The 25 Best Video Game Box Covers of the Last 10 Years

Year: 2002/2009 (Wii release)
Publisher: Capcom
Designer: Capcom Production

The first Resident Evil was innovative but honestly, it wasn't very scary. In 2002, Capcom remade their iconic survival horror game by upping the scare factor—from gameplay to the cover art. An image of iconic Resident Evil heroine Jill Valentine battling against a blood-thirsty zombie in a dark hallway, not only hinted at the improved hell hole Resident Evil veterans would be revisiting, but it surely stood out from the more kid-friendly games for the GameCube.

Year: 2013
Publisher: Deep Silver
Designer: Deep Silver Volition

By the fourth Saints Row developer Deep Silver Volition realized it had found its niche in making this video game series as ridiculous and over the top as possible. And the cover art reflects this. So much is happening: there are spacecrafts floating above a destroyed city, a monster is holding the Washington Monument while standing over what looks like Lincoln Memorial (so it's safe to assume that this city is Washington, D.C.), and there's a guy saluting to no one in particular, seemingly unaware that War Of The Worlds is happening right behind him. Maybe he's reminding players to keep their cool against the aliens they're bound to fight, or maybe he knows just how stylish he looks. Regardless, this cover art, at the very least, probably got you to pick up the game and consider purchasing it. (And also made you never want to visit Washington, D.C.)

Year: 2011
Publisher: Capcom
Designer: Mark Brooks

The Marvel Vs. Capcom series has been bringing comic and video game nerd's dreams to reality for several years now. And this cover art is a testament of the series bringing together two worlds for so long. But Nemesis is the pun-ny star (get it, Star, STARS?) of this cover, as his disfigured face angrily looks ahead, unfazed by Ryu's Hadouken or Wolverine's adamantium claws. You know you've had a moment where yourself and a friend, high from multiple bong rips, wondered who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Albert Wesker, and upon looking at the cover of Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, realized that neither would stand a chance against Rocket Raccoon.

Year: 2004
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Designer: Big Blue Box

It's a simple illustration that said a lot. Fable became known for allowing players to create their own destiny, with their actions and decisions resulting in them becoming a hero or villain. And the cover art sums this up perfectly as the player's young and innocent protagonist sees a reflection of himself as some brooding, demonic figure. In the words of the great Harvey Dent (Two Face): "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

Year: 2012
Publisher: Ubisoft
Designer: Ubisoft Montreal

Prior to Assassin's Creed 3 the covers for the series were often very subtle. The hooded protagonist, usually, would be surrounded by silhouettes of people, highlighting the importance of blending into crowds to complete most of the game's missions. Then came Assassin's Creed 3 and its cover: another hooded assassin about to kill his enemy while a battle occurs right behind him. The artwork embodied just how ambitious developer Ubisoft Montreal was with this game, as the storyline would feature protagonist Connor interacting with historical American figures, and being a part of some of America's historic events.

Year: 2009
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Designer: Naughty Dog

It's one problem to lose all of your possessions while embarking on an important mission. It's another problem when you've not only lost all of your possessions, but you're four fingers away from falling to your death in what looks like a very cold place. (With demonic statues looming in the background.) Where the average person would maybe consider letting go and hoping they land in the building below (although they'd still probably die), Uncharted's Nick Drake probably isn't as phased as he appears on the cover. Sure, he's probably aware of how absurd the situation he's in is, and he must hate the fact that he'll have to find another gun upon climbing back to safety. But Nick Drake wouldn't be who he is without danger, and this heart-pounding cover emphasizes that.

Year: 2005
Publisher: Capcom
Designer: Capcom

An important part of the series is that you're supposed to help your team of average, everyday people from succumbing to the t-Virus, or dying from the many other monsters that have taken over Raccoon City. This is what the cover art highlights: a survivor trying to pull another survivor from the clutches of undead, bloody and infected hands. Sure, the survivor standing above the sewer hole could just be saving the other survivor's arm (let's be real—there is no way that person is getting out when there are probably several zombies surrounding them), but at least they're trying. They could've been well on their way to the Raccoon City Police Department, but they could be trying to help a fellow survivor out. It's a reminder to help those computerized allies in need—even if they happen to, you know, not return the favor.

Year: 2012
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Designer: Niklas Akerblad

Hotline Miami's cover leaves plenty to the imagination. Why is there a guy chopped up in the middle of the road? Why is this guy wearing a mask and holding a half-naked woman in his arms? Are of all of these guys in the background extras from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City? Why is Miami so violent? Some of these questions are addressed in the game but the cover reflects the surreal and hyper violent world of Hotline Miami. The masked figures looming above green Miami trees, the vibrant colors—everything about this cover is pleasing to the eyes, foreshadowing the hazy, bloody and neon-filled narrative of a man consumed by violence.

Year: 2011
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Designer: From Software

An ominous-looking warrior running into what looks like a group of spirits? It's such a beautiful cover and tells so much: a man running to redemption or oblivion. In the game, players control a cursed man that has embarked on a pilgrimage to rid himself of the curse. But ultimately, after being told half truths by people assumed to be your allies, it's up to you to decide the fate of the world. The quest for atonement is never easy, and even before you pop Dark Souls into your video game console, its cover gives you a much-needed heads up about the difficult choices you'll have to make.

Year: 2009
Publisher: 2K Games
Designer: Gearbox Software

The cover for Borderlands is so good because its imagery causes an unconscious double-take. It would seem that, A man pretending to shoot himself with his fingers wouldn't seem too noticeable these days, but the subtle, artistic splatter against his head moves the eyes back to his hand-gun then back to the splatter repeatedly. When the dots are connected, it's nothing short of clever.

Year: 2005
Publisher: Vivendi Universal
Designer: Monolith Productions

It looks like a typical first person shooter until you notice the demented looking young girl taking up most of the cover. She looks like the young girl from The Ring post-falling down the well and, as we've learned from that movie, little girls like that aren't to be trusted. But this cover is a great example of not taking an image too literally because, a player learns that there's much more to this little girl than the cover gives off. Scary and manipulative, the cover for F.E.A.R. threw players a curveball that they didn't catch until they popped in the game.

Year: 2012
Publisher: Ubisoft
Designer: James White

There is a dinosaur shooting lasers from their eyes. Whether you're a kid that recently saw Jurassic Park or a 35 year-old man that still lives in his parent's basement, the image of an extinct creature with optical lasers is surely a geeky treat. The icing to this cover's cake is the satirical 1980s action film references. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon's cover pulls no punches; imagine it next to posters for movies like Cobra, Escape From New York and First Blood. It's so overtly cliche but it lends itself to Blood Dragon's left of field presentation, especially in comparison to the more serious Far Cry games.

Year: 2011
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Designer: Team Bondi

Ambitious is what L.A. Noire was and you got a sense of that even before you started playing it. The game's cover functions like a poster for a crime noir film. There's the damsel in distress, police officers at a crime scene and a well-dressed detective that's probably a pro at kicking ass and taking names. The artwork is absolute eye candy and paints an accurate depiction of what the game is all about: revealing cases' stories by any means necessary.

Year: 2011
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Designer: Olly Moss

This cover manages to be so simple, and yet so creative. Designed by Olly Moss (who has created a poster for the cast of Thor and the poster for the 85th Academy Awards, among other things), Resistance 3's cover is reminiscent of wartime propganda posts, with the enemy (a Chimera) sinking its teeth into a well known American image: the New York skyline. It's so subtle and direct that even if the game wasn't good you'd still probably buy it solely for the cover art. Never has an otherwordly creature menacingly looming over an important part of an American city looked so good.

Year: 2010
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Designer: Playdead

Minimal and foreboding the cover for Limbo presents the game as different from most "kid gets lost in a place and has to find his way out" narrative. One could assume that the game has a much darker tone than most games where a kid is the star of the show, because of the darkness that surrounds him. It's on levels of Pan's Labrinyth scary, as you wonder what looms in this dark forest waiting to encounter our young protagonist. Will this journey bring the boy closure? Will it not? Just like its cover art Limbo leaves the fate of the boy open-ended: a continuous journey that leaves players more in the dark than it does the light.

Year: 2006
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Designer: Insomniac Games

War imagery, specifically that of the fallen soldier, is very common. But the cover for the first Resistance game played with that idea, portraying that of a fallen Chimera instead of a human soldier. It's still clever and menacing like its Resistance 3 counterpart, but also tongue-in-cheek humorous. It's disturbingly amusing imagining an alien invasion occurring several years after World War II. Resistance 2's cover might've been much more serious and predictable, but the cover for the first one put a new spin on a conventional idea.

Year: 2012
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Designer: Takeshi Oga

Look at it--it's so creative and immediately gives the player an idea of what they're in store for. In front of this gravity-defying girl and cat is a, well, gravity-defying world. It's absolutely enthralling: a large city with flying cars, large screens and people, and some protagonist observing everything around her. It's an ability everybody wishes they had--to manipulate gravity and walk on the side of buildings while a car drives past them. The cover for Gravity Rush is not only great for how creative it is, but it gives us hope. If a black cat can defy gravity in some floating city so can we.

Year: 2012
Publisher: Square Enix
Designer: Tyler Stout

What really needs to be said? From the menacing dragon in the background to some guy holding a bloody cleaver, and even some helmet-wearing badass simultaneously riding a motorcycle and shooting a gun, every aspect of this cover is epic. It's so good that if you spent several minutes contemplating keeping the game wrapped it's understandable. But such greatness is to be expected from artist Tyler Stout, who's responsible for alternate movie posters for Shaun of the Dead, Drive and Django Unchained. The moral of the story is this: Tyler Stout should be doing more video game cover art. (And more video game cover art should feature dragons.)

Year: 2007
Publisher: 2K Games
Designer: Irrational Games

This cover was trying to warn players about Bioshock's gruesome duo: Big Daddy and Little Sister. It's ominous--you can kind of tell the setting is somewhere underwater, but the primary focus is on a little girl with a needle and a dive suit-wearing giant with a drill. The art embodied the suspenseful atmosphere of Bioshock: splicers lurking in the dark, Big Daddies slowly moving through destroyed parts of Rapture, and a protagonist whose memory (or lack thereof) is being manipulated by a man obsessed with power. Behind Bioshock's memorable cover was an immersive experiencing. But in order to get to it you had to fight your fears and accept one fact: that same drill-wearing giant on the game's cover would be the death of you...more than once.

Year: 2013
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Designer: NetherRealm Studios

It's almost too much to handle, especially with Superman about to blow off Batman's head. (Although the latter obviously has a trick up his sleeve with that large amount of Kryptonite in his hand.) It's everybody's childhood dream become a reality: a game where Bane can beat the crap out of Superman, and Batgirl can duke it out with Harley Quinn. But the best aspect of the cover is that it's unnerving. The characters are drawn in a way that lets players know that this isn't a lighthearted comic book-based game. Seriously, look at Joker--if you haven't had nightmares because of that face you're seriously fearless. (Or on the deep end...just like Joker.) An incredible concept with a great cover--kudos, Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Year: 2008
Publisher: LucasArts
Designer: LucasArts

This cover has badass written all over it. From the red lightsaber to the fact that this jedi is electrocuting three stormtroopers at once, it's hard to just walk by an image like this without going, "Wow. This is nothing like Lego Star Wars: The Video Game." The cover practically lets players know that they're playing as an anti-hero, who we learn is Darth Vader's secret apprentice and a "Force wrecking ball." It's always good to be bad every once awhile, especially when it comes to being a destructive, lightsaber-wielding fighter. And from the cover art it's obvious that there's one primary goal throughout this game: to use the Force in the most destructive ways possible.

Year: 2004
Publisher: EA Games
Designer: EA Redwood Shores

It's hard to be unphased by a large, monstrous and fiery figure that looks like Satan's steroid-fueled pet. Seriously, none of the four people on this cover look prepared to fight this guy. And that's honestly what makes this cover so great. It's simultaneously hopeless and fascinating--you can't help but want to see if this monster is as brutal as he looks. (He totally is.) Lord Of The Rings is known for its rich storytelling and mythical beasts. Why sit through several hours of Lord Of The Rings movies when you could be a part of it? EA Games did everyone a favor with this game by making it enjoyable and packaging it with a great cover.

Year: 2003
Publisher: LucasArts
Designer: Gregory Harsh

This cover is like the promotional poster for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope: magnificent, memorable and something we wouldn't mind framing in our room. Everything is great about it: a menacing, red lightsaber-wielding fighter, a green lightsaber-wielding heroine and aircrafts flying in the distance. You could tell from the cover art alone that Knights Of The Old Republic was destined to be an enjoyable game. It's as if developer BioWare knew they were going to drop one of the best games of 2003 and thought, "We need an epic cover for our epic video game." (Cue "The Imperial March.") Congratulations, BioWare--you outdid yourself in both the cover art and video game departments.

Year: 2012
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Designer: 343 Industries

Crouched and with buildings towering over him (some of them burning and destroyed), Master Chief looks like he's almost at his wit's end. Sure, just like cover art for previous Halo games this cover art has the protagonist looking as heroic as ever, but he's insignificant in comparison to everything around him. This reflects Halo 4: a game where just about everything isn't in Master Chief's favor, including going up against some of the toughest enemies the Halo series has to offer. But judging by how determined he looks in the game's cover it was pretty foolish to doubt him at all.

Year: 2005
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Designer: Fumito Ueda

Just look at how tall that colossi is in comparison to Wonder and his horse. Imagine having to go toe-to-toe (or, more accurately, your head to the colossi's foot) with one of those. You probably wouldn't last. Aside from giving players an idea of what they would encounter in this game, the cover also hints at how artistic and creative it is, too. A dark giant, silent and threatening, staring below at a young boy illuminated by a small ray of light. It foreshadows the journey a player will embark on in this game, traveling great distances to accomplish a rather selfless goal. This cover is both beautiful and sinister, a near-flawless illustration for an ambitious game. And for that it gets our top spot for best video game cover.