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Don't sell your PS3! MailOnline picks out the year's top videogames (and the good news is the best one isn't even on next gen)

Published: 18:15 EST, 9 December 2013 | Updated: 12:21 EST, 10 December 2013

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From Grand Theft Auto V to The Last Of Us, this year has brought us hundreds of top-quality games.

Whether it's a graphical masterpiece, or addictive, fun gameplay, MailOnline has picked the top titles most worthy of your hard-earned cash this Christmas.

And thankfully, given that both the Xbox One and Playstation 4 are near-impossible to get hold of in the UK now, our game of the year is on the Playstation 3.

The Last Of Us - Game of the year

Stunning: Brutal, emotional and hard-hitting, The Last Of Us is one of the greatest games ever made

Few games will make you cry. But by the time its closing credits roll, The Last Of Us will have tears streaming down your cheeks.

Even with all the fuss around next-generation consoles, The Last Of Us got people excited about the Playstation 3 again.

Set in a post apocalyptic United States, it follows the story of two survivors - Joel and Ellie - as they battle cannibals and zombies in their quest to find safer pastures.

As well as stunning graphics and incredible voice acting, the 'Balance of Power' AI - which makes enemies react to situations in a life-like manner - means that TLOU is an unforgettable experience that you just can’t stop playing until the end. And what an ending...

Grand Theft Auto 5 - Best open-world action game

Three's (not) a crowd: GTA V easily has one of the most impressive game worlds around

Not only is GTA V the best of the series, but it has raised the bar for open-world games in general. Gone are the sparsely populated maps of Saints Row and Sleeping Dogs (although the latter is still a brilliant game).

Every inch of Los Santos is teeming with life – be that couples hiking up mountains, fitness junkies jogging along the beach or people in fancy dress getting their photos taken.

It’s an incredibly believable world – and one that frames the narrative perfectly.

For the first time you take control of three characters – Michael, an ex-conman – Trevor, a psychopath and Franklin, an aspiring big shot from a rough area.

Whereas its predecessors lacked mission variety, the three very different characters have quests that reflect their personality.

And, apart from a terrible mission involving a crane and a dockyard, nearly every outing is incredibly fun. Add to the mix a wonderful variety of planes, helicopters, exotic cars and motorbikes and you’ve got an essential purchase.

Forza - Best racing game

Open road: Forza may not be perfect but it is still one of the best looking racers around

Forza isn’t just a racer, it’s a statement. A visual tour-de-force from Microsoft to show the world what we can expect from the Xbox One.

Featuring photo-realistic cars, stunning courses and your very own Jeremy Clarkson to talk you through the vehicles, and it's sure to tick a lot of boxes with racing fans.

Developers Turn 10 have ramped up their trademark over-steer, which means as a pure simulation game some cars may not react exactly how they should do.

Still, the thrill of power-sliding a Mclaren P1 at 130mph around the cobbled streets of Prague doesn't get old. And neither does the Drivatar function - allowing you to race AI bots that mimic your friends' driving behaviour... even when they're offline.

Killzone: Shadow Fall - Best visuals (console)

Remarkable: Nearly all the way through the campaign, you'll be wowed by Shadow Fall's visuals

Critics either loved or hated this game but there's no denying how stunning it looks - especially on the first play-through.

Lighting is awe-inspiringly realistic and coupled with art direction that splices Dredd with Blade Runner and it makes for some of the most memorable sci-fi backdrops of recent times. Thankfully, they don't just serve as shooting galleries.

Where Shadow Fall excels is that it often takes you away from the action and allows you to appreciate each varied stage. Sadly, by encouraging players to snoop around the levels it reveals a number of graphical shortcuts.

Trees resemble cardboard cut-outs in the distance, rock formations in Vekta lack texture and a sky-diving level where you glide through a crumbling city reveals an alarmingly poor level of detail on the buildings.

Still, you're likely not to notice these, or care for that matter, when tackling the campaign for the first time.

Metro: Last Light - Best visuals (PC)

What a view: PC owners can proudly say that the best-looking game around right now belongs to them

When Crysis was released in 2007, it set a benchmark for PC games.

'Can your PC run Crysis at the highest settings?' was a question dominating PC forums. Skip forward six years and Metro: Last Light has done the same - a game so technically taxing that only the very best 'rigs' can get close to running the game on maximum settings.

Still, even a slightly pared-down version is leaps and bounds above everything else.

Lighting is the strongest seen in a game, textures pop out of objects through advanced tessellation and the sense of scale is unrivaled.

It's slightly disheartening that to achieve similar visual fidelity from this crop of next gen consoles already seems beyond their hardware. Only time will tell.

Bioshock: Infinite - Best first-person shooter

Blown away: Combat is incredibly satisfying in Bioshock - especially due to some brilliant rag-doll physics

Purists will argue that the original is still the best, but Bioshock: Infinite is a more than worthy addition to the series.

Moving proceedings away from under the sea, you play Booker Dewitt as he battles through Columbia - a floating dystopia nestled in the clouds.

Firefights are immensely enjoyable - especially when you master different vigours - but it's the quieter moments when you're allowed to explore Columbia and soak up the level of detail plastered on to each level, that really impresses. That, and the incredible ending...

Battlefield 4 - Best multiplayer

Keep in cover! To survive in Battlefield 4 you can't just run in. You'll have to master your surroundings instead

The campaign was enjoyable but Battlefield 4 is a multiplayer game at heart. With countless vehicles ranging from jets and tanks to helicopters and boats, battles are the most epic in the series.

The Levolution mechanic - which allows huge environmental events to change the map in real-time, works well, too.

This comes with a caveat. Battlefield 4 has to be played on next-gen console or PC to get the best experience.

Last-gen can only house 32 players in total and is plagued with graphical glitches and frame rate problems. You have been warned...

Injustice: Gods Among Us - Best beat-em-up

Clash of the titans: between each fight you're treated to cutscenes that drive the story forward

People always ask, who would win, Superman or Batman? Now you can find out. Developed by the team behind the brilliant reboot of Mortal Kombat, single player explores what would happen if Superman lost the plot.

Cue loads of your favourite characters, ranging from Batman, Green Latern and The Flash teaming up to stop him.

Fights are always interesting, thanks to multi-tiered stages with different sections unlocked by transitional moves.

Each hero has their own special move, too - ranging from Batman calling in the Batmobile, to the Green Latern conjuring up two buses and crushing you.

Cutscenes are not as polished as the game, but the next-gen versions go some way to alleviate this.

Rayman Legends - Best platform game

Great fun: Legends is a perfect example of how to execute a simple premise

Anyone who played 2011’s Rayman Origins will know that it was one of the year’s stand-out games. And Legends is no different – proudly sticking to its 2D side-scrolling roots to provide the most polished Rayman experience to date.

This is platform gaming at its absolute best – sprinting, swimming and swinging your way through gloriously-detailed worlds – dying often but not stopping until each level’s complete.

In an age of muti-layered gameplay and an obsession with graphical fidelity, Legends is proof that keeping things simple pays dividends.

FIFA 14 - Best sports game

Back of the net: the football crown is still firmly with FIFA this year

The beautiful game has been made even more beautiful. And while those looking for significant overhauls to the FIFA recipe may be left wanting, subtle tweaks make FIFA 14 the most complete outing yet. It’s not all positive, though.

The dynamic camera has already come under flak by some online forums for making the players too small (a feature that is likely to be patched) and passing still feels slightly wayward compared to Pro Evolution Soccer 2014. The ability to home in on a player during matches and solely control them isn’t much fun, either.

Nevertheless, it remains the definitive football game.

Hotline Miami - Best soundtrack

Brilliant: Don't let the colourful, simple graphics fool you... this is an ultra-violent game at heart

Although technically it was released in the latter part of 2012, it was only until earlier this year that PS Vita owners could play this top-down, violent adventure.

Heavily inspired by modern-cult movie Drive, the soundtrack perfectly captures the feel of the neon-drenched 80s while harking back to the days of retro gaming.

It's so good, in fact, that it's been listened to thousands of times on YouTube. A sequel is penned for next year, however developers Dennaton Games have their work cut out to better this...