Digital Foundry just dropped their annual Graphics of the Year awards for 2025, and the results showcase a year where ray tracing finally became mainstream, Nintendo’s Switch 2 proved itself worthy, and developers pushed current-gen consoles to their absolute limits. Doom: The Dark Ages takes the crown with its revolutionary id Tech 8 engine, proving that cutting-edge graphics and buttery-smooth performance can coexist.
The Top Three Winners
1. Doom: The Dark Ages
When Doom: The Dark Ages launched in May 2025 requiring ray tracing-capable hardware, some players worried about performance. Those concerns evaporated the moment Digital Foundry got their hands on the game. id Software’s latest shooter delivers full ray-traced global illumination at such a performant level that even the weaker Xbox Series S runs it without dropping frames.
The id Tech 8 engine handles direct and indirect lighting so well that massive semi-open combat zones look coherent and stunning. Otherworldly constructions of stone and metal blend together like ultimate heavy metal album covers, thanks to per-pixel lighting. The increased level complexity compared to previous Doom games would have been impossible with pre-baked lighting files, making ray tracing both a visual and practical necessity.
Beyond lighting, the game features hair-strand simulation, physics-based destruction where debris continues affecting enemies and corpses, true wave-physics for water, and gorgeous weather rendering. The CPU efficiency is so high that more 3D enemies appear on-screen than ever before, all with independent AI routines. On high-end PCs, path-traced lighting adds even more nuance while maintaining locked 60fps performance. It’s technically brilliant from top to bottom.
2. Assassin’s Creed Shadows
The most impressive Assassin’s Creed since 2014’s Unity, Shadows delivers ray-traced global illumination covering both specular and diffuse virtual geometry. But what sets it apart is how next-gen it feels across the board. Physics simulations allow realistic slicing and destruction of objects with non-defined cut points, meaning doors, boxes, and wooden blocks shatter convincingly when struck by weapons.
The hair-strand system makes hair move and shine realistically when paired with RTGI. The Atmos wind-simulation system unifies grass and foliage reactions to breezes. Cloth simulation works alongside the physics system so fabric moves and reacts to being touched or sliced. Playing on high-end PC or PlayStation 5 Pro delivers the best experience, though Digital Foundry notes the Xbox Series S and Switch 2 versions require too many visual cutbacks despite commendable scalability.
3. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
The first time Guerrilla’s Decima Engine ran exclusively on PlayStation 5 as base hardware, and Kojima Productions took full advantage. The detail work is extraordinary, from thread-by-thread suit textures to finely rendered metals and plastics on equipment. Then you step outside to explore massive Mexican and Australian biomes featuring rivers, forests, and sandy expanses rendered with tangibly craggy terrain that somehow doesn’t bring PS5 to its knees.
The game pushes particle-rendering limits with all-consuming forest fires, artfully arranged candles, and sweeping fireworks displays, each with proper reactive lighting without any ray tracing. Cinema scenes and interiors benefit from proper indirect lighting. Fluid simulation systems for the signature tar effects show even more geometric complexity than the first game. It’s a technical showcase for what proprietary engines can achieve when freed from last-gen constraints.
The Full Top Ten List
Beyond the top three, Digital Foundry’s list is presented alphabetically since they consider these games roughly equal in graphical achievement. Here’s what made the cut:
Dying Light: The Beast
After a rough launch, Techland’s ray tracing implementation received major upgrades that elevated this first-person parkour game into award territory. The in-house engine employs software-based global illumination that outpaces Dying Light 2’s rudimentary lighting. With so much verticality and tactility, performant ray tracing applied to every interactive object adds significant weight without taxing frame rates like some Unreal Engine 5 titles.
Hardware RT on compatible PCs delivers pixel-perfect results, allowing the game to skip artificial glowing light sources. Natural lighting and material reflectivity make indoor spaces feel truly lived-in and abandoned. Combined with pitch-black environments and flashlight mechanics, the lighting becomes integral to gameplay rather than just eye candy.
Earthion
A Sega Mega Drive game in 2025 that runs at flawless 60fps on original hardware deserves recognition. Development studio Ancient demonstrates utter mastery of the 16-bit platform, pushing high sprite counts without the flicker and visual breakup that plagued simpler-looking shooters from the 90s. By leveraging larger ROM sizes than were available in the mid-90s, Earthion renders larger quantities and sizes of sprites throughout its arcade shooting levels.
Gorgeously rendered pixel-art cinema sequences between levels resemble classic 80s anime. Ships and background elements scale dramatically during combat. Parallax scrolling crams tasteful, unified-palette materials into scrolling backgrounds without distracting from spaceship piloting. Chiptune legend Yuzo Koshiro’s FM synth soundtrack, running on original hardware, provides the icing on this retro-modern cake.
Ghost of Yōtei
Sucker Punch surprised everyone by quietly including ray-traced global illumination without prior advertising. Freed from PlayStation 4 as a target platform, the engine delivers sweeping landscape vistas with dramatically increased draw distances and higher foliage density that naturally reacts to movement. It’s easier to look across the open world and make out distant scenery for navigation or simply to enjoy the view.
PlayStation 5 Pro’s PSSR upscaling is at its best with Sucker Punch’s proprietary engine. Players get tons of visual options to dial in fidelity and performance, making this Sony’s first-party graphics game of the year. The combination of technical achievement and artistic vision creates one of the most beautiful open-world experiences available.
Mafia: The Old Country
Hangar 13 switched from their excellent in-house engine to Unreal Engine 5, and the results justify the change. Sicily’s idyllic environments get the ambitious graphical treatment they deserve. UE5’s Nanite system keeps geometric object density incredibly high for all buildings and terrain in this mid-1900s open-world adventure.
Level-of-detail push-out reaches near-horizon extremes, more so than Cyberpunk 2077 on highest settings. The combination of massive vistas and solid performance stands out in a year where some other UE5 games struggled. Software Lumen and ray-traced global illumination include some typical UE5 artifacts like blobby SDFs and overdarkening, but it’s still stunning thanks to incredible art and handsomely lit countrysides.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Retro Studios sends off the Switch 1 era with their most optimized and visually stunning shooter yet. The game is a lighting masterwork, showcasing how pre-baked lighting in carefully crafted environments can implement attractive phenomena like emissive lighting while organically guiding players. Lighting directs attention to primary paths and secretive bonus-filled areas, an assignment Retro still understands four games into the series.
It’s stunning that Switch 1 delivers so much ecosystem diversity within large exploration zones at steady 60fps. The Switch 2 version exploits processing advantages with higher texture resolution and pixel counts, offering either 1440p at 60fps or 1080p at an incredibly fluid 120fps. It’s a fitting final showcase for what developers can achieve when they truly master Nintendo’s aging hardware.
Routine
This indie debut from Lunar Software spent over a decade in development, and it shows. As one of the better Unreal Engine 5 implementations of 2025, this space-horror game combines analogue-styled monitor interfaces with realistic, highly detailed surface materials for a graphically supercharged take on Alien: Isolation.
Screens-within-screens are the highlight, with dated monitor characteristics like limited refresh rates and monochromatic panels living inside fantastically lit and shadowed environments. The embedded tube-styled screen in the player’s gun and multi-tool adds a consistently cool, unique effect to exploratory gameplay. It proves indie studios with time and vision can compete with AAA budgets.
Silent Hill f
Horror games face added challenges when using Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen, needing to skip direct illumination to maintain atmosphere. Silent Hill f masterfully balances art, tech, and performance across PC and console versions. Town and village sequences in historic Japan are grounded with copious foliage and era-appropriate objects like bicycles and appliances.
Strong handling of material properties looks convincing even with technically limited Software Lumen. Trippy, terrifying marionette-like creatures move convincingly and creepily, differing from common horror archetypes. PSSR fumbles on PS5 Pro, traversal stutters on base consoles, and shader-compilation issues on PC prevent a higher ranking, but it’s still a fantastic horror-series revitalization from Konami.
Honorable Mentions: Switch 2 Steals the Show
This year’s honorable mentions focus entirely on Nintendo Switch 2, which launched in June 2025 and immediately proved itself as a capable platform for both exclusives and impossible ports.
Racing Exclusives
Mario Kart World brings Xenoblade-like time-of-day transitions to the series’ first open-world setting, offering dramatic sunset and evening lighting without costing performance. Pre-baked lighting mixed with cube map reflections and distant LOD settings push the technical envelope while maintaining 60fps.
Kirby Air Riders debuted Bandai Namco’s new SOL-AVES engine, locking to 60fps while applying material-based reflections, clever lighting, and tasteful particle effects. It arguably looks more next-gen than Mario Kart World, though in more limited environments.
Fast Fusion barely missed the top ten despite its shaders, effects, massive levels, and indirect lighting uniquely exploiting Switch 2’s chipset. Developer Shin’en continues their streak of unbelievable results on limited hardware, though aggressive use of tiny DLSS creates messy upscaling that holds it back.
Panic Button’s Magic
The studio behind Switch 1’s impossible ports of Doom Eternal and Warframe worked similar magic for Nintendo’s biggest first-party Switch 1 upgrades to Switch 2. Resolution and performance boosts made games from Mario, Zelda, Kirby, and Splatoon look how they always should have, with Link’s Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom as particular highlights.
Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2
While not graphically spectacular on its own merits, what Massive Entertainment squeezed from Switch 2 earns recognition. Sticking to 30fps, solid DLSS implementation, and Switch 2’s only hardware-based ray tracing experience this year make it the platform’s best impossible port, surpassing Cyberpunk 2077 and Street Fighter 6.
What This Means for Gaming
| Technology | 2025 Status | Key Games |
|---|---|---|
| Ray-Traced Global Illumination | Mainstream | Doom, AC Shadows, Ghost of Yōtei |
| Unreal Engine 5 | Maturing | Mafia, Silent Hill f, Routine |
| Proprietary Engines | Still Competitive | Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yōtei |
| Path Tracing | High-End PCs Only | Doom: The Dark Ages |
| Switch 2 Optimization | Impressive | Mario Kart World, Metroid Prime 4 |
Digital Foundry’s 2025 awards highlight several major trends. Ray tracing has moved from experimental feature to standard implementation, with id Tech 8 proving it can deliver both visual quality and performance. Unreal Engine 5 is maturing but still faces challenges with traversal stutters and shader compilation. Proprietary engines like Decima and Sucker Punch’s tech remain highly competitive when developers have time and resources to optimize.
Switch 2’s strong showing across honorable mentions demonstrates Nintendo finally has hardware capable of running modern games without massive compromises. The platform’s June launch gave developers enough time to understand its capabilities, resulting in both excellent exclusives and surprisingly competent ports.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Digital Foundry’s Graphics of the Year award?
Digital Foundry, the leading tech analysis group for video games, annually selects games that represent the state of the art in graphics technology. The awards focus on technical achievement and how developers master their target platforms, from squeezing performance from aging hardware to implementing cutting-edge features like path tracing.
Why did Doom: The Dark Ages win over Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
While both games feature impressive ray-traced global illumination, Doom’s id Tech 8 engine delivers better performance across all platforms, including weaker hardware like Xbox Series S. The game also includes path tracing on high-end PCs and maintains locked 60fps while implementing advanced physics, hair simulation, and AI routines for massive enemy counts.
How does Death Stranding 2 compare to Horizon games on the same engine?
Death Stranding 2 is the first time the Decima Engine was built exclusively for PS5 without PS4 compatibility. This allowed Kojima Productions to push detail levels, particle effects, and terrain complexity far beyond what Horizon Forbidden West achieved. The lack of ray tracing didn’t prevent stunning lighting through clever engine design.
Is ray tracing finally mainstream in 2025?
Yes. Multiple games in Digital Foundry’s top ten implement ray-traced global illumination, including Doom, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ghost of Yōtei, Dying Light: The Beast, Mafia, and Silent Hill f. The technology has evolved from optional high-end feature to expected standard on current-gen consoles and modern PCs.
How does Switch 2 compare to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X?
Switch 2 can’t match PS5 and Xbox Series X in raw power, but it punches above its weight through clever optimization and DLSS upscaling. Games like Mario Kart World and Kirby Air Riders run at locked 60fps with impressive visual features. Impossible ports like Star Wars Outlaws maintain 30fps with ray tracing, something many doubted Nintendo hardware could achieve.
What happened to Unreal Engine 5 games?
UE5 games appear on the list but face ongoing challenges. Mafia: The Old Country, Silent Hill f, and Routine all implement the engine successfully, but Digital Foundry notes issues with traversal stutters, shader compilation problems, and PSSR implementation. The engine is maturing but still requires significant optimization work from developers.
Why is Metroid Prime 4 notable for Switch 1?
Retro Studios delivered a locked 60fps shooter with diverse ecosystems in large exploration zones on eight-year-old mobile hardware. The lighting masterwork guides players organically while maintaining consistent performance. It represents the absolute peak of what skilled developers can extract from the original Switch.
Will Doom: The Dark Ages run well on older PCs?
id Tech 8 is remarkably scalable. The game runs at steady 60fps even on Xbox Series S, the weakest current-gen console. On PC, it can scale down by removing features like ray-traced reflections while maintaining core RTGI and performance. High-end systems get path tracing, but the base experience remains accessible to most modern hardware.
The Bottom Line
Digital Foundry’s 2025 Graphics of the Year awards celebrate a transformative year for game visuals. Ray tracing evolved from premium feature to expected standard. Nintendo’s Switch 2 proved portable hardware can deliver modern gaming experiences. Proprietary engines demonstrated they still compete with Unreal Engine 5 when developers have proper resources and time.
Doom: The Dark Ages deserves its crown for proving cutting-edge graphics and exceptional performance aren’t mutually exclusive. id Software’s id Tech 8 engine sets a new bar for what developers should target: stunning visuals that scale from weak hardware to powerful PCs without sacrificing the core experience. Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Death Stranding 2 round out a podium that showcases three completely different approaches to graphical excellence, each valid and impressive in their own right.
As we head into 2026, the foundation is set. Developers know ray tracing works across platforms. Switch 2 has proven itself worthy of third-party support. Unreal Engine 5 continues maturing while proprietary engines hold their ground. The future of game graphics looks bright, performant, and more accessible than ever.