Originally by Ranker GamesList RulesOnly the second game in a series. Vote up the best games that followed (and even surpassed) the first game in a series.
Video games have gone from something you did with buddies at the local arcade to a multi-billion dollar industry that spends and makes more money than Hollywood does making films. With so much money coming in, it's no surprise video games get sequels made to keep the cash flowing, but which video game sequels are the best? There are hundreds of them out there, but only a few could be considered to be equal or even better than their predecessors.
This list focuses specifically on direct sequels to the first game—there are no Super Mario Bros. 3s or Tekken IIIs in here. All games ranked on this list are second to one and are considered to be some of the greatest video game sequels ever made. What makes these games good has a lot to do with the games that came before, but in the end, these sequels stand on their own.
If we missed any of your favorites, add them to the list and don't forget to rank the games you think are the best sequels of them all!
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20078Half-Life 2
2004Developer: Valve Corporation
Genres (Video game): First-person shooter
Half-Life 2 is the well-recieved sequel to Half-Life. Half-Life 2 takes place in the dystopian... more
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266120Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Genres (Video game): Action-adventure game, Beat 'em up, Stealth game
Batman: Arkham City is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Rocksteady Studios and... more3
20584Portal 2
2011Developer: Valve Corporation
Genres (Video game): Action-adventure game, Puzzle game, Platform game
Portal 2 is a 2011 first-person puzzle-platform video game developed and published by Valve... more4
18184Halo 2
2004Developer: Microsoft Studios, Bungie Studios, Pi Studios
Genres (Video game): Shooter game, Action game, Adventure
Halo 2 is a 2004 first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the... more5
231108Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Genres (Video game): Action-adventure game, Stealth game
Assassin's Creed II is a 2009 historical fiction action-adventure open world stealth video... more6
207100Developer: Infinity Ward
Genres (Video game): Action-adventure game, First-person Shooter
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a 2009 first-person shooter political war thriller video... more7
16375Resident Evil 2
1998Developer: Factor 5, Gearbox Software, Rockstar San Diego, Capcom, Tiger Electronics
Genres (Video game): Horror, Third-person Shooter, Survival horror, Science Fiction
Resident Evil 2, known in Japan as Biohazard 2, is a 1998 survival horror video game... more8
15877Mass Effect 2
2010Developer: BioWare
Genres (Video game): Third-person Shooter, Action role-playing game
Mass Effect 2 is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by... more9
13577Borderlands 2
2012Developer: Gearbox Software, Iron Galaxy Studios
Genres (Video game): Action role-playing game, First-person Shooter
Borderlands 2 is an action role-playing first-person shooter video game, developed by Gearbox... more10
173110Developer: Rockstar San Diego
Genres (Video game): Action-adventure game
This game is an open world, western action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar San... more11
18767Developer: Naughty Dog
Genres (Video game): Shooter game, Action-adventure game, Platform game, Third-person Shooter, Action game
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a 2009 action-adventure third-person shooter platform video game... more12
11461Developer: Capcom
Genres (Video game): Fighting game
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior is a competitive fighting game originally released for... more13
144107BioShock 2
2010Developer: 2K Marin
Genres (Video game): First-person shooter
BioShock 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin for Microsoft Windows,... more14
8740Developer: Nerve Software, id Software
Genres (Video game): Shooter game, Survival horror, Action game, First-person Shooter, Science Fiction
Doom II: Hell on Earth is a first-person shooter video game, the second title of id Software's... more15
7142Call of Duty 2
2005Developer: Aspyr, Infinity Ward
Genres (Video game): Shooter game, Action game, First-person Shooter
Call of Duty 2 is a 2005 first-person shooter video game and the second installment in the... more16
11066God of War II
2007Developer: SCE Santa Monica Studio
Genres (Video game): Action-adventure game, Action game, Hack and slash
God of War II is a third person action-adventure video game developed by Santa Monica Studio... more17
11441Silent Hill 2
2001Developer: Konami, Team Silent, Creature Labs
Genres (Video game): Survival horror
Silent Hill 2 is a survival horror video game published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 and... more18
7731Metal Gear Solid
1998Developer: Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, Konami
Genres (Video game): Shooter game, Action-adventure game, Action game, Stealth game
Metal Gear Solid is an action-adventure stealth video game developed by Konami Computer... more19
Developer: Traveller's Tales
Genres (Video game): Open world, Action-adventure game, Platform game, Action game, Adventure
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy is a multi-platform action-adventure video game... more20
8247Developer: Square Enix
Genres (Video game): Action-adventure game, Action role-playing game, Action game, Role-playing video game
Kingdom Hearts II is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in... more21
8259Diablo II
2000Developer: Blizzard North
Genres (Video game): Isometric projection, Action role-playing game, Action game, Hack and slash, Role-playing video game
Diablo II is an action role-playing hack and slash video game developed by Blizzard North and... more22
Developer: Ensemble Studios
Genres (Video game): Isometric projection, Real-time strategy, Strategy video game
Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble... more23
26997Developer: Rockstar Studios
Genres (Video game): Action-adventure
Red Dead Redemption 2 (stylized as Red Dead Redemption II) is a Western-themed... more24
7247Mortal Kombat II
1993Developer: Acclaim Cheltenham, Midway Games, Sculptured Software
Genres (Video game): Action game, Fighting game
Mortal Kombat II is a competitive fighting game originally produced by Midway Games for the... more25
7750Mafia II
2010Developer: 2K Czech
Genres (Video game): Open world, Shooter game, Action-adventure game, Third-person Shooter, Action game
Mafia II is an action-adventure video game developed by 2K Czech and published by 2K Games. It... more
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