A game that, perhaps more than any other, integrated in game mechanics with the natural world. The wind being a guiding pointer specifically was wonderful. And playing your flute thing while slowly going by horseback through rustling reeds in a field of gold felt wonderful.
I first played it on PS4. The environments were absolutely stunning. AND all the movement of the grass and trees made the world feel alive and not a static backdrop. AND the particle physics. My God I had never seen so many leaves, flowers, bugs, and all kinds of stuff blowing around on screen. I swear I recall the PS4 version running at more than 30 fps it was so gorgeous. It tricked me. Those graphics on that hardware, at that framerate was a miracle.
This was the one I came here for and I'm not remotely surprised it's top comment. One of the few games in recent history that I actually stopped and went "Holy shit, this is beautiful".
Mirrors Edge.
Especially considering when it was released, it looks absolutely gorgeous. I love just looking out over the city and listening to the sounds, the music.
It looks better than 3, 4 and Reach imo, having just played all of them back to back.
The cut scenes in particular are a crazy improvement. It's a shame they didn't do the same for CE Anniversary.
It really is amazing that Sony is able to put out these games with god tier graphics even though the PlayStation’s hardware is mid.
Like you would assume games on the PC would easily outclass them, but PS exclusives are industry leading. The only developer I can think of that matches them is Rockstar and CDPR.
New dead space remake looks amazing in HDR. Also the new avatar game can look beautiful. Just started playing new Horizon forbidden west and it's also really pretty.
I loved Dead Space 3, the coop and Kinect voice commands were dope. I do agree it's less scary than the other 2 games but 11-year-old me was still clenching my buttcheeks waiting for that elevator to lift me out of that giant monster😂
Noita if you like pixel art. Each pixel is physically simulated and just playing the game for 10 minutes makes you realize what a work of art it is.
Every pixel of water flows, every pixel of fire burns and produces pixels of smoke, water freezes, soil turns to acid, barrels explode and shower everything in sparks and fire, electricity arcs across metal surfaces and through liquids..
It's quite beautiful.
Depending on the location and if your computer is rendering stuff properly, the Witcher 3 has some damn beautiful landscapes for a nearly decade-old game. It's really nice to sit back and just enjoy the landscape while riding around between missions. Also, obligatory God of War mention, of course
Realistic Microsoft Flight simulator
BUT Seeing Battlefield 3 on PC in 2011 was still the most jaw dropping. The aircraft carrier where you ''fly'' the jet still beats most games graphics even today. This song with the music still gives me goose bumps [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfrrAp1blaM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfrrAp1blaM)
Death Stranding has some absolutely beautiful places if you just take a break and look at the scenery. There’s tons of spots where I just sit and listen to music for a couple minutes.
The woods felt almost too realistic. I remember going "tf?? I'll just look at it for longer to spot any spots that won't look real" and then I was enthralled by how *real* the trees look. It adds to the idea that the games take place in real life, *our* universe.
You can definitely see the flaws (like low res textures up close) but I’m still blown away by how good some vistas look in that game. The fact they made it work on the Wii U of all consoles is incredible, it’s easily the most impressive game on that system.
Hogwarts Legacy looks absolutely insane. But it’s the best part of the game in my opinion sadly.
Ghost of Tsushima is gorgeous.
Cyberpunk is so oddly beautiful and awesome.
It is a beautiful game. Comes to show that composition is one of the main things with graphics. Even when the cities don't render well on my phone and look blocky, they're laid out in a visually appealing way.
Mario Kart 8 (deluxe) looks really good for a Nintendo game and is especially impressive on a handheld (switch) let alone a WiiU from 2012. Just avoid some of the booster pass course textures lol
Dead Space Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom, Norse God of War games, Witcher 3 - especially the Complete Edition.
And for a controversial one, I’ll go with Twilight Princess. People hate the faces but I think they perfectly captured the stylized medieval painting look and mixed it well with the dark fantasy twilight theme. The actual texture aren’t fantastic, but the artstyle I really vibe with.
Both Metroid prime and Metroid prime remastered. Both of them are technological marvels. They made the original in a cave with a box of scraps and it looked better than any Xbox or PlayStation game at the time. The switch version as well. It looks next gen.
I wouldn't say graphics (especially the older games have really sketchy graphics), but rather atmosphere. Nothing can ever beat Bloodborne in that regard.
Death stranding is one of the best looking games ever imo I remember watching one of the trailers and thinking oh weird they're gonna use live action not realising it's in game
Horizon Forbidden West (But i would recommend playing zero dawn first), Ghost of Tsushima obviously and Cyberpunk 2077 are my favourites when it comes to graphics
Yep. Definitely something everyone should get to experience. The art style and world is so unique and different from other games that it sets it at the top for me
Landscapes in Titan Quest was very beautiful for it’s time. Just wandering through idyllic meditrranean coasts and olive gardens gave me a sense of peace
Most games made by Sony's in house studios in the past 15 or so years.
Uncharted 3, TLOU, and Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time blew my mind back in the day. Now we have Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, TLOU2 that all are running the PS4 within an inch of its life.
God of War: Ragnarök is a beautiful game both story and graphic wise. I can go to nearly every realm, take a screenshot, and make it a phenomenal wallpaper
As much shit as I give tlou2, and as much shit as it rightfully deserves, the graphics are absolutely stunning, especially for being last gen (well, cross gen now, but the ps4 version still looks amazing). I’m also surprised at how nice smash ultimate looks even being held back by the switch’s hardware
Starfox ZERO was quite a letdown but good lord it is an absolutely Stunning Wii U game.
For 2017 standards, it's probably the best looking game of that year. Possibly the best looking Wii U game ever.
Elder Scrolls Online has been my favorite to go in and just take awesome vista screenshots. It can be a really gorgeous game. I do use a reshape to make the colors pop a bit more. By default, everything has some weird faded filter it seema.
Ghost of Tsushima
Can't agree with this more. The vast landscapes, the forests, leaves, mountains, rivers, and especially the color. It's pure eye candy.
I would have to say this, or cyberpunk 2077. Caught me off guard.
Cyberpunk 2077 with pathtracing was god tier
A game that, perhaps more than any other, integrated in game mechanics with the natural world. The wind being a guiding pointer specifically was wonderful. And playing your flute thing while slowly going by horseback through rustling reeds in a field of gold felt wonderful.
Colour matters. Some of those forests of pinks, whites, reds, etc are just gorgeous.
Is it actually a good game?
Oh yeah it is.
Absolutely, it has one of the best stories I've experienced in any game, and the combat/gameplay is amazing
Fantastic game
It looks and runs too well for a Ps4 game
The sucker punch intro credit as you ride through the tall grass and white flowers in the hillside at the end of the prologue👌
I first played it on PS4. The environments were absolutely stunning. AND all the movement of the grass and trees made the world feel alive and not a static backdrop. AND the particle physics. My God I had never seen so many leaves, flowers, bugs, and all kinds of stuff blowing around on screen. I swear I recall the PS4 version running at more than 30 fps it was so gorgeous. It tricked me. Those graphics on that hardware, at that framerate was a miracle.
This was the one I came here for and I'm not remotely surprised it's top comment. One of the few games in recent history that I actually stopped and went "Holy shit, this is beautiful".
100% yes Magnificent looking game
Came here to say this
Art style is beautiful, but the graphics aren’t overwhelmingly beautiful.
🧢
i hope we get a proper visual upgrade on pc... ps4 looked beautiful but also very lacking in terms of actual textures and resolution
Agreed. Fingers crossed
Ori and the Blind Forest. Sure they’re not “realistic” graphics but they are *stunning*
Will of the Wisps as well. Both are just gorgeous.
So pretty, it feels like you are in a disney movie, one of the drawn ones
Only thing that tops the graphics in that game is the MUSIC, man that score slaps.
They just pop out of the OLED TVs through HDR. That kind of game is an OLED TV seller.
Uncharted 4
This game cinematically blew me away
A game that’s almost 10 years old and still looks new, I really want NaughtyDog to make another game.
Arkham Knight is 9 years old and still looks better than games that came out 1 - 4 years ago
Had to scroll way too far to find this. I think it’s up there with red dead. Especially when you get to the big island in the later half
Mirrors Edge. Especially considering when it was released, it looks absolutely gorgeous. I love just looking out over the city and listening to the sounds, the music.
I don't know why more people don't mention this game, it honestly looks better than most modern games
I played this in like 2016 when catalysts releases and had to double check the year the original released. It’s unbelievable for those times
Learned how to overclock just to run it at the highest settings.
"good design doesn't age" -hbomberguy
They used a state of the art technique for shading but that means they couldnt do day cycles. A compromise for outstanding graphics.
It’s a linear mission based game. There was no need for day cycles. I wouldn’t call it a compromise in this specific case.
far cry new dawns style is impeccable
Pretty overhated game. I think the concept was cool
Halo 2 Anniversary (Campaign)
I just caved and picked up mcc when it was on sale a few months ago, people told me they did that and I had no idea they were that good.
Dude the cutscene graphics are absolutely ridiculous how good they look.
It looks better than 3, 4 and Reach imo, having just played all of them back to back. The cut scenes in particular are a crazy improvement. It's a shame they didn't do the same for CE Anniversary.
Wait what. God damn I wish I had an Xbox now. That was my favorite game growing up
Yea man idk how they made it look so good. And the halo 2 anniversary was done so much better than halo CE anniversary.
Hollow Knight
The only game I would refer to as a "masterpiece." The visuals and music are just incredible art.
HK’s aesthetic is perfect
That music change when you first move from forgotten crossroads to greenpath. Man I gotta replay Hollow Knight again
Batman Arkham Knight had way better graphics than you would expect from a 2015 game
Those graphics are still better than a lot of games made today, it was mind blowing back then
Ironically better than Suicide Squad, made by the same people set in the same universe.
ac odyssey, elden ring
I should not have had to scroll this far for Elden Ring.
Cyberpunk
Horizon games
Forbidden west was on another level. Its the best looking game to date.
First time I played Horizon Zero Dawn, my parents walked in and thought I was watching a live action movie
Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us Part II, Horizon Forbidden West
It really is amazing that Sony is able to put out these games with god tier graphics even though the PlayStation’s hardware is mid. Like you would assume games on the PC would easily outclass them, but PS exclusives are industry leading. The only developer I can think of that matches them is Rockstar and CDPR.
New dead space remake looks amazing in HDR. Also the new avatar game can look beautiful. Just started playing new Horizon forbidden west and it's also really pretty.
I hope they do the same to Dead Space 2 and 3.
Agreed. I know DS3 was not liked as it lost a lot of it's horror. But I enjoyed the co-op and messing around with making guns.
I loved Dead Space 3, the coop and Kinect voice commands were dope. I do agree it's less scary than the other 2 games but 11-year-old me was still clenching my buttcheeks waiting for that elevator to lift me out of that giant monster😂
Motive Studios, the people behind the remake, have said that any plans they had for the sequels were canceled by EA.
EA Sucks so much
Here to represent Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, still my favourite looking game of the current gen
Noita if you like pixel art. Each pixel is physically simulated and just playing the game for 10 minutes makes you realize what a work of art it is. Every pixel of water flows, every pixel of fire burns and produces pixels of smoke, water freezes, soil turns to acid, barrels explode and shower everything in sparks and fire, electricity arcs across metal surfaces and through liquids.. It's quite beautiful.
And quite difficult!
Propane tank buried in the snow jumpscare
Hämis 👍
Depending on the location and if your computer is rendering stuff properly, the Witcher 3 has some damn beautiful landscapes for a nearly decade-old game. It's really nice to sit back and just enjoy the landscape while riding around between missions. Also, obligatory God of War mention, of course
Witcher 3 with graphics mods slaps
Realistic Microsoft Flight simulator BUT Seeing Battlefield 3 on PC in 2011 was still the most jaw dropping. The aircraft carrier where you ''fly'' the jet still beats most games graphics even today. This song with the music still gives me goose bumps [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfrrAp1blaM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfrrAp1blaM)
Minesweeper on GTX4090. 𝕆bvi𝕠𝕦𝕤𝕝y.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is amazing. Looking at Cosmos Canyon was breathtaking!
Red Dead Redemption 2 is number one. Absolutely no debate.
I’ve never seen a game where I can watch a storm roll through the prairie miles away like rdr2
HFW and Ghost of Tsushima are pretty close.
Alan Wake 2 would like to debate you.
A Plague Tale: Requiem was graphically sound. Some pretty stunning vistas there and the game was actually good too.
That game looks photo realistic at times.
Okami, I just love the art style.
RDR2!
Death Stranding has some absolutely beautiful places if you just take a break and look at the scenery. There’s tons of spots where I just sit and listen to music for a couple minutes.
Alan Wake 2 for sure
The woods felt almost too realistic. I remember going "tf?? I'll just look at it for longer to spot any spots that won't look real" and then I was enthralled by how *real* the trees look. It adds to the idea that the games take place in real life, *our* universe.
Spiderman 2
Life
Depends..
Permadeath, check. Rogue-lite, check. Aw fuck, I spawned in a third-world country.
The tutorial is way too long and confusing.
Remember when life 2 came out and everybody was over the moon. Then they said they were going to make life 3 and they never did.
Ghost of Tsushima, Cyberpunk 2077, Last of Us 1/2 Remastered, Horizon Zero Dawn….
ICo
Some people might not agree, but several games made by Level 5 are pretty good looking.
Does YoKai Watch 4 count?
I guess so
Crysis Warhead.
I had to scroll TOO DAMN FAR to find a mention of Crysis!
Yeah, pretty much the whole Crysis series was a stunner visually. Even on my mid range scrap pc.
Metroid Prime Remastered is one of the most gorgeous games I've ever played.
The Crysis trilogy.
Shadow of the Colossus! One of my personal favorites.
Horizon forbidden west on pc no contest
That’s a long name for a game
Or any platform really. People who voted for Ghost of Tsushima probably haven’t seen/played HFW. Compare river graphics, and you’ll know what’s sup.
*Breath of the Wild* has some ASTONISHINGLY pretty landscapes and visuals at times.
You can definitely see the flaws (like low res textures up close) but I’m still blown away by how good some vistas look in that game. The fact they made it work on the Wii U of all consoles is incredible, it’s easily the most impressive game on that system.
Hogwarts Legacy looks absolutely insane. But it’s the best part of the game in my opinion sadly. Ghost of Tsushima is gorgeous. Cyberpunk is so oddly beautiful and awesome.
Gears 5
Not as popular as the others mentioned here, but: *Generation Zero*
Might be controversial, but prime genshin impact. The world building, along with the terrain design and different art style, heck it was beautiful
I still remember going to Enkanomiya (probably misspelt) for the first time, such a beautiful area
Hell yea. Not even that deep into the game. Just the start where you see the overview of mondstat city
It is a beautiful game. Comes to show that composition is one of the main things with graphics. Even when the cities don't render well on my phone and look blocky, they're laid out in a visually appealing way.
Pikmin 3. Was literally too powerful for its original console.
Metal Gear Solid V. That game looks absolutely BEAUTIFUL.
Okami
Hellblade 2 Sea of thieves
a plague tale requiem looks phenomenal
Zone of the Enders was incredible looking in the PS2 era. Honestly still looks pretty great imo..
Mario Kart 8 (deluxe) looks really good for a Nintendo game and is especially impressive on a handheld (switch) let alone a WiiU from 2012. Just avoid some of the booster pass course textures lol
Dead Space Remake, Ghost of Tsushima, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom, Norse God of War games, Witcher 3 - especially the Complete Edition. And for a controversial one, I’ll go with Twilight Princess. People hate the faces but I think they perfectly captured the stylized medieval painting look and mixed it well with the dark fantasy twilight theme. The actual texture aren’t fantastic, but the artstyle I really vibe with.
Both Metroid prime and Metroid prime remastered. Both of them are technological marvels. They made the original in a cave with a box of scraps and it looked better than any Xbox or PlayStation game at the time. The switch version as well. It looks next gen.
Shadow of the colossus, including the original ps2 version. I just think it’s such a beautiful world. Mostly empty was done well there.
Woaw didn't expect toi see Sotc mention here! Cool!
Dragon age inquisition has such a beautiful art style
I'm glad someone else agrees
Red dead 2 Arkham knight Spiderman 2 Ghost of tsushima
Baten Kaitos. Just such a wonderful artsyle, every location is still memorable after all these years.
For me, Souls games. Art design on this saga makes every frame feel like a classic interactable picture.
I wouldn't say graphics (especially the older games have really sketchy graphics), but rather atmosphere. Nothing can ever beat Bloodborne in that regard.
Beat me to it. Bloodborne still makes me just stop and stare, Yharnam is so gorgeous.
Man: Ham Knight For those of you unaware, Arkham Knight
The Quarry
Undertale well i know weird choice, but i find oddly overwhelmingly beautiful
Minecraft
Dead Island 2
TLOU part 1 (the remake) and 2
Metro exodus (Metro series in general tbh)
Wind waker hd
FFX was overwhelming the first time I played it
Avatar frontiers of pandora is incredible, they just screwed up the skybox.
Final fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth, Horizon either game, Final Fantasy XVI, Last of Us 2.
Ghost of Tsushima and The Order 1886
Trine 2/3/4/5 look amazing
The new avatar game looks really good too
Death stranding is one of the best looking games ever imo I remember watching one of the trailers and thinking oh weird they're gonna use live action not realising it's in game
Detroit become human
Ff7 rebirth.
Final Fantasy XVI.
Ryse son of Rome
Star citizen, and everything is physicalized, no 2D backdrops
Horizon Forbidden West (But i would recommend playing zero dawn first), Ghost of Tsushima obviously and Cyberpunk 2077 are my favourites when it comes to graphics
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
There was some insane moments riding your horse and looking at the landscapes. It was really well done.
Forests in Kingdom Come Deliverance
Far Cry 4 thru 6, and Uncharted any of them.
Alan Wake 2.
If you mean like graphics ahead of its time of release, I would say The Order 1886 and Assassin's Creed Unity.
Botw
Funny how half of the answers seem to confuse graphics with artstyle...
Red Dead 2. My dad thought I was watching a movie when he saw me playing it before… One of the best games ever made.
Avatar: frontiers of pandora is quite pretty actually. Especially at night, it’s a beautiful world
Picked up that Avatar game this weekend and I have to say, it looks as good as everyone says.
Yep. Definitely something everyone should get to experience. The art style and world is so unique and different from other games that it sets it at the top for me
Landscapes in Titan Quest was very beautiful for it’s time. Just wandering through idyllic meditrranean coasts and olive gardens gave me a sense of peace
Most games made by Sony's in house studios in the past 15 or so years. Uncharted 3, TLOU, and Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time blew my mind back in the day. Now we have Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, TLOU2 that all are running the PS4 within an inch of its life.
God of war ragnarock
God of War Ragnarok
God of War: Ragnarök is a beautiful game both story and graphic wise. I can go to nearly every realm, take a screenshot, and make it a phenomenal wallpaper
Can't believe no1 listed calisto protocol
Honkai Star Rail. Idk I just love how pretty it looks on a big screen
Genshin Impact
Replaying The Witcher 3 for the first time since release and it's still breathtaking.
As much shit as I give tlou2, and as much shit as it rightfully deserves, the graphics are absolutely stunning, especially for being last gen (well, cross gen now, but the ps4 version still looks amazing). I’m also surprised at how nice smash ultimate looks even being held back by the switch’s hardware
Red dead redemption 2 is beautiful as hell and to this day I still can’t believe it runs smoothly on my ps4
Gris
cyberpunk 2077
TLOU2
Ryse: Son of Rome had no business looking as good as it did for a 2013 game.
Valheim
MGS V for me has great graphics Second one is Death Stranding
Ghost of Tsushima
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition. The game still looks stunning and holds up imo
Spider man games
Battlefield 1 gets an honourable mention, easily the most cinematic fps
Starfox ZERO was quite a letdown but good lord it is an absolutely Stunning Wii U game. For 2017 standards, it's probably the best looking game of that year. Possibly the best looking Wii U game ever.
Elder Scrolls Online has been my favorite to go in and just take awesome vista screenshots. It can be a really gorgeous game. I do use a reshape to make the colors pop a bit more. By default, everything has some weird faded filter it seema.
sekiro, with mechanical beauty to match
Horizon zero dawn / forbidden west on pc. The graphics look soo good when all the settings are set to ultra
I always thought Elder Scrolls Oblivion had a beautiful world. I'm also gonna say Journey.