As gaming has embraced some of its most visually rich worlds to date, so too has it began to implement tools for players to fully appreciate and share them. Photo modes are more common than ever in the vast majority of blockbuster AAA releases, whether that’s capturing stills from the likes ofDeath Stranding, The Last of Us 2,orGhost of Tsushima.
However, a new study from the team over at Shotkit.com has compiled data on the most popular games for visual photography over the last decade, measuring the top 100 choices onInstagramand arranging them into a list. The interesting study yields a relatively unsurprising result, withRed Dead Redemption 2taking the top spot with 165,228 posts on the social media site.
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Rockstar’s AAA Western behemoth clinching first place is far from a crazy result, seen as the game is often touted as one of the most beautiful experiences ever put on consoles and PC. Arthur Morgan’s adventure boasted state of the art visual effects, with enhanced lighting and incredibly realistic character models. With the launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X finally here,Red Dead Redemption 2is sure to continue enticing virtual photographers for a long time to come. Following it up on the list isGrand Theft Auto 5with over 146,000 posts and thenFortnite,with 135,000 posts.
Interestingly, there’s a big jump between Epic’s battle royale sensationand the next game on the list, withThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimcoming in at fourth with 46,000 posts. Fifth went toHorizon Zero Dawnwith 40,000, sixth went toForza Horizon 4with 33,000, and seventh went to the recently releasedGhost of Tsushima,which had 16,000. The final spots went toThe Last of Us 2with over 5,000 posts, Uncharted 4 with over 4,900 posts, andThe Sims 4with 4,800 posts. Some of the names are definitely surprising, although in general, the list is filled with titles that were hailed for their stunning locations and effects.
As for this year, photo modes have continued to be a huge part of several major games.Demon’s Soulsadded an expansive and easy-to-use system when it released in November, allowing players to capture frighteningly clear screenshots of some of the game’s biggest and most menacing foes. Meanwhile,Cyberpunk 2077also features photo mode, dedicating an entire trailer to it earlier this month, while Nioh Remastered has also announced it will be including the ability to take detailed screenshots in its return to consoles. Hopefully, the list will be flooded with a ton of stunning new games in the years to come.
Red Dead Redemption 2is out now on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia.
