2024 brought with it a cavalcade of visually stunning games, from long-awaited AAA megatons that took our breath away with their graphical advancements to much smaller productions that popped up out of nowhere and proved that you dont need huge teams and budgets to make games that look great. With the year coming to a close, here, were going to talk about 20 such titles that came out this year and made a mark with their visual prowess.#20. F1 24We tend to include theF1games in our annual lists of games with the best visuals pretty regularly, but thats because the series has this department on lock. Like its predecessors,F1 24is a beautiful game, touting stellar vehicle models with an impressive level of attention to detail, authentic lighting and weather effects lending new life to the courses, and more. Year after year, this series successfully delivers a realistic and comprehensive recreation of the real sport, and the presentation and visual fidelity play an important role in that.#19. BODYCAMBodycamhas a number of shortcomings in its current state that were hoping it will address over the course of its ongoing early access period, but one area where the game deserves all the props in the world is the way it looks. As its name suggests, its played from the first-person perspective of a bodycam on your character, and combines that with a hyper-realistic aesthetic that achieves quite a striking result. The game looks startlingly good at times, and were curious to see how it will continue to improve on the road to its full release.#18. EMPIRE OF THE ANTSHeres another game coming from a small time that ended up surprising a great many people with its graphics.Empire of the Antsis a decidedly small-budget game, but you wouldnt be able to tell from just looking at it. Sporting an impressive photorealistic style, the game transports players to a lush jungle where every single blade of grass, every leaf on the ground, every rock jutting out of the ground, and every single insect and critter that you lay your eyes on looks shockingly lifelike. Obviously, there are some rough edges here and there, but the overall result is nothing short of splendid.#17. GRAY ZONE WARFAREIndie studio Madfinger Games launched its multiplayer open world FPSGray Zone Warfarein early access this year, and though theres plenty of work for the developer to do to address feedback from the community, the games visuals are pretty much unanimously liked. Theres a good amount of rough edges that need sanding out, which is to be expected from a game of this size coming from a smaller team and still being in early access, but its open world map is also full of beautiful sights to see.#16. DRAGON BALL: SPARKING! ZERODragon Ball: Sparking! ZERObrought theBudokai Tenkaichiseries back with a bang this year, and though the list of things in the game worthy of praise is a long one, its graphics are high on it. As youd expect from a Dragon Ballgame,Sparking! ZEROrelies more on its stylized art style than on pure visual fidelity, but one way or another, the effect it achieves instantly catches the eye. In motion, the game looks particularly amazing, and watching explosive, map-destroying fights between colossally powerful characters attacking each other with everything theyve got never loses its charm.#15. LIKE A DRAGON: INFINITE WEALTHTheLike a Dragonseries has always straddled the line between high budget photorealism and mid budget stylization perfectly, andInfinite Wealthdoes the same, producing yet another Dragon Engine game that you cant quite tear your eyes away from. Given the scope of the game, its not surprising that not everything looks spectacular- but a lot of things to do, and everything else looks at least a minimum level of good. Overall,Infinite Wealthbrings its vibrant Hawaii setting to the screen spectacularly, and easily ranks as one of the years better-looking games.#14. STELLAR BLADEStellar Bladetook many by surprise for multiple reasons, but all of it could be boiled down to it coming from a relatively unknown studio with little to no AAA console experience. For it to turn out as well as it did was a pleasant surprise, then, as was the fact that it also ended up looking as gorgeous as it did.Stellar Bladetouts some of the most impressive visuals weve seen in a PS5 exclusive game so far (especially if you play it on a PS5 Pro), with everything from the dilapidated post-apocalyptic environments and the excellently designed monsters you fight to the Eves slick combat animations looking pristine.#13. DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARDLike pretty much everything else about the game,Dragon Age: The Veilguardsgraphics divided opinion, with many expressing their dislike of the new, more stylized art style. And though it is clearly a break from the more grimdark style past games used, we fall in the group that ultimately really likes what the game looks like.The Veilguardis a visual stunner in more ways than one, with a bevy of environments that are brimming with vistas that will take your breath away, not to mention some of the most impressive lighting weve seen in a game this year.#12. STAR WARS OUTLAWSCalling Star Wars Outlawsan uneven experience would be a huge understatement, but when the game is at its best, its really,reallygood- and in the graphics department, its definitely at its best. Yes, the game has its fair share of visual glitches and technical hiccups, but little of it detracts from just how stunning it looks more often than not. No matter where you find yourself in its open world multiplanetary setting,Outlawsfinds ways to take your breath away with its sights and sounds. Coming from the studio behindThe Division, that doesnt come as a huge surprise.#11. DRAGONS DOGMA 2Capcom has an admirable habit of cranking out a steady stream of AAA megatons that somehow all look spectacular.Dragons Dogma 2was the companys big centerpiece in 2024, and though it doesnt look as good as, say, the best-lookingResident Evilgames out there, it does look really,reallygood. From the detailed environments of its sprawling open world, to the incredibly lifelike (and vastly varied) roster of monster and creatures that you take on, to, of course, how oppressively impressive the games darkness feels, theres a bevy of things inDragons Dogma 2that illustrate just how visually impressive it is.#10. INDIANA JONES AND THE GREAT CIRCLEIt may have been a while since MachineGames last major full-fledged AAA release, but as a studio that has always delivered visually impressive games, it did not disappoint with its return to the spotlight in the final days of this year withIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, a game that impresses graphically in more ways than one. It crafts its period setting with great alpomb, lets players explore a vast and varied collection of beautiful and highly detailed locations, and of course, does it all while capturing that classic Indiana Jonesaesthetic. It absolutely knocks the ball out of the park in this department.#9. SUICIDE SQUAD: KILL THE JUSTICE LEAGUESuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leaguewas a disastrous game- theres just no two ways about it. But even the most disastrous games tend to have at least some redeeming qualities, and so, too, didSuicide Squad. Chief among the few was how good it looked, an area where Rocksteady Studios as a developer has never disappointed in the past. The game obviously has crippling issues that make it an absolute drag to play even at the best of times, but visually, theres a lot to be impressed with here, especially if its the games impressive cinematics youre talking about.#8. TEKKEN 8It wouldnt be an exaggeration to callTekken 8one of the best-looking fighting games ever made. Coming earlier this year as one of the biggest current-gen exclusive Unreal Engine 5 games so far, Bandai Namcos acclaimed fighter was promising to be absolutely astounding to look at in the lead up to release, and it unquestionably lived up to that promise. From the stages to the character models to the often explosive effects we see on the screen,Tekken 8has no shortage of tricks up its sleeve to make you stop in your tracks and marvel at its beauty.#7. WARHAMMER 40,000: SPACE MARINE 2Space Marine 2is without a doubt one of the most technically impressive games weve played in a long, long time. For starters, it looks excellent, with gorgeously detailed environments, well-crafted character models, and excellent enemy designs. But of course, whats most impressive about it are the many sequences and moments where you find yourself facing overwhelmingly massive hordes of enemies, when literally hundreds upon hundreds of foes are on-screen together, all barreling in your direction while you stomp around and mow them down. The fact that the game accomplishes all of that without any significant issues with its performance just makes it that much more impressive. Its truly something of a miracle.#6. BLACK MYTH: WUKONGFor about four years prior to its launch, every time we saw more ofBlack Myth: Wukong, one thing that stood out above everything else was just how stunning it looked- something that stood out that much more given the fact that the game was coming from a lesser-known Chinese studio with a nonexistent AAA track record. When it launched in August,Black Mythwas thankfully exactly as gorgeous as it was touted to be. Varied environments, spectacularly designed bosses, and some of the most breathtaking vistas weve seen in games all year all come together in whats easily one of the best-looking games of this generation (even if it does have the odd technical rough edge).#5. FINAL FANTASY 7 REBIRTHTheres no end to the things aboutFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirththat we can praise endlessly, and its visual splendour is high on that list. Obviously, we cant ignore the fact that the game does suffer from some graphical inconsistencies, especially when played on Performance Mode. Even at its worst, however, Rebirthhas a knack of looking impressive, while at its best, its drop-dead gorgeous. Its staggeringly large world is crawling with beautiful sights that are begging to be sought out and taken in, while on a PS5 Pro in particular, it looks absolutely stunning with little to no caveats.#4. SILENT HILL 2Silent Hill 2sremake sparked a good deal of skepticism from many, which, given developer Bloober Teams spotty track record up to that point, was fair to understand, but the one area where even the games biggest skeptics knew it wouldnt disappoint was its graphics. Thats a department that always shines in Bloober games, and sure enough,Silent Hill 2is an absolute looker. The decrepit eponymous town and the horrors that it hide are brought to life in spectacular and terrifying fashion, whileSilent Hill 2sfamiliar cast of characters are given new life by the stellar fidelity that the game now boasts. And yes, the fog looks amazing.#3. MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2024Microsoft Flight Simulatortook our collective breath away when it launched in 2020, and still stands as one of the best-looking games around on any platform. Appropriately enough,Microsoft Flight SImulator 2024turned out to be somehow even more visually impressive. Marginally gains are definitely setting in, which is unavoidable, but at the end of the day, even the most jaded person cant help but be floored by the stunning level of detail, authenticity, and photorealism with whichFlight Sim 2024brings its grand vision to life.#2. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYLMuch like its predecessors, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2is a little rough around the edges, and with its slate of technical issues and its deliberately punishing nature, its definitely not a game for everyone. But boy oh boy is it a visual delight. GSC Game Worlds open world shooter is easily among the best-looking games to have been released this generation. It boasts a staggering level of detail and fidelity across ahugeworld with impressive consistency. The game deserves all the praise in the world for the lengths to which it goes to make its world feel authentic, and to immerse players in its deadly setting.#1. SENUAS SAGA: HELLBLADE 2Senuas Saga: Hellblade 2certainly has its critics, and there are many who argue that it doesnt hold a candle to its predecessor in a lot of ways that really matter. One area where it unquestionably makes huge strides, however, is the graphics department. Ninja Theory as a studio has always prided itself on pushing the envelope with what it does on the technological side of things, and this time, with the financial backing of Microsoft, the developer really went all out. Whether its its dark and grimy setting or the incredibly lifelike characters and their facial movements, the stellar lighting and the rich atmosphere it helps create or the spectacular animations that allow even gameplay moments to look like gorgeously handcrafted cinematics- from its first moment to its last,Hellblade 2remains a visual delight.