Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 delivers a personal story about two busybodies struggling to find balance in their lives, while all webbed up in larger-than-life comic book arcs. That’s a perfect match for Insomniac’s winning action-adventure formula, which is improved in almost every conceivable way here. Its expansive narrative and open-world checklists may feel overwhelming at times, but that effectively drives home its ultimate point: Great power isn’t a cure for great responsibility.

As a double-dip built for superfans, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is a fine (though inaccurately titled) collector’s edition with some valuable archival material. But as an extension of Naughty Dog’s creative vision, it’s borderline mockery that turns a thoughtful story into a cruel punch line.

By mitigating some of the grind, introducing meaningful mechanical changes, and convincing new players to stick around by getting straight into some epic battles, Monster Hunter World emphasizes the series’ biggest strength — the colossal showdowns.

Street Fighter 6 feels like the most significant revelation for the fighting game genre since Street Fighter 2. No matter the skill level, all types of players will find something to enjoy here -- and even feel represented in some way. And for the most part, it does all of those things well while looking incredibly stylish.

We dare say that Subset has outdone itself, surpassing FTL with a game that is even more focused, interesting, and repeatable.

It demands a level of determination and skill that far exceeds every other Souls-like game before it, but just as Sekiro can be downright infuriating, it can be just as, if not more, satisfying. It feels like the uncompromising realization of FromSoftware’s vision, and you can’t ask for much more than that. If FromSoftware intends to make a sequel, we’ll have our controllers ready – and the backup controllers for when we break the first ones.

Save for a few odd gameplay quirks and frustrating tech issues at launch, Alan Wake 2 is Remedy Interactive’s most confident, fully realized creative vision to date. It fully pays off the long-simmering potential of the studio’s interconnected universe to create a densely detailed, cerebral experience about the nature of horror – both in the nightmares we face in everyday life and the scary stories we create to cope with them.

Neon White takes some big swings with its card-shooter/platformer premise and fortunately doesn’t miss. Its execution-heavy action is wildly fast and fun, pushing players to complete complex demon-slaying gauntlets that pepper in exciting twists through the game’s last moments. Levels can feel disappointingly linear and longer stages can drag the momentum down, but the action is largely satisfying from start to finish. That would be enough to make this a worthwhile package, but its surprisingly thoughtful commentary on spirituality and strong late-game hooks make this a game worthy of divine judgment.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is one of the best games of the year, expansion or not.

Despelote is a moving and masterfully rendered game about soccer, growing up, and so much more.

Subset Games has delivered one of the tightest strategy games we’ve ever seen.

Were I grading Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on story alone, it would be a 10 out of 10. If you get emotionally attached to characters, especially passionate ones who don’t want to hurt people and are just trying their best, then it’s a must-play. You just have to be ready for an action-RPG that isn't always the picture of elegance -- and be prepared to live with those quirks through a long, long adventure.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is positively brimming with joy. From its bright colors to its adorable cats, it’s the perfect game to close out Mario’s big 35th-anniversary bash.

Despite its poor Arcade Quest mode, Tekken 8 is another great entry in one of the fighting genre's best series. Whether you come for the story or just the core brawling, the team at Bandai Namco makes sure there's something everyone can enjoy here. It's a tight package that loads a lot of surprises into every corner and another fighting game that's very much worth your time in a true golden age for the genre.

For anyone who’s yet to play one of gaming’s horror greats, the new take on Dead Space is a fairly definitive version of the experience. Its limb-carving combat and claustrophobic atmosphere still outclass its peers 15 years later, and that fact is only emphasized with some smart adjustments. If you’ve played the 2008 version to death, though, nothing here is likely to deepen your relationship with it. It’s a remake for remake’s sake.

It takes seeing through the entire story for me to see the full picture. Yes, Death Stranding 2 is anxious about the side effects of mass connection. It isn’t blind to all the ways it can be manipulated and used to rob people of their humanity rather than enrich it. But it doesn’t give up hope even in its darkest self-reflection. It weighs the pros and cons and still comes out with a desire to keep us all together. The danger is out there whether we’re on the grid or not. We may as well stand in the rain together, with a song and a smile.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the most emotionally impactful chapter in gaming’s best soap opera. It struggles to stay fully engaging from start to finish due to a supersized runtime filled with exhausting exposition dumps, but developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio delivers a deeply personal story that’s serious without sacrificing its heart. If any video game could leave you with a new lease on life, it’s this.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a staggering sequel that'll put you in a medieval mindset.

The Last of Us Part I shows that Naughty Dog’s gritty action game is still an enduring classic that hasn’t aged a day. Though that’s largely because Sony won’t allow it to, as evidenced by a mostly superfluous remake that doesn’t meaningfully improve on the game’s perfectly modern (and much cheaper) 2014 remaster. However, the project does once again push the industry forward in an important way: by raising the bar for accessibility in gaming’s past, present, and future.

War of the Chosen has thoroughly sunk its hooks into us, and we anticipate many late nights for months to come as we master its new challenges.

Once it gets its claws in, it’s hard to escape Monster Hunter Wilds’ grasp. It balances high-octane spectacle with the kind of meditative RPG progression hooks that live service games dream of. It’s a successful evolution from Monster Hunter World, though one that still can’t quite find the best way to introduce new players to its intimidating world.

The cryptic Lorelei and the Laser Eyes may very well be the greatest puzzle game ever made.

Cocoon is a mesmerizing debut for Geometric Interactive that's filled with ingenious puzzles that will unlock your animal instincts.

As you delve further into Rebirth, you begin to realize that almost every facet of the game has been improved.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the best Metroidvania since 2021's Metroid Dread. It sticks to the rewarding style of exploration that makes this genre great while ensuring that experience is as seamless as possible thanks to the innovative Memory Shards system and helpful Guided Mode option. All of that is held up by a backbone of silky smooth platforming and combat that's as easy or difficult as you want it to be.

It Takes Two is Hazelight and Josef Fares’ most fully realized vision of co-op gaming yet. It uses clever interactivity to highlight the importance of good communication in video games and relationships alike. With Nintendo-quality level design and a charming story to motivate its platforming action, It’s the rare multiplayer game that will strengthen friendships rather than end them.

Pentiment impresses with its amazing dialogue, intriguing themes, and gorgeous visuals.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is another great PS5 exclusive that really shows what the hardware is capable of. It’s a visually detailed platformer filled with three Iron Man movies worth of thrills. The shooting suffers a bit due to some overeager DualSense integration that’s a literal pain, but Insomniac has created a colorful blockbuster that’s loaded with good, old-fashioned comic mischief.