2017 reshaped the gaming landscape with bold genre experiments, refined open worlds, and a competitive season that highlighted both blockbuster scale and intimate indie creativity. Across consoles and PC, players weighed meaty campaigns against evolving live-service models and fresh takes on multiplayer interaction.
Critics, awards panels, and long-term player communities pointed to a handful of titles that balanced innovation, execution, and lasting impact. These game of the year contenders illustrate how the medium matured in mechanics, storytelling, and technical confidence during a vibrant year for interactive entertainment.
| Title | Genre Focus | Key Innovation | Critical Reception | Long-Term Influence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Action Adventure | Physics-driven systemic exploration | 95–98 average across major outlets | Redefined open-world design |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | Action RPG | Blend of tribal aesthetics and robotic fauna | 88–91 average across major outlets | Elevated third-person action RPGs on PlayStation |
| PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds | Battle Royale | Large-scale tense survival on console and PC | Early mixed to positive, strong user sentiment | Catalyzed the battle royale boom |
| Cuphead | Run-and-gun shooter | Hand-drawn 1930s cartoon aesthetics | 87–90 average across major outlets | Showcased indie artistry with broad appeal |
Open World Mastery and Player Freedom
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild dominated conversations by rethinking what an open world could do. Instead of layering guided paths on top of a map, the game rewarded curiosity with physics-based interactions that encouraged unscripted solutions to puzzles and combat encounters.
From a design perspective, the weakened starting loadout pressed players to experiment early, turning every hilltop view and ruined temple into a potential lesson in systemic problem solving. This approach influenced not only subsequent Zelda projects but also open-world projects across the industry in 2017 and beyond.
Art Direction Meets Action RPG
Horizon Zero Dawn’s Visual Identity
Horizon Zero Dawn merged lush environmental storytelling with a meticulously crafted world where tribal societies coexisted alongside towering mechanical creatures. The protagonist Aloy became an instantly recognizable icon, combining technical prowess with emotional depth rarely seen in genre entries.
Combat and Progression Systems
By focusing on weapon variety, traversal options, and measured difficulty spikes, Horizon Zero Dawn offered a tight action loop that respected player skill while still feeling accessible over a campaign exceeding sixty hours. Its success helped solidify PlayStation’s reputation for premium single-player experiences.
Battle Royale and Competitive Multiplayer
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds injected tension into large-scale multiplayer by combining realistic gunplay with a shrinking play zone that constantly forced meaningful decisions. The genre’s mechanics, copied and iterated upon by many studios, pushed streamers and competitive communities to the forefront of gaming culture in 2017.
Though technically rough around the edges at launch, the game’s impact was measured in cultural moments, from clutch revives to squad-based communication, proving that multiplayer design could drive sustained engagement without relying on traditional leveling systems.
Indie Innovation and Risk-Taking
Cuphead’s Design Philosophy
Cuphead demonstrated that indie developers could rival blockbuster production values through hand-drawn animation and jazz-inspired soundtracks. Its punishing run-and-gun gameplay evoked classic arcade titles while adding modern difficulty scaling and boss encounter design.
Broader Industry Influence
The game’s success encouraged publishers and independent teams alike to invest in distinctive visual identities and tightly tuned mechanics, showing that originality could coexist with mass appeal in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Looking Ahead: Lasting Impact of 2017’s Contenders
Several design philosophies introduced or refined by 2017’s leading titles continued to inform development cycles, from systemic open worlds to tightly focused action RPG builds.
- Prioritize systemic interaction over scripted set pieces to enable player-driven stories.
- Blend distinctive art direction with mechanical clarity to create memorable identity.
- Balance competitive multiplayer accessibility with depth to sustain long-term engagement.
- Invest in bold indie projects that challenge genre conventions and visual norms.
- Use critical and community feedback to iterate on live-service and progression models.
FAQ
Reader questions
Why is Breath of the Wild often cited as a top contender for Game of the Year 2017?
It impressed critics and players with its vast, reactive world, consistent systemic design, and freedom of approach that made routine tasks feel like emergent storytelling on a grand scale.
What made Horizon Zero Dawn stand out among action RPGs in 2107?
Its striking blend of nature and advanced robotics, along with a compelling mystery driving Aloy’s journey, created a memorable setting that stood apart from darker or more grounded competitors.
How did PUBG influence the industry beyond sales figures in 2017?
By proving the viability of tense, last-man-standing gameplay on both PC and console, it accelerated investment in live-service and competitive infrastructure across many studios.
In what ways did Cuphead challenge the perception of indie games in 2017?
Its meticulous artistry and high difficulty demonstrated that indie titles could launch as cultural moments rather than niche curiosities, reshaping marketing and creative expectations for the sector.