The Greatest Video Game Trailers Of All Time

By Petr Navovy | Miscellaneous | September 15, 2023 |

By Petr Navovy | Miscellaneous | September 15, 2023 |

Last week I came home from work on a Friday, and I found myself faced with a strange and rare dilemma: The pub was calling, but I had no desire to answer. The carefree revelry that would usually draw me like a moth to a flame held no power. It was odd. Disturbing, even. But then we are living in disturbing times. I wrestled with the revelation for a short while, and pondered what else I could do. Eventually, it came to me, and the answer seemed so obvious that I kicked myself for not thinking of it immediately: Video game trailers! So I cracked open a Budvar, and I sat on YouTube for a good part of the evening, watching old video game trailers and letting the feelings wash over me. Naturally this also gave me an idea for an article, and here we are! So without further ado, here are, in no particular order, what I consider the greatest video game trailers of all time.

Assassin’s creed 2, and

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

I was torn here between including the trailer for 2009’s Assassin’s Creed II or its 2011 follow-up, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, because both are spectacular examples of the form. That’s ironic, considering the fact that I usually hold grudges against video game trailers that are formed entirely of cinematics and as such showcase none of the actual in-engine game play. Nevertheless, I may well be exposing my own pro-Ezio Auditore bias yet again here, but I can’t help it. These trailers send shivers up my spine and transport me instantly to a treasured place. These trailers are almost entirely story- and character-focused, but you know what? When that’s the Ezio trilogy we’re talking about, that’s okay.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

A trailer so good it almost singlehandedly justifies the hundred different versions of the game that have come out in the decade-plus since its release, Skyrim’s official trailer is a masterpiece. Yes, Jeremy Soule’s sweepingy majestic and emotive theme is almost akin to a cheat code—you could use it for some footage of a duck napping in long grass and it would turn it into the most epic thing ever seen—but when you combine that with the trailer’s editing, its narration, and the glimpses of a brand new world that would hold a generation in thrall, then you get something really special.

Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 is the only game of the storied trilogy that I’ve ever played, and to my eternal regret, I didn’t get very far in it at all. That wasn’t for lack of trying or enthusiasm, however. I tried and I tried, but I simply could not get past the game’s clunky combat system—the one less-than-stellar element of an otherwise formidably polished game. For every compelling character beat, there was a clumsy battle. I know I’m the outlier here, and most people didn’t have as much of a problem with it, but that combat system makes up a significant part of the game, and it just proved too much of a hurdle for me to overcome. Yet still, all these years later, despite not even finishing the game, I often get flashbacks to the epic, cosmic saga that was for a too-brief period unfolding around me. For that reason, I often go back and rewatch this absolute belter of a trailer, which makes me wish they’d make an entire series out of this narrative. It has everything. Stirring music. Gorgeous visuals. Epic narration. Martin Sheen! Damn game, why couldn’t I have enjoyed it more?

Gears Of War

An entry that in some ways really kicked off the trend of making vaguely ‘arty’ video game promos, this trailer for the 2006 debut of one of Xbox 360’s flagship series conjured a potent atmosphere by harnessing the power of Gary Jules’ 2001 cover of the Tears For Fears song ‘Mad World’. Originally recorded for cult movie favorite Donnie Darko, the cover captured the public’s imagination, becoming Christmas number 1 here in the UK that year, and its melancholy mood is a perfect juxtaposition to the slaughter on display in the Gears Of War footage, elevating the trailer to something transcendent and iconic.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar know how to do trailers, and their announcement of the follow-up to one of the most acclaimed games of all time was one of the greatest examples of the form to date, a compact masterclass taking just over a minute to showcase and tease two of the things that make Red Dead Redemption 2 the masterpiece that it is: Its world and its story. This is beautiful stuff.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Sticking with Rockstar, the 2008 entry in their most iconic series was promoted with one of my personal favorite video game trailers of all time. In many ways, Grand Theft Auto IV remains an odd outlier in the series, its (relatively) more mature tone and (relatively!) grounded story making it stand apart from its wackier, more cartoonish siblings. The trailer reflects this, with a narration introducing the darker and more emotionally grounded themes the game would explore. And the music? Oh, that’s an inspired choice.

The Last Of Us Part II

What more can I possibly say about The Last Of Us Part II? Before it came along, I had no idea how developer Naughty Dog could possibly follow up its predecessor without sullying its legacy. Though the game itself dispelled my fears (and then some!) in quick order, the announcement trailer had already made significant steps in that direction too. This is a mini-masterpiece of mood and atmosphere, priming us for the emotional devastation that the game would unleash.

God Of War

The God Of War series’ leap from (glorious) hack-and-slash carnage to relatable, character-focused drama (with actually improved action on top of that) is one of the most impressive in all of video games, and this trailer showed the world a glimpse of the cinematic treats that the full game would bring, with its cinematography, editing, and acting all on point. Oh how we doubted back then. How would the team at Santa Monica Studio pull this soft reboot off? Was it even necessary? The full game almost wasn’t needed to answer those questions, the trailer was already enough.

Elden Ring

Dark and foreboding, Elden Ring’s 2019 E3 trailer could have simply been the frame of a black screen with letters that said ‘the new game from Hidetaka Miyazaki’ and the gaming world would have stood up and took notice, such is the power of the legacy built by the creator of the ‘soulsborne’ mini-genre and his team at FromSoftware. As it happens, Elden Ring’s reveal trailer didn’t reveal all that much, but it was enough. We knew something really big was coming, and we couldn’t wait.

Killzone 2

A trailer notorious for being one of the worst examples of the industry’s predilection for releasing promos that are dramatically unrepresentative of the actual finished product, Killzone 2 deserves an entry on this list for its infamy alone. Whereas many cinematic trailers feature footage that is quite obviously not taken from the actual game itself, Killzone 2’s trailer’s attempts at passing off pre-rendered video as in-game action left a bad taste in many people’s mouths upon the game’s release. It’s not that the finished product was bad—it was one of the best looking games of its time—it’s just that its trailer made it look like something else entirely. Nevertheless, despite-or perhaps partly because of-its status, Killzone 2’s impressive fakery deserves its spot on this list.

Dead Island

Staying on the ‘unrepresentative’ theme, a trailer that was also divorced from the game to a dramatic degree, this teaser for 2011’s Dead Island nevertheless remains a quality example of compact storytelling. It’s just a shame the game didn’t live up to its promise.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

A legendary series (well, a series with at least one legendary entry) that had lain dormant for the best part of a decade, Deus Ex came back to life in impressive fashion with Human Revolution, a game that was foreshadowed by a dramatic, cyber-noir trailer that put across the game’s world, themes, and gameplay features with aplomb.

Super Mario Odyssey

I mean, it’s Mario! It’s pure video game joy distilled. The trailer for any new Mario game doesn’t need much, but this one for the modern classic that is Super Mario Odyssey has it all. The hat reveal! The music! The dinosaur! It’s magic, is what it is.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

If there’s one word that I would associate with the masterpiece that is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it would be ‘freedom’. But if there were two words I could use, I would add ‘wonder.’ More than any others, these define the experience of playing this truly groundbreaking miracle of a game. Distilling the concepts of freedom and wonder into a short video might seem an impossible task, but that’s exactly what the official Breath of the Wild trailer does, and seeing this the first time back when it was released was how Link must have felt when he took his first haltering steps out onto the Great Plateau.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Still the best game in the series, Arkham Asylum’s ‘Breakout’ trailer is a masterclass in how to build anticipation and convey mood. Every time I watch it, it makes me want to go back and play the game all over again.

Bioshock

The strongest and most iconic component of 2007’s Bioshock was undoubtedly its world. The sub-aquatic city and attempted utopia (of sorts) of Rapture was absolutely dripping with atmosphere, and this unique setting—and the many horrors found within—was teased extremely effectively by this action-packed and cinematic trailer. It might not have much actual gameplay footage in it, but it does capture the feel of playing Bioshock, with all its claustrophobic yet expansive atmosphere and frantic survival.

Mirror’s Edge

Maybe my favourite video game trailer of all, the feelings I experience watching Mirror’s Edge’s original trailer betrays just how much of a soft spot I have for the 2008 first-person parkour game. It’s not the longest or best developed game of all time, but it had personality and atmosphere by the bucket load. I really struggle to find the words for how much I adore this game, but the trailer makes me want to write essays. It’s an objectively well crafted trailer too, actually utilising real gameplay, and deploying the game’s stellar sound design and soundtrack to maximum effect.

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty

Some game trailers make such an impact that it feels as if the whole industry has suddenly ground to a halt in reaction to what it had just seen. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, you remember it forever. It’s really impossible to convey the sheer excitement and mind-expanding feeling that Metal Gear Solid 2’s 2001 TGS trailer caused in all of us back in the day. The PlayStation 2 was only a year old, and here suddenly was a trailer for the sequel to one of the original PlayStation’s most revered games—and not only that, it looked like the new game would be pushing the new generation of console to its absolute limits. Metal Gear Solid 2 is a stone-cold classic, and its game design and focus on interactivity is something that very few games match even to this day. I still get chills every single time I watch this trailer. That music certainly doesn’t hurt. It just doesn’t get much better than this.