The Best Graphics of 2015

OnlySP: Now it’s time for one of our most popular award categories: the Best Graphics of 2015. It’s no secret that games are getting prettier and prettier as the years go on and while there are some downsides to what some are calling the “graphical arms race,” it certainly is not bad that we’ve been getting much more aesthetically-pleasing games as a result as more and more games put on shinier coats of paint to catch our ever-fickle eyes. This year saw some of the most beautiful games in the history of gaming and this is our chance – and yours! – to recognize those games.

[sammarshall102]

Ori and the Blind Forest
Rise of the Tomb Raider
The Witcher 3

[Aeery]

Not in a particular order :

Bloodborne
The Order 1886
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Batman: Arkham Knight
Until Dawn
Tearaway Unfolded
Fallout 4
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Star Wars: Battlefront

All these games have amazing tech and/or amazing art direction and/or awesome assets/architecture.

[Aeery]

+Assassin's Creed Syndicate!

[marioJP87]

Lmaooooooooo. This dude put Fallout 4 in the list. I'm done!

[Army_of_Darkness]

Graphically the best on consoles, I'd have too say the Order 1886 hands down!
Just got it a few weeks ago on a PSN sale for $10 and WOW! It is visually freakin' stunning!!!
still can't believe what I'm doing in it is actual gameplay.

[uptownsoul]

1) Witcher 3 -- 3D Open World is harder on graphics than 3D Linear
2) The Order -- 3D Linear is harder on graphics than 2D side-scroller
3) Until Dawn -- 3D Linear is harder on graphics than 2D side-scroller
4) Ori & The blind forest -- Best looking 2D side-scroller

[FATAL1TY]

Driveclub Bikes, The Order 1886, Until Dawn, Bloodborne, Batman Arkham Knight

[Maxor]

The Order doesn't belong on this list. It's a corridor 3rd person quick time movie. Not really that impressive given the massive constraints on gameplay.

The Witcher 3's open world on the other hand is hugely impressive. No game in 2015 could match the Witcher 3's open world and character details. NONE.

[garrettbobbyferguson]

"Fallout 4"

Are you mad?

[mikeslemonade]

Bloodborne
The Order
Witcher 3

Fact!

Lol at people who say Fallout 4 and Halo 5. Talk about people who don't have an eye for graphics.

[Kartmart]

Between these games for me. Added some full resolution in-game shots. Used ultra settings for the reference on witcher and star wars. tried to use all 1080x1920 or higher, if possible for star wars and witcher. (the order is 800x1920, hence the black bars, with film grain, they are full resolution PNGs, and a few JPGs, though)

Tomb raider (in-game):
http://imgur.com/XXrIGsN
http://imgur.com/YPnavQf
http://imgur.com/IjUADxO
http://imgur.com/KFQr3sE
http://imgur.com/z7UnWrI
http://imgur.com/D0f44gx

In-game promotional VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Witcher (in-game):
http://imgur.com/tDh9oSZ
http://imgur.com/D4CUo9a
http://imgur.com/JAt8mmg

In-game promotional VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

The order (in-game):
http://imgur.com/ycBhKAl
http://imgur.com/VLZ6dur
http://imgur.com/XZDqWc6
http://imgur.com/wQeU1L4
http://imgur.com/0L8Z7L2
http://imgur.com/gadLtk2
http://imgur.com/7WbDUoF
http://imgur.com/FGJuGFj
http://imgur.com/uN2r7XE

In-game promotional VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

and Star wars(in-game):
http://imgur.com/WrcyXBc
http://imgur.com/UgBSneP
http://imgur.com/e0yi5Gq
http://imgur.com/PnaEsmg

I personally and leaning towards tomb raider, close behind is the witcher but I could see the case for each.

[Tech5]

Tomb Raider isn't just pushing a lot of rendering effects, it's also rendering bigger levels. the game goes seamlessly from above ground to below with caverns, crypts and underwater activity.

[Insomnia_84]

Top 3

1. The Order
2. Star Wars Battlefront
3. Rise Of The Tomb Raider

[boodi]

"Not in a particular fanboy order"
you better be clear in your life

[BallsEye]

Bloodborne? Really? The game is great, but it looks like ps3 title and art direction isn't anything special as well. Fallout 4? What you've been smoking, dude?

[darKsoul3]

the order looks better than Ryse?
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Genuine-User]

My top 5:

1. Star Wars Battlefront
2. The Order 1886
3. Until Dawn
4. Batman Arkham Knight
5. Rise of the Tomb Raider

Game with the cleanest IQ on consoles this year:

Tearaway Unfolded

[Genuine-User]

Game with the best atmosphere:

Bloodborne

[Maxor]

Star Wars Battlefront doesn't get enough respect. It's looks freaking amazing. Probably way up there with The Witcher 3.

[Kartmart]

You thought this is the best IQ of any game on console?

http://cdn2.pcadvisor.co.uk...
http://cdn.cgmagonline.com/...
https://c2.staticflickr.com...
https://c2.staticflickr.com...

I'd have to disagree on that. it's ok, but there are certainly games that looked a lot cleaner. Your list seems reasonable otherwise, I would definitely put tomb raider higher and add the witcher, but that's just me.

[XanderZane]

SW: Battlefront
Ori and the Blind Forest
The Witcher 3
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Bloodborne

[Tehcnala]

Graphics are nice, but 3rd on my list. Witcher is first, gameplay,visual. Bloodbourne, second, same reason plus atmosphere. Order.....Soooooo bitter sweet. Absolutely loved it but short. Watch gameplay on the order on a screen that its meant for, you'll die.

[Ausbo]

Not sure why you got disagrees. Add the order and its good

[Tehcnala]

That's what I meant. The order was absolutely gorgeous but really short

[showtimefolks]

drive club the best looking racing game

tomb raider/witcher 3/ori

overall best looking game THE ORDER 1886 and it's not even close. if you have 2 working eyes(or one could work too)than you know that's the truth but if you have your official fanboy glasses on than anything else

star wars is also one of the best looking game

[ShottyGibs]

Lol guess you never played Project Cars on PC then.

And you're trying to play the fanboy card!

[showtimefolks]

Shotty

I didn't say pc did I? Almost any game that releases on pc and consoles will look better on pc

I was just talking between ps4 and Xbox one

[BG11579]

There is a reason why every racing game gets compared to Driveclub, console or PC.
It may only be 30 fps, but damn those graphics!

[mEATgrinder]

The Infected

Dont be sorry Driveclub is an awful game

[nirwanda]

Nothing I've played this year comes close to the vanishing of eithan Carter.

[butchertroll]

The Order 1886, Witcher 3, SW:Battlefront and Until Dawn. Games with best graphics in 2015

[2v1]

Yoy are limited there is better out there.

[3-4-5]

* I personally care more about Art Style than graphics.

Some games have great graphics but are kind of bland, and other games have not the highest quality of graphics, but are beautiful to look at.

I mean....I still like the look of NES/SNES/Sega Genesis/N64 games.

[Bangyourhead35]

Personally speaking, The Order 1886 in regards to realistic graphics because at one point in the game, I felt the character models actually looked like real people. As for a smaller indie title, I really liked how Fast Racing Neo looked considering how small the development team was and the hardware limitations they faced.

Aesthetically-pleasing, personally again, is Yoshi's Woolly World because my girlfriend and I love how adorably cute everything looks. I also have to give recognition to Ori and the Blind Forest because of how captivating the settings were.

[Relientk77]

The Order: 1886
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[DarkOcelet]

Dont forget Until Dawn

[crazychris4124]

Battlefront running at 4k60fps looked photorealistic at times. Mad Max and Just Cause 3 had some of the best fire, explosion and smoke effects I've ever seen.

[PrinceOfAnger]

ryse son of rome

[Bangyourhead35]

Well I personally agree Ryse: Son of Rome looks great, this list for games that came out in 2015; Ryse came out in 2013.

[SgtSlaughter212]

Go back and play it again. Star Wars and The Order put it to shame now. It was great when it released but things have come along materially since then.

[PrinceOfAnger]

Yeah
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[sammarshall102]

Nope

https://news.xbox.com/wp-co...

[Trekster_Gamer]

The shame is SWBF is a rip off for the price!!

[DigitalRaptor]

Wow I can't believe we're getting into RYSE: Son of Rome. That old-ass game only looks better than the PS4 games you're trying to compare it to, in its facial detail and animations, ANDDDD........ not much else.

Here's all the proof you need: https://www.youtube.com/emb...

It makes me laugh out loud that people still think RYSE is a trump card after 2+ years on the market. Maybe the PC version buddy, maybe the PC version.
-------

@ Sammarshall102

Out of ALL the images of RYSE that are out there, you chose one that shows off how lifeless the faces of the characters look? Even I could find a better picture than that. That doesn't even look better than the Joel character model from a last-gen game.... The Last of Us Remastered: http://i.picpar.com/7NX.jpg

[sammarshall102]

@DigitalRaptor Lol that picture of Joel looks more fake and animated than my image of Marius from Ryse

And you can hate on Ryse all you want but if the only thing that looked good was the facial animations then it wouldn't be considered to be one of the best looking games by many

Play this level in Ryse and try to tell me it isn't beautiful and this is gameplay btw

http://static2.gamespot.com...

Also if you played the game you'll know that he's trying to listen because he heard a noise right before they get ambushed in the image you're talking about

[DigitalRaptor]

@ Sammarshall102

"Joel looks more fake and animated than my image of Marius from Ryse"

What kind of garbage, meaningless excuse is that? Seriously. What does that even mean? How does Joel look fake? What do you mean he looks more animated? Joel's character model has more detail on his face than Marius does. That's just Naughty Dog for you (detail up the whazoo). It doesn't matter what he's trying to do at that point in the game, or what the expression on his face is.

And where am I "hating" on Ryse? I'm hating on your ability to be fair and honest in comparisons and I'm hating on the consistent Xbox fanboy trait of misrepresenting games. This is not the first time I've dealt with Xbox fanboy trying to use Ryse as a trump card over PS4 exclusives and had them fail to present show-stopping proof, but elect themselves a win out of their own bias.

I never said Ryse is not a beautiful game, but it's no longer a trump card, and you're back to your tricks of providing misrepresentative comparison shots. It's pretty pathetic, your excuses are pretty pathetic, and you're doing a terrible job of comparing the games. All I'm asking for you to do is be honest, because you're not. You're not qualified to do honest comparisons, so stop trying.

[PrinceOfAnger]

@SgtSlaughter212 I don't know what ver is this https://news.xbox.com/wp-co...

but here's what ryse looks on my pc
https://lh3.googleuserconte...

in game https://lh5.googleuserconte...

https://lh6.googleuserconte...

[OB1Biker]

SWBF

[user9950279]

Yeah thats really the only answer.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

PS4: The Order 1886, Until Dawn
XB1: Rise of The Tomb Raider, Halo 5
Console multi-plat: Witcher 3, Battlefront, Arkham Knight
Artistic: Ori and the Blind Forest

[Ausbo]

Wasn't ori an Xbox exclusive? Or was it on PC as well?

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

Microsoft exclusive (XB1 and Windows) 360 version seems to have been quietly canceled

[DoctorFry]

The Order 1886 and there's no competition. I don't care if you hated the game or not, the graphics set a standard this gen.

[TheCommentator]

Man, I almost cried I laughed so hard! That part where you said "no competition" was priceless!!!

[kraenk12]

Seriously...you haven't played the game!

[Ausbo]

As someone who only has an Xbox, the order has the best graphics this gen so far imo. Although the fanboys would tell you the Xbox has nothing, ryse, ori and tomb raider are beautiful as well.

Although Sony has some talented studios yet to show thier cards

[Yui_Suzumiya]

I loved everything about The Order

[starchild]

Other games most certainly do compete. Star Wars Battlefront, for example, at its best looks better than any other game I've seen.

Different games have different strengths. The Witcher 3, for example, has detail on a scale far greater than games like The Order 1886.

[Maxor]

The Order has massive gameplay constraints to achieve it's graphics. It's basically a CGI movie with a part time 3rd game inserted in. To me there's nothing impressive about that.

[UserNameIsNotTaken]

But we talking graphics here.

[SouthernComfort]

Nobody cares if you're impressed, Maxor. And why would you be, when you go to such lengths to dismiss a game?

[garrettbobbyferguson]

There's no disagreeing that the game looks good. Unfortunately the game looks good with too many costs. Letter box resolution to render less on screen, a lower capped FPS at 30 and entirely linear gameplay. When you factor all this in together, it's no longer as impressive.

[Aeery]

"When you factor all this in together, it's no longer as impressive."

What ?
Wow this is pretty stupid.

[garrettbobbyferguson]

@aeery

How is it stupid? If you can run a marathon in world breaking time but you did it with handicaps, it's no longer as impressive is it? You beat Usain Bolt in a foot race, except you're using a bike. Not so cool any longer. To get to that graphical fidelity they had to cut the resolution, they had to drop the frame rate, and they had to relegate the gameplay to corridors and scripted segments. When you factor all this in, it takes away the visual punch. Unless you suddenly consider the ultra mega textures people use in Half Life hallways as being the epitome of graphics.

[PistolsAtDawn]

Except RotTR and SWBF look better

[Father__Merrin]

Id give the nod to the order, if you havent played it for a while i will guarantee you will still hold controller for cut scene to finish. joke being cut scene has already finished it looks that good

[daromine]

Graphics? Why so many people care for graphics?

[SolidDuck]

I know right. Why would people want there video games to look good? Oh wait cause there video games. *video* games. Not at the expense of gameplay, but nice graphics are always a plus.

[kopko]

i know right? i remember playing some older games from 2002-2004 and be like maaan this is almost real life. And look at the graphics today, and yet people are never ok with it. I would take good story, performance and gameplay anytime over graphics and resolution. anytime.

[nitus10]

It is not a matter of graphics that can make a good game it is a combination of many things to numerous to mention here and graphics is just one of them.

The most important feature of any game is the enjoyment factor and that is subjective.

[InMyOpinion]

I'd say The Order 1886.

For open world games I'd put MGS 5 on top. It simply looks amazing. The lighting in it is some of the best I've seen and it pushes everything at a rock solid 60 fps. Try playing Batman Arkham Knight after a session of MGS 5 and it will feel like a last gen game in comparison (no kidding).

[timmyp53]

Konami should license out that Fox Engine to other companies!!

[Why o why]

I thought the lighting in mgs was proper top

I thought the mountains were the best I'd seen in a console game then I saw the sw bf mountains. Love progression

[InMyOpinion]

SW BF is definitely a contender as well.

[MacDiesel]

MGSV

[tuglu_pati]

Rise of the Tomb Raider, W3, MGS5 and Batman Arkham Knight

[GhostTurtle]

IMO Witcher 3 and Ark: SE

[tigertron]

The Order 1886 and Until Dawn.

[SgtSlaughter212]

Fallout 4!!!

Just kidding.

[Tobsesan]

Best looking game has to be Star Wars Battlefront for PC. On Consoles its The Order.

[starchild]

Yeah, nothing I've seen beats Star Wars Battlefront on the PC. Those are some amazingly realistic visuals.

[Tobsesan]

Why are so many people disagreeing? What esle is the best looking game?

[WeAreLegion]

I think they're disagreeing because The Order looks better than even the PC version of Battlefront.

[starchild]

I'm sorry, I don't agree. I own both games and while The Order 1886 is certainly one of the best looking console games I still think Star Wars Battlefront on PC definitely looks better. It's a more graphically advanced game on multiple levels. I can go into detail if you're interested.

[marioJP87]

Nothing touches The order.
Arkham Knight was amazing too.

[Aeery]

hey smart ass, next time read my comment better.

[Sainox16]

The order 1886 mgsv, bloodborne that I can think of from the top of my head

[SouljAx360]

As far as graphics go, I'd have to go with my GOTY, Witcher 3.

Comparing any PS4 game I played to games I played on PC isn't even a fair fight. So my special olympics console graphics GOTY goes to Order 1886. It was the best looking game I've ever played on console to this point. Framerate was only 30 which gave it a blurry look but it's pretty stable and playable.

[josephayal]

For me it would be Fallout 4

[maybelovehate]

Plus 1 for comedy!

[josephayal]

no way mehh! fo4 best graphics 2015

[sonicfury]

Best Graphics in Order

1. The Order 1886
2. Until Dawn
3. Star War Battlefront
4. Rise of Tomb Raider
5. Witcher

[cartoonx1]

while i agree on your listing, tht order is not really correct unless u havent played star wars on pc. have not seen anything like tht before. just give it a try on pc ultra setting looks so much better thn anything else.

[timmyp53]

Art Design is so much more important than graphic fidelty. I'd take good art that stands the test of time over what we think right now is photo-realistic.

[kraenk12]

I agree and in that regard I believe Ori, The Witcher 3 and The Order stood out this year...also Bloodborne.

[Mr Marvel]

Star Wars: Battlefront by far imo.

[ClayRules2012]

I personally think Until Dawn is the best looking game of 2015. I couldn't believe how realistic Until Dawn looked when I loaded it up.

The Order 1886 is not far behind tho. The Order is a stunning looking game, no doubt about it.

Until Dawn really raises the bar for what's possible on PS4, visually. And thanks to GG's Shadowfall engine, it truly delivers stunningly realistic graphics.

All the main characters have so much detail put into them, same goes for the environments. It really is remarkable.

[GrmpyolGamer]

Star Wars Battlefront whether u like the game or not is the Best looking game this Generation.

Ori is a beautiful game as well

The Order seems to be getting some love from people who obviously missed the low res textures scattered through out the game and the blur effects throughout the entire game but the character models are very good tho. Shame they had to sacrifice small things like gameplay and Multiplayer to achieve it. Rant over

[Rhezin]

The Order by far.

[magiciandude]

The Witcher 3, on PC.

[wraith4912]

^ this

[nitus10]

The Witcher 3 looks pretty good on my 55" 200Hz HDTV and I don't get blur when I pan around. Playing via my 24" IPS 60Hz monitor also looks extremely nice as well.

One feature of the PS4 I really like is it's portability in that I just unplug the HDMI and power cord (takes seconds), take it into the living room and plug it into a spare power connector and HTMI cable and I am good to go on my 55" HDTV with 7.1 sound. Of course the reverse is true if I wish to play on my monitor.

[ShadowKnight]

Yes the Witcher 3!

[Knushwood Butt]

Driveclub continues to look stunning. Does Driveclub Bikes count?

[ginsunuva]

Bloodbore had best art style and some of the best graphics too. The Forbidden Woods looked unbelievable!

[dip01]

Witcher 3 on pc ultra >>>>>> any game
Strictly talking about consoles , it's The Order 1886 , but too linear for my taste.

[Bebob]

Rise of the tomb raider.
The Order.
The Witcher max settings on PC.

[boodi]

naf said
this is the best list by far of all the crap that's been posted

[Aeery]

It's time for you to stop posting.
Really, take a break.

[airshiraz]

i say dying light on pc but without patch
the patch destroyed its draw distance so try this game on pc without patch
u can stand on a tall building and see the whole city below urself and the buildings dont turn into stupid boxes because of bad draw distance like assassins creed and i have not seen such great draw distance in any game and the game objects and meshes and textures and lighting is beautiful too

[ShottyGibs]

I also think Dying Light on PC max settings looks amazing. It's one of the best games of 2015 too.

I haven't been too impressed my graphics this year. I think Until Dawn looked great. The Order looked great. Witcher on PC looked awesome too. Hard to call a winner if we're also taking scale of game into consideration too.

[windblowsagain]

Hmm.

Different games have different objectives graphically. Depends where you want to spend that GPU time:)

SWBF has stunning textures,unmatched by any other game.

Witcher 3 has large scale and excellent lighting.

Driveclub day/night/weather and vista's unmatched by any other racing title.

Bloodborne has a unusual look to it. But it suit's the game perfectly and matches it in style and atmosphere.

There are many other games that are stunning as well.

[VJGenova]

Though i like the artistic style of bloodborne, i'd day it's too "dark" to show it has the best graphics. Same goes for the order.

Since I didn't see it mentioned here, I will say that FC4 in 4k with all the gameworks features on is pretty damn impressive. If you have a 4k monitor/tv, I suggest you take a look:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?...

[airshiraz]

you are wrong dude
nvidia godray in farcry 4 is terrible and broken (its perfect but its broken in far cry 4 )so turn it off and then see the games true graphics

[Speak_da_Truth]

The order 1886 no contest at all. Next up Star wars battlefront.

[Trekster_Gamer]

Halo 5

[PistolsAtDawn]

It definitely looks better than most of the titles people are throwing around. More importantly it's WORLDS more fun than every game on this list

[underwaves75]

Ryse Son of Rome and The Order.

if it's console graphics ALONE

[airshiraz]

hello

[cyphertech]

It's me

[AwesomeKiddo]

Driveclub have good looking graphics.

[Segata]

no real order
Yoshi Woolly world
Splatoon
Xenoblade X
Bloodeborne
Fast Racing Neo

Most of my choices are based on art not technical. Just 1 is technical.

[cyphertech]

The Witcher 3, Metal Gear Solid 5, The Order, BloodBorne

[mocaak]

Witcher 3
Star Wars Battlefront
The Order 1886

[fsdgf]

Surprised that no one is mentioning Xenoblade Chronicles X. While the individual textures and models aren't exactly pretty, the complete package is incredible

[boodi]

wtf means ..we're talking best graphics ..game is great but as you said textures and models are a gen behind

[corroios]

Just graphics The Order crushed everything. The game is freaking amazing, the animation, clothes, guns, special effects and envirnment. Very cool.

[Inzo]

1. The Order 1886
2. The Witcher 3 (pc)
3. Until Dawn
4. SW:BF
5. Bloodborne especially when it comes to atmosphere.

[starchild]

I really don't understand why some of you are putting Bloodborne on the list. It isn't very graphically impressive in my opinion. Certainly not from a technical point of view. Some areas are artistically beautiful to be sure, but other areas looked drab and relatively boring to me.

[PistolsAtDawn]

A lot of people on this site clearly need to get an Xbox

[Inzo]

Your response clearly shows you dont have a PS4.

[higgins78]

Now here is a 'feature' every self-styled 'hardcore' gamer can get behind...

And by "best" that obviously means semi-realistic.

[Hugos]

I didn't play any of this games, but my opinion is based on movies and screenshots. Ori and tha Blind Firrest looks great and i think this is best 2D game of this year, Until Down this year biggest surprise, Witcher 3 why not, looks very veery good, Thje Order also cough my attention thanks to the movies and how it looks like and you known - Batman Arhkam Knight.

[dip01]

Lol seriously? You guys actually believe The order 1886 looks better than witcher 3 on pc ? ..phew.

[guyman]

Yes, it does.. i have the witcher 3 on Pc and it is far superior to the order 1886 in every aspect possible.. besides the graphics. However, The order trounces the witcher in that department.

[mocaak]

I disagree, Witcher 3 has more details. But on consoles The Order 1886 is probably the best.

[guyman]

No. The order has more detail. And it's image quality slams any other game released this year. Fact. Im sorry but there is absolutely no way The witcher 3, which has a massive open world, has better overall graphics than the order, which is linear.

[killer_goat]

I suppose you would say tomb raider I'd you only have an xbox. But if you have a ps4 it's between the order and driveclub.

[guyman]

The order 1886 has by far the best graphics out of any game i've seen... man that fidelity is unreal. It's mindblowing really..

[theshredded]

Star Wars Battlefront
Rise of The Tomb Raider
Metal Gear Solid V
Those are without a doubt my top 3.
The Witcher 3 alongside Bloodborne would win best atmosphere though. Until Dawn deserves a nod for the gorgeous and extremely well done faces
The missing games no longer exist in my book

[bloodybutcher]

screw all of those, i'm playing Zork.

[Pikminmaniac]

I can only speak for the ps4 side of prettiest graphics, so my top three are:
The Order 1886
The Witcher 3
Batman Arkham Knight
Can't wait for 2016 to see how they can improve from this year

[mochachino]

Witcher 3 didn't just have amazing graphics, the world and art were beautiful.

[Dfooster]

Has to be Star Wars battlefront. You can say what you like about the gameplay but one thing nobody can dispute is that the graphics are gorgeous. They feel next generation from the foliage on endor to the ice interiors on hoth . Everything feels like it's ripped straight out of the movies

[Tedakin]

I guess I'd go with the usual suspects. Order 1886, Ori, SW BF, Tomb Raider.

[SuperbVillain]

Godzilla

[SuperbVillain]

Blackops 3