That said, there are plenty of the best open world games for you to dive into. Popularised by the likes of GTA, taking your franchise out into the open isn’t as big an innovation as it used to be with big names like Metal Gear Solid, Ghost Recon, and Mafia all going down the well-trodden route but with mixed results. We've included their ratings so you can make an informed purchase if you decide to gift one of these to the gamer in your life.If there’s one genre of video games that’s really exploded over the course of the eighth generation of consoles, it’s the open world.

We've looked a NPD's list, as well as a list of the best-selling games of all time from IGN, a popular video game site, to determine the best video games on the market right now. At the end of the day, parents have to make a call when it comes to their kids and violent video games,' says Umang Jain, co-founder of the ed tech gaming company SplashLearn. “Video games get a lot of scrutiny, but parents should also keep in mind the other places their kids might be exposed to violence like movies, TV and the Internet. That's why each video game comes with an age and content rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board, making it crucial for parents to educate themselves about these ratings, so they can decide which video games are appropriate for their child. While some longtime family favorites are still popular, violent video games like online multiplayer shooters are also dominant, which could be concerning for parents. The company looks at digital and retail sales to determine what games people are buying.

But if not, the American market research company the NPD recently released its list of the best-selling video games leading into the 2021 holiday season. If you’re connected at all to the gaming world - either through your kids or as a gaming fan yourself - you probably already know about some of the most popular trends in video games right now.

Best two player video games of 2016