Photorealism in a video game relates to graphics that mimic real-world people and environments. While some games adopt a cartoony style of artwork, other games are aiming for photorealism. It's more work to add photorealism to a video game, but the results speak for themselves. In third-person games, the protagonist must be rendered flawlessly, and only a handful of developers have achieved this.
The term photorealism should be used sparingly, but the word is used liberally in video games. To display photorealistic graphics, a game should use advanced motion capture for its characters and use new assets when designing its environment.
10 Mafia: Definitive Edition
The Mafia: Definitive Edition is a black and white difference compared to the original games. Released in 2020, Mafia: Definitive Edition includes Mafia II and Mafia III with remade graphics from the ground up. The level of detail contained in this game's realistic world places it among the most photorealistic game out there. The mob story is as intriguing as the original, and the graphics are a huge bump up in quality.
9 Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Whether you prefer the more recent Shadow of the Tomb Raider or its predecessor Rise of the Tomb Raider, each game is considered eye-catching. From the beginning, players are immersed in a world with a linear focus. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, players often go from point a to point b in a linear story. The game style leaves room for jaw-droppingly beautiful environments and character models, which are considered photorealistic.
8 Resident Evil 2
It's a valid argument to say that Capcom should stick to from the ground up remakes. The development company's work with games like Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis transformed the games into something spectacular. The environments, amiable characters, and enemies are a close representation of what a zombie apocalypse would look like. Resident Evil 2 is a survival horror game by Capacom. Fans are clamoring for the Resident Evil 4 remake.
7 Resident Evil 3
Even more so than its remade predecessor, Resident Evil 3 features groundbreaking graphics. Rebuilt from the ground up, Resident Evil 3 was a game developed with photorealism in mind. One can fall genuinely in love with the game because of its photorealistic nature. The graphics appear as if they were created in a photography darkroom. Nemesis is made even more terrifying because of the game's extraordinary detail.
6 Hitman 3
After a lackluster release in the series, the developers at IO Interactive put together one of their best games of all time. Hitman 3 incorporates photorealism into a stealth-based game. The immersive locations are reminiscent of other games like Control, but it features the notorious hitman we know too well.
Hitman3 is widely available on most platforms, including next-gen platforms like the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. There's no news on PlayStation 5 support for ray-tracing, yet the feature is expected to come to PC and the Xbox Series X.
5 Control
To get the most out of Control, it's recommended to play Control: Ultimate Edition. Included in this package are all the DLC and the visual art design that won our praise before this comprehensive package. In many ways, Control is like a Star Wars game. Your mind-bending powers have uncanny similarities. In actuality, Control is a science-fiction game set on the planet Earth. The game is played in the third-person, making it easier to protect your character, Jesse Faden, from incoming threats.
4 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
As you delve deeper into Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, it becomes abundantly clear that care went into designing this game. The game uses the Naughty Dog engine, which can produce far superior images to other game engines. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a last-generation game, yet it proves to be leagues ahead of its successors. Naughty Dog deserves praise for making this game a benchmark for photorealism.
3 Ghost Of Tsushima
While rumors suggested the game was more of a Souls-like, the developers at Sucker Punch Productions were creating an immersive open-world game. Ghost of Tsushima was nominated for Game of the Year in 2020, and it's not surprising.
The scenery adds an atmospheric quality that benefits the game. The character models might not be as realistic as Death Stranding, but it doesn't stray too far to be irrelevant.
2 The Last Of Us Part II
The Last of Us Part II won the Game of the Year award at the Game Awards for being more than a visual showcase. The gameplay is much like you would expect from a Naughty Dog game, except it goes above and beyond in different circumstances. The game has a tremendous amount of polish, which becomes evident the more you dive into the game. The Last of Us Part II's character models and environments are praiseworthy. Currently, The Last of Us Part II is one of the most photorealistic games to date.
1 Death Stranding
In the category of photorealism, few games compare to Death Stranding. Director Hideo Kojima once stated that Death Stranding is aiming for "photorealistic graphics." This goal was achieved using motion capture unlike anything players have seen before. Hideo Kojima integrated characters based on Guillermo del Toro and Norman REedus, copying their real-world appearance down to minute details.