Gaming

DayZ. Walking in the woods and hearing a deer in the distance or going up on a cliff and watching the sunset is quite serene.

The Octopath Traveler games

My recommendation list is going to be a wild mix of different styles. Basically aynthing in my Games Library that I find visually appealing...

• Gibbous - A Cthulu Adventure: While it isn't my favourite point&click (that price goes to the Deponia Trilogy), it's by far the most beautiful I've played up to now. The attention the devs paid to detail is astounding. The animations are perfect. In other words: A work of art.
• Euro Truck Simulator 2: I might be an exception here, but to me the main selling point of this game is the scenery, not the trucks.
• Elite: Dangerous: Most of the times this game looks utterly boring. Sometimes however, you catch an exceptional sight. Here's a screenshot of an eclipse in a binary system, as seen from an icy moon of a gas giant (behind which the primary star is hidden).
• Space Engine: Same argument as for Elite. Most of the stuff is boring. Sometimes you find an exceptional sight. Also, Space Engine isn't really a game, but rather a "beautiful picture generator", as there is no real gameplay as of yet.
• Dwarf Fortress in ASCII mode: The ASCII "graphics" are a work of art on their own. Especially the animations. And the best part: The ASCII version can be downloaded for free, while the (imho less beautiful) graphical version costs money.
• Pyre: A mix of Visual Novel and Sports Game. The backgrounds and characters are beautifully drawn.
• Beat Hazard: The colours of the effects are stunning.

This might be weird, but Just Cause 3. When I was playing it a lot, I would just stop and look around at sunset and marvel at the view.

Uncharted 4 looks amazing, I was surprised to learn it's almost 10 years old. Feels like it could be brand new.

Minecraft? Or if that's too detailed, maybe Manifold Garden.

Okami and Child of Light are good options.

Firelord is an old one but gorgeous. Chicory is pretty, in a colouring book sort of way. Child of Light and Forgotton Anne have fairly similar aesthetics but are both lovely.

Both Sludge Life games. A bit unconventional but I found a lot of spots in the games where I would just stand there and take in the various scenes going on. Both games can be beaten fairly quick but it took me hours to get through them because I kept stopping to just take in everything going on.

INFRA! Just look at the screenshots on the Steam page.

Endless Legend is the most beautiful 4x game I've seen so far. All of the races are great designs and feel really different in gameplay.

Death's Door

Season - A Letter to the Future

• Death's Door just a stunning game in regards to art style and music/sound design. Really creative boss battles too that never felt stale. Can be challenging.
• Omno very chill game with a really cool vibe and music. No combat to speak of. Short though.
• Pseudoregalia PS1-style graphics but oddly gorgeous. It's a metroidvania of sorts with some of the best movement mechanics in recent memory. Highly recommend a look at least.
• A Short Hike really cute game that is all about exploration. As the title suggests, not a very long game. On the Switch version there was a toggle to turn off a graphics filter that is reminiscent of the 3DS. I personally liked it, but I have not checked the Steam version for the same option.
• Sea Of Stars releases on 29 Aug, but there is a demo available. Between the gorgeous 16bit inspired graphics, the lighting effects, and the incredible soundtrack this would be an instant buy for me if it weren't hitting Game Pass on day one! I may still plunk down on a physical copy. Leaning towards Switch, assuming it plays as well there as other platforms.

These are maybe not what some would consider beautiful, but I love the variation in art styles and how they can be beautiful while either being simplistic or retro-inspired. All but Sea Of Stars were very cheap during the Steam Summer sale or in a Fanatical bundle that may or may not still be available right now.

Video game

Horizon has some beautiful moments

Back in the day, I thought Oblivion and Skyrim had some beautiful spots although it may not be as impactful now as it was upon release.

Board Game

Sagrada is a game where you are building stained glass windows and I think it's pretty.

Cuphead is absolutely gorgeous, it's just hard to appreciate because you're constantly trying not to die.

I grew up with Felix the Cat and Popeye and Betty Boop on VHS, not because I'm super old but because we were poor farmers. Cuphead is the only game I've ever played that has recreated this ancient animation style and it is done so incredibly well. It's a masterclass in art style and gameplay at the same time.

Monument Valley. Visually beautiful enough to warrant repeated play-through just to admire the design, and conceptually brilliant as well.

And another vote for Gris, too.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, but yeah, it's basically a tech demo/walking sim

I can't believe no one has mentioned A plague tale - Requiem! It's a stunning game to just soak in the atmosphere of middle age France.

I would definitely suggest Heaven's Vault, very good, vibrant artwork in that game, and lots of variety.

Both Subnautica games and Tunic.

Rez

For more immersion, you might wanna try VR. And if looks is what you're after then PCVR for specific, although there are some impressive contents on mobile VR too.

Blasphemous. Part 2 just released, btw