Games can stun us with their tech even if they aren’t very colorful or artsy. These games push hardware to their limits or do something new with clever engines. Lighting, textures, models, physics, cloth, water, reflections, and everything else that makes us want those dozens of graphics options to tinker with. These games make you want a new TV, monitor, graphics card, or next-gen console.

Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon 5 may be similar to Horizon 4, but the engine has been pushed further and it looks absolutely stunning. Amazing textures, car models, water effects, and lush trees and reflections. There were many technically impressive games this year, mostly taking advantage of AI anti-aliasing and ray-tracing, but we’ve seen that stuff already.

Runner-Ups

Resident Evil Village

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Far Cry 6

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Deathloop

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Halo Infinite