Ranking by year

The best games of 2016.

243 games compete in this selection. Dark Souls III tops it with 1,904 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Dark Souls III 2016 · Action RPG 1,904
  2. 2 Stardew Valley 2016 · Simulation 1,873
  3. 3 Darkest Dungeon 2016 · Roguelite 1,855
  4. 4 Dishonored 2 2016 · Action-adventure 1,851
  5. 5 XCOM 2 2016 · Strategy 1,827
  6. 6 Persona 5 2016 · JRPG 1,806
  7. 7 Hitman 2016 · TPS 1,805
  8. 8 Stellaris 2016 · Strategy 1,797
  9. 9 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD 2016 · Action-adventure 1,797
  10. 10 BioShock Remastered 2016 · FPS 1,793
  11. 11 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End 2016 · TPS 1,788
  12. 12 The Witness 2016 · Puzzle 1,781
  13. 13 The Last Guardian 2016 · Action-adventure 1,779
  14. 14 Titanfall 2 2016 · FPS 1,778
  15. 15 Yakuza Kiwami 2016 · Action RPG 1,777
  16. 16 Firewatch 2016 · Adventure 1,768
  17. 17 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided 2016 · FPS 1,761
  18. 18 Watch Dogs 2 2016 · TPS 1,742
  19. 19 Doom 2016 · FPS 1,739
  20. 20 Inside 2016 · Platformer 1,739
  21. 21 SuperHot 2016 · FPS 1,723
  22. 22 Ratchet & Clank 2016 · Platformer 1,717
  23. 23 No Man's Sky 2016 · Sandbox 1,710
  24. 24 Sid Meier's Civilization VI 2016 · Strategy 1,710
  25. 25 Pokémon Moon 2016 · JRPG 1,695
  26. 26 The Walking Dead: A New Frontier 2016 · Point-and-click 1,687
  27. 27 Don't Starve Together 2016 · Horror 1,683
  28. 28 Mirror's Edge Catalyst 2016 · Platformer 1,678
  29. 29 Grim Dawn 2016 · Action RPG 1,664
  30. 30 Battlefield 1 2016 · FPS 1,662
  31. 31 Abzu 2016 · Action-adventure 1,651
  32. 32 Far Cry: Primal 2016 · FPS 1,650
  33. 33 Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition 2016 · Metroidvania 1,647
  34. 34 Dead by Daylight 2016 · Horror 1,643
  35. 35 Final Fantasy XV 2016 · Action RPG 1,641
  36. 36 Oxenfree 2016 · Adventure 1,638
  37. 37 Tyranny 2016 · Action RPG 1,633
  38. 38 Hyper Light Drifter 2016 · Action RPG 1,628
  39. 39 Gears of War 4 2016 · TPS 1,622
  40. 40 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice 2016 · Visual novel 1,617
  41. 41 Overcooked! 2016 · Simulation 1,611
  42. 42 Resident Evil 6 Remastered 2016 · Horror 1,610
  43. 43 Overwatch 2016 · FPS 1,604
  44. 44 Street Fighter V 2016 · Fighting 1,603
  45. 45 Steep 2016 · Sports 1,600
  46. 46 Worms W.M.D 2016 · Strategy 1,599
  47. 47 Resident Evil 0 2016 · Horror 1,597
  48. 48 Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana 2016 · JRPG 1,595
  49. 49 Hearts of Iron IV 2016 · Strategy 1,595
  50. 50 Unravel 2016 · Platformer 1,593
  51. 51 Golf With Your Friends 2016 · Sports 1,592
  52. 52 Mafia III 2016 · TPS 1,588
  53. 53 Tom Clancy's The Division 2016 · Action RPG 1,585
  54. 54 Day of the Tentacle Remastered 2016 · Point-and-click 1,584
  55. 55 OneShot 2016 · RPG 1,581
  56. 56 Star Fox Zero 2016 · TPS 1,580
  57. 57 Dear Esther: Landmark Edition 2016 · Adventure 1,580
  58. 58 The Flame in the Flood 2016 · Survival 1,579
  59. 59 Layers of Fear 2016 · Horror 1,576
  60. 60 Quantum Break 2016 · TPS 1,574
  61. 61 The Walking Dead: Michonne 2016 · Point-and-click 1,574
  62. 62 Pokémon Sun 2016 · JRPG 1,569
  63. 63 Forza Horizon 3 2016 · Racing 1,568
  64. 64 Samorost 3 2016 · Point-and-click 1,566
  65. 65 Song of the Deep 2016 · Metroidvania 1,566
  66. 66 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition 2016 · Action RPG 1,563
  67. 67 Killing Floor 2 2016 · FPS 1,563
  68. 68 The Banner Saga 2 2016 · Strategy 1,560
  69. 69 Ultimate Chicken Horse 2016 · Platformer 1,555
  70. 70 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered 2016 · FPS 1,554
  71. 71 Enter the Gungeon 2016 · Roguelite 1,548
  72. 72 Virginia 2016 · Visual novel 1,548
  73. 73 Batman: The Telltale Series 2016 · Point-and-click 1,546
  74. 74 Resident Evil 5 Remastered 2016 · Horror 1,545
  75. 75 Yakuza 6: The Song of Life 2016 · Action RPG 1,544
  76. 76 Total War: Warhammer 2016 · Strategy 1,543
  77. 77 World of Final Fantasy 2016 · JRPG 1,542
  78. 78 SuperHot VR 2016 · Shoot 'em up 1,542
  79. 79 Until Dawn: Rush of Blood 2016 · Shoot 'em up 1,542
  80. 80 Shadow Warrior 2 2016 · FPS 1,540
  81. 81 Furi 2016 · Beat 'em up 1,540
  82. 82 Tricky Towers 2016 · Puzzle 1,540
  83. 83 Drawful 2 2016 · Card & Board 1,538
  84. 84 TrackMania Turbo 2016 · Racing 1,535
  85. 85 Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You 2016 · Visual novel 1,532
  86. 86 Darksiders: Warmastered Edition 2016 · Action RPG 1,522
  87. 87 Shantae: Half-Genie Hero 2016 · Metroidvania 1,522
  88. 88 Dead Rising 4 2016 · Beat 'em up 1,519
  89. 89 Clash Royale 2016 · Card & Board 1,514
  90. 90 ReCore 2016 · Platformer 1,513
  91. 91 Pokémon Go 2016 · Action RPG 1,508
  92. 92 Super Mario Run 2016 · Platformer 1,507
  93. 93 Project Highrise 2016 · Sandbox 1,506
  94. 94 Icey 2016 · Action RPG 1,505
  95. 95 Paper Mario: Color Splash 2016 · RPG 1,504
  96. 96 Bound 2016 · Platformer 1,501
  97. 97 Obduction 2016 · Point-and-click 1,501
  98. 98 VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action 2016 · Visual novel 1,498
  99. 99 Starbound 2016 · Action RPG 1,496
  100. 100 Kingdom: New Lands 2016 · Strategy 1,496

Filter, combine and travel back in time in the full ranking

Other rankings

Best games of 2010 The best games of 2011 The best games of 2012 Ranking of 2013 games Greatest games of 2014 Ranking of 2015 games Best games of 2017 Best games of 2018 Ranking of 2019 games

In detail

The best games of 2016, what this ranking says

Dark Souls III leads this selection with 1,904 ELO points, ahead of Stardew Valley and Darkest Dungeon. The 243 games competing in it have played 40,658 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 243
Duels played by those games 40,658
Game in the lead Dark Souls III (2016)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,904
Point gap between 1st and 10th 111
Best represented genre Action RPG
Last reading September 18, 2026

The best game of every genre in 2016

A selection is not read in one block: here is what leads each of its brackets.

The best game of every genre in 2016
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
Action RPG 26 Dark Souls III 1,904 2,628
Simulation 6 Stardew Valley 1,873 2,258
Roguelite 5 Darkest Dungeon 1,855 347
Action-adventure 16 Dishonored 2 1,851 524
Strategy 13 XCOM 2 1,827 223
JRPG 12 Persona 5 1,806 491
TPS 8 Hitman 1,805 321
FPS 21 BioShock Remastered 1,793 271
Puzzle 10 The Witness 1,781 228
Adventure 6 Firewatch 1,768 385
Platformer 23 Inside 1,739 742
Sandbox 7 No Man's Sky 1,710 437
Point-and-click 15 The Walking Dead: A New Frontier 1,687 280
Horror 10 Don't Starve Together 1,683 182
Metroidvania 10 Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition 1,647 286
Visual novel 6 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice 1,617 103
Fighting 7 Street Fighter V 1,603 151
Sports 8 Steep 1,600 124
Racing 5 Forza Horizon 3 1,568 142
Shoot 'em up 6 SuperHot VR 1,542 88
Beat 'em up 6 Furi 1,540 162
Card & Board 6 Drawful 2 1,538 66

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 99 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Clash Royale +101 1,514
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood +92 1,542
The Flame in the Flood +80 1,579

The most contested match-ups

These pairs of games have faced each other more than any others in this selection.

The most contested match-ups
Wins Against Duels played Win rate
Dark Souls III Uncharted 4: A Thief's End 40 53%
Hitman Uncharted 4: A Thief's End 6 83%
Darkest Dungeon Enter the Gungeon 5 60%
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition Salt and Sanctuary 4 75%
Doom Overwatch 4 50%

How this ranking is established

No jury, no press score, no sales figures: two games face off, players vote, and every vote updates an ELO score. This page is a view of the world ranking, never a standing kept apart.

Understand the method in detail →

FAQ

What players ask

What is the best game of 2016?

According to community votes, the best game of 2016 is Dark Souls III, with 1,904 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Stardew Valley and Darkest Dungeon, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of 2016 are ranked?

243 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 40,658 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game of 2016 is climbing right now?

Clash Royale is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 101 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 99 games in the selection moved.

Vote on a duel