The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015)

It's not often that a triple A game lives up to its pre-launch hype and it's even rarer that it surpasses it. With the Witcher 3, CD Projekt Red managed to reach an acclaim far beyond not just the other titles in the series, but the genre as a whole. Every aspect of this game is masterfully executed, from the diverse and beautiful environments to the lighting, combat, and soundtrack. It took the development team three and a half years to create the game, but its incredible detail makes that feel way too short. Each side quest has memorable characters and believable plots, every creature a lore-filed background. It's far too easy to get lost in the world, finding yourself with hundreds of hours invested and no end in sight. It's the main story, however, that holds the whole experience together. The Witcher 3 tells the tale of a grizzled monster hunter searching for his adoptive daughter and fighting a powerful dark force. Along the way, he meets ex-lovers, murderers, elves, and ghosts. He kills giants, griffins, undead and spectral beings. Each character has a believability and nuance that makes it an intensely emotional experience, and the way you interact with them will determine the outcome of the tale and the fate of the world.