The PS5 and Xbox Series X officially have one year under their belts, and with that has come a laundry list of big video game releases. Ranging from console exclusives to new installments in annual franchises, 2021 was a solid year for gaming overall, with a good variety of titles from practically every conceivable genre. The continued advancment in gaming tech means that each generation is more graphically impressive than the last, with a good number of recent games being particularly impressive.
Making great use of the capabilities in the new hardware, the following titles take advantage of the leaps being made in game development, to deliver even more impressive worlds than ever before. The most exciting aspect of this is that it's just the beginning, with studios sure to continue learning how to best use the hardware. For now though, dazzling remakes of beloved RPG's and jaw-dropping open world racing games are among the standouts for the most visually stunning next generation games thus far.
Demon's Souls
With a new console launch, that system needs that one big new game to show off all the bells and whistles. Sony had been advertising how much of a technical powerhouse that the PS5 would be leading up to release, specifically its blazing fast SSD. That "it" game to show off what the PS5 is capable of was Demon's Souls, the latest remake from Bluepoint. The added improvements made to lightning, textures, and environmental effects make the land of Boletaria even more immersive than ever, while also teasing great things to come for the next generation of gaming.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
If Demon's Souls opened the door for what the PS5 can do graphically, then Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart kicked the whole door off its hinges. Insomniac continues to up its level of finesse with each passing generation, now delivering what is arguably the premier showcase for what the PS5 can do. The fast load times of the SSD are incorporated directly into the game's narrative and mechanics, as Ratchet can move seamlessly across vast locations in stunning dimension-shifting effects. Journalists have been wondering if a video game would ever reach the same level of visual fidelity as a Pixar film, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart may indeed have finally hit that benchmark.
Forza Horizon 5
The PS5 isn't the only new console in town, as Microsoft's Xbox Series X has shown it is just as much of a force to be reckoned with. While Halo: Infinite may be the bigger Xbox release this year, Forza Horizon 5 pushes the boundaries much further for what can be done graphically. Emphasizing the "horizon" part of its title, players can see for miles, as the game has stunning draw distances and massive environments to race across. Playground Games has impressed with its latest title, and despite Forza Horizon 5's GOTY snub, the game has proven to be a well oiled machine.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Despite Ember Lab being an indie studio and Kena: Bridge of Spirits being its first game, it still manages to boast some of the most striking graphics of this generation so far. A large part of this is due to the charming art style of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, clearly drawing inspiration from animated films and other adventure titles like The Legend of Zelda. It all makes for a wondrous visual delight and creates excitement for what Ember Lab can pull off next.
Resident Evil Village
The latest Resident Evil title is the first to grace the next generation of platforms, and with that certainly came a bevy of extra visual flourish. Resident Evil Village borders on photorealism at times, with incredibly lifelike character models and atmospheric locations. An important aspect to any horror game is ensuring that the game actually looks scary, and thanks to the capabilities of next gen hardware, Resident Evil Village was truly terrifying.
