Superb zombie-slaying combat and enjoyable motorcycle gameplay are integrated perfectly with a well-paced story. But the game’s major highlights are the terrifying zombie hordes which are unlike anything seen in a videogame so far.

I have thoroughly enjoyed playing Returnal so far and its unique die-and-start-over mechanic, excellent graphics, gameplay and sound all work brilliantly to deliver yet another fantastic first-party exclusive for the PS5.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is an essential Xbox game. Building on every aspect of Blind Forest – from art to music right the way through to level design and combat – this is a sequel worthy of celebration.

I could write about Split Fiction for another few thousand words and still not cover everything that made me smile. As with 2024's Astro Bot, it's bursting at the seams with a Nintendo-like playfulness, an excited child opening a toybox to show you everything it can, and yet with a more measured pacing that stops it running out of breath...It's a poignant and timely reminder that for all of technology's advances, art is still made my artists, and that might just make it one of 2025's most important games — as well as one of its best.

The game is great and well worth buying if you’re looking for some multiplayer online shooting fun without the overt violence.

This is an excellent Souls-like title with a unique battle system to mix up the usual formulas. The setting looks immense and gameplay is addictive despite many a death at the hands of gruesome monsters...It's as good a Souls-like game as Elden Ring.

Though Sekiro feels impossibly hard at times, the level of euphoria you experience when delivering a death blow to a tricky boss or when you finally clear a castle grounds of all enemies is almost unparalleled.

More than just a good Total War game. Its variety in play, riveting campaign mode and improved performance move it up to one of the best games in the RTS genre.

Similar to how Breath of the Wild and Odyssey reimagined 3D Zelda and Mario, New Horizons represents an exciting new milestone for the Animal Crossing series. By truly handing the player the reins, Nintendo has delivered a deeply customisable and effortlessly joyous experience which is, quite simply, an essential purchase for all Switch owners.

You’ll find yourself quickly and expertly tossing pots to distract baddies, stacking boxes and tables for extra height and firing out little green critters to fight for you, while you run around enemies to escape. It’s a joy to play, looks great and an excellently crafted mashup of gaming ideas to deliver a fresh-feeling new Zelda.

Resident Evil Requiem is a wonderful modern gaming take on a classic series that both honours the gameplay wins of the past with more current storytelling and visual fidelity techniques. The monsters are horrors, the boss fights brutal and there’s more blood than you can shake a stick at. Perfect for survival horror gaming fans.

Huntdown stands as a neon-drenched monument on how to make a contemporary retro game. You might come for its highly stylised 16-bit aesthetic, but you’ll certainly stay for its authentic arcadey mechanics, amusing comedic overtones and unique boss battles. Despite being released long after its ancestors, Huntdown can stand tall within its genre, knowing that in reality, it probably holds more true to your nostalgic memories than what you actually played back in the day.

Overall, a great start for the PS5 era and a perfect example of a game that doesn’t have to be in-your-face to still dazzle.

Football Manager is back and its focus on long-term construction of a footballing powerhouse is refreshing for a series that previously felt solely focused on the short-to-mid term. The only challenge you'll have now is keeping in the board's good graces long enough to leave your imprint on a club.

The stunning graphics, incredible survival horror combat and wonderfully eerie setting make picking up a copy of Resident Evil 2 a no-brainer.

Factoring in all of the improvements that have been made to the handling model and racing experience in this game, I've had more fun in the My Team mode, races and time trial in F1 2020 than in any other previous F1 game before it.

Whilst a little tricky at times, Paper Beast is an experience every PSVR owner should play at some point as it is quite simply a one-of-a-kind experience. Pixel Reef and Eric Chahi create a gorgeous ecosystem where animals, plants, natural resources, and the elements all work harmoniously to keep one another alive. All of this is done with incredibly complex and beautiful paper creatures that you will marvel at as they walk on by you in the dry deserts and cold tundras. And, when the simulation you are in is over, you might come away valuing the life on Earth in reality, just a little bit more.

Id Software’s magnum opus, an epic of the videogame world that’ll be talked about for years to come, Doom Eternal is a triumph. It elevates everything that made Doom 2016 such a success, and keeps the pressure up from the opening minutes to the climactic final boss and falters only ever so occasionally en route. One of 2020’s first essential games, Doom Eternal is a masterwork of first-person shooter design, and sets the bar for what developers should be doing in the genre.

Minecraft Legends is gaming at its best - fun, welcoming, evolving, easy to play but endlessly difficult to master. And best played with friends. You’ll be continuously tested by this game and it takes its forebears’ core mechanics and adds them neatly into a new-but-familiar mix of action and strategy.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii may not be what anyone expected, but it's a fitting entry in a series that delights in surprising long-term fans and casual admirers alike. Whether you're interested in building your perfect pirate crew for hours on end, or just want to see the story through, there's a ton of things to do and with Majima around, it's a riot. It trades in some of its sentimentality for the bizarre and the brash, but finally having Majima playable again after so long feels like a breath of fresh sea air.

Masterful combat, a heap of interactive elements, and delightfully indulging gore all interweave to create something close to a masterpiece.

Clementine’s character is renowned as being one of the most impactful and most beloved videogame characters ever. Seeing her entire story retold with beautiful graphics and supported by a plethora of extras feels deserved and right.

The real enjoyment came when mixing up the two elements of conversation and combat. The way that the game allows you to make some really difficult choices in how you go about on the island give a real feeling of importance.

Divinity: Original Sin II is the best RPG you’re not playing.

Blood and Truth leaves the old glorified tech demos in the dust and realises VR’s full potential with an incredible blockbuster campaign that’s also a love letter to the city it’s made in.

It continues to plunder that wonderful rich vein they’ve been tapping of a brilliant single-player story combined with first-rate gameplay and graphics.

Indivisible is one of the best RPGs of the year. A masterclass in game design, Indivisible is funny, challenging and creative in equal measure. A few difficulty bumps can't take away from what is an almost perfect example of turn-based RPG genius. The production values are through the roof, and the game will have you rapt from beginning to end.

Overall a fantastic new title for the PS5. That console’s now-best available exclusive action-platform game. A perfect hit for those hot summer days of gaming.