People usually see video games as a fun pastime activity or a way to enjoy a good story. But they are a lot more than that, especially when it comes to graphics, design, art style, and environments.
Games are a great way to experience different worlds, timelines, and universes in a matter of minutes. In the last 20 years, there have been various games out there that have delivered the most detailed environments ever. Thesetitles have made immersion their priorityto help ensure players feel like they live in the fictional world.
Updated August 09, 2025, by Hamza Haq:Games that put a lot of emphasis on creating a believable world for players to immerse themselves in often put a big focus on making sure that the environments are highly detailed and immersive. A living, breathing world indistinguishable from reality is not a requirement for creating a great game, the moment-to-moment gameplay tends to be vastly more important, but it sure does help! AAA open-world games are the main go-to for gamers looking for ahigh-fidelity title, but with the widespread availability of tools like Unreal Engine 5, indie devs have begun to throw their hats in the ring as well.
Ubisoft isn’t far behind when it comes to realism in video games. In the last ten years, the company has released great-looking games such asAssassin’s Creed 4: Blackflag,The Division, Watch Dogs, and many more.
However,Far Cryhas to be its most detailed video game ever, especially in terms of environmental details. Back in 2008, Ubisoft releasedFar Cry 2, a game based on Cry Engine, and to this date, the series has maintained the benchmark.
Sony exclusives are brutal in finish and quality, andThe Last Of Us Part 2takes it on a whole new level.Developer Naughty Dog is already extremely popularfor creating breathtaking visual masterpieces such as Uncharted.
However, it has excelled in theTLOUsequel. The second game might be a hit or miss when it comes to the story, but it certainly delivers in the wild post-apocalyptic environment details.
Grand Theft Auto 5is another Rockstar Games masterpiece that didn’t disappoint. While the game came out in 2013, people still often play it, which is a testament to its legacy.
Moreover,GTA 5is still one of the mostdetailed open-world gamesin the market. It has a fully functioning city, great physics, wonderful weather transitions, and an NPC system that still works perfectly.
16Assassin’s Creed Odyssey & Valhalla
Past Adventures, Present-Day Graphics
Ubisoft’s second most detailed game series isAssassin’s Creed, and there are quite a few reasons for that. The last two games in the series are truly the benchmark ofgreat environment details, animations, and just the sheer quantity of content.
If that isn’t enough, Assassin’s Creed has a plethora of historical monuments that are extremely detailed. It is truly impressive how much effort the developers put into making these games so huge.
Crytek’s chef-d’oeuvre was the reason people bought a new PC, and it remains one of the best benchmarking games in the market. To be honest, It’s hard to believe thatCrysiscame out in 2007, especially due to its outstanding statement-making visuals.
To this date, Crysis has one of the best-looking water, underwater, trees, and object destruction. It’s so detailed that the only immersion-breaking part is the actual gun and not the environment.
CD Projekt Red may have dropped the ball with Cyberpunk 2077, but it totally hit the nail withThe Witcher 3. The third entry in the series is the most ambitious Witcher game ever, and it also is thebiggest and grandest RPGfrom the developers.
Anyone who decides to play Witcher 3 will be blown away by the accurate design and extremely detailed landscapes based on Slavic mythology.
It started withMetro 2033when the popular seriesbecame a benchmark for testing new GPUs. From then toMetro Exodus, the game developers have continually put commendable effort into making these fictional worlds feel real.
Metro series is all about making the players feel thehorror and uncertainty of the post-apocalypticera. And all the games in the series do a great job at that.
TheHitmanseries has always been about finding ways to take down the targets. Since the entire goal of the game is to be creative with the environment, it’s clear that developers had to put in a lot of time detailing the world.
It is also why the latestHitmangames have praiseworthy realistic environments. The new trilogy has one of the best-looking worlds ever made in a video game.
Forza Horizonis the only racing game on the list, which should show that the genre can be comparable to some of these free-roam open-world games. Microsoft has delivered each time with the sequels, and Horizon 5 has taken it to another level.
The graphics and environment in these games are true-to-world, not in scale, but accuracy. Each game fromForza Horizon 3on offers an equallywell-crafted high-detailed landscapethat it is hard to pick one game out of the three.
Every Remedy Entertainment game is full of extremely ambient environments, andControlis no different. On the surface, the latest Remedy title is minimal in the looks, but it is by design.
This is because, apart from being set inside a Brutalist skyscraper in New York City,Controlis every bit as detailed as others games on the list. It hasphysics-based objects, lots of tiny details, and an engine that does a standard-setting demonstration of ray tracing.
