The Best New Video Games of 2017 So Far

January 2017’s Best Video Games

Best Video Games of 2017

January may have been a quiet month for video games in the past, but 2017 had different ideas. The year kicked off with a bunch of new releases that turned out rather well. Not only did players get the long-awaited return of Kat in Gravity Rush 2, but players also got one of the best horror video games in recent years. January 2017 was all about Resident Evil 7, which adopted a first-person perspective while retaining the most classic qualities of the franchise.

Players assume the role of Ethan, a young man who’s come to rescue his long-missing wife from the Baker Estate. Of course, with this being a Resident Evil title, the Bakers aren’t just some friendly deep-south family. They’re completely insane and have plenty of twisted plans if they manage to get their hands on you.

Elsewhere in January, players got one of the less celebrated releases of 2017 in Yakuza 0. Despite not being hyped on the scale of Resident Evil 7 or Horizon Zero Dawn, Yakuza 0 still delivered an excellent prequel story for the long-running series. Focusing on Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, Yakuza 0 tells a story of warring families, betrayal, and plenty of drama. Just as you’d expect from a game about Yakuza members.

Our best new video game releases for January 2017 are all listed below.

• Gravity Rush 2
• Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue
• Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
• Yakuza 0

February 2017’s Best Video Games

Best Video Games of 2017

When it came to video games, February 2017 truly spoiled players. Whether you were looking for a charming indie, or a triple-A blockbuster, there was a bunch of new releases to accommodate everyone.

Arguably the best of the new releases to hit stores in February 2017 was Horizon Zero Dawn. Moving on from Killzone’s linear gray worlds, Guerrilla Games has created a visually stunning world that’s teeming with things to see and do. Players assume the role of Aloy as they explore this post-post-apocalyptic world filled with towering animal machines. However, what makes Horizon Zero Dawn truly shine is its combat which prioritizes smooth and strategic play over huge explosions or simply bombarding your enemies into the ground. If you’ve got a PS4 and haven’t picked it up yet, do it. Trust us, you won’t regret it.

If fighting giant robot animals isn’t your cup of tea (if that’s even possible), then PS4 exclusive Nioh also released to offer an incredibly challenging experience. Players will need to master combos, constantly hunt out the best gear, and utilize a variety of combat stances to exploit their opponents’ weaknesses. Combine that with some excellent level design that keeps rewarding you with fresh and exciting things to see and do and you’ve got one of the finest Action RPGs in quite some time.

February 2017 also brought one of the most laidback releases in the form of Night in the Woods. Taking control of college dropout cat Mae Borowski, players decide what she does with her day. Should she go to band practice, smash some stuff up in the woods with her friend, or head to the mall with another? With a charming, eccentric cast of characters and some superb writing to boot, Night in the Woods is one of the best indie video games you’ll play in 2017.

If you missed out on any of February 2017’s best video games, do yourself a favor and pick ’em up. Here’s our full list of the best video games that released in February 2017.

• For Honor
• Nioh
• Horizon Zero Dawn
• Night in the Woods

March 2017’s Best Video Games

Best Video Games of 2017

Just when players didn’t think 2017 could have a better start for video games, it got even better. March brought with it a swarm of video games, and while some like Mass Effect: Andromeda didn’t quite deliver on expectations, there were two incredible releases in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and NieR: Automata.

Breath of the Wild had been a long time coming, finally bringing the iconic series of video games to an open-world iteration of Hyrule. However, this isn’t just any plain open-world, this one is literally hiding a handful of ways to distract your attention from the main quest over each of its mountains.

Of course, with this being a Zelda game, players do have to save the world as Link, but exactly what you do outside of that (if anything) is entirely up to you. You can complete the Shrines, granting you the ability to upgrade your health or stamina gauges; you can complete a multitude of different side quests, or just go exploring and take on the sub-bosses of Hyrule. While weapon degradation does take a while to get used to, Breath of the Wild feels like a true evolution of the Zelda series. And having poured hours upon hours into it, we never want to go back. Breath of the Wild isn’t just one of the best video games of March 2017, it’s quite possibly one of the best releases of all time.

For PS4 owners, it was NieR: Automata that stole the show. Set centuries after the events of the first NieR, an alien invasion occurs and mankind has been forced to live on the moon. Determined to take the planet back, the humans created the YoRHa androids, and you’ll assume the role of some of these during your time with the game.

While NieR: Automata has polished visuals, a booming soundtrack, and well-designed bosses, it’s not any of these features that really make this one of March 2017’s best releases. It’s the way it tells its incredibly powerful story. Whether you’re dodging your way through a bullet hell section, side-scrolling through corridors, or partaking in a short segment of text adventure, the story is always at the forefront of the experience.

Sure, it may take you four playthroughs to get the full story, but when it’s this good, we’re pretty sure you won’t be complaining.

Our best new video game releases for March 2017 are all listed below.

• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• NieR: Automata

We’ll be updating this post each month with more of the best new video game releases of the year. What have been your favorite video games from 2017 so far? Let us know down in the comments below.