Video Game Masterpieces Turning 10 In May 2026

Ten years ago, in May 2016, a bunch of big games launched across all platforms. For many, May kicks off summer, even though the season doesn't officially start until the end of June. Regardless, May is when a lot of schools end their terms, meaning that the summer can be all about playing video games during vacation, so it makes sense that publishers would want to release some big names in May before June.

From 2016, PS4 players got the incredible action-adventure game Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Besides original games, there were also some expansions like The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine. So, let's rewind the clock and find out why these games still matter.

Stellaris

Mastering The Galaxy

Stellaris was released on May 9 for PC systems, with a later port coming to consoles in 2019. While playable on consoles, the PC version is the way to go because this is a menu-based game, and navigating through them all is a lot easier with a mouse, keyboard, and the screen right in front. It should not surprise anyone used to 4X games, like Civilization, that the gameplay of Stellaris is complex and even more so since the entire thing takes place in space with foreign concepts like alien races and managing future tech.

For fans of the 4X strategy genre, Stellaris has proven to be one of the greats over the years as the developer, Paradox Development Studio, has improved it a lot since 2016. Players can amass their galactic empire, moving from star system to star system, playing nice through politics, investing in science to build up ships, or they can go all-out war mode. The gameplay is king in Stellaris, allowing players to play it again and again, getting different results each time, plus there is multiplayer to truly test their willpower.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

There’s Treasure Afoot

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is the last numbered entry in the series and also the last one starring the ever-charismatic Nathan Drake. There would be one more major spinoff after this, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, but for all intents and purposes, this spelled the end for Nathan as the lead. It premiered on the 10th of May for the PS4, which has since been ported to the PS5 and PC.

In this adventure, fans learned of Nathan’s long-lost brother, Sam, and after reconnecting, they set off to find a pirate treasure. If there’s one thing that Naughty Dog never disappoints in, it’s action set pieces, and there are plenty, from driving a jeep through crowded streets to climbing inside a misty cavern. Between the story, characters, cover-based gunplay, platforming mechanics, and visuals, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is still mesmerizing.

Doom (2016)

The Doom Guy Returns

After lying dormant for a decade, Doom returned in 2016 with a vengeance on the 13th of May. The reboot launched on PC, PS4, and Xbox One systems, and rightfully took back its crown as the goriest shooter alive. What set it apart from previous Doom games, besides the obvious upgraded graphics, were the finishers.

To keep healthy and well-stocked on ammo, players had to finish enemies off in brutal ways, like splitting them apart as if they were a coconut, but one filled with blood and organs instead. The kills were intense, but so was the gunplay, and the titular Doom Guy thankfully stayed quiet as he slayed hundreds upon thousands of demons. It was a glorious return for Doom, leading to a great trilogy that did not betray its 1993 origins.

Overwatch

Leveling Up Team-Based Shooters

Overwatch was released toward the end of May, on the 24th, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One systems. Even though it was a Blizzard game, which meant it had to be good since the developer’s pedigree was outstanding, no one could have possibly predicted just how popular it would become. At its core, Overwatch is a first-person shooter filled with characters where teams battle it out online, and each character has a distinct design, weapon loadout, and power structure.

Tracer wasn’t that strong, but her time abilities gave her an edge, while Junkrat had big weapons to bring on the boom. There were support characters too, like Mercy, so getting a well-balanced team of characters made all the difference. Fans absolutely destroyed this game for years until it was shut down in 2022 in preparation for the sequel in 2023, which has now been renamed to Overwatch as of February 2026. The 2016 Overwatch game shone brightly, and even though it’s gone, fans still remember their time with it fondly.

Total War: Warhammer

A Strategic Fantasy RTS

The Total War franchise began in 2000 with Shogun: Total War, and it took until 2016 to create a spinoff within the fantasy realm of the Warhammer franchise called Total War: Warhammer. It launched on the 24th of May, and it has remained a PC game ever since, with no console ports to speak of, but the game did go on to spawn two sequels, and there is an upcoming spiritual sequel too, called Total War: Warhammer 40,000. This strategy game gave players command of one of four factions at launch, including standbys like dwarves and more interesting builds like becoming a horde of vampires and undead warriors.

While each faction played slightly differently, the end goal was the same: expansion. Players could build up their armies and then march forward in giant battles, all rendered in real-time with fantastic animations at the time. Defending the realm was part of the process as well, and be it in single-player mode or online via multiplayer, managing an entire empire was not easy, but it was fun.

Hitman (2016)

A Master Of Disguise

2016 marks the overall tenth anniversary of the Hitman reboot, which premiered on PC, PS4, and Xbox One in March. The developer, IO Interactive, decided to experiment with episodic content rather than launch a game with a bunch of missions all at once. It was a risky move, but it proved to be successful, leading to a great trilogy within the Hitman universe. The open-ended structure is what fans loved the most about the game, giving Agent 47 various ways to assassinate his target, from going in guns blazing to disguising himself as various NPCs he knocked out.

The specific mission that was released at the end of May was called “A Gilded Cage.” The mission was set in Marrakesh, Morocco, and featured a tense marketplace where citizens were protesting amidst a high military occupation. Players had to eliminate two targets, a general and a banker, and like all missions, completing these objectives was open-ended. They could easily sneak into the military compound by stealing a military uniform, for example. “A Gilded Cage” is a good mission, and it kept players engaged for a few months as they tried new combinations on how to get the best results.

The Witcher 3: Blood And Wine

Vampire Hunting On Vacation

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was released in 2015 to great acclaim, being one of the best action RPGs of the 2010s. While fun, it was also dark and disturbing, and the DLC, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, almost felt like a reward for going through the many hardships of the original campaign. Launching at the end of the month for all supported systems, including PC, PS4, and Xbox One, Geralt traveled to a new land that was more brightly colored than anything in the base game, almost like a painting come to life.

While there are multiple characters and quests to interact with, the main plot of the game concerns players turning into an old-school vampire hunter, and like the many quests in the base game, the conflict is not so one-sided. Be it with fists, magic, or swords, Geralt is up for the task. Beyond the bloody quests of the DLC, players can also manage a vineyard to chill out in, complete with a garden. With well over fifteen hours of content if players want to do everything, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine felt more like a mini-sequel than a piece of DLC.