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The 20 Best Games of 2017 – DMarket Awards

The gaming industry produces new titles and fresh editions of famous series in rapid succession. The year of 2017 was full of a wide range of games: nice, awful, and totally great! Playing them all is an impossible mission; but trying the best games of 2017 is almost the  duty of a dedicated gamer – who knows, maybe the best adventure is waiting just around the corner?

We on DMarket have prepared for you guys this list of the top games of last year. Each of them is a masterpiece of the gaming culture and may be able to hit the spot in your gaming personality.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD)

The Legend of Zelda A brave hero Link travels all over a huge open world to assemble his lost memories of a beautiful girl, named Zelda, the love of his life, to defeat Ganon, a pure evil, and to return peace and prosperity to the fantasy land of Hyrule. Players help the guy to explore faraway mountains and deep forests, fight evil creatures in dark dungeons and under the open sky, and solve the many puzzles of the main storyline and side-quests.

This game is a decent continuation of the legendary game series, started at the dawn of the industry’s development. Players and critics acclaim various features of the gameplay, the wonderful graphics, and the overall experience of playing Breath of the Wild. This is a real piece of art, and it is a weighty argument for getting your own Nintendo Switch – the game is available only on this console.

If you still need help in making a decision about which gaming device to purchase, have a look at our article PC vs. Console: What to Choose in 2018?.

2. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG Corporation)

PUBG This multiplayer game proved itself to be highly addictive, fantastically successful, and… absolutely weird. That weirdness lies not only in the very game genre – 100 people trying to kill each other – but also in the program code, full of lags and catastrophically demanding of computer hardware. Still, PUBG became the most played game on Steam (even before its final release) and moved to the whirling world of Esports, and many cosmetic items for the virtual characters have acquired real value. Even the lags are hilarious and attractive.

The core of PUBG was taken from the popular Japanese movie “Battle Royale” and copies it quite well. Only one of the group will be a winner, so everyone tries to find weapons and equipment, to hide from deadly bullets, and to shoot anyone who comes into view. The game provides a very, very realistic experience. Highly developed skills and lots of luck are needed to succeed in the matches.

In The Game Awards 2017, PUBG became the Best Multiplayer Game. It’s also worth mentioning the award of Breakthrough Game of the Year inthe 2017 Esports Awards among the many other prizes of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

The Xbox version is in the Game Preview program; the Windows version was fully released in December 2017.

3. Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games)

Horizon Zero Dawn Can one woman defeat hordes of robotic creatures? Her name is Aloy, and she lives in the fantastic future of the 31st century. Machines rule a vast, beautiful open world, and humans are forced to hide. Aloy takes on the mission of destroying robots and revealing the secrets of the past…

Her travels, fights, and many quests are the game’s core, and they are just fascinating. Prepare to lose yourself in the huge fantastic environment and  in countless battles against mechanical beasts of all size and shapes. Those battles are quite tricky – players should choose appropriate weapons and hit the weak spots of enemies, coming up with different fight tactics for different creatures. Simple but interesting dialogues lead us through the story, but there is always the freedom to explore the world and to accomplish side tasks.

The game Horizon Zero Dawn is available only on PlayStation 4, and it is one of the bestsellers for this console.

4. Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD)

Super Mario Odyssey This fun guy has become a kind of icon of the game culture. Mario first appeared a long time ago as a hero of classic games for arcade machines and 8-bit consoles. He grew together with the whole industry, creating fun for players in many titles. Now, Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and evil Bowser come together again for new adventures in colorful Kingdoms.

Bowser has stolen Peach, so Mario must rescue the girl. He is not alone in this mission – a spirit Cappy that looks like Mario’s cap is eager to rescue his sister Tiara (the tiara of the princess). Cappy gives Mario lots of new possibilities, such as jumping over big gaps and possessing virtual creatures –  even enemies. The game is full of classic jumps on platforms, smashing beasts, collecting coins, and just amazing joy.

Super Mario Odyssey is one of the top titles for Nintendo Switch. Many critics consider it as the best game of the series, and this really means something. It is the Best Family Game in The Game Awards 2017.

5. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (Naughty Dog)

Uncharted This game is very unusual for the Uncharted series – we have no Nathan Drake here, and the hero is a girl, Chloe Frazer. In other aspects, this sequel continues the gameplay traditions of the popular PlayStation title. Chloe and her companion Nadine Ross are involved in an adventurous mission in India, looking for a legendary artifact, the Tusk of Ganesha. They explore a big open world, full of jungles and ancient ruins. They fight evil enemies and try to save many peaceful people from an awful weapon…

The game is full of explorations, battles, and puzzles. Playing Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a lot like watching a blockbuster but with the big difference that you can participate in all the events and influence the outcome.

It’s an exclusive for PlayStation 4.

6. Nier: Automata (PlatinumGames)

Nier Automata This game has been made as a mix of different genres: action adventure, shooting, and role-playing. Players jump into a weird post-apocalyptic world where humanity tries to survive under the attacks of evil alien robots. People hide on the Moon and send to the Earth warrior-androids, called YoRHa. One of them, 2B, is the main game hero. She is a female model, and she is super powerful in battles. Also, she explores obscure facts about the current war – who knows where they’ll lead her.

The atmosphere of Nier: Automata is rather gloomy, but the experience of being in this virtual world is absolutely thrilling. Many skills must be developed to succeed in the game, and many pieces of the virtual story are able to astonish even long-time gamers. Play Nier: Automata on PS4 and Windows computers.

7. Cuphead (StudioMDHR)

Cuphead This is an example of a great indie-game. The developers of Cuphead came up with the idea of creating a game in the style of old cartoons. They amazed the gaming community and got investments for their creativity. After quite a long development, we’ve got this unique masterpiece.

Two brothers gamble with the Devil and lose their souls. To save the situation, they must collect soul contracts from many other creatures. Of course, no one gives up such papers willingly, so our heroes must fight feverishly. The gameplay here is like an ever-whirling deadly dangerous environment, where every move is meaningful, and where only super skills and super luck can lead to success.

Cuphead is an interesting gaming phenomenon of both beauty and almost unreal difficulty. Cuphead won a few prizes in The Game Awards 2017 – Best Art Direction, Best Independent Game, and Best Debut Indie Game.

It is available on Xbox One and PC.

8. Divinity: Original Sin II (Larian Studios)

Divinity Original Sin II Feel the gaming freedom! This RPG offers such an experience. It can be felt from the very beginning, when players create their unique characters, and it continues during the virtual adventures – where to go, who to speak to, to fight or not to fight?

The main hero of the game is a magician, a so-called Sourcerer. He (or she) was driven to prison for extracting magic, but a random attack of Void monsters freed them and began a long and quite difficult mission. Will the hero battle against dark creatures to save the world of Rivellon? Or maybe it is better to deal with those who suppress Sourcerers?

The game is so colorful and beautiful it’s as if it’s really full of magic. Many critics call it the best RPG of all times. You can play Divinity: Original Sin II on Windows computers – alone or with a group of friends.

9. Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)

Night in the Woods In this cartoon-like side-scrolling game, we play as a girl Margaret, drawn as a cat. She moves to her hometown and meets friends. They don’t really have to do anything – there is no world-saving mission, nothing of that kind. It is rather a deep examination of life, watching it from different angles, like chatting with people (animals) on streets, or revealing the most horrible internal fears.

Night in the Wood is an amazing indie creation that has its own spirit, its own style. The process of playing is full of reading dialogues, walking around the town, and accomplishing different tasks. It’s not a rushing experience, but rather a relaxed one. The game is available on computers, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

It won the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and the award for Excellence in Narrative at the Independent Games Festival.

10. Persona 5 (P-Studio)

Persona 5 The genre of Japanese RPG is unique, full of anime style, and Persona 5 is an excellent example of it. Players control a teenage boy, who goes to school in the daytime and saves the world from evil forces at night. Along with his friends, the guy gets mystic powers, so they become Phantom Thieves of Hearts and battle against Shadows: the concentrated and materialized desires of people.

Persona 5 is a new game in the famous series. It offers a significantly improved turn-based battle system and the possibility of developing the character by giving him daily tasks (a kind of time management). The environment of the game copies the real modern Tokyo, so it is just nice to explore it.

You can play Persona 5 only on PS3 and PS4 game consoles.

11. Tekken 7 (Bandai Namco Studios)

Tekken 7 This legendary game has appeared once again in a version adapted for modern devices and with new turns in its classic plot. On the surface, all we do here is fight again and again. Going a bit deeper, the long tradition of fighting games is hidden by its hilarious character styles and lots of different combos to activate super powerful hits and to smash all enemies.

Tekken 7 has a storyline with changing main characters and competitive matches against AIs and real players. It is an essence of the very genre, and playing the game will be interesting both to newbies and to long-time fans.

Tekken 7 is available for Windows computers, PS4, and Xbox One.

12. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (Vicarious Visions)

Crash Bandicoot A creature with a rather crazy appearance runs through colorful virtual worlds, spinning time after time to open crates and to defeat evil beasts. Crash was mutated from a normal bandicoot by Doctor Neo Cortex – this evil guy wants to get an army of animal-mutants, but the best of his creations, Crash, turns against the doctor and tries to stop him.

This fun and colorful platformer is a remastered version of three classic games, made for PlayStation consoles. In Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, we have the same fantastic experience but with significantly improved graphics and some of the features remade.

The game became a best-selling exclusive for PS4. From the summer of 2018, it will be available for PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

13. Assassin’s Creed Origins (Ubisoft Montreal)

Assassin's Creed Origins This is the tenth installment of the Assassin’s Creed series. This time, players are invited to explore and accomplish missions in the open world, based on Ancient Egypt. Everything is so beautiful here: pyramids, desert, oases! It is nice just to walk around, enjoying the view, but of course, this will be a part of the game experience. Our hero must be super deft to reach all the places and super powerful to defeat all the enemies.

The storyline is thrilling: it’s tightly connected to the whole Assassin’s Creed universe – we witness the origins of the legendary Assassins Order. The game is interesting even for those playing the series for the first time.

It has versions for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.

14. Sonic Mania (PagodaWest Games Headcannon)

Sonic Mania Another famous game hero has made his re-appearance in 2017 – hedgehog Sonic runs and jumps on beautifully remastered levels of his classic games, united under one title. Sonic Mania is a re-mix of great adventures –  the ever so interesting battles of Sonic and his friends against Doctor Eggman.

The blue hedgehog has the ability to run faster than sound. That’s why his name is Sonic. He was a normal animal once, but Eggman turned him into a powerful creature. Sonic escaped from the genius and now fights against him and his evil creations.

Sonic Mania is a colorful 2D platformer. Play it on PS4, Xbox One, PC, or Nintendo Switch.

15. Project CARS 2 (Slightly Mad Studios)

Project CARS 2 How far can the developers of racing games go in their attempts to create a perfectly realistic simulator that still offers gamers convenient control? This game is one of the best results of such creative work. It contains lots of amazing cars and many different tracks. It is very realistic if you use a steering wheel, and it becomes more arcade-like if played with a gamepad or keyboard.

Project CARS 2 has a campaign mode where players develop their virtual careers as racers. The same is available for real life, because this game has become a popular Esports title, and there are many regular online competitions.

The game is available on PS4, Xbox One, and Windows computers.

16. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (MachineGames)

Wolfenstein II There are not many choices for honest and brave heroes in a world full of Nazis– take weapons in hand and fight against evil bastards. This is the general plan for the whole Wolfenstein series, and the most recent installment is no exception. Players control BJ Blazkowicz and follow his game story. It includes dialogues and both funny and clever moments, but the main process of destroying the Third Reich is by participating in powerful battles.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus has been released for Windows computers, PS4, and Xbox One. The release for Nintendo Switch is planned on 2018.

17. Call of Duty: WWII (Sledgehammer Games)

Call of Duty Wars are absolutely terrible if they happen in real life, but they may give an excellent gaming experience in the virtual world. Call of Duty is a game series about wars, and this episode invites you to the battlefields of World War II. Players dive into the events as soldiers of the US Army, which landed in Normandy to defeat the Nazis on the Western Front. In the campaign mode, we follow historical battles, full of shooting, the teamwork of brave soldiers, and their internal tragedies of participating in the war. In its multiplayer mode, the game proposes fun, but still tough, fights with Nazi zombies.

Call of Duty: WWII is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

18. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (Firaxis Games)

XCOM 2 The battles of XCOM 2 have had an excellent expansion that has improved the game significantly. Players now fight with unique enemies, the Chosen. There are three of them in the virtual world – they are super mighty warriors of the alien army. The Chosen are able to appear again during the mission, making turn-based war against evil invaders to the Earth much more difficult. Also, War of the Chosen contains three factions of rebels, which can influence your tactics, and new monsters, Lost, which try to prevent you from saving humanity.

You can play XCOM 2: War of the Chosen on computers, PS4, and Xbox One.

19. Stardew Valley (ConcernedApe)

Stardew Valley This is not a usual farming simulator – it is a charming adventure in a colorful and pleasant virtual place. The game hero comes to the valley to developing a farm, so players clear space for fields, plant different crops, collect the harvest, improve their farming tools, and then repeat these actions in new seasons with a new scale. Also, there are forests and dungeons to explore, to obtain artifacts and to fight against quite cute monsters. Let’s not forget about the village and local people – the game is full of social interactions with AI characters and also with real players in the multiplayer mode.

You can play Stardew Valley on computers and the main game consoles: PS4, Xbox One. In 2017, a version for Nintendo Switch was released, becoming the most downloaded game on this console. In the future, we expect to see the game on PlayStation Vita.

20. Everything (David OReilly)

Everything This game is about… everything. Really: you can play it as the smallest unicellular organisms, as the biggest galaxies, or as many different creatures and objects in between. It’s like an exploration of the world from different points of view, getting different life experiences – just whatever you want to try. The game gives an amazing level of freedom; it doesn’t limit players.

While playing Everything, you can read philosophical thoughts about the Universe. Later, the game will try to create its own wisdom that may be a bit absurd but also may plant some deep thoughts in your mind.

Play Everything on computers and PlayStation 4.

We can definitely say that there is no such thing as universally the best game – we all are gamers, but we have different preferences. It would be really interesting to know your opinion about this list and what are the best games of 2017 for you. Let us know in the comments below!

The beginning of 2018 gives us even more nice games! For example, Monster Hunter World. Here is our overview of its Weapons and Monsters.

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Eugene Bozhenko image
Eugene Bozhenko
Eugene Bozhenko is an enthusiastic gamer and professional gaming journalist with 14 years of writing experience. Since 2007 he has been a member of the Ukrainian National Union of Journalists. Eugene has experience writing about culture, sports, modern technology and politics but gaming remains his long-term favorite topic.
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