Top 15 Best 2016 Gaming Box Arts That Are Basically Masterpieces

No Man’s Sky

No Man’s Sky is a game all about exploration and discovery, something perfectly represented in its box art. A small lone figure stands alone as an imposing scene looms above them. A planet filled with plant animal life stretches out ahead, while another one sits off in the distance. It’s a scene evocative of the kind of experience you’ll get in your No Man’s Sky adventure.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

Tokyo Mirage Sessions is about as anime as you can get, and its box art is probably the most anime thing you’ll see all year long. The story of the game focuses on a group of young people fighting to save the world, while also striving to become stars in the Japanese entertainment industry. Everything about Tokyo Mirage Sessions is steeped in modern Japanese culture, and the pop idol industry. The game’s beautiful watercolor cover is a perfect fit for its themes.

Far Cry Primal

Far Cry Primal was a huge deviation for the series, taking it from the usual gun-toting island adventures, and back to the stone age. This means more of a focus on hand-to-hand combat, and using different creatures as pets to aid you in battle. Of course this also means different dangers, something you can clearly see on the game’s cover. A giant wooly mammoth stands imposingly in front of Takkar, the protagonist, as he faces it with nothing more than a torch and his sabertooth ally.

Pokken Tournament

Pokemon has always been about capturing the different creatures and pitting them against each other in battle to prove you’re the best Pokemon trainer around. Pokken Tournament is a better representation of those battles than we’ve ever seen before, tweaking the Tekken formulas just a little bit to fit Pokemon. This flashy cover art shows the intensity that a real Pokemon battle would have as two of the most iconic monsters, Pikachu and Lucario, square off.

Gears of War 4

Gears of War 4 may feature a brand new cast, including Marcus Fenix’s son, but the cover art fits the rest of the series perfectly. It shows the new squad trapped in the midst of a furious battle. One of the new features of Gears 4, the intense weather system, is on full display as what looks to be a hurricane whips around the scene. The humans in Gears of War have always been fighting a desperate battle, something that looks to still be happening in the newest game.

Attack on Titan

If the Attack on Titan anime got anything right, it was the sheer scale of battles and the human-devouring titans. In particular, the enigmatic colossal titan featured on much of the series’ marketing. The cover for Koei Tecmo’s upcoming game adaption of Attack on Titan, captures this feeling of scale perfectly. Members of the Survey Corps and Military swarm towards the titan in a desperate bid for survival.

BioShock: The Collection

The BioShock games are regarded as some of the best shooters of the last generation, taking place in the incredible, fantastical cities of Rapture and Colombia. The games are all linked in a certain way however, something represented by the cover of this collection. This stark box art blends the city under the sea and the city in the sky perfectly, with the iconic lighthouse sitting in the middle. It’s a cover that reminds you of the experiences you had in each city, and invites you back in to explore them again.

XCOM 2

XCOM 2 has humanity in a dire position at the start of the game. Humanity has essentially lost the war with the aliens in the first game, and is now subjugated by them. XCOM has now become the resistance for the human race, doing their best to strike back against the alien menace. The box art for the game is certainly a hopeless scene, with nothing more than a giant alien head made out of human skills. It’s a striking image that sets the tone for the game right from the start.

Civilization VI

Civilization is all about crafting the greatest society on the planet, spreading your influence throughout it. The cover of Civilization VI certainly represents that with a grand scene to behold. A statue of the Greek titan Atlas holding up the earth is featured prominently, with a civilization spreading out in all directions underneath him. You can’t really thing of a grander or more fitting image for this prolific strategy series.

 Mafia III

Mafia III is a story about vengeance, with Lincoln Clay and his allies taking the fight to the Mafia. The box art for the game displays both Lincoln and his allies in warmer red tones on the left, along with their enemies in colder blue tones on the right. The whole revenge theme is tied up nicely with the view of a car bearing down on a hapless Mafia member.

 Firewatch

The wilderness of Wyoming is a lonely place, as the main character of Firewatch quickly finds out. While taking a job to watch for fires at the Shoshone National Park, his life quickly takes a strange turn, during which he only has one other person to talk to on the other end of a radio. The cover art for Firewatch prominently features a watch tower, standing all alone in the wilderness. It’s evocative of the quiet and loneliness within the wilderness of the game.

 I am Setsuna

I am Setsuna tells a tragic tale about a sacrifice sent off to quell the hordes of monsters that appear and threaten the world. It’s something the world of the game is used to, and has used repeatedly for years. It’s the only option they have, no matter how hard it is to send someone to their death because of it. The box art for the game is beautiful, matching the melancholy of the story. Setsuna stand alone on a snowy plain, staring off into the distance. 

 Furi

Furi has an incredibly unique visual theme, with tons of neon and slick designs. It’s also essentially a boss rush game that pits your character against a stream of increasingly difficult bosses. The cover art matches the flashiness of the game itself, dropping the main character in the center with debris all around him, and the bright neon Furi logo at the bottom.

 Inside

The mystery and ambiguity of Inside is one of the most fascinating aspects of the game. It’s a dark and ominous experience, much of which is up to the player to decipher. The cover art for the game shows off the stark color contrast present throughout it. At the same time posing a question, making players wonder just what’s happening in this scene. Why is there a small boy, and who is the figure in the distance? The best box art builds your curiosity, making you want to play the game. Which is exactly what Inside does.

 Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a calming experience, giving you your very own farm to take care of and a town of people to interact with at your leisure. The cover art for the game is inviting, showing just a small house looking out over the mountains. It looks like somewhere you’d like to take a trip to, or maybe even settle down at. Well you can do just that with Stardew Valley. Take a trip to that serene place and just while the hours away harvesting, exploring and having fun.