Anderson's second Pro Tour title of 2016 was the 12th Players Championship which he won by edging out Terry Jenkins 6–5. Anderson's first major final after the World Championship came at the World Grand Prix which he got to without dropping more than one set against Jamie Caven, Kyle Anderson, Kim Huybrechts and Raymond van Barneveld. However, he was powerless to stop Michael van Gerwen from capturing the title with a 5–2 win. Anderson was whitewashed 6–0 by Wade in the first round of the European Championship, averaging just 77.40. In his next event, the World Series of Darts Finals, Anderson wore glasses on stage for the first time. He said after going for an eye test he could not believe he had won two world title without being able to see properly and also explained that he has had to change his throw after his old one would knock his glasses off. He did lose 6–5 to Joe Cullen in his first match wearing them, but reached the semi-finals of the Grand Slam where he was defeated 16–14 by Wade. In his quarter-final match with Dave Chisnall at the 2017 World Championship 33 180s were thrown, just one shy of the record. With the match tied at three sets apiece, Chisnall was ahead in the seventh set 2–0, but missed four darts to take it and Anderson would win 5–3. After Peter Wright equalised their semi-final at 3–3 after trailing 3–1, Anderson won nine of the next ten legs to reach the final for the third year in a row with a 6–3 victory. He was on a 17-game unbeaten streak at the event and missed two darts to take a 3–1 lead over Michael van Gerwen in the early stages of the final. Van Gerwen then won 12 of the next 14 legs in taking four sets in a row and, though Anderson pulled one back, his reign as world champion ended with a 7–3 loss. Anderson had not averaged over 100 in his two previous wins in the final, but averaged 104.93 in this defeat, as well as hitting 22 180s which is a record in a single match. The pair smashed the record for the most 180s in a match with 42 and Anderson's 71 for the entire tournament is also a record. Anderson and Van Gerwen also met in the final of the Masters, with Anderson losing 11–7. He was level at 7–7 with Van Gerwen in the semi-finals of the Premier League, before being defeated 10–7.