While established game developers continuously try to keep their edge in the gaming industry, new companies attempt to carve a niche for themselves and draw in their own following. The result is a great abundance of games for people to enjoy. This year alone, a lot of new titles were introduced. Here is a handful of the best video games of 2016 for smartphones, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC that have entertained gamers for hours on end, either by themselves or with friends.
Smartphones
"Crashland" ($4.99) from Butterscotch Shenanigans is an intergalactic adventure RPG that allows its players to build a base, collect items and craft them. Gamers must also spoil the plans of the wicked antagonist from world domination.
"Pokémon GO" (free to download, in-app purchase) from Niantic burst into the gaming scene midyear and made history. The record-breaking augmented reality game got many hooked, and they started roaming around their communities to catch as many pocket monsters as they can. As mentioned on Android Authority, players have to battle and train the more than 100 virtual creatures by themselves.
PlayStation 4
"Song of the Deep" ($14.99), developed by Insomniac Games, is an action-adventure game in which players take control of a young girl who crafts her own submarine in search for her missing father. Her father went missing on a fishing trip.
"Firewatch" ($19.99) by Campo Santo puts the players into the character of a Shoshone National Forest fire lookout, who experiences strange things happening within the forest. The players then interact with their immediate supervisor, Delilah, but only through a walkie-talkie. The outcome of every dialogue affects how the game pushes through, according to Mirror.
Xbox One
"Rocket League" ($29.99) is one of the highly successful games this year for the Microsoft console. Game developer Psyonix was able to combine rocket powered cars and football. A maximum of eight players, divided into two teams, can experience one of the most insane but extremely fun gaming experiences.
"Forza Horizon 3" ($39.99) from Playground Games and published by Microsoft Studios is another great racing game. Car aficionados will definitely love the open-world racing that is set in Australia. A total of 350 cars are available to players that include super cars and muscle cars as well classic and modern sports cars.
Windows PC
"Owlboy" ($24.99) is the top rated PC game in the Metacritic website with a score of 89. Players can fly and explore a brand new world filled with obstacles and enemies.
"Battlefield 1" ($59.99) from Electronic Arts is the latest installment in the "Battlefield" series and has a World War I theme. Players get a chance to experience multiplayer battles inspired by historic events. The game comes in second with a score of 88.
"Sid Meier's Civilization VI" ($59.99) also gained a Metacritic score of 88 and is the sixth game in the main title of the "Civilization" series. Starting from a small tribe, game fans can get to grow their own civilization.
Additionally, "Pokémon Sun" and "Pokémon Moon" have the highest rating for Nintendo's 3DS, while "Severed" and "Paper Mario: Color Splash" are for the Nintendo's Wii U. For the PS Vita, top choices are "Steins;Gate 0" and "Root Leather."
Again these are just a handful of the available games released in 2016.