Ranking 2016 AAA PS4 Games By Which Is the Best Looking

A Year of Beauty

2016 has seen a lot of major releases grace the PS4 spanning the entire gamut of genres from action-adventure, to time-consuming RPGs. These AAA offerings have finally begun taking advantage of what the current generation of consoles has to offer and it's led to some eye-popping, jaw-dropping experiences. This may very well be the year of the best-looking video games so far. So we decided to rank all of PS4's AAA experiences simply based on how beautiful they were.

26. LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Yes, this is a LEGO game, but it has to be the most beautiful one to date. TT Games went above and beyond in taking advantage of the current generation of consoles, and that led to this unexpectedly stunning experience.

25. XCOM 2

XCOM 2 finally hit consoles after first releasing solely on the PC last year. Players on PS4 can now take their own band of highly-trained soldiers out onto the battlefield to reclaim Earth from those aliens. The game perfectly captures the war torn cities, and the desperate nature of each battle with visuals that aren't overly stunning but mange to provide a sense of beauty to the strategy.

24. Destiny: Rise of Iron

Destiny was already an impressive looking game with its take on ravaged sections of planets, space combat, and immortal Guardians of light. Rise of Iron added something that tainted that beauty, by twisting it into a mechanical virus that added an odd, yet appealing, overlay to the worlds we knew.

23. Mafia III

Mafia III drops players into New Bordeaux, a 1960's take on New Orleans full of hatred, violence, and vengeance. Thanks to the music and design put into every ward you'll travel through, you can't help but feel like you're really there.

22. Doom

Doom makes hell look like a beautiful place, even with all of the gore and fire that flares up around the player.

21. Dying Light: The Following

The Following took Dying Light and flipped it by thrusting players into a much more open environment that made hiding difficult and encounters more intense. The expansion also boosted the visuals to make the nightmare of being chased down by a hundred zombies even more memorable on the PS4.

20. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

The futuristic city of Prague is a sight to behold as you make your way through its confines seeking justice after terrorist acts while trying to maintain the peace and balance between warring factions.

19. Sports 2017

With a new year comes a new crowd of sports titles that build upon the foundations left by the previous release. This year saw improvements in FIFA 2017, MLB: The Show 16, and Madden 17. While gameplay got some tweaks, it was the visuals and presentation that saw the most polish helping these annual gems shine on the PS4.

18. Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration

Crystal Dynamics proved they could make an amazing Tomb Raider game with the reboot back in 2013, but they outdid themselves with Lara Croft’s more survival-oriented new adventure.

17. Street Fighter V

Fighters tend to look good since developers really only have to focus on the combatants themselves, but SFV seems to go above and beyond with stunning character models and eye-catching flourishes that appear mid battle.

16. The Last Guardian

As is the case with all Team Ico games, The Last Guardian looks to mesmerize fans with a gorgeous world and characters that cause you to stop and think. From the gameplay seen so far, PS4 owners are certainly in for a real treat.

15. The Division

The Division may be struggling right now, but that doesn't change the fact that it managed to perfectly capture the essence of NYC with all of the beautiful lights, snow-filled streets, and its maze-like structure.

14. Watch Dogs 2

Watch Dogs 2 manages to do what The Division does on a much larger scale, letting players explore a thriving San Francisco along with some neighboring cities as they use fast vehicles, back alleys, and verticality to their advantage.

13. Mirror's Edge Catalyst

Having a beautiful City of Glass is one thing, but then being able to soar across its rooftops as you make your way through and around beautifully crafted architecture takes visuals on the PS4 to the next level.

12. Titanfall 2

Titanfall 2 manages to take first-person shooting action and make it seem even more alive. The battlefields are rife with explosions and action as bots try to take down enemies, Titans falling from the sky, and the act of simply climbing into one of these mechanical behemoths all showcase the stunning visuals capable on a PS4.

11. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

While you may be on the fence about this year's Call of Duty's choice in direction, there's no denying that Infinity Ward has once again made an absolutely stunning shooter. Space battles are full of light and action as you gaze at distant worlds in the background, battles on the ground are full of particle effects and realistic technology that we can't wait to see, and actors look as if they're really there, not just digital representations of them.

10. Far Cry Primal

Far Cry Primal took the FPS series in a completely different direction for its latest entry. Instead of going forward and introducing even more technology, the game took players 10,000 years into the past and the beauty of nature still in control of the world. This, along with the savage beasts that roamed the land, made for a jaw-dropping experience.

9. Dishonored 2

The first Dishonored tried its hand at a rather unique art style with oddly proportioned humans and classic architecture juxtaposed by steam punk technology. It was a different take on a style that mixes the future with the past, and it worked so well that it will continue in the upcoming sequel, only much prettier thanks to the power of the PS4.

8. Battlefield 1

Battlefield 1 continues a long franchise that is no stranger to being absolutely gorgeous. DICE’s Frostbite engine has provided realism on a grand scale for years now and the WWI setting is being used to great effect for an experience filled with eye candy.

7. Overwatch

Overwatch’s art style belies the deep shooter that lives underneath in a way that makes it instantly memorable. Adorable characters juxtaposed with technological behemoths in worlds that are familiar yet wholly different keep us wanting to see what comes next.

6. Dark Souls III

You would think a game so bent on being dark and gloomy wouldn't have any beauty, but you'd be wrong. The medieval architecture, twisted monstrosities that perfectly capture each enemy's suffering and threat, and the deliberate nature in which you must move through the world lead to one truly beautiful experience on the PS4.

5. Ratchet and Clank

Many games attempt to go for the Pixar look to varying degrees of success but Insomniac managed to fully capture the essence. What resulted was a great reboot and one of the prettiest games this generation.

4. Persona 5

The Persona series is known for catchy soundtracks, tough challenges, and wonderful art direction. The latest entry keeps to the status quo with a sort of masquerade heist theme that gives off a dark yet inviting tone.

3. The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

Wild Hunt was already a fantastic looking game on PS4, but Toussaint’s opulent vineyards, fairy tale kissed lands, and nightmarish vampires helped lift Blood and Wine to another level.

2. Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV looks as incredible as you’d expect from a Square Enix game. From the stunning character models to the beautiful cities and wide expanses players will visit, there’s a large level of detail that helps everything come to life. Even battles look amazing with all of the lighting and particle effects, and we can’t wait to dive into the full adventure.

1. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Leave it to a first-party studio to show exactly what the PS4 is truly capable of. Naughty Dog pulled out all of the stops to ensure that Nathan Drake’s final adventure was also his most beautiful.