2021 in video games
In the video game industry, 2021 saw the release of many new titles. The numerous delays in software and hardware releases due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted development schedules, leading to several games being delayed into 2022 or even postponed indefinitely. Additionally, computer and console hardware were impacted by the combined effects of a semiconductor shortage and a rising growth of bitcoin mining that strained the supply of critical components.
Series with new installments include Age of Empires, Alex Kidd, Alien, Angelique, Aragami, A-Train, Baldur's Gate, Battlefield, Big Brain Academy, Blaster Master, Blue Reflection, Bus Simulator, Bravely Default, The Caligula Effect, Call of Duty, Chivalry: Medieval Warfare, Cookie Run, Cut the Rope,''The Dark Pictures Anthology, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, DC Super Hero Girls, Diablo, Disgaea, Doctor Who, Dragon Quest, Drakengard, Dynasty Warriors, Everspace, Evil Genius, Far Cry, Final Fantasy, Five Nights at Freddy's, Forza, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guilty Gear, Halo, Hitman, Hot Wheels, The House of the Dead, The Idolmaster, King's Bounty, Jurassic Park, League of Legends, The Legend of Heroes, Life Is Strange, Little Nightmares, Little Tail Bronx, Lone Echo, Mario Golf, Mario Party, Megami Tensei, Metroid, Monster Hunter, No More Heroes, Oddworld, Pac-Man, Pokémon, Psychonauts, Ratchet & Clank, Resident Evil, Rune Factory, R-Type, Samurai Warriors, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, Star Wars, Stronghold, Story of Seasons, Subnautica, Super Mario, Syberia, System Shock, Tales, Vampire: The Masquerade, Wario, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, The World Ends with You, Wonder Boy, and Yakuza''.
Legend
Hardware releases
The list of game-related hardware released in 2021.| Date | Console | Manufacturer | |
| June 15 | Atari VCS | Atari | |
| October 8 | Nintendo Switch | Nintendo | |
| November 3 | Evercade VS | Blaze Entertainment | |
| November 12 | Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda | Nintendo | |
| December 13 | Analogue Pocket | Analogue |
Financial performance
According to market research firm Newzoo, the global video game market reached total revenues of, a 1.4% growth from 2020. Of this, 52% of the revenue was attributed to the mobile game market and the larger growth over the prior year, 28% to the console games market, and 20% to the personal computer market.Largest markets
According to market research firm Newzoo, the following countries were the largest video game markets in 2021.| Rank | Country | Revenue | Players |
| 1 | China | $46,010,000,000 | 685,480,000 |
| 2 | United States | $40,540,000,000 | 191,120,000 |
| 3 | Japan | $22,090,000,000 | 75,620,000 |
| 4 | South Korea | $7,550,000,000 | 33,010,000 |
| 5 | Germany | $5,870,000,000 | 46,120,000 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | $5,310,000,000 | 37,660,000 |
| 7 | France | $4,130,000,000 | 38,080,000 |
| 8 | Canada | $3,690,000,000 | 20,980,000 |
| 9 | Italy | $3,290,000,000 | 36,550,000 |
| 10 | Spain | $2,330,000,000 | 29,730,000 |
Highest-grossing mobile games
The following titles are the top ten highest-grossing mobile games of 2021.| Rank | Game | Revenue | Publisher | Genre |
| 1 | PUBG Mobile / Game for Peace | $2,900,000,000 | Tencent / Krafton | Battle royale |
| 2 | Honor of Kings / Arena of Valor | $2,800,000,000 | Tencent | MOBA |
| 3 | Genshin Impact | $1,900,000,000 | miHoYo | Action RPG |
| 4 | Roblox Mobile | $1,400,000,000 | Roblox Corporation | GCS, MMO |
| 5 | Coin Master | $1,400,000,000 | Moon Active | Casual, Casino |
| 6 | Pokémon Go | $1,300,000,000 | Niantic | AR |
| 7 | Candy Crush Saga | $1,300,000,000 | King | Puzzle |
| 8 | Garena Free Fire | $1,200,000,000 | Garena | Battle royale |
| 9 | Uma Musume Pretty Derby | $990,000,000 | Cygames | Simulation, Sports |
| 10 | Three Kingdoms Tactics | $931,000,000 | Alibaba Group / Koei Tecmo | 4X |
Highest-grossing games in China
The following titles were 2021's top six highest-grossing video games in China.| Rank | Game | Revenue | Genre | Platform | Publisher |
| 1 | Honor of Kings | $2,600,000,000 | MOBA | Mobile | Tencent |
| 2 | PUBG Mobile / Peacekeeper Elite | $1,700,000,000 | Battle royale | Mobile | Tencent |
| 3 | League of Legends | $1,100,000,000 | MOBA | PC | Tencent |
| 4 | Dungeon Fighter Online | $876,000,000 | Brawler | PC | Tencent |
| 5 | Crossfire | $795,000,000 | FPS | PC | Tencent |
| 6 | Fantasy Westward Journey | $713,000,000 | MMO, RPG | Mobile | NetEase |
Best-selling premium games by region
The following titles were 2021's top ten best-selling premium games by region on PC and console platforms, for Japan, the United States, and Europe.| Rank | Japan | United States | Europe |
| 1 | Monster Hunter Rise | Call of Duty: Vanguard | FIFA 22 |
| 2 | Pokémon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl | Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | Grand Theft Auto V |
| 3 | Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa Mo Teiban! | Madden NFL 22 | FIFA 21 |
| 4 | Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | Pokémon Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl | Call of Duty: Vanguard |
| 5 | Ring Fit Adventure | Battlefield 2042 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe |
| 6 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Spider-Man: Miles Morales | Red Dead Redemption 2 |
| 7 | Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury |
| 8 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons | Resident Evil Village | Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War |
| 9 | Mario Party Superstars | MLB The Show 21 | Assassin's Creed Valhalla |
| 10 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | Spider-Man: Miles Morales |
Top-rated games
Critically acclaimed games
is an aggregator of video game journalism reviews. It generally considers expansions and re-releases as separate entities.Major awards
Video game-based film and television releases
| Title | Date | Type | Distributor | Franchise | Original game publisher | |
| Dota: Dragon's Blood | Animated television series | Netflix | Dota | Valve | ||
| Blue Reflection Ray | Anime television series | Funimation | Blue Reflection | Koei Tecmo | ||
| The World Ends with You: The Animation | Anime television series | Funimation | The World Ends with You | Square Enix | ||
| Mortal Kombat | Feature film | Warner Bros. Pictures | Mortal Kombat | Midway Games | ||
| Dynasty Warriors | Feature film | Newport Entertainment | Dynasty Warriors | Koei Tecmo | ||
| Werewolves Within | Feature film | IFC Films | Werewolves Within | Ubisoft | ||
| Scarlet Nexus | Anime television series | Funimation | Scarlet Nexus | Bandai Namco Entertainment | ||
| Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness | Limited anime series | Netflix | Resident Evil | Capcom | ||
| Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild | Animated film | Netflix | Monster Hunter | Capcom | ||
| Free Guy | Feature film | 20th Century Studios | ||||
| Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms | Animated film | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment | Mortal Kombat | Midway Games | ||
| Pokémon Evolutions | Limited anime webseries | YouTube Pokémon TV | Pokémon | Nintendo The Pokémon Company | ||
| Kimi to Fit Boxing | Anime television series | Tokyo MX | Fitness Boxing | Imagineer | ||
| Injustice | October 19, 2021 | Animated film | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment | Injustice | NetherRealm Studios | |
| Deemo: Memorial Keys | October 22, 2021 | Anime film | Pony Canyon | Deemo | Rayark Inc. | |
| Arcane | Animated television series | Netflix | League of Legends | Riot Games | ||
| Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City | Feature film | Sony Pictures Releasing | Resident Evil | Capcom | ||
| Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series | Anime television series | TV Tokyo Netflix | Pokémon | Nintendo The Pokémon Company |