The year 2016 bought a lot of surprises, some good and some bad. When it comes to video games, the year has been a paradise as a lot of good games came out one after the other. Of course, despite plenty of good video games, there's clearly some that stood out.

Kotaku mentions that 2016 has brought out a lot of great surprises when it comes to video games. Far more than what they were actually expecting, considering that a lot of the video games that came out this year provided a new way for people to play games.

The Verge adds that 2016 was a unique year for video games because all 12 months of the year has been stuffed with great games. And it's not just because of several game developers, as "all corners of the industry contributed to one of the strangest, most varied, and best years in the medium's short history."

With so many great games that came out in 2016, it's hard to select which among them are the best. However, there are some games that just really stood out and here are five of them.

The first among the list is "Stardew Valley" and what makes it stand out is the relaxing and simplistic way that the game makes it gamers feel whenever they play it. The small-town and simple life setting of the game allowed gamers to escape the more often stressful modern age that we all live in.

The next on the list is "Hitman," where the game's open level design allowed the players to be more creative in exploring and playing the game. The developers also opted to have an episodic structure to the game, which made it, even more, shine and stands out than the others.

The third is "Inside," a side-scrolling adventure game where players are constantly running to the right and solving puzzles to move along. It's a great game that provides gamers with jaw-dropping moments that, despite being disturbing, will keep you wanting for more.

The fourth on the list is "Pokemon GO," which became a worldwide phenomenon. The game allowed players to catch Pokemon in real life, using only their smartphone and an internet connection, with the help of a technology called augmented reality, where digital objects can be integrated into real-life settings.

The last on the list is "Overwatch," a game that married the first-person shooter with a neon cartoon battlefield, which bought a fresh perspective and excitement to the first-person shooter genre. It's a great and addicting game to play, which also won "Game of The Year," as you try your best to master each of the 23 heroes available.