Dope or Nope: The Top 5 Best Video Game Remakes of the Decade
By: The Dope or Nope Hub Team
Alright, gamers and nostalgia junkies, gather ’round! In the ever-evolving world of video games, sometimes the best way forward is a trip down memory lane. We’ve not just ranked the best remasters, but the best video game remakes of the decade, completely reimagined for a new generation..
But let’s be real, not all remakes are created equal. Some are revolutionary, breathing new life into forgotten gems. Others… well, they make us wish they’d stayed in our memories.
So, buckle up! The Dope or Nope Hub team has fired up our consoles, dusted off our rose-tinted glasses, and ranked the Top 5 Video Game Remakes of the Last Decade. Let’s see if your favorites made the cut!
Our Criteria: What Makes the Best Video Game Remakes of the Decade?
To qualify as one of the best video game remakes of the decade, a game must do more than just upgrade the graphics; it needs to achieve a perfect balance. Our ranking criteria focused on three main factors: Faithful Recreation (Did it preserve the original’s soul?), Technical Brilliance (Did it truly use modern hardware to solve the original’s flaws?), and Meaningful Expansion (Did it add new content or quality-of-life features that enhance the experience?). This list celebrates the titles that mastered this tricky balancing act.
#5: Resident Evil 2 (2019)
The Original Vibe: A horror masterpiece that defined the survival horror genre. Leon and Claire navigating zombie-infested Raccoon City, with fixed camera angles, clunky controls, and jump scares that still haunt our dreams.
The Remake Glow-Up: Capcom didn’t just rebuild; they re-engineered. The clunky controls were swapped for modern over-the-shoulder action, the fixed cameras for cinematic tension, and Raccoon City became a stunning, terrifyingly detailed environment. The sound design alone is enough to make you clench every time Mr. X stomps down a hall.
Why it’s Dope: It perfectly captures the spirit and dread of the original while making it feel utterly fresh and modern. It’s scary, it’s intense, and it made us fall in love with horror all over again.
Our Verdict: DOPE! 🧟♀️🔫
It’s time to re-enter Raccoon City. Grab the gold-standard horror remake and brave the R.P.D. tonight!
#4: Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020)
The Original Vibe: A sprawling JRPG epic that redefined storytelling. Cloud Strife, AVALANCHE, Midgar, and one of the most iconic villain reveals in history. Turn-based combat, blocky polygons, and a story that truly resonated.
The Remake Glow-Up: This wasn’t just a remake; it was a re-imagining that dared to change the narrative. Midgar alone became a fully realized, breathtaking city, and the combat evolved from turn-based to a dynamic, action-RPG hybrid that felt both strategic and incredibly satisfying. The graphics? Oh. My. Goodness.
Why it’s Dope: It’s an ambitious, gorgeous, and emotionally impactful experience that takes a beloved story and makes brave, exciting choices. It felt like playing a classic for the very first time again, but with a Hollywood blockbuster budget.
Our Verdict: DOPE! 🗡️✨
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#3: Demon’s Souls (2020)
The Original Vibe: The progenitor of the “Soulsborne” genre. A dark, unforgiving, and brutally challenging ARPG that captivated a cult following on the PS3. It was clunky, visually dated even for its time, but had undeniable atmospheric genius.
The Remake Glow-Up: Bluepoint Games took the original’s blueprint and created a next-gen marvel. Every single texture, enemy, and particle effect was rebuilt from the ground up, making the desolate world of Boletaria more stunning and terrifying than ever. The core gameplay remained untouched (thankfully!), ensuring that brutal challenge was perfectly preserved.
Why it’s Dope: It proved that sometimes, the best remake is one that understands what made the original great and simply elevates the presentation to modern standards. It’s a masterclass in faithful recreation, making a niche classic accessible to a wider audience without sacrificing its soul.
Our Verdict: DOPE! 💀🔥
Prepare to die (and look amazing doing it). Secure your copy of this next-gen launch masterpiece.
#2: Dead Space (2023)
The Original Vibe: A terrifying survival horror gem set in space. Isaac Clarke, the USG Ishimura, Necromorphs, and strategic dismemberment. It was claustrophobic, intense, and had a gripping sci-fi horror narrative.
The Remake Glow-Up: Motive Studio didn’t just polish; they expanded. The Ishimura became a fully interconnected, seamless environment, eliminating loading screens and deepening the sense of dread. New narrative bits, expanded side quests, and an enhanced “Intensity Director” system ensured that even veterans felt fresh terror. The visual and audio upgrades are simply breathtaking.
Why it’s Dope: It’s the rare remake that not only recaptures the original magic but surpasses it. It improved every aspect of the game without compromising its core identity, creating a truly definitive version of a horror classic.
Our Verdict: SUPER DOPE! 🚀🩸
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#1: Shadow of the Colossus (2018)
The Original Vibe: A minimalist, emotionally resonant masterpiece. Wander, Agro, and a quest to defeat 16 magnificent colossi in a lonely, hauntingly beautiful land. It was about scale, solitude, and powerful boss battles.
The Remake Glow-Up: Bluepoint Games, once again, delivered a triumph. The PS4 remake retained every pixel-perfect piece of the original’s design and gameplay, but completely transformed its visuals. The environments became richer, the colossi more majestic and terrifying, and the sense of scale was amplified a thousandfold. It felt exactly how you remembered the original looking, even if it didn’t quite look like that back then.
Why it’s Dope: It’s the ultimate example of a remake that understands its source material so profoundly that it simply enhances the original vision without changing a single stroke. It’s a poignant, beautiful, and utterly breathtaking experience that stands as a benchmark for how remakes should be done.
Our Verdict: ABSOLUTELY DOPE! 🐎⚔️
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Honorable Mentions: Close, But Not Quite
Now, before we get to the biggest NOPE, we need to recognize two other titles that easily qualify as some of the best video game remakes of the decade but just missed our top podium spots.
- Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 (2020): This was a pure shot of adrenaline and nostalgia. The developers kept the arcade-perfect feel, polished the graphics until they shone, and added all the quality-of-life features we desperately needed. An incredible blueprint for respecting the core gameplay.
- Mini-Verdict: Dope (For the sheer joy of landing a 900). 🛹
- Resident Evil 4 (2023): How do you remake a game that already reinvented the wheel? Very carefully. Capcom nailed the atmosphere, refined the controls even further, and did a great job of expanding the story without changing its DNA. It’s a stellar game, and an almost perfect remake, but it just missed out on the top 5 only because the others felt like more radical and necessary upgrades to their originals.
- Mini-Verdict: Dope (An absolute must-play horror classic, now modernized). 🔦
The Biggest NOPE: Where Remakes Go Wrong
It wouldn’t be The Dope or Nope Hub without calling out a massive flop that reminds us why remakes are so risky. For the last decade, one title stands out as a colossal failure that actively hurt the original:
- Warcraft III: Reforged (2020)
The Original Vibe: A beloved real-time strategy (RTS) masterpiece with an epic story and one of the best multiplayer scenes in PC gaming history.
The Remake Disaster: This one was an absolute disaster of unfulfilled promises. The cinematic cuts were downgraded, technical issues were everywhere, and the worst part? It replaced the original Warcraft III client entirely, forcing veterans onto a buggy, inferior version. This isn’t just a bad remake; it’s an unfortunate rewriting of history. It failed to respect the original, and it failed to deliver a quality product.
Our Verdict: HARD NOPE! 🗑️👎
The Final Word: More Than Just a Facelift
These phenomenal remakes are much more than just a fresh coat of paint; they’re a testament to timeless game design. They prove that the quality of the best video game remakes of the decade can easily rival brand-new releases, ensuring these legendary titles live on.
What do you think of our list? Did we miss your favorite, or do you stand by a classic we gave a hard NOPE? Drop your ranking in the comments—let the debate begin!
Beyond the Console: Upgrading Your Experience
If our list has you eager to jump back into a massive, gorgeous world like the one in Dead Space or Shadow of the Colossus, you’re going to need the right tools. Performance matters, especially in a fast-paced action game. If you’re playing on PC, ensure your aim is pixel-perfect by reading our breakdown of the [Best Gaming Mouse] on the market. Maybe you’re on the move, juggling classes and Necromorph dismemberment; in that case, you need a machine that can handle both—check out our guide to the [Best Laptops for Students]. And if you want the full, chilling atmospheric immersion, don’t miss our reviews on the [Best Gaming Headphones]. Finally, if the scale of a huge open world is what you crave, see how Rockstar’s classic stacks up in our [Red Dead Redemption Review]. The right gear makes all the difference!
