Enlarge (credit: Aurich vs Game Companies)

Before we get on to the list, don’t miss this year’s Ars Technica Charity Drive sweepstakes. You can win one of nearly 100 prizes, including limited-edition gaming collectibles, all while helping out a good cause. Entries are due by January 3. Thanks in advance for your donation!

Much like 2015 before it, 2016 was jam-packed with enough quality titles to make narrowing down a top 20 list quite a chore. But the Ars gaming brain trust was up to the task, arguing late into the night here on the Orbiting HQ about which games should make the cut and which (ahem) should not. In the end, after multiple bouts of arm-wrestling, we all agreed that total gaming domination in 2016 belonged to…

20. Abzû

Platforms: Windows, PS4
Release Date: August 2
Developer: Giant Squid