Top 10 Current-Gen Games with the Best Graphics!

This horror themed adventure game is powered by Unreal Engine 4 and it really shows. Lush and vibrant colors are painted across the densely-detailed landscapes, further elevated by excellent lighting and draw distances, all coming together to help the creepy atmosphere ooze off of the screen. The best part about all of this is that since the game is designed as a “walking simulator”, it encourages the player to walk around freely and take in the world at their own pace. So, don’t be surprised if you find yourself doing nothing but gazing at the stunning environments on more than one occasion because…well, look how pretty it is! Look at it!

Just because the Wii U is technically underpowered in comparison to the PS4 and Xbox One doesn’t mean its incapable of providing some eye-popping visuals in its own right. Mario Kart 8 is one of the best examples of what the Wii U is capable of from a graphical perspective. Never before has a Mario Kart game provided such staggering draw distances with breathtaking scope. Each environment is brimming with personality thanks to smart texture work and great lighting effects. The greatest strength on display here however is the incredible use of color, with every possible blue, green, red and yellow being used to spectacular effect to create quite the visual treat.

From one racing game to another, Forza Horizon 3 shows off some of the nicest looking visuals in recent memory. Taking the second word in its title to heart, this latest Forza installment takes full advantage of the architecture within the Xbox One to create some remarkable looking locations to zoom our cars through. Seriously, it may sound superficial but have you SEEN that skyline? Setting the game around Australia, the game’s developers have expertly recreated the terrain for an authentically picturesque depiction of the real thing, making the player feel like they are actually tearing through sand, water and deep forests. It’s very easy to enjoy this ride with graphics like these.

Batman’s jump from one generation of consoles to the next gave developers access to much more powerful hardware to create a more authentic look for Gotham City. The added horsepower in current gen systems allowed for cutscenes to be rendered in real time on the game’s graphics engine, resulting in a consistently striking visual style the entire experience. According to developer Rocksteady, one single character model contained the same amount of polygons used to render the entirety of Arkham Asylum, that’s saying something. The dark tone that comes with being the Batman was finally nailed in this installment and the graphics have a large part to play in that.

The Halo franchise’s first foray onto the Xbox One was definitely a benchmark title in showing what kind of beefy power Microsoft’s new console had under its hood. The pre-rendered cutscenes are eye popping to say the least, blurring the line between game and reality. The in-game visuals don’t quite match the splendor of the cutscenes, but they are still nothing short of marvelous. 343 Studios packed in a bombardment of little details into every area of the game, with an overall package that strives for very impressive sights to see without compromising its rock solid 60 frames per second. Just imagine what Halo 6 will look like!

After nearly a decade in development, one should expect Final Fantasy XV to have fantastic graphics and oh boy does it ever. Few games are able to provide such massive open worlds to explore while simultaneously looking this darn good. The draw distances and massive scale of the enemies and worlds are some of the finest gaming has ever experienced. Whether you are knee deep in an intense battle or just cruising along taking in the sights at your own pace, FFXV has no shortage of “WOW” moments for you to gawk and gaze at. This is one gorgeous looking fantasy; you won’t believe your eyes.

Although failing to become the next big thing for PlayStation, The Order: 1886 didn’t fail when it came to showing off its high production values and impressive graphical technologies powering the game. The game dips into the uncanny valley for its startlingly lifelike animations and insanely realistic looking environments. Character models, particle effects and texture work are amazing and it seems like every corner of this game is shining with a high level of visual polish. Trust us, watching gameplay of The Order off of a computer, phone or tablet will not do the graphics justice; it’s a shame then that the gameplay and story aren’t very good.

Despite being a gargantuan open world to explore, developer CD project red still somehow managed to make it look better than most games out on the market. They actually built their own game engine from the ground up called ‘REDengine3’ specifically for the purposes of running this behemoth and it pays off in spades. The world feels vibrant and alive due to the realistic flair that embodies practically every square inch of the environment. From the characters, to the towns, to the water physics and all of the little special effects in between used for casting magic spells, The Witcher III is a testament to how pretty open world games can be.

Developer DICE is no stranger to crafting their products with a high level of graphical finesse, as seen in the latest Star Wars: Battlefront release (XREF). However, we feel the latest Battlefield installment pushes the boundaries of graphical prowess even further. The horror of war is brought to life in brutal and bloody fashion, from the giant zeppelins that soar through the sky right down to the pistol in the player’s hand, everything in the game looks absolutely stellar. Debris and explosions rock the screen with tons of flair, all while maintaining a steady framerate amid the chaos. Play the game with no HUD for increased immersion into this beautiful Battlefield.

Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions…

“Horizon: Zero Dawn” (2017)

“Gears of War 4” (2016)

“Deus Ex: Mankind Divided” (2016)

Where did Naughty Dog even begin when it came to packing in all the detail to be seen in Uncharted 4? Pushing the hardware of the PS4 further than any other game available for the system, Uncharted 4 ticks off all the boxes of remarkable graphical fidelity. Every rock, tree, explosion and character model is rendered with such a mind-blowing level of detail that you’ll wonder how the game even runs at all. Lighting wonderfully cascades across huge environments, phenomenal textures are packed into every nook and cranny and bright colors bring beauty to every waking second of the experience. The game’s photorealism makes our jaws drop like no other current gen game. Period.