While some have remarked that 2016 was a disappointing, good-not-great year for video gaming, you certainly can't say that about video game graphics. There was no shortage of games this year that prove it's, indeed 2016.
And this doesn't just mean the shiniest, glossiest, or most photo-realistic. Many games on this list have incredibly memorable graphics for one reason or another.
See our selection for the Top 10 Best Graphics of 2016 below:
Top 10 Best Graphics In Gaming 2016
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Top 10 Best Graphics In Gaming 2016
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3. Battlefield 1
Unlike how it was with Gears of War 4, we already had a Battlefield game on the latest console generation. It wasn't a very good one (Hardline), but that's neither here nor there. We still saw what Dice could bring to the table when it came to technology - so we thought.
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rnBoy, were we wrong. It turns out that Battlefield: Hardline was indeed held back by its cross-generation status, because Battlefield 1 is the Mona Lisa to Hardline's macaroni art.
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rnPlatforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
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rnI know the game is hectic and intense, but grab a second every now and then to just look around and you'll find true awe. -
8. Doom
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
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rnNo matter what you expected from Doom, I don't think anyone expected it to look good. Certainly not this good. The last time we played a DOOM game, it feels like anyway, was back in the days of pixelated, 2D run-and-guns.
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rnBeyond that, DOOM was simply an unknown commodity. But not anymore. You always have to enjoy a game that can portray pure carnage in a way that's both cheesy and realistic - well, as realistic as you can get, considering you're running around cutting demons in half with high-powered weaponry. -
5. Dark Souls 3
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
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rnDark Souls 3 was a surprising entry, coming only a year after the PS4-exclusive Bloodborne, also developed by FromSoftware. Everyone wanted to know, would we actually see any improvement in how the game looks, going from a PS4-exclusive to a multi-platform.
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rnIn a word, definitely. In a few more words: holy freaking crap, Dark Souls 3 looks great, and, unlike Bloodborne, it didn't rely on a dark, dour environment to hide its flaws or mute its aesthetic. This is truly what the Dark Souls series can do this generation. I'm excited for the next one. -
4. Final Fantasy XV
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One
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rnYou want to talk long development cycles across multiple console generations, Final Fantasy XV is your guy, as it were. But, again, Final Fantasy was truly able to make use of the new tools at its disposal as they became available.
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rnIt's one of those games that you can pick up and play and not realize it's from a different time. Final Fantasy XV fits right in with the current generation, and creates gorgeous environments as well as detailed mayhem in the heat of battle, and many games fail to achieve both of those. -
9. Gears of War 4
Platform: Xbox One
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rnA lot of people forget that Gears of War 4 is the first in the series to appear on the Xbox One. Sure, you had the Ultimate Edition, but that is just a remaster, so it wasn't built from the ground-up to work on the current console generation.
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rnGears of War 4 was The Coalitions first "show me what you can do" moment, and they didn't disappoint, delivering a finished product, the graphics of which are both stunningly realistic and distinctly Gears of War. -
7. Inside
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
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rnWhich brings us to Inside, a game that does really well with everything tangible - lighting, shadows, character models, etcetera, but also has it's own distinct style.
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rnInside even managed to have a mostly different aesthetic than Playdead's previous title Limbo, which is no easy feat. A lot of smaller developers tend to stay glued and nailed to what they know, and, while the fundamental principles of both games are in-line with one another, Playdead wasn't afraid to innovate and improve on its graphics. -
2. Quantum Break
Platforms: Xbox One, Windows 10
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rnNot a lot of buzz was thrown around regarding Quantum Break, despite a heavy ad campaign in Regal Cinemas. People just didn't talk about it, despite generally favorable reviews and - most importantly - breath-taking graphics that pushed the boundaries of whatever console was brave enough to run it.
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rnWhile Quantum Break was most noted for its motion capture usage that created a photo-realistic interpretation of its characters - "blurring the line between television and gameplay," as Remedy Entertainment put it - Quantum Break also had it made in its manipulation of its own graphics, as you can see above. -
10. Stellaris
Platform: PC
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rnStellaris was given surprising praise on a number of different levels, but I think the most under-played aspect of Paradox Development Studio's success was with their graphics.
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rnWhile outer space may be an easier task, that doesn't take anything away the beauty of Stellaris as a finished product. The way the light bounces off the planets, and the stars shine brightly enough to illuminate epic space battles that happen on the regular, there's no way we could avoid adding it to this list. -
6. The Division
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
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rnThe Division had quite the development period, to say the least. This wasn't The Last Guardian levels or anything like that, but it showed up on the map right at the end of a console generation and the start of another.
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rnThe Division's gameplay first premiered at E3 2013, five months before the release of the PS4. Usually games that are right on the cusp of new technology tend to be shackled to the past when the finally release, but The Division took its time and we were all rewarded with a beautiful end result of patience in adapting one's vision to newer technology. -
1. Uncharted 4: A Thief\'s End
Platform: PS4
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rnMan the PS4 is great, isn't it? This is the kind of product it can truly churn out, with Uncharted 4. The Uncharted series has continually improved, graphically, but Naughty Dog flatout outdid themselves here.
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rnThe main difference now lies in its action sequences. The Uncharted series was always great at creating a setting that could take your breath away, but Uncharted 4 really came into its own when things go south and hell starts breaking loose. This keeps you in the moment, and, ultimately makes Uncharted 4 have the best graphics of 2016.
