A retrospective 2023 review of the cool games of 2017 confirms that 2017 remains one of the most transformative years in modern video game history. Landmark titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Hollow Knight, and NieR: Automata not only aged exceptionally well but established design frameworks that still define contemporary gaming.
The Critical Context: Why 2017 Demanded a 2023 Reassessment
In gaming history, certain calendar years stand out as tectonic shifts: 1998, 2004, and 2017. When 2017 concluded, critics and players widely celebrated it for revitalizing multiple genres simultaneously. It delivered the launch of the Nintendo Switch, the mainstream explosion of the battle royale genre, a renaissance in Japanese game design, and an unprecedented lineup of genre-defining indie titles.
By 2023, the gaming industry had reached another historic peak of critical acclaim with releases such as Baldur's Gate 3, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Alan Wake 2. This parallel created an ideal vantage point: evaluating 2017's standout releases after six years of hardware advancements, design iterations, and live-service evolution.
Examining these games in retrospect strips away initial release hype. A six-year window reveals whether innovative systems proved durable, whether graphical presentations aged gracefully across console generations, and whether these titles remain essential experiences or merely historical curiosities.
Standout 2017 Titles Evaluated from a Six-Year Vantage Point
2017 Standouts: Six-Year Retrospective Assessment Matrix
| Game Title | Primary Genre | Core 2017 Innovation | 2023 Reassessment & Legacy Status | Modern Availability & Performance Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Open-World Action-Adventure | Chemistry engine, systemic open-air freedom, non-linear progression | Defined modern open-world exploration; direct predecessor to Tears of the Kingdom | Nintendo Switch (Dynamic 900p/30fps docked) |
| Hollow Knight | Metroidvania / Soulslike | Fluid hand-drawn 2D combat, atmospheric lore, precision platforming | Widely considered the gold standard of 2D action; benchmark for all subsequent indie Metroidvanias | PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series, Switch (1080p/4K, 60fps+) |
| NieR: Automata | Action RPG / Hack-and-Slash | Genre-bending combat, existential narrative, multi-playthrough storytelling | Unmatched philosophical narrative; PlatinumGames combat remains fluid and modern | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch (4K/60fps on modern consoles/PC) |
| Super Mario Odyssey | 3D Platformer | Capture mechanic via Cappy, dense sandbox kingdoms, momentum-based movement | Remains the pinnacle of 3D sandbox platforming; masterclass in joyful movement mechanics | Nintendo Switch (Dynamic 900p/60fps docked) |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | Action RPG / Open World | Tactical component-based archery, post-post-apocalyptic sci-fi world | Superb mechanical combat; open-world quest structures feel dated compared to emergent peers | PC, PS4, PS5 (Patched 4K/60fps on PS5; PC up to uncapped framerates) |
| Persona 5 | Turn-Based JRPG | Acid-jazz visual UI, seamless turn-based flow, deep social simulation | Redefined turn-based UI and accessibility; foundational modern JRPG experience | PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series, Switch (Expanded via Persona 5 Royal) |
| Resident Evil 7: Biohazard | First-Person Survival Horror | Shift to first-person perspective, return to resource-tight claustrophobia | Rescued the franchise from action bloat; established the technical foundation of the RE Engine | PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series (Ray tracing/4K/60fps update) |
| Cuphead | Run-and-Gun / Boss Rush | Authentic 1930s rubber-hose traditional animation, tough-as-nails cadence | Timeless visual art; mechanical precision prevents it from ever feeling obsolete | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch (Fluid 60fps across all platforms) |
| Divinity: Original Sin 2 | Isometric CRPG | Environmental surface interactions, deep systemic combat, cooperative campaign | The critical bridge that made Larian Studios' Baldur's Gate 3 possible; pinnacle CRPG depth | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, iPad (Native 4K/60fps on modern PC) |
Deep-Dive Retrospectives: How the Heavyweights Aged
The Open-World Paradigm: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
When Nintendo launched The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild alongside the Nintendo Switch in March 2017, it actively dismantled the checklist-driven open-world design popularized over the preceding decade. Instead of populating an in-game mini-map with icons, Nintendo built a chemistry engine where fire, wind, water, and electricity interacted logically with player tools.
Reviewed from a 2023 perspective, Breath of the Wild retains its core brilliance while its friction points become clearer:
- Systemic Interactivity: The ability to climb any surface and glide across valleys remains unmatched outside of its direct 2023 sequel, Tears of the Kingdom. The physics-driven problem-solving avoided arbitrary barriers.
- Weapon Durability: The controversial durability mechanic generated sharp debate in 2017 and remained polarizing in 2023. However, critical analysis shows durability was essential to forcing players to adapt, scavenge, and experiment with the environment rather than relying on a single dominant weapon.
- Structural Pacing: While traditional dungeon enthusiasts still missed labyrinthine temples, the 120 Shrines established a modular blueprint for handheld and home console play that subsequent games struggled to emulate.
The Indie Masterpiece: Hollow Knight
Developed by Team Cherry, a three-person Australian team funded via Kickstarter, Hollow Knight was released quietly in early 2017 before exploding into a cultural phenomenon.
By 2023, the game's reputation had only grown:
- Tight Mechanical Precision: The sword-slashing "nail" combat, directional parrying, and tight airborne dashes hold up against any high-budget action title.
- Environmental Worldbuilding: The ruined subterranean insect kingdom of Hallownest rivaled FromSoftware’s Dark Souls in atmospheric storytelling, environmental decay, and musical composition by Christopher Larkin.
- Value and Scope: Through free content expansions (Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood, and Godmaster), Hollow Knight evolved from an ambitious indie into a massive 50-hour epic that set an almost impossible standard for the Metroidvania genre.
Philosophical Action: NieR: Automata
Directed by Yoko Taro and developed by PlatinumGames, NieR: Automata turned a niche cult franchise into a global success. In 2017, it earned praise for its seamless shifts between third-person hack-and-slash, twin-stick bullet hell, and side-scrolling platforming.
Six years later, its narrative structure stands out even more prominently:
- The Multi-Route Narrative: Route A, Route B, and Route C were not simple alternate endings; they were chronological shifts in perspective and direct plot continuations. The climax of Route E remains one of gaming's greatest meta-narrative moments.
- Soundtrack Immersion: Keiichi Okabe’s dynamic, vocal-heavy score remains a high-water mark for interactive video game music.
- Combat Fluidity: While enemy variety and combat complexity taper off in the final acts, PlatinumGames' responsive evasion animations and modular plug-in chip system keep basic combat feeling crisp on high-refresh-rate displays.
The CRPG Renaissance: Divinity: Original Sin 2
Larian Studios delivered Divinity: Original Sin 2 in September 2017. At the time, it was praised as a dense, reactive tabletop-style RPG.
From the vantage point of 2023, the game took on historical importance:
- Foundation for Mainstream Success: Divinity: Original Sin 2 was the proving ground for the systems, dialogue mechanics, and environmental chaos that Larian would polish to perfection in Baldur's Gate 3.
- Tactical Freedom: The interaction of environmental surfaces—turning rain into electrified water, or vaporizing poison into explosive clouds—delivered a level of tactical emergence that few modern RPGs can rival.
- Narrative Agency: Every quest offered multiple avenues of completion, including the murder of critical NPCs, with the engine dynamically accounting for erratic player behavior.
Technical Performance and Longevity Across Hardware Generations
A critical component of any multi-year retrospective is evaluating how well technical architecture holds up on modern hardware. The leap from eighth-generation consoles (PS4, Xbox One) to ninth-generation machines (PS5, Xbox Series X/S) and modern PC graphics cards transformed how several 2017 titles play.
The 60 Frames-Per-Second Standard
In 2017, console players accepted 30 frames per second (fps) as the default standard for visual fidelity. By 2023, 60 fps became the baseline expectation:
- Patched Excellence: Horizon Zero Dawn and Resident Evil 7 received official performance patches or native current-gen updates on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, delivering native 4K resolutions at stable 60 fps. This smoothed out the micro-stuttering present on launch hardware.
- Fixed Frame Rates on PC: PC ports that experienced rough launches in 2017—most notably NieR: Automata, which suffered from resolution scaling bugs and fullscreen crashes—were stabilized through community mods like FAR (Fix Automata Resolution) and eventual official updates, running flawlessly on modern hardware.
- The Switch Hardware Ceiling: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey remain bound to the Nintendo Switch hardware. While Odyssey targets a crisp 60 fps through dynamic resolution scaling, Breath of the Wild continues to face frame drops in alpha-heavy areas like Korok Forest, illustrating the limits of 2017 mobile chipsets.
Lasting Industry Trends Spawned by 2017
Looking back at 2017 clarifies which design experiments transformed the industry and which proved to be evolutionary dead ends.
The Birth of the Battle Royale Era
In March 2017, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) launched into Steam Early Access. It fundamentally changed multiplayer gaming:
- It popularized the 100-player survival loop, shrinking play zones, and looting mechanics.
- It spurred Epic Games to develop Fortnite Battle Royale later that same year, shifting the entire multiplayer industry toward battle-pass monetization, cross-platform architecture, and live seasonal events.
The Demise and Transformation of Traditional Horror
Prior to 2017, major publishers considered pure survival horror commercially unviable, leading franchises toward action-heavy designs. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard reversed this trend by:
- Returning to isolated, claustrophobic settings with vulnerable protagonists.
- Introducing the proprietary RE Engine, which became Capcom’s technical backbone for subsequent critical hits like Resident Evil 2 Remake and Devil May Cry 5.
- Proving that modern AAA survival horror could achieve commercial viability without sacrificing tense resource management.
What Did Not Age Well: The Friction Points
A balanced retrospective must highlight elements that lost their appeal over time.
Rigid Open-World Checklists
While Breath of the Wild subverted open-world tropes, other 2017 releases leaned heavily into them. Horizon Zero Dawn, despite its mechanical combat against robotic fauna, suffered in hindsight from standard open-world design tropes:
- Static non-player characters with stiff conversation animations.
- Map screens cluttered with icons, collectibles, and bandit camps that felt derivative after the systemic freedom demonstrated by contemporary rivals.
Loot Boxes and Aggressive Microtransactions
The year 2017 represented the peak of aggressive loot box monetization in full-priced games, exemplified by Star Wars Battlefront II and Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The intense consumer and regulatory backlash that followed marked 2017 as the breaking point for pay-to-win mechanics in AAA single-player and multiplayer games. This led to sweeping international legal scrutiny and forced publishers to pivot toward cosmetic-only battle passes.
Practical Guide: How to Play the Best 2017 Games Today
For players returning to or discovering these titles, certain versions and setups offer the optimal experience:
- For Persona 5: Skip the original 2017 release entirely. Play Persona 5 Royal, which integrates quality-of-life improvements, revamped dungeon mechanics, new music, and an entire third semester of narrative content. It is available natively across all modern platforms.
- For Resident Evil 7: Play the native PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, or updated PC versions. These include ray-traced lighting, faster load times, and spatial audio that dramatically enhance the horror atmosphere.
- For NieR: Automata: On PC, ensure the latest official patch is installed; third-party injection tools like Special K can unlock higher refresh rates and custom resolutions. On console, the PS4 version running on PS5 offers a stable 60 fps presentation.
- For Hollow Knight: Any modern platform delivers an optimal experience. The Nintendo Switch version remains ideal for portable play, running at an uncompromised 60 fps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which game won the most Game of the Year awards in 2017?
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild won the vast majority of Game of the Year awards in 2017, including top honors at The Game Awards, the Game Developers Choice Awards (GDC), and the D.I.C.E. Awards. Its main competitors for critical accolades were Super Mario Odyssey and Horizon Zero Dawn .
Is Breath of the Wild still worth playing after the release of Tears of the Kingdom?
Yes. While Tears of the Kingdom expands on the world with verticality and construction mechanics, Breath of the Wild offers a more serene, focused, and cohesive exploration experience. Its minimalist survival tone and initial journey of discovery through a ruined Hyrule provide an atmosphere that the sequel does not duplicate.
Did Hollow Knight receive DLC, or is the base game complete?
Hollow Knight received four major content packs: Hidden Dreams, The Grimm Troupe, Lifeblood, and Godmaster. All four updates were distributed completely free of charge and are bundled by default into the Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition available on modern storefronts.
Why is 2017 considered one of the best years in video game history?
The year 2017 is celebrated because top-tier releases launched across nearly every major genre without significant lulls in the release calendar. The industry saw genre-defining open-world games, platformers, JRPGs, indie titles, and survival horror games launch within months of one another, alongside the successful launch of new hardware with the Nintendo Switch.
How did PUBG impact games after 2017?
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds proved that high-stakes, single-elimination survival gameplay had massive global appeal. Its success forced major publishers to adopt battle royale modes, accelerating the transition to free-to-play live-service games, battle passes, and large-scale multiplayer engines across the industry.
The Verdict: Recommended Next Actions
The cool games of 2017 did not merely survive their initial release cycle; they laid the groundwork for an entire decade of game design. If you are catching up on modern gaming history:
- Start with Hollow Knight if you want an inexpensive, mechanically flawless entry point into the indie scene.
- Play Breath of the Wild prior to diving into its sequel to fully appreciate how systemic open worlds evolved.
- Pick up Persona 5 Royal or Divinity: Original Sin 2 if you want deep, 100-hour role-playing campaigns that set the mechanical expectations for the current generation.
