Digital Foundry Graphics of the Year 2023

Overview

This episode features the Digital Foundry team celebrating the best in video game visuals for 2023. They discuss the technical breakthroughs and artistic achievements that defined the year, focusing on real-time lighting, procedural systems, and graphical fidelity across multiple platforms.

Key Winners & Honorable Mentions

The Top 3

• #1 Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora: Praised for its groundbreaking systems-driven design, incredible foliage density, and holistic ray tracing implementation across all platforms.
• #2 Alan Wake 2: Lauded as a visual masterpiece with exquisite material rendering and a near-perfect path tracing implementation that feels like a cinematic film.
• #3 Cyberpunk 2077 (Path Tracing Update): Highlighted for elevating the game to one of the most consistent lighting presentations ever seen, despite its age.

Notable Mentions

• Hi-Fi Rush: Recognized for its masterful use of cel-shading and decimated animation to achieve a vibrant, fluid cartoon aesthetic.
• Resident Evil 4 Remake: Praised for its RE Engine performance, environmental granularity, and impressive handling of hair/material rendering.
• RoboCop: Rogue City: A surprise highlight that showcased how effectively Unreal Engine 5 can be used to replicate filmic atmosphere and complex geometry.
• Metroid Prime Remastered: Celebrated for setting a high standard for baked lighting and performance on the Switch.

"I think what they've achieved here is really, really good. It's just so so high quality of the lighting presentation... and it elevates the graphics up another level entirely."

Technical Trends

• Unreal Engine 5 Adoption: 2023 marked the transition to more UE5 titles, particularly noted in Jusant and RoboCop for their use of Lumen.
• Ray Tracing Progress: The team noted that ray tracing (and path tracing) is becoming a pillar of modern visual design, particularly in large-scale environments like Pandora or cityscapes.