Master Chief and The Weapon AI character in Halo: Infinite.
Master Chief and The Weapon AI character in Halo: Infinite.
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The DeanBeat: My favorite games of 2021

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 10 min

Almost two years into the pandemic, it’s hard to look back and see much good that happened this year. But as reality was horrible once again, games gave me a much-needed escape. And so I’m pleased to come up with my eight favorite games of 2021.

They let me maintain social distance while still connecting remotely with friends. I hope you are staying safe during the holidays with your family and friends, and let’s hope you can find the game to play and celebrate your gaming passions.

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Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.