3. Dark Souls III

Featuring merciless and brutally tough bosses like Iudex Gundyr, Dark Souls III was one of the most challenging games of 2016.

Although some have criticized designer Hidetaka Miyazaki’s games due to their excruciating difficulty, there’s no doubt that his Dark Souls games have been some of the best action role-playing games released during this decade. And thankfully Dark Souls III, the concluding chapter to the trilogy, is as great as anything Miyazaki has put out before, featuring the same combination of oppressive environments, terrifying enemies and fantastically designed bosses.

And the bosses not only did look menacing but could change form and tactics in combat, meaning that defeating them was truly a test of skill. Plus Dark Souls III’s expansive levels and secrets even surpassed those in the earlier games, meaning this was not only one of 2016’s best but also a great swan song for a classy video game series too.