With celebrity deaths and stressful world events galore, 2016 was a roller coaster for many. Despite that, the year that we just left behind was fantastic for the video game industry. Month after month, gamers were treated to excellent releases that delivered new and exciting experiences. While 2017 is officially under way, we want to take one last opportunity to look back at what 2016 had to offer in gaming.

This issue is focused on the Top 50, our annual list that celebrates our favorite games of the year. From the biggest triple-A releases to the best independent games, you'll learn our picks for the best games of 2016. In addition to our 50 favorite games, the massive cover story includes our picks for our categorical awards, our editors' individual top 10 lists, and the results of our annual reader poll. The story also recounts other memories from 2016, including the top 10 moments in the game industry, as well as the top 10 success, disappointments, and, yes, the return of our top 10 dorks list.

To celebrate the year in gaming, we asked Blizzard for original art featuring Overwatch to wrap this month's issue in. The publisher delivered a new piece from Bengal, an illustrator who has worked on the Overwatch comics, as well as Meka, Naja, Luminae, Batgirl, The Adventures of Supergirl, Spider-Gwen, and All-New Wolverine. We're thrilled to feature Blizzard's shooter as the headliner to our Top 50 Games of 2016 cover story.

Click on the cover above to see the entire spread, front and back.

Though the Top 50 takes up a large chunk of this issue, our February edition has so much more within its pages. We have an in-depth look at how modern games handle sexuality and intimacy, a rundown of the biggest news out of the PlayStation Experience, and post-release chats with the developers behind Watch Dogs 2 and Dishonored 2. If you want to stick with the Overwatch theme, we have an interview with the owner of a dog that cosplays as Overwatch characters. If you'd rather stick with 2016 retrospectives, we have a feature on the best tabletop games of 2016 as determined by resident expert Matt Miller.

If you're more interested in looking ahead to 2017, our Previews section is overflowing with looks at some of the biggest games on the horizon. You'll get updates on Mass Effect Andromeda, Death Stranding, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Last of Us Part II, and more.

Print subscribers can watch for their issue to arrive in the coming weeks, but you can read the full digital issue today on PC/Mac, iOS, Android, and Google Play. You can also get the latest issue through third-party apps on Nook, Kindle, and Zinio starting tomorrow. To switch your print subscription to digital, click here, or to create a new subscription to the digital edition, click here.

Though the Top 50 Games of 2016 is a primarily self-contained story, we'll be expanding upon it in exciting ways through GameInformer.com. Check back in coming weeks as we give more in-depth genre awards from 2016 and looks ahead at all that 2017 has in store.