The PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 were the first consoles to dip their toes into HD gaming. As a result, games from the generation still hold up surprisingly well when compared to games released in this generation.

The PlayStation 3 in particular had some beautiful games despite not always being the lead development platform. The machine’s first-party exclusives still easily hold up some of the best-looking games ever released with several titles getting remastered. With the new generation of consoles in the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X, it’s always interesting to look back at previous generations to see how well they hold up.

Updated March 23rd, 2021 by Michael Llewellyn: With the news of Sony shutting down the Store for PlayStation 3, Vita, and PSP downloadable games in the next few months, it’s interesting to go back and take another look at some of the most visually impressive games on the PS3. What’s surprising, is just how well many of the games hold up two generations later with many still acting as a benchmark for modern titles. This is especially so of the developers that knew how to work with the PS3’s hardware and extract the very best out of the machine.

15 Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Released in 2011, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine isn’t a PlayStation 3 exclusive but it was easily one of the best looking titles of a generation. It was also one of the most overlooked action hack-and-slash action games of its time.

The character design and visuals were outstanding in bringing the Game Workshop’s 40K universe to life. In terms of character size and pure power fantasy, the Space Marines resemble the characters in the Gears of War series. It’s gruesome, brutal, and bloody and the animations do an amazing job of conveying the relentless action that’s on display.

14 Heavy Rain

Released in 2010, Quantic Dream’s interactive drama Heavy Rain still remains one of the best-looking games on the PlayStation 3. Much like its predecessor Fahrenheit, it’s a game that lets players feel like they are in control of their own TV show or movie.

The story’s execution can be a little hit or miss with some gamers but there are still enough twists and turns in the plot to keep most people gripped throughout. The developers at Quantic Dream seem to be experts at pushing the hardware to create some amazing visuals and effects with the use of fantastic lighting and motion capture.

13 Persona 5

Considering that Persona 5 is highly regarded as one of the best games on the PlayStation 4 it is easy to forget that Persona 5 was released on the PlayStation 3 too. The beauty of Persona 5 doesn’t lie in state-of-the-art visuals or graphics, instead, it relies on its flair and art design.

The best thing about the anime-style visuals and incredible menu design is that its visuals are that they never appear old or aging. Photo-realistic graphics tend to age very quickly as technology advances but a beautiful art design will always remain timeless.

12 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots

Released in 2008, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is an absolutely stunning achievement on the console and over 12 years later it still holds its own against many of today’s top games. The character models, lighting, and environments all still look amazing.

The only thing holding MGS 4 back is perhaps the overuse of yellows and browns which was a look that many games adopted post-Gears of War on last-gen systems.

11 Final Fantasy XIII

Released worldwide in 2010, Final Fantasy XIII was a title that divided fans and critics. While some loved the combat system and the characters, others found it too linear and needlessly complex in its lore.

However, where fans can’t be divided is the visuals that still look absolutely stunning today. With the big-budget Square Enix is known for when it comes to the Final Fantasy series, FFXIII unsurprisingly has stunning character models, beautiful environments, and Hollywood-style cutscenes that still look amazing today.

10 Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time

Released in 2013, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is the fourth entry in the platforming stealth series that began life on the PlayStation 2. Just like, Persona 5, Sly Cooper used a cartoon-like art style that looks and feels timeless years later.

The character and level designs echo Saturday morning cartoons from the 90s and as a result, they still look amazing to this day. A modern-day remaster on the PlayStation 5 certainly wouldn’t look out of place today on the high-powered system and it would fix the only thing that held the game back at the time of its release, which was the loading times. However, now that Facebook currently owns the developers Sanzaru the series’ fate is unknown but Sony still owns the IP so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that another studio could take the reigns.

9 God Of War III

Until the fourth mainline entry came out for the PlayStation 4 in 2018, God of War III was highly regarded by fans as the best in the series. Right from the opening scenes where Kratos is doing battle with Poseidon, the game is as cinematic as it comes.

Even by today’s standards, the boss battles are in a league of their own when it comes to massive and powerful enemies like Cronos and Zeus. Kratos’ character model still looks phenomenal and carries a sense of athleticism and strength that really taps into the kind of power fantasy that players want from a game like this.

8 Ratchet & Clank: Into The Nexus

An argument can be made that all Ratchet & Clank games have some of the most spectacular visuals on the PlayStation 3. However, the series’ visuals peaked with Ratchet & Clank: Into The Nexus until the 2016 reboot on the PlayStation 4.

While the game’s story didn’t quite match its predecessors, Into the Nexus’ gameplay, spectacular visuals, and effects make players feel like they are interacting and playing in a Pixar movie that’s come to life.

7 Grand Theft Auto V

First released in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V is still considered by many to be the benchmark that all open-world action games with modern-day settings are measured. The world of Los Santos is so varied and has so much gone it on, it really feels like a living and breathing environment.

It’s very rare that a game achieves the feat of making the player feel like a smaller part of a much bigger world. Even without the next-gen upgrades that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version received GTA V is a lengthy title that’s packed with things to do and is an astonishing achievement.

6 Max Payne 3

Released in 2012 and developed by Rockstar Studios, Max Payne 3 is a third-person action game that was built using the RAGE engine. This means the game was built using the same engine that was used in Rockstar’s other games like Grand Theft Auto V and both entries in the Red Dead Redemption series.

Considering how good the game looks, it’s surprising that it hasn’t been remastered for modern consoles. Max Payne 3 can easily stand among the best of today’s action shooters and the bullet-time mechanics still look as cool now as they did when the very first game in the series debuted in 2001.

5 Tomb Raider

Released in 2013, Tomb Raider served as both a reboot and a prequel for the original series that began life on the PS1. As a AAA game that released on the tail-end of the PlayStation 3’s lifecycle, Tomb Raider was easily one of the most visually impressive games of the generation.

The character models, brilliant use of lighting, water effects, and even the way the hair is animated rival games released on the PS4 and some early PS5 games. The semi-open environments are also very impressive with shrubbery and mud reacting exactly how one would expect it to.

4 Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Released in 2011, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception was a game that really showed what the PlayStation 3 was capable of. It’s a testament to how good the game looks that its remastered version can still hold its own on the PlayStation 4.

There are just so many epic moments that make the player feel like they are participating in a Hollywood blockbuster. Its predecessor Uncharted 2 was already a stunning achievement on the console but the developers clearly took everything from that game and made it better in terms of its presentation.

3 Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch

This game was released in 2011 and was developed by the same studio that created Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. Just like that game, Ni No Kuni adopts a beautiful cartoonish anime style, only this time it looks like a Studio Ghibli film.

Ni No Kuni may not be the graphical powerhouse that the other games are on this list but where it excels is the timeless art design. Just like the films that inspired it, Ni No Kuni is a game that will still look beautiful generations from now.

2 The Last Of Us

Released in 2013 as a swansong for the PlayStation 3, The Last of Us was a game that seemed to squeeze every last bit of power out of the console to deliver a truly memorable visual experience. The character models and the motion capture was so good that it made players forget that they were looking at a video game.

The remastered version that released a year later on the PlayStation 4 was still one of the best-looking games on the system for a long time. Similarly, The Last of Us Part 2 was released as a swansong for the PlayStation 4, and just like its predecessor it achieved things that seemed impossible on the system.

1 Beyond: Two Souls

Created by Quantic Dream, the same studio that developed Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls was released in 2013, it remains another graphical powerhouse that was considered to be a swansong for the PlayStation 3.

The facial animations and motion capture have only been bettered in more recent titles like The Last of Us Part 2 and Quantic Dream’s own Detroit: Become Human. The game’s lead actors Elliot Page and Willem Dafoe also put in great performances which are captured perfectly in-game, taking interactive storytelling to another level.

NEXT: 10 Best Looking Open World Games, Ranked