Game Informer Best of 2016 Awards

From Nathan Drake's final adventure to the heated overtimes of Overwatch, 2016 was an amazing year for video games. Culling down our annual Top 50 list was harder than ever this year, but now it's time to share the results.

Our full Top 50 list is featured in the latest issue of Game Informer, but that won't stop us sharing our picks for 2016's best platform exclusives, genre standouts, multiplayer experiences, and more. Read on to see which games took home honors, including G.I.'s Game of the Year award.

Best Sony Exclusive: Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Between Uncharted and The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog is undoubtedly Sony's strongest first-party developer – and it doesn't appear the studio will be relinquishing that prestigious role anytime soon. Thanks to some stunning action sequences mixed with more serious and thoughtful story moments, Uncharted 4 continues to push the boundaries of what's possible, both for Sony's console and video games as a whole. The epilogue alone makes it a must-play for fans of the series, as well as Sony's most impactful exclusive of the year.

Best Microsoft Exclusive: Gears of War 4
After proving itself on the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition remaster, developer The Coalition got its first shot at a full-fledged sequel, and you can't argue with the results. Featuring new protagonists, weapons, enemies, and a lot less of the dude-bro attitude, Gears of War 4 felt like a fresh take on the series, while still offering up the same gritty action that fans love so much.  

Best Nintendo Exclusive: Fire Emblem Fates
Intelligent Systems once again came to the rescue of Nintendo fans looking for a deep and engrossing RPG experience. While we weren't fans of Fates being split into two separate releases, both Birthright and Conquest offer the full Fire Emblem experience regardless of which you chose. With a huge cast of interesting characters, Fire Emblem Fates' unforgiving battles are more intense than ever.

Best PC Exclusive: World Of Warcraft: Legion
World Of Warcraft has been the biggest and best MMO for more than a decade, and expansions like Legion are the reason why. The new zones, Mythic dungeons, Demon Hunter class, and Artifact weapons will keep players busy for weeks, whether you're a newcomer to Azeroth or an end-game veteran.

Best Mobile/Handheld Exclusive: Clash Royale
Don't let the smiling king emojis and cartoony sound effects fool you – Clash Royale is one of the deepest strategy titles available on mobile, yet surprisingly welcoming to casual players as well. Supercell's free-to-play monetization scheme borders on extortion, but that hasn't stopped a big chunk of the office from playing the game every day. Unlike some other mobile hits (we're looking at you, Pokémon Go), Supercell has continued to update and improve the game throughout the year – even if their primary goal is to get more money out of you.

Coming up next: Our picks for the best action game of 2016, plus the best cooperative and competitive multiplayer experiences...

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