Video games have come a long way in terms of graphics since the days of Pong and Tetris. We’ve moved up from pixels to polygons and have now ushered in an era of revolution lighting techniques like ray tracing. There’s no doubt that video games have never looked any better than they do now, but what was the best looking game of 2020?

We have a couple ideas of our own, but of course the idea of graphics and what looks ‘good’ is entirely subjective. So whilst we’ve put a poll down at the bottom for you to vote on, we would absolutely love to hear your own thoughts in the discussion area below!

But before that, let’s have a look at some of the best looking games of 2020…

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Cyberpunk 2077

I mean there’s no doubt about it really, but Cyberpunk 2077 is downright one of the best looking games of 2020. I mean it’s on this list so it has to be right. The world of Night City is bathed in color and gorgeous lighting, all the characters and world designs are intricately thought out to feel unique and personal. I honestly find myself just stopping and staring at a lot of the vistas in the game, taking in the beauty of the world and environmental design, and that’s even without ray tracing enabled…

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DOOM Eternal

Not all games have to be about graphical quality though, and sometimes a beautiful game comes out of gorgeous art direction instead. DOOM Eternal is the embodiment of this. Sure, sometimes the quality looks great, but it’s nothing to write home about. However, the incredible environmental design certainly is...

From the awe-inspiring environments of Earth and Heaven, to the brutal hellscapes of, well… Hell, DOOM Eternal has some of the most incredible scenery seen in a video game. Giant demons the size of skyscrapers walk along the Earth’s surface, or lay trapped in stone on the outskirts of mythical worlds. There’s a certain melancholy of a world long gone, and creatures of unimaginable size here. And that’s just scraping the surface of what DOOM Eternal has to offer in terms of visuals.

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The Last Of Us Part 2

In a lot of ways, The Last of Us Part 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 are quite similar in their design (that’s why they went head to head in our 12 Games of Christmas tournament). One of the most obvious are the visuals. Both games have incredible graphical quality, but Naughty Dog took a more realistic and cinematic approach.

Not only does TLOU2 have some incredible texture work, but the world design is as gorgeous as it is harrowing. From skyscrapers to dilapidated buildings, almost everything is wrapped in grass and vines. It also has phenomenal animation work, making characters feel truly alive and real. So it’s no wonder it’s on this list.

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But there’s a boat load of games that came out in 2020, and a lot looked fantastic. Whether you agree with our picks of the best looking games of 2020, we’d love to hear your thoughts and if we overlooked some games of this year.

What do you think? What was the best looking game of 2020? Was it a game on this list? Or is there a title we overlooked here? And do you art direction or graphical quality in games? Let’s debate!