Many are heralding 2011 as one of the greatest years in video games history, though the ornery old-school gamer in me believes 1996 still holds that title. However, it’s hard to argue against the likes of: Battlefield 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Uncharted 3, NBA 2K12, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Modern Warfare 3, and Batman: Arkham City. Even as you’re reading this list, I’m sure many of you are shouting “You left out X (game), which is better than Y“. Or you’ll let me know what I left out in the comments. That’s how bountiful 2011 has been to all of us.

So what were the most played games of 2011?

Since I already spoiled the surprise in the title, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was the most played title in 2011 according to a report generated by Raptr.com.

Most Played Games of 2011 – Full Report (PDF)

The service allows gamers to track their achievements, and gameplay activity for both PC and consoles. However, due to data capturing restrictions, only data from the PC and Xbox 360 can be used for the report. So the findings are skewed, leaving the hours clocked by Uncharted 3 and Skyward Sword in question.

Here’s a list of the rest of the awards handed out in the report, along with some interesting statistical findings:

- Most Played Shooter: Modern Warfare 3

- Most Played RPG: Skyrim

- Most Played Open World (Non-RPG): Batman: Arkham City

- Most Played Sports Game: FIFA Soccer 12

- Most Played Social Game: The Sims Social

- Most Played New IP: L.A. Noire

- Most Successful Paid-to-F2P Game: DC Universe Online

- An average Skyrim player logged 85 hours before unlocking the “Reader” achievement (read 50 skill books).

- Apparently Batman doesn’t care about saving hostages — less than 1% of players rescued all hostages from The Riddler.

- The average Skyrim player clocked 2.92 hours in one sitting – the highest one month average in Raptr history.

- Most pay-to-play games experience explosive growth after making the switch to free-to-play. This year, the biggest was DC Universe Online with a 1000% increase in user base, which translated to a 2500% increase in playtime per day.

Pretty interesting findings from Raptr, with the DC Universe Online stats being the most eye-opening to me. Considering most games seem to monetize better on a free-to-play system, by making money through cash shops, it’s a wonder why there’s still a subscription model in existence. I’m looking at you Star Wars: The Old Republic (which I’ll end up playing anyway).

Happy Gaming in 2011 everyone!