A good video game commercial can sell you on anything. Over the years we’ve been excellent commercials for new consoles, engrossing trailers for upcoming games, and ads for accessories and peripherals like motion controllers and VR headsets.
We’ve detailed our favorite video game commercials below, and now we want to know your thoughts. Let us know what you think is the best game commercial in the comments section!
What is the best video game commercial ever?
Dead Island’s reveal trailer
Paul Tamburro, executive editor: “The Dead Island reveal trailer was so good that it made people buy a completely different game. While it was definitely misleading advertising, it says a lot to the quality of this commercial that I still want to see this fictional game that it suggested we were going to get.” hat it made people buy a completely different game.”
Atari Jaguar commercial
Jason Faulkner, senior editor: “My favorite video game commercial is the Atari Jaguar commercial where the teacher is flipping out in what I guess is a community college. This is the first time I remember seeing a real asinine argument on why one console is better than the other. According to her, the Atari Jaguar is better than the Sega Genesis and the 3DO because they’re 16 and 32 bit and the Jaguar is 64 bit. There’s a lot of irony here in hindsight because the Jaguar was a huge flop and it wasn’t even totally a 64-bit system. It’s also a quintessential example of the “in your face” advertising that was prevalent in the 1990s.”
Gears of War’s ‘Mad World’ trailer
Mack Ashworth, lead editor: “For me, it’s the Gears of War “Mad World” commercial. It’s the game I got with my Xbox 360, and this haunting ad contributed massively to my hype for the next-generation of gaming. They recently recreated the ad for the Gears of War Ultimate Edition remaster. Just epic stuff!”
PlayStation’s ‘Long Live Play’ commercial
Michael Leri, features editor: “This is going to sound incredibly masturbatory but it isn’t. Well, mostly. The PlayStation “Michael” commercial always stood out to me for its general celebration of video games. It had fan service, tons of Easter eggs, decent production value, and a wholesome message. Dedicating it to “Catherine” or Steven” would have also been impactful but it having my name was just the icing on the cake. Weirdly enough, Simon McQuoid, the director of the commercial, is also directing upcoming Mortal Kombat movie.”
