Bloodborne - Epitome of exploration based game design. Similar to Metroid Prime in the last decade, you simply know that you're playing the best the industry has to offer in level design, art direction, atmosphere, pacing, etc.
Virtue's Last Reward - You can do whaaat with videogame story telling?
Apart from its inventive narration, it also has great mysteries in general. Imagine if LOST actually went well. It's a real shame that this is hard to recommend to casual players because of a few subpar animu designs.
Nier - Also unique in story telling, plus also in other things like (GOAT) soundtrack. It's something I keep thinking about, like Killer7 in the prior decade. Similar to that, the gameplay is controversial - although the critique is overblown imo, it's still a pretty good Zelda clone. Better than the second game.
Metal Gear Solid V - Look, open world doesn't have to be crap. No idea why so many other games got it backwards. This game does open world right, because it isn't faux-exploration/checklist based. It still has normal levels, for which the open world provides actual convincing freedom.
Super Mario 3D Land with 3D on/Astrobot - Mario was the first entry since NES with short but jampacked stages like Mario Bros. 3, which is good. But the 3D took it to another level. Astrobot is the evolution of that, making the level roam all around you, instead of just looking into it like into a box. Yet even though it seemed way superior, I only played the first world of Astrobot so far (lol @ buying VR), so I can't vouch fully.
Yakuza 0 - The most jolly game of the recent past is this one, screw your Kirby or Mario or whatever.
Mark of the Ninja - Ninja game actually making you feel like a ninja?? One of the few indie games being on top of the genre (stealth)?? Also, actual innovation in a 2D game these days??
Resident Evil 7/Remake 2/Revelations 2 - all great on their own, the king of gaming suspense if finally back after a decade of trash.
Shin Megami Tensei 4 - best JRPG series up until this point, though I think this might've been the last great one for a while. I'd pick Strange Journey over this, but I think in Japan it was released in 2009, even it seems to have been 2010 in the West, so...
Monster Hunter World - The series finally reached its true potential.
Rayman Legends - GOAT platformer controls. It came up with a lot of fresh ideas compared to most 2D platformer sequels these days too, including a fun online mode.
Cuphead - This is much more creative and its own thing than people give it credit for. Already finished it three times.
