-to-head duels between two games in one player's library, and a game's percentage is the share of a typical library it beats. Years are the honest test, and this is what 2009 looks like once the dust has settled and only the games people still reach for are left standing.

Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition

beats 75%

169 players

percentile across every personal ranking, weighed by the crowd behind it

Games ranked by the share of a typical library they beat.
rk	game	players	beats
02	Mirror's Edge™	179 players	beats 75%
03	Dead Space (2008)	87 players	beats 75%
04	The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind® Game of the Year Edition	89 players	beats 75%
05	Command & Conquer™ 3: Kane’s Wrath	16 players	beats 77%
06	STAR WARS™ Republic Commando™	45 players	beats 75%
07	STAR WARS™ Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast™	30 players	beats 75%
08	Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory®	19 players	beats 75%
09	Unreal Tournament 3	15 players	beats 75%
10	STAR WARS™ Knights of the Old Republic™	140 players	beats 72%
11	Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent®	7 players	beats 77%
12	Devil May Cry 4	7 players	beats 75%
13	Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars™	22 players	beats 70%
14	Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor	14 players	beats 71%
15	Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition	209 players	beats 68%
16	Bionic Commando: Rearmed	5 players	beats 75%
17	Alien Shooter: Revisited	5 players	beats 75%
18	Red Faction Guerrilla Steam Edition	51 players	beats 68%
19	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® Game of the Year Edition (2009)	160 players	beats 67%
20	STAR WARS™ Battlefront II (Classic, 2005)	111 players	beats 67%
21	LEGO® Star Wars™ - The Complete Saga	101 players	beats 67%
22	King's Bounty: Armored Princess	7 players	beats 70%
23	Torchlight	48 players	beats 66%
24	Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009)	67 players	beats 66%
25	Majesty Gold HD	3 players	beats 75%
26	The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition	37 players	beats 66%
27	STAR WARS™ Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy™	60 players	beats 64%
28	Left 4 Dead 2	882 players	beats 63%
29	Dragon Age: Origins	39 players	beats 60%
30	Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box	62 players	beats 57%
31	Penumbra: Black Plague Gold Edition	12 players	beats 57%
32	Medal of Honor: Airborne	4 players	beats 59%
33	Zuma's Revenge!	18 players	beats 56%
34	Prototype™	34 players	beats 55%
35	Tales of Monkey Island Complete Pack: Chapter 2 - The Siege of Spinner Cay	4 players	beats 55%
36	Resident Evil 5	180 players	beats 53%
37	Freedom Force	5 players	beats 54%
38	Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood	21 players	beats 53%
39	Lunnye Devitsy	4 players	beats 53%
40	Machinarium	51 players	beats 52%
41	Call of Cthulhu®: Dark Corners of the Earth	8 players	beats 52%
42	SPORE™ Galactic Adventures	71 players	beats 52%
43	Overlord II	28 players	beats 51%
44	Gyromancer	4 players	beats 52%
45	Risen	51 players	beats 51%
46	Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising	28 players	beats 51%
47	Nancy Drew® Dossier: Lights, Camera, Curses!	3 players	beats 52%
48	Harvest: Massive Encounter	6 players	beats 51%
49	King's Bounty: The Legend	16 players	beats 51%
50	STAR WARS™ - The Force Unleashed™ Ultimate Sith Edition	73 players	beats 51%
51	Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game	74 players	beats 51%
52	Command & Conquer™ Red Alert™ 3	33 players	beats 50%
53	Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich	5 players	beats 50%
54	Saints Row 2	94 players	beats 50%
55	Mini Ninjas	40 players	beats 50%
56	Trine Enchanted Edition	94 players	beats 50%
57	Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Mummy	3 players	beats 50%
58	Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Anniversary Edition (Classic)	74 players	beats 50%
59	LEGO® Indiana Jones™: The Original Adventures	20 players	beats 50%
60	Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2 (2009)	62 players	beats 50%
61	Braid	55 players	beats 50%
62	Zeno Clash	21 players	beats 50%
63	Velvet Assassin	7 players	beats 50%
64	F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin	38 players	beats 50%
65	Tom Clancy's EndWar™	5 players	beats 50%
66	Hospital Tycoon	7 players	beats 49%
67	Tropico Reloaded	3 players	beats 49%
68	Watchmen: The End is Nigh	4 players	beats 49%
69	SpellForce 2 - Anniversary Edition	6 players	beats 49%
70	Osmos	31 players	beats 49%
71	Killing Floor	186 players	beats 48%
72	ARMA 2	59 players	beats 47%
73	Hammerfight	10 players	beats 45%
74	Musaic Box	4 players	beats 43%
75	STAR WARS™ Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II	14 players	beats 45%
76	Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition	55 players	beats 45%
77	STAR WARS™ Starfighter™	10 players	beats 43%
78	The Path	12 players	beats 43%
79	SpellForce - Platinum Edition	14 players	beats 43%
80	Zombie Bowl-o-Rama	4 players	beats 39%
81	Madballs in Babo:Invasion	4 players	beats 39%
82	Tales of Monkey Island Complete Pack: Chapter 3 - Lair of the Leviathan	4 players	beats 39%
83	The Dig®	4 players	beats 38%
84	TimeShift™	6 players	beats 39%
85	Flora's Fruit Farm	6 players	beats 39%
86	STAR WARS™ Dark Forces (Classic, 1995)	27 players	beats 41%
87	Gothic 3 Classic	28 players	beats 41%
88	Larva Mortus	4 players	beats 36%
89	Indiana Jones® and the Fate of Atlantis™	6 players	beats 38%
90	Delta Force 1	3 players	beats 34%
91	Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded	8 players	beats 37%
92	STAR WARS™: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes™	10 players	beats 37%
93	Zombie Shooter	6 players	beats 36%
94	Tales of Monkey Island Complete Pack: Chapter 4 - The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood	3 players	beats 32%
95	Nancy Drew®: Danger by Design	3 players	beats 31%
96	Puzzle Kingdoms	3 players	beats 30%
97	Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter	49 players	beats 37%
98	Tropico 3	29 players	beats 36%
99	Red Faction II	9 players	beats 34%
100	Darkest Hour: Europe '44-'45	5 players	beats 32%
101	Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising	14 players	beats 35%
102	Quantz	4 players	beats 29%
103	Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!™	4 players	beats 29%
104	Need for Speed: Shift	7 players	beats 32%
105	NecroVision	10 players	beats 33%
106	Red Faction	17 players	beats 34%
107	The Last Remnant™	22 players	beats 34%
108	Indiana Jones® and the Last Crusade™	3 players	beats 25%
109	Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures	3 players	beats 25%
110	Death Track®: Resurrection	3 players	beats 25%
111	America's Army 3	3 players	beats 25%
112	Watchmen: The End is Nigh Part 2	3 players	beats 25%
113	Delta Force Land Warrior	3 players	beats 25%
114	LOOM™	3 players	beats 25%
115	Delta Force 2	3 players	beats 25%
116	Space Quest™ Collection	3 players	beats 25%
117	Foreign Legion: Buckets of Blood	3 players	beats 25%
118	Yosumin!™	3 players	beats 25%
119	Anno 1404	10 players	beats 32%
120	Knights of Honor	3 players	beats 24%
121	Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper	10 players	beats 31%
122	Samorost 2	11 players	beats 32%
123	Alien Shooter	12 players	beats 31%
124	Altitude	16 players	beats 32%
125	Twin Sector	4 players	beats 25%
126	Men of War: Red Tide	5 players	beats 27%
127	STAR WARS™ Jedi Knight - Mysteries of the Sith™	11 players	beats 30%
128	Metal Drift	3 players	beats 22%
129	Evil Genius	20 players	beats 31%
130	Thrillville®: Off the Rails™	4 players	beats 25%
131	Tales of Monkey Island: Complete Season	8 players	beats 29%
132	King Arthur - The Role-playing Wargame	4 players	beats 24%
133	Painkiller: Resurrection	4 players	beats 24%
134	The Graveyard	3 players	beats 21%
135	King's Quest™ Collection	4 players	beats 24%
136	Majesty Gold HD	5 players	beats 25%
137	Cogs	25 players	beats 31%
138	Rogue Warrior	5 players	beats 25%
139	Shattered Horizon	5 players	beats 25%
140	Sherlock Holmes: The Silver Earring	6 players	beats 26%
141	Bionic Commando	5 players	beats 24%
142	AaAaAA!!! - A Reckless Disregard for Gravity	6 players	beats 24%
143	Sniper Elite	28 players	beats 29%
144	Men of War™	8 players	beats 26%
145	Battlestations Pacific	5 players	beats 23%
146	Penumbra Overture	25 players	beats 29%
147	Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (2008)	8 players	beats 25%
148	Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals	5 players	beats 22%
149	Europa Universalis III Complete	22 players	beats 28%
150	Order of War™	3 players	beats 16%
151	Nation Red	8 players	beats 25%
152	Windosill	9 players	beats 25%
153	Majesty 2	9 players	beats 25%
154	Caster	9 players	beats 25%
155	Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel	29 players	beats 28%
156	Broken Sword 2 - the Smoking Mirror: Remastered (2010)	10 players	beats 25%
157	Rise of the Argonauts	10 players	beats 25%
158	Dark Sector	40 players	beats 28%
159	Puzzle Quest: Galactrix	4 players	beats 18%
160	The Void	10 players	beats 24%
161	Time Gentlemen, Please! and Ben There, Dan That! Special Edition Double Pack	19 players	beats 25%
162	Crayon Physics Deluxe	23 players	beats 25%
163	Hearts of Iron III	19 players	beats 25%
164	Time Gentlemen, Please! and Ben There, Dan That! Special Edition Double Pack	14 players	beats 24%
165	The Bard's Tale ARPG: Remastered and Resnarkled	9 players	beats 22%
166	Broken Sword 3 - the Sleeping Dragon (2003)	5 players	beats 18%
167	X-Blades	23 players	beats 25%
168	AI War: Fleet Command	27 players	beats 25%
169	Two Worlds Epic Edition	42 players	beats 25%
170	Chains	6 players	beats 18%
171	Gratuitous Space Battles	31 players	beats 25%
172	And Yet It Moves	23 players	beats 24%
173	Defence Alliance 2	24 players	beats 23%
174	The Maw	3 players	beats 9%
175	Bad Rats: the Rats' Revenge	13 players	beats 22%
176	Crash Time 2	9 players	beats 19%
177	Grand Ages: Rome	5 players	beats 14%
178	Obulis	4 players	beats 9%

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