Live. Die. Repeat. Hades is almost immaculate and with that the makers of Bastion, Transistor and Pyre deliver their best game yet – which is a feat in itself. With its brilliant fight system, the motivating progress and its story Hades pulls and, more importantly, keeps you in.

This is Rockstar Games’ masterpiece. But crashes, the need for high-end hardware and some other flaws tarnish this western epic on PC.

While the font size is a little too small for mobile demands, the core of the game of course is still the same. And that means that now also Switch users can enjoy this beautiful and challenging tactics-rpg with its excellent art design.

Mewgenics is a fantastic roguelike with turn-based combat and cat-tactic power that quickly draws you in. Already a contender for Game of the Year 2026.

Quotation forthcoming.

Beautiful design, clever mechanics that challenge the tactician. If you like war games, then you shouldn’t miss out on this gem.

A very unique experiment with you at the center.

With Age of Mythology: Retold, the developers have managed to breathe new life into the aging title and make it presentable for a modern audience without losing sight of its roots. Players who already liked the fantasy spin-off back then will definitely get their money's worth here.

That the gorgeous visuals as well as the revamped fighting mechanics would deliver, was foreseeable. But I wouldn’t have thought possible, that story and direction would reach these heights from beginning to end. An inventive reimagination of one of Sony’s most durable heroes.

Device 6 is a very interesting, creative storytelling experiment that combines old school text adventures with the interactive capabilities of a touchscreen.

Intuitive, designed professionally and with a stirring presentation, Half-Life Alyx is in a league of its own – not only visually.

Visually this is the definitive edition of the gangster drama we all came to love (or hate) with all its gorgeousness as well as its little flaws. And with the editor as well as the director mode creative players get all the tools they need.

Sports Interactive continues to push the boundaries. On the surface this is just a collection of visually enhanced excel sheets, but under the numbers and tables you find a lot of personality. This is a gem from soccer crazies for soccer crazies.

Nintendo was and still is the gold standard when it comes to platform action. Mechanics are strictly conservative and actually this is nothing more than an HD update. But having said that, the Wii U version was one of the best experiences of its kind. An excellent port of an excellent platformer.

Technically surprisingly sound now you can dive into the beautifully disturbing world of Dark Souls on Switch without second thoughts - but do yourself a favor and use the Gamepad.

Indie gem, hardcore platformer, robot fairy tale all rolled into one. This is a creative mix that also includes loads of funny retro references, puzzles and great storytelling.

God of War 3 was and still is a milestone for exceptionally well orchestrated action. If you’re new to Kratos, though, you could be overwhelmed, since nods to the first two parts are scarce while technically the remaster is not as polished as The Last of Us.

For me this is the best and most important online role-playing game since Mythic's Dark Age of Camelot. ArenaNet managed to eradicate the grind-treadmill with simple but very effective attention to detail. This excursion into the fantasy theme park named Tyria, where on every corner there's a new ride to experience in form of the many things you can discover, is well worth its entry fee.

It was a beautiful board game. And now it is a beautiful interactive experience. Poker, card tactics and Risk-like conquest merge and draw you into a world of scheming, bluffs and Cold War.

Obsidian not only continues the tradition of classic party role-playing by merging virtues of Baldur’s Gate and Planescape Torment. They create a unique fantasy world far away from Dungeons and Dragons, thus demonstrating that creativity and passion are more important than any graphics engine.

New ideas, mechanics and a fresh setting combined with the known and loved formula of Anno provide an accomplished tightrope walk.

Dune Awakening is a magnificent adaptation of the sci-fi original: thanks to the attention to detail and atmosphere, surviving on Arrakis becomes a true delight, only marred by minor bugs and rubberbanding.

A very intense character study embedded in a captivating fantasy adventure. Technically surprisingly impressive on Switch.

This is arcade racing at its best. Yes, it is not perfect. But the few weaknesses are peanuts compared to the on-the-spot racing experience it delivers.

Six years after Demon’s Souls the series comes full circle. Dark Souls 3 is as intense as merciless. A beautiful conclusion to one of the most influential franchises in recent memory.

Breathtaking moments and a great atmosphere are just some of the highlights that you will experience on Mira. The visuals are stunning, the pad is used intelligently. This is by far the best game you will play on Wii U this year.

This is how role-playing games must be ported from PC to consoles. Content-rich and with a well conceived as well as executed control scheme you will get more than 80 hours of exceptional entertainment.

It's a pity that the visuals haven't been optimized for the retina display, but nonetheless it is a beauty. Stamped with a hefty price tag you'll get an exceptional roleplaying game that is as fascinating as it was a few years ago on the DS.

The remaster of the psychedelic railshooter classic looks even better on PSVR2, complete with overpowered but optional eye controls.

Once you start, it is almost impossible to get away from this dynamic cell conquering. Inspired by classic board games like Go, Pathogen builds a new experience by adding modern elements like chain reactions or moving arenas. Brilliant.

Charming, varied and almost perfectly balanced: This is pure platforming fun.

While the newest trip into the Octagon shows some noticable improvement at its core in terms of fight mechanics, there are a few surprising steps back as well.

80 Days is a beautifully designed, fascinating and open travel adventure with rich storytelling.

The seemingly simple puzzler quickly becomes an avant-garde masterpiece asking clever questions and challenging you with a hard to master and astonishingly complex principle.

Classy design, comfortable handling, challenging turn based strategy. This is the best board game conversion far and wide – 4X at its best!

It is definitely one of the most intense gaming experiences I was lucky enough to play in the last few years. With simplicity and atmosphere at its core, it took me on an emotional journey with an intensity and ruthlessness I didn’t expect.

This is the most mature pinball experience from Zen Studios to date.

Ten years after its original release, The World Ends With You still is an interesting and above all original roleplaying expereience. A bizarre story, interesting characters and dynamic team battles show off its creativity.

Despite technical changes necessayr for Switch this still is a grand fantasy epic with loads of interesting interactions.

Quotation forthcoming.

Two excellent action heavyweights, aged exceptionelly well and still audiovisually and mechanically top notch.

Even though I am sad, that after ten years there isn’t any additional content (actually the number of dungeons is reduced), I am overjoyed that this GameCube-classic shines in a new HD light and is visually more impressive than ever.

Ori on Switch still is a brilliant exploration platformer with constant challenges and an incredible soundtrack that it was for its premiere a few years. Visually it might not be as shiny as the original but Ori makes up for that with improved balance finetuning, among other things.

Barth doesn’t reinvent his concept of “creative work”, but extends it in the most comprehensive way, thus making Shenzen I/O to one of the best puzzle games around.

With the gorgeous world and the team based battle system as a foundation, Monolith and Nintendo created an epic fantasy J-RPG. Not everything is perfect, but once you start exploring the fascinating and dangerous terra incognita with its breathtaking vistas, bizarre creatures and touching stories, it is almost impossible to get away.

Quotation forthcoming.

Even two years after its premiere this game still packs an emotional punch. Subtle and quietly the tragic everyday aftermath of war with moral decisions and bitter consequences makes you think, laugh and cry.

You travel through an engaging world full of secrets and hidden clues. You watch, you take notes, you ponder, you think about what is happening on the screen. This is a mysterious journey through time and space – charming, fascinating, unique.

An end-of-year Japan RPG highlight: Chained Echoes from solo developer Matthias Linda is epic, emotional, challenging and gripping. Mechanically to the point and narratively mature - a real JRPG gem.

Quotation forthcoming.

This role-playing marvel creates an impressive atmosphere in an open world, focusing on the silent moments and the exploration as much as on spectacular fighting. The quest quality is high throughout and the storytelling is out of this world – not only for ten or dozens but for a hundred hours.

Mysterious, poetical and full of atmosphere – Dear Esther is as magical as a short story from Ray Bradbury. The creative way of storytelling fascinated me from the very first moment.

This is the black metal ballad among the tactical roleplaying games. The fights are merciless, the battle system is creative and filled with with possible long term damage beyond belief. There is only one more thing to say: Destroy… them… all…!

This is the blueprint for all future VR platformers. Charming, full of surprises and visually stunning, this is the best VR experience you can get on PlayStatio VR right now.

In the tradition of the Souls games From Software delivers once more, while sporting some brilliant new ideas: grappling hook, stealth elements and especially the ingenious battle system marks the next big step in the evolution of the mechanics Miyazaki-san and his team became famous for.

It is nice to see that this extraordinary game has been modernized. In terms of visual detail it still is old-fashioned though, but it was and still is a beautifully crafted action roleplaying game that leaves its mark.

The trilogy reaches its eventful climax. If you like tactical roleplaying games it doesn’t get much better than with this epic entertainment.

Quotation forthcoming.

Twilight Princess is a timeless gem proving that intelligent design beats polygon power any day. This was and still is one of the best action-adventures out there.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Giant Tides is a powerful 3D platformer with sponge-tastic gameplay flow and perfect childish humor – only some annoying race tracks slowed down my fun.

This is cool stuff. With Tropical Freeze Nintendo proves once again that the cult monkey still belongs to the platforming elite.

The mobile version of this tactics gem is every bit as good as its PC and console brethren.

On Xbox One Raymans platforming adventure is as legendary as ever.

This milestone of action roleplaying games didn’t lose any of its fascination, while receving a new audiovisual presence with this excellent epic. An awesome modernized epic.

Ninja Gaiden 4 offers superbly choreographed action and is more beginner-friendly than any other game before it. The brilliant game design more than makes up for the weak story.

Addictive and happy: pixelated top-down roguelike with very simple gameplay - but the spiral of rewards has an enormous pull effect, every run makes the endorphins spill over, there is a lot to discover and experiment with.

Thanks to a very clean conversion, LocoRoco on PlayStation 4 still is a gem that will keep you entertained from top to bottom.

Pokémon Pokopia seems to have received a lot of love during its development and therefore feels fully polished. This results in many different moments of pure gaming fun.

Not only does DICE deliver their best campaign to date this side of Bad Company. It also pushes online-multiplayer to new heights with atmospheric battles and intense gunfights.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is one of the best action games of 2024: It crashes, it bangs and it looks fantastic too. The overall package of story campaign, PvE mode and PvP is also a content-rich board.

An inspired and creative jump & run adventure with funny transformations and remarkably clever hidden secrets. Overall the story mode is a little bit too easy for experienced Mario players, but nonetheless this is a tremendous new start for Nintendo's iconic hero - even though overall I still prefer the spheres of Super Mario Galaxy and its cool planet mechanics.

A beautifully designed platform adventure with quite a few surprises and good ideas, making this a playable artwork that will not leave you untouched.

An extensive, high-quality DLC that inspires with story and a dense atmosphere and even improves the main game. An all-round successful comeback for Cyberpunk.

Arcade minimalism close to perfection and manic action: Geometry Wars is back. Seriously: If I hadn't owned a console already I would buy one just for this game.

Battlefield 6 is a top-tier destruction sandbox and multiplayer shooter that brings the brand back to the Champions League.

More tactical variation, more individual character development, more challenge, more fun: Enemy within makes XCOM better than ever.

The driving mechanics are an (arcade) dream come true, the visuals are fantastic and Australia as exotic location delivers a wide variety of environments, challenges and contest. It has its flaws like the still overly aggressive AI but nonetheless this is definitely the best game in this franchise so far.

Intense and motivating action in a visually impressive fantasy world.

This is an 8-bit-masterpiece, an atmospheric border patrol dystopia, filled with loads of decisions and tough consequences.

Horror fans can't avoid this title: ingenious, extremely atmospheric visuals, an extremely finely woven carpet of sound and a juicy portion of gore make Callisto one of the scariest games of all time.

No matter the season: Forza Horizon 4 delivers spot on driving physics, a stunning gameworld and loads of thing to do so you can escape boredom even before you switch to 2nd gear.

The presentation is incredibly charming, as is the content with its affectionate enhancements to a very endearing od school JRPG.

As an online-shooter this is my dream come true: It rewards careful progress instead of a quick rush. Positioning is more important than reaction time and teamwork is a must. This is tactically challenging and straightforward action at its best.

Dave the Diver is a great adventure with many elements from other genres, so it never gets boring. Only the control with mouse and keyboard takes some getting used to.

The new submission system copies a page out of EAs MMA conceptbook, but it works well and adds depth to the already convincing fighting system that gives you loads of options to try and dominate your opponent, regardless where the fight takes place in the octagon.

Charming twinstick-action with precise controls and a plethora of interesting ideas.

A fantastic role-playing game that shines with its story, its companions, its game world and decisions. Only bugs deny an even higher rating.

One of the best racing games on the platform and due to more selection and the improved physics even better than the Wii-version.

Even after more than 100 hours in Washington DC, The Division 2 is still engrossing. And despite having some minor issues with the cover system this is a great shooter in a fascinating gameworld - the best of its kind.

The relaxed but taxing puzzle adventure is a perfect fit for VR, while offering a wide variety of movement options to reduce motion sickness.

A gripping story, a dynamic combat system, and the gigantic staged esper battles make Final Fantasy 16 a feast for the eyes, ears, and fingers, while minor flaws such as weak side quests and an unstable frame rate largely fade away.

For its anniversary Forza Motorsport delivers in bulk. It might have little flaws in certain elements. But this is the most complete virtual motorsport package you can get your hands on. And visually certainly right now the most beautiful.

Once you get used to the new controls it is hard to get away from this excellent, incredibly intensive basketball experience.

This feels like From Software developed a Castlevania of the Amiga era. At every corner you will encounter a Dark Souls déjà-vu. But this is much more than just a carbon copy in 2D, since Ska Studios added a lot to the proven recipe.

Forget 1-2-Switch or Super Bomberman R. This is the multiplayer gem that Switch so desperately needs. Smart, creative and with a very distinctive artdesign this is a beautiful cooperative puzzle extravaganza.

Improved boss battles, audio commentary, well integrated controls via WiiU-GamePad: The Director’s Cut is without a doubt the best version of Human Revolution.

More quests, full voice-overs and lots of finetuning. Disco Elysium got even better with its Final Cut.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 as remasters of two classic trendsport games ist not perfect, but comes very close. On the new console generation even more with its crisper visuals, near perfect control and reduced loading times.