Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the strongest single answer to “What was the best game of 2009?” It topped the Game Critics’ North American 2009 poll and won Spike TV’s Game of the Year. That is a persuasive conclusion across two award sources—not a universal ranking of every game, country or player.
How to read a “best games of 2009” list
There was no single worldwide ranking that settled which game was best. Different sources measured different things: a judges’ poll ranked nominated games released in North America during the calendar year, Spike TV selected winners by award category, Japan’s awards used a different eligibility window, and US sales rankings counted units sold. These measures overlap, but they are not interchangeable.
The shortlist below uses the Game Critics poll as its calendar-year North American frame, then adds Spike TV’s category awards, Japan’s awards and US sales data as separate perspectives.
The Game Critics’ top 10 for 2009
The Game Critics’ 2009 poll ranked these games, in order. Its judges each nominated ten titles commercially released in North America between January 1 and December 31, 2009, then allocated points to their nominees. The totals determined the top ten; this was a judges’ poll, not a global or objective ranking. See the poll’s results and methodology.
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#1 Best Overall
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
- Batman: Arkham Asylum
- Assassin’s Creed II
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Demon’s Souls
- Borderlands
- Left 4 Dead 2
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii
- Street Fighter IV
This is a useful retrospective shortlist, not proof that every player—or every critic in every region—would put the games in this order.
Why Uncharted 2 is the clearest Game of the Year answer
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has the strongest cross-source case in this group: it ranked first in the Game Critics poll and won Spike TV’s 2009 Game of the Year, along with Spike’s awards for Best PS3 Game and Best Graphics. Paramount’s announcement of the winners is dated December 13, 2009. Read Paramount’s announcement.
Rank #2
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The shared recognition makes it a defensible answer to “What was Game of the Year in 2009?” It does not make the title an uncontested worldwide winner: the awards used different methods and scopes, and the cited sources do not establish a single global consensus.
Other major winners at Spike TV’s 2009 awards
Spike TV’s category winners show how recognition was distributed across genres rather than concentrated in a single overall ranking.
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- Best Shooter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Best RPG: Dragon Age: Origins
- Best Fighting Game: Street Fighter IV
- Best Handheld Game: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
- Best Music Game: The Beatles: Rock Band
- Best Action Adventure Game: Assassin’s Creed II
These awards complement the critics’ poll, but they are not another version of the same top-ten list.
Japan’s 2009 awards followed a different release window
The Japan Game Awards 2009 did not cover January through December 2009. Its eligibility period ran from April 1, 2008, to March 31, 2009, so its winners should not be treated as a calendar-year list of games released in 2009. CESA’s overview explains the eligibility period and evaluation criteria.
Rank #4
The awards gave shared Grand Awards to Mario Kart Wii and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Other recognized titles included Demon’s Souls, Resident Evil 5, Persona 4 and Pokémon Platinum Version. CESA says its evaluation considered design, programming, graphics, sound, scenario, user evaluation and sales data. See the Japan Game Awards results.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which game sold the most in the US in 2009?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ranked first in the 2009 US top 20 video games by units sold. The ranking comes from The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service, reproduced in the ESA’s 2010 Essential Facts report. It is a US retail ranking by units—not a worldwide sales table or a measure of review quality. The table excerpt establishes the rank, not a unit count. See the ESA report.
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Best Value
That sales result answers a different question from the Game Critics poll: Modern Warfare 2 led this US sales ranking, while Uncharted 2 topped the critics’ poll and won Spike TV’s overall award. Activision Blizzard later reported that Modern Warfare 2 exceeded $550 million in retail sales in its first five days, based on Activision Publishing internal estimates. Its filing also cited NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK data for more than $1 billion in worldwide retail sales, without specifying the date that cumulative figure was crossed. Read the company’s 2010 results filing.
Quick Recap
Quick answer by category
| Question | Answer | Evidence frame |
|---|---|---|
| Best overall pick | Uncharted 2: Among Thieves | First in the Game Critics’ 2009 North American poll and Spike TV’s Game of the Year. |
| Top US seller | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | Ranked first by units in the NPD retail tracking table reproduced by ESA for 2009 US sales. |
| Japan Game Awards 2009 Grand Award | Mario Kart Wii and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots | Shared award; eligibility ran April 1, 2008–March 31, 2009. |
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