Battlefield 6 doesn’t reinvent the battlefield; it restores it. DICE has delivered a visually stunning, technically confident, and wildly satisfying shooter that returns to the thrill of teamwork and chaos. The campaign may be forgettable, and smaller maps miss the mark, but when those tanks roar across a crumbling desert and 64 soldiers clash over a checkpoint, I felt it like pure magic. This is the Battlefield fans have been waiting for, a game that finally remembers what made the franchise special in the first place.

You’ll be disappointed if you expect a big playground to explore or deep action mechanics. But if you want to experience one of the most emotional mob stories in games, a tale of love and betrayal set against the beautiful, cruel backdrop of early 1900s Sicily, this is the ride you should take. Be ready with tissues, though, as The Old Country is a tragedy. It doesn’t pull its punches and leaves scars that last long after the credits roll.

EA Sports FC 26 is a step forward, and the series desperately needed it. The backbone has never been more customizable, and Career Mode feels truly rewarding with Authentic gameplay this year. If only the issue of microtransactions and Ultimate Team’s focus on money didn’t hang over the game so heavily. That said, FC 26 truly delivers for both fans of realistic, tactical football and those who enjoy fast, arcade-style matches. Whether you want a deep and thoughtful game or play a quick and exciting online match, it offers both. Just be aware that the game will keep finding ways to encourage you to spend extra money along the way.

Borderlands 4 lacks the polish of a flawless AAA release, but it delivers on some of the most important parts, such as offering thrilling gameplay, an expansive world, and a story that actually makes you care. The darker story and serious tone might disappoint fans who want nonstop jokes, but these changes make the game’s emotions and stakes stronger than previous games. It’s a wild, rewarding journey across a beautifully chaotic world full of secrets, explosions, and loot that never quits. Whether you play solo or with friends, Borderlands 4 reaffirms why this franchise remains a shining beacon in the looter-shooter genre, still messy, still loud, still totally and utterly addictive.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a therapeutic, genre-expanding experience that builds on its predecessor’s bold foundation.

An authentic Assassin's Creed experience with something for everyone, and the best RPG-style AC to date. Shadows finally brings the franchise back to the light with refreshed stealth, myriad combat abilities, and satisfying exploration.

A great entry from the leading baseball sim going, MLB The Show 25 adds small but meaningful elements to its familiar formula to keep you swinging for the fences.

Full of hilarious moments and incredible cinematics; Split Fiction is a couch co-op powerhouse, perfect for those looking for endless fun and the ultimate escape.

Monster Hunter Wilds is more of the same classic monster-slaying fun, but with new improvements and a seamless world to explore, the grind has never been better. This decades-old franchise still has plenty of fun left to discover.

Part One is the perfect beginning to a story that will stay with you for a long time to come, all set against an evocative soundtrack.

Xbox exclusives have been a swing and a miss recently, with even the likes of Starfield splitting fanbases. But Avowed has changed the tune—perhaps benefiting from reduced expectations after those that came before. I admittedly overlooked Avowed on the release calendar, with my eyes firmly set on other upcoming titles. Having dived headfirst into the adventure across the Living Lands, though, it’s safe to say I’ll be sticking around for the foreseeable future.

Everything can go wrong during a playthrough of Kingdom Come 2, and even when it does, it’s the most fun I’ve had in a medieval RPG in a long time. The first game scratched the survival game itch I wanted to experience within a narrative, and everything’s been giving a proper facelift for the sequel. Fans of the first one will be overjoyed about the continued story and the refined features, while newcomers will be delighted with the experience and feeling like they can jump right into a living, breathing world.

Civ 7 has elements that fans of previous titles will know and love, but its core gameplay loop is unique. While it may be a sticking point for players who’ve been with the series from the start, it’s exactly what the Civ world needed to keep things exciting.

Dynasty Warriors Origins tries very hard to reboot the series in meaningful ways, and for the most part, it’s successful in creating a more focused single-player experience. It delves deep into the richness of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms story, even if it’s at times very poorly told. The core battle mechanics are perhaps the best in the series, with many additions to keep you engaged in combat, but there’s a lot of busywork and bloat that hampers its vision.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is fun if you’re not expecting a Hollywood movie adventure. The theatrics are there, but the game focuses more on exploring who Indiana Jones is, his background as an archaeologist, and his moral compass guiding him to assist others. The few stumbles that do happen don’t diminish the larger story, and I only wish it were longer to keep exploring more locations with Indy as a guide.

STALKER 2 can be a fun experience as you work your way through the game. The initial area will feel like the toughest because of how much it can take you by surprise. Still, as you gradually expand to other locations, find new gear, and embrace the thought of being prepared, it’s rewarding in all the right ways, even if getting there feels like climbing an irradiated mountain.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an action-filled game that is fluid, crisp, and exciting. The missions are well-written and enjoyable, and the dialogue between companions is delightful. There’s a lot to like about The Veilguard, but there are a few bumps in the road. For older Dragon Age fans, it might feel odd to be planted in this mostly dungeon-based mission corridor, but the experience never feels like a grind and is mostly BioWare playing it safe.

The most complete CoD package in years, Black Ops 6 is further proof that Treyarch are the masters of this franchise.

The latest RPG is a good adventure worth its salt but carries even bigger potential. It’s hard not to imagine a follow-up title based on scenarios like steampunk or drawing from darker horror. With ReFantazio, Atlus is mostly unencumbered by traditional tenets of Persona—and that may be its biggest strength.

Frostpunk 2 offers an engaging and rewarding overall package for city-building fans able to accept harsh punishment and willing to give up and start again from scratch.

If you can get past the frustrating crashing issues and performance drops, there is a great basketball sim with plenty to discover for all kinds of NBA fans.

Gripping, bloody gameplay and impressive hordes of enemies shine, even if the narrative might only appeal to hardcore fans.

Across the 10-15 hours of Astro Bot I gratefully lapped up, I had an immovable grin on my face. I smiled and laughed (unironically) from start to finish—Astro Bot is ridiculously fun and makes gaming fun.

If you haven’t had the chance to play Age of Mythology before, or you’re a fan who’s played the original for hundreds of hours, Age of Mythology: Retold is a wonderful time to jump into the game.

Crypt Custodian may not be the most challenging metroidvania, nor does it reinvent the wheel, but it handles many of the genre’s most defining characteristics well. Between its customizable combat system, satisfying collectibles list, and lovely narrative, Thompson’s new release is worth picking up whether you’re newly interested in the genre or a metroidvania veteran—even if the difficulty is lacking.

Black Myth: Wukong is living proof that developers other than FromSoftware can create top-tier action RPGs. Its exploration and character customization are more restrictive than I'd have liked, but its combat and boss fights are second to none.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is impressively expansive, packed to the brim with secrets, and hauntingly beautiful. From the moment I set foot in the Land of Shadow, I was stunned by its gorgeous scenery and captivated by its world, but the most impressive thing of all is the sheer scale of what’s on offer.

Vengeance is the best version of Shin Megami Tensei V you can play, delivering a titanic adventure that enhances the original’s storyline and gameplay.

Homeworld 3 will arrive almost 21 years after the previous installment, Homeworld 2, and after you plunge into this deep space strategy, you’ll soon realize it was worth the wait.

While Another Crab’s Treasure doesn’t push the status quo of the Soulslike genre, what it hides beneath its shell is an utterly gorgeous world worth exploring, one with charm, creative level designs, and a captivating central gameplay mechanic that even the most hardened Dark Souls veterans can appreciate.

Whether you dig Sand Land’s vibes and want to go full Mad Max with its combat or experience one of Akira Toriyama’s classic stories told in a fresh package, Bandai Namco and ILCA sold me on this world and its characters, and if you give it a try, you might just get sucked in like quicksand.

Stellar Blade sets a high bar, and its combination of exhilarating combat, sumptuous graphics, and deep systems makes it flourish in an era chock-full of high-class contemporaries.

Pepper Grinder offers players so much more than simplistic gameplay, despite centering around an incredibly simple mechanic.

South Park: Snow Day! delivers a trademark experience in an action-filled package and lays a solid foundation for further action-oriented games in the series. Once you enter the 3D world of Snow Day, you won't want to leave until you've finished the story.

While I don’t think Ronin reinvents the wheel, it has enough style and substance to make me feel like a slick samurai, and if that sounds fun to you, then it’s worth a go.

It may be early, and there may still be some huge releases to come in 2024, but Dragon's Dogma 2 is without doubt a contender for Game of the Year and has set a high bar for its competitors.

My grievances with Road to the Show and Franchise aren’t enough to detract from an otherwise brilliant installment in a series I’ve truly grown to appreciate over the past few years. MLB The Show 24 is a project made by and for community members, expertly curated by the team at San Diego Studio that has found its stride and, in my opinion, set a new gold standard for sports simulation games.

This is a fresh story, but the respect and adoration of the original are clear at every turn. Because that original happens to be the grandfather of survival horror, Alone in the Dark is a must-play for any fan of the genre.

There’s a special balance between horror and humor that runs like a sick and twisted thread through every inch of The Outlast Trials.

It’s not often you write over 1,000 words and have virtually nothing bad to say about a game, but that’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It’s a masterpiece, a work of art, bonafide breathtaking brilliance.

Not only is it soulful, it’s a living, breathing embodiment of ingenuity done right, transcending all expectations and doubts I had.

If you’ve been waiting to play The Last of Us Part 2, Remastered is the perfect opportunity to experience this game at its best. Just be prepared for the heartache—in all its visually-enhanced glory.

Whether you want to sit down for an evening and throw hands with a devil or hop online to grind ranked, there are multiple ways to enjoy both on top of plenty of extras to sink your teeth into.