1985 - Really the only game from this year that I think is any good. No honorable mentions

1986 - Honorable Mentions: Castlevania I, Bubble Bobble

1987 - Honorable Mentions: Punch-Out!!!, Metal Gear MSX

1988 - Honorable Mentions: Mega Man 2

1989 - Specifically the NES version. Honorable Mentions: Castlevania III, DuckTales

1990 - Honorable Mentions: Mega Man 3, F-Zero

1991 - Honorable Mentions: A Link to the Past

1992 - Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy V, Contra III

1993 - Honorable Mentions: Sonic CD, Myst

1994 - Honorable Mentions: Sonic 3&K, Ninja Warriors, Final Fantasy VI

1995 - Honorable Mentions: Yoshi's Island, Panzer Dragoon

1996 - Honorable Mentions: Super Mario 64, NiGHTS into Dreams

1997 - Honorable Mentions: Riven, Final Fantasy VII

1998 - Honorable Mentions: Metal Gear Solid, Grim Fandango, Fallout 2, Abe's Exoddus, Resident Evil 2

1999 - Honorable Mentions: Planescape, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Unreal Tournament 1999, Street Fighter Third Strike

2000 - Honorable Mentions: Thief II, Deus Ex, Baldur's Gate II

2001 - Honorable Mentions: Silent Hill 2, Smash Bros. Melee, Klonoa 2

2002 - Honorable Mentions: Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Fusion

2003 - Honorable Mentions: Kirby Air Ride, Silent Hill 3, SoulCalibur II

2004 - Honorable Mentions: Phoenix Wright Trials and Tribulations, Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door, Metal Gear Solid 3, Katamari Damacy, SMT3 Nocturne

2005 - Honorable Mentions: Path of Radiance, DMC3, Kingdom Hearts II

2006 - Honorable Mentions: Mother 3

2007 - Honorable Mentions: Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions, Team Fortress 2, Virtua Fighter 5

2008 - Honorable Mentions: Wrath of the Lich King, No More Heroes, Persona 4 Golden

2009 - (Original Release Date) - Honorable Mentions: Explorers of Sky, Punch-Out Wii

2010 - Release of Episode 8 used for end of Umineko - Honorable Mentions: Persona 3 Portable, Melty Blood, Fallout New Vegas, Xenoblade Chronicles, Deadly Premonition, Bayonetta

2011 - Honorable Mentions: The Fruit of Grisaia, Dark Souls, Minecraft, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3

2012 - Honorable Mentions: The Labyrinth of Grisaia, Kid Icarus Uprising, Spelunky

2013 - Honorable Mentions: DOTA 2, Metal Gear Rising, A Link Between Worlds, Gone Home, Brothers A Tale of Two Sons, Pikmin 3, Resogun, Antichamber

2014 - Honorable Mentions: Shovel Knight, Freedom Planet, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, DKC Tropical Freeze

2015 - Honorable Mentions: Ori and the Blind Forest, Bloodborne, FFXIV: Heavensward, SOMA, Yakuza 5, Kerbal Space Program

2016 - Honorable Mentions: Rabi-Ribi, Dark Souls III, The Witness, Oxenfree, The Last Guardian, Stephen's Sausage Roll

2017 - Honorable Mentions: DESYNC, Rain World, Yakuza 0, NieR Automata, Night in the Woods, Hollow Knight, Pyre

2018 - Honorable Mentions: ZeroRanger, Into the Breach, La-Mulana 2, God of War (4)

2019 - Honorable Mentions: Slay the Spire, Dicey Dungeons, FFXIV: Shadowbringers, Disco Elysium, Sea of Solitude, RE2make, Pathologic 2

2020 (So far, tentative ofc) - Honorable Mentions: Project+, Kentucky Route Zero, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, UNICLR, Nioh 2, Streets of Rage 4, One Step From Eden