When you get this deep into a year-end countdown, you're starting to look at the best of the best. Everything on today's list, without exception, was a serious contender for Game of the Year. And while none of them snagged that brass ring in the end, there's no denying it: these are some of the best games that 2013 had to offer. If you only play five games from 2013, this is where to start.

Of course, if you're looking to play even more than that, be sure to check out our previous best of picks for the year, which you can find at these handy links: .