Graphics aren’t the most important aspect of a video game, but in 2016 in particular so many strong strides have been made towards improving the level of immersion experienced by players in their games. With virtual reality headsets such as the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR finally making their way to market along with the appearance of 4K-ready consoles, this year has been particularly exciting for those who like their games to look good.
But with 2016 being a year in which current-gen consoles really began hitting their stride in terms of visual performance, and with PC graphics continuing to propel the medium into the future with the release of new GPUs such as the GTX 1080, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to pick out which games are better than the rest in this particular department. With that being said, we’ve given it a shot anyway.
From games with strong art directions through to those boasting photorealistic visuals and stylish animation, here’s our list of the top 10 games with the best graphics in 2016:
10. Unravel
Unravel is like the visual equivalent of a hug, with its warm hues feeling like a giant blanket wrapping around our bodies. Although the platformer may not have been as memorable as we had hoped, its lovable protagonist Yarny was one of the more adorable video game heroes we’ve seen, and its creators ColdWood Interactive did a great job of crafting a living, breathing world for him to explore.
9. NBA 2K17
2K routinely hits a three-pointer when it comes to its NBA series’ visuals, and NBA 2K17 was no exception. After the marginal disappointment of 2K16, 2K decided to make a few more necessary adjustments this time around, returning with improved player models and venues. The end result is one of the most photo-realistic games we’ve ever played, with superstars such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry each looking uncannily similar to their real-life counterparts.
8. Bound
Bound‘s Escher-esque environment is impressive enough in and of itself, before you take into account the detailed animation that makes up its agile protagonist’s movements. Its minimalist art style may prove to be off-putting for some, but watching its cubic terrain alter with each step its heroine takes is a thoroughly unique way of immersing the player in its world. This is only enhanced when playing the game in PS VR, with the game being played from the perspective of a static camera that gives it the appearance of a moving canvas.
7. Dark Souls 3
While From Software’s output has never been the most impressive from a technical standpoint, what they lack in visual fidelity they routinely make up for with solid art direction, and Dark Souls 3 was no different. It must have been difficult for From to follow up Bloodborne, which boasted arguably the most impressive world that the studio has created thus far, but Dark Souls 3 managed to live up to the lofty bar set by its predecessor. As gorgeous as it is grim, Dark Souls 3 presented a journey through a world filled with visual surprises, unique enemy designs and terrifying bosses, teaming its beloved challenging gameplay with a fittingly dark and foreboding atmosphere.
6. Firewatch
Although Firewatch was ostensibly a game in which players were tasked with solving a mystery, its most inveigling aspect was traversing through its beautiful national park setting. Filled with gorgeous views from top to bottom, Firewatch‘s strong art direction followed in the vein of similar first-person narrative adventures such as The Vanishing of Ethan Carter by playing out like a gorgeous book for players to get themselves lost in. This wouldn’t have been the case if its visual identity wasn’t so strong, and developer Campo Santo did a great job of making it work.
5. Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 represented a major thematic change for the Battlefield series, moving away from the modernized combat seen in its most recent entries in favor of moving to the early 20th century and World War I. EA DICE put a lot of effort into making this transition look authentic and not simply an old-fashioned palette swap of its previous games, with Battlefield 1 pulling out all the stops in this regard. Both its guns and vehicles boast an extreme level of attention to detail when it come to replicating their original designs, while its campaign and multiplayer components do a great job of offering a variety of unique locations to fight through, from the Arabian desert through to London’s skies. Battlefield 1 would have ranked higher on the list if not for some performance issues that are prevalent particularly on consoles, but it’s a gorgeous game nonetheless.
4. Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XV arguably boasted the best-looking cutscenes we’ve ever seen in a game, featuring a high level of quality we’re more accustomed to seeing in multi-million dollar CGI-driven Hollywood movies. Its open world is also unlike any other we’ve seen from a game, with it featuring an unprecedented sense of scale that is complemented by impressive draw distances and a successful combination of both familiar, Earth-like terrain and alien structures. While it may be less appealing to look at in its second half when its story moves the game to linear environments, there’s still plenty to love about the way Final Fantasy XV looks, and it’s certainly the most gorgeous game in the series thus far.
3. Quantum Break
Quantum Break may not have been the breakthrough new IP Xbox One owners were hoping for, but even though Remedy Entertainment’s finished product didn’t live up to expectations, it certainly knocked it out of the park in the graphics department. The most visually impressive Xbox One game of the year, Quantum Break‘s time-bending mechanics were highlighted perfectly by way of its stylish animation and world-bending visual effects ripped straight from The Matrix. The game may not have been as successful as we had hoped, but on the basis of its strong visuals alone we hope that it receives a sequel in the future.
2. Batman: Arkham VR
Rocksteady nailed the gothic visual style of Batman with its Arkham series, and even though Asylum, City and Knight boasted some of the most impressive visuals of their respective eras, the developer’s first foray into virtual reality with Batman: Arkham VR was legitimately jaw-dropping. This PlayStation VR launch title provided an unmissable experience for Batfans, allowing them to don the cape and cowl of the Dark Knight and begin cracking a mystery only the World’s Greatest Detective could solve. Along the way there are some breathtaking sights to behold, including a bats-eye view of Gotham’s skyline (which can lead to legitimate vertigo if you dare to look down), a claustrophobic journey through the sewers and an unsettling visit to a morgue, all boasting the same attention to detail Rocksteady exhibited in its previous Arkham games. Easily the best-looking virtual reality game we played in 2016, Batman: Arkham VR was also one of the best-looking games of the year, period.
1. Uncharted 4
Though it may not have lived up to our expectations, Uncharted 4 was still a visual powerhouse and is undoubtedly the most impressive looking console game to date. The Uncharted series has always represented the best that the PlayStation has to offer in terms of graphics, and Naughty Dog significantly upped the ante for its final chapter in Nathan Drake’s story. There were plenty of breathtaking sights to witness through the game’s story, including a stunning jeep ride through Madagascar, the ancient ruins of Libertalia and a few of the series’ best-looking action set-pieces thus far. The animations were also top notch, with Naughty Dog taking what they’d learned from The Last of Us‘ expressive facial animations and building upon it considerably. Combine that with a photo mode that allowed players to more carefully examine the extraordinary level of detail achieved by Naughty Dog, and you’re left with the best-looking game of 2016 by quite a considerable margin.
