From its humble beginnings as a weird, brutally difficult new project that even its publisher had little faith in, the Souls series has grown into a vessel through which FromSoftware has helped change how we look at, and play, video games. And now, Elden Ring does the same for the Souls series itself. Years of gameplay refinements and revisions blend together with major franchise shifts such as the move to an open world and giving players far more freedom in how they set about saving said world. The result is a title that goes beyond anything Hidetaka Miyazaki and his team have given us before, both as a game and as an experience.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the first game I’ve played since the ninth-generation consoles launched that feels like a true next-gen title. Insomniac Games has done everything that it needed to do in making both a sequel to its longest-running franchise and a true next-gen exclusive. While it might not technically be a PlayStation 5 launch title, it feels like one—a real preview of the console’s capabilities. But beyond that, Rift Apart is just an absolute blast to play.

Sure, this might be the third time that Naughty Dog has released The Last of Us, but it’s also the most fully realized version. The enhanced visuals and animation bring Joel and Ellie’s story to life in a way that was previously unimaginable, and the gameplay still holds up, despite not totally catching up to Part II. Whether or not you want to pay to play the same story for a third time is up to you, but that won’t change the fact that it’s better than it’s ever been.

TowerFall: Ascension might not be complicated or feature-rich, but the instant pick-up-and-play fun of its local co-op arena battles make this the best game in the PS4’s fledgling library.

Hitman 3 is a fantastic capstone to a standout series. Yes, a lot of what you experience will seem familiar if you’ve played the last two games, but IO Interactive continues to take interesting risks that largely play off while still perfecting the elements that make Hitman so special. The best compliment I can pay Hitman 3 is that I want to finish writing this review so I can go back to playing it.

Siblings Amicia and Hugo went to hell and back in A Plague Tale: Innocence in their quest to survive an inquisition, endless hordes of rats, and the humans that looked to take advantage of the young boy’s curse. And now, in A Plague Tale: Requiem, they must pay the devil his due. This is the tale of the duo wanting to control their own fate as the fragile peace they had found falls apart, and the harsh lesson that their choices have consequences. As a game, Requiem is a bigger, better, and more ambitious adventure over its predecessor, but as a story, and a look into the lives of the characters that inhabit it, it’s so much more.

Battlefield 2042 brings the sandbox back to the series in bold and controversial ways. The new Specialist system might seem like sacrilege at first, but it opens up gameplay opportunities that weren’t possible in previous titles. The massive, well-designed maps offer plenty of room for experimentation and emergent stories, and the modes are a blast. And that’s just All-Out Warfare. Between that, Hazard Zone, and the expansive Battlefield Portal, Battlefield 2042 has something for everyone, without feeling like it’s stretched too thin. It’s a true evolution of the series, one that pushes back against a stagnation that threatened the series’ future. It won’t be for everyone, but for players who crave imagination and fun from their Battlefields, it will give them everything that they crave and more.

In nearly everything that Atlus has tried to accomplish in breathing new life into their much-beloved PS2 RPG Persona 4, they've accomplished masterfully on the Vita in Persona 4 Golden-and if there's ever to be a Japanese RPG that can convince you of what the genre can be in its finest hours, it'll be this one.

A Link Between Worlds recognizes that it’s not tacked-on stealth segments or waggling a controller to roll bombs that makes Zelda tick—it’s the unbounded exploration and freedom found in the NES original, and it’s finally back in full force here. Every Zelda fan needs to play this game.

If you are a Gears of War fan, this is a great little untold story in the timeline of the series and when you throw in new characters and weapon skins for multiplayer, this is a must have for all fans of the series and is most definitely worth the price tag.

The best-darned platformer you'll play all year.

Players coming in fresh to Neo: The World Ends with You might have a 14-year history to contend with, but that won’t stop them from falling in love with Shibuya. Whether it’s the complex and likable characters, the wickedly twisting storyline, or the frenetic yet strategic combat system, the long-awaited sequel has a lot to offer fans of action RPGs and the cult-classic series alike. Whether it was worth the wait depends on how long you’ve been waiting, but newcomers shouldn’t shy away from this fantastic game.

Shovel Knight Dig isn’t just a cash-in on the series’ popularity. It’s a game that stands on its own merits as a worthy prequel to the original. The titular hero’s moveset translates perfectly to a more vertical orientation, and Nitrome’s bite-sized level design makes full use of Yacht Club’s well-established gameplay style. The 16-bit-style visuals and music are an absolute treat, especially for fans of the series, and the roguelike elements present a nice sense of progression and replayability. Shovel Knight Dig might not be the exact sequel that fans have been clamoring for, but it’s the next best thing.

Carrion doesn’t just flip the horror script—it’s the ultimate power fantasy, packed into a tight, uncompromising space. It might utilize some video game tropes, but it doesn’t seem too concerned with accepted video game values. It’s a 2D side-scroller without platforming, an action game where you dictate the action. The Doom Slayer might talk a big game about ripping and tearing, but Carrion’s meatball monster puts its money where its many mouths are.

Whether or not you consider The Last of Us Part II to be a worthwhile continuation of Joel and Ellie’s story, there’s no doubt that Naughty Dog has crafted a sequel that’s every bit as ambitious and well-considered as the original, with quite possibly the best stealth-action gameplay realized to date.

Grand Theft Auto V expertly blends the best aspects of the last two major releases in the series, GTA IV and San Andreas, to set a new standard in open-world action. In a year already packed with titles that have pushed aging console hardware to new extremes, GTA V might stand as the crowning technical and design accomplishment.

The Outer Worlds is an impressive spiritual successor to Obsidian’s work on Fallout: New Vegas, mixing familiar design elements and the same zany attitude with an imaginative new universe and even deeper role-playing. While you can breeze through the main questline a bit quicker than in similar games, this is the sort of RPG experience you’ll want to play through multiple times, with multiple builds, to see all the systems and narrative paths on offer.

Criticisms often come easier than compliments, but in the case of Red Dead Redemption 2, I am at a loss. This is one of the most gorgeous, seamless, rootinest, tootinest games ever made, and if you voluntarily miss out on it, you’re either not a gamer or in a coma.

To the casual observer, BioShock Infinite may look like just another game starring a scowling, testosterone-infused hero cocking a shotgun at onrushing enemy hordes. But just like Irrational’s 2007 trip through an undersea Objectivist paradise gone mad, this is far more than a simple first-person shooter; the experience will make players think, inspire them to explore, and leave them emotionally spent by the time it’s all over. With BioShock Infinite, Ken Levine cements his status as one of gaming’s elite creative minds.

With this third of Tengo Project’s revivals of classic 16-bit Natsume releases, the team has certainly saved the best for last. Pocky & Rocky Reshrined takes what was already a fantastic run ’n gun experience, and expands, enhances, and improves pretty much all of the original Pocky & Rocky’s components to masterful degrees. From its stunning graphics, to its rich gameplay, to its fleshed out cast of interesting characters, Reshrined makes its predecessor proud while also introducing an all new generation of players to a core game that’s still just as worth playing today as it was 30 years ago.

While the idea of a Western studio completely reworking what is arguably FromSoftware’s most important title ever was initially worrying for many fans, what Bluepoint Games has accomplished with Demon’s Souls is something special. This is a game that honors its origins without being afraid to also modernize them, and though it might not offer enough modernization for some, this is probably the best balance between keeping what works and upgrading what didn’t that we could have gotten.

No matter if you want something to help pass the time, are looking for new ways to connect with family and friends, or simply wish you could finally learn how to play those classic card and board games you’ve yet to try, Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics is a stellar collection that provides an extensive selection of games without ever feeling overwhelming.

Titanfall lives up to all the expectations established when it was first revealed, in a way that so few games are able ever to accomplish, and represents nothing short of first-person shooter multiplayer taken to new heights.

Project Warlock is a first-person shooter created by a tiny indie team that punches way above its weight. While its reason for existence may initially seem to be for paying homage to its genre’s forefathers, Project Warlock quickly grows into a game all its own, providing an enthralling shooter experience all the way to the end.

Deathloop layers a refined take on Arkane’s signature mix of ability-driven action and stealth onto a time-looping premise, and the result is one of most memorable games of recent years. While many of the pieces may be familiar, the combination is fresh and full of surprises.

While many may initially see it as a throwaway free demo for the features of the next-generation console it comes installed on, Astro’s Playroom is a wonderful surprise whose price does not speak to its quality. Though it certainly does showcase what the PlayStation 5’s new DualSense can do, the game actually has far more value being just that: a game.

Pentiment is a true achievement of marrying story, style, and theme into a magical and cohesive whole. In lieu of 3D graphics that try too hard and still fail to represent an authentic-feeling world, Obsidian’s artists opted for a more illustrative aesthetic to tell their gripping story of a murder in an abbey, a choice that resonates throughout the entire game. While it might not satisfy every player, especially those expecting a more traditional RPG or adventure experience, those who can immerse themselves in Pentiment’s vision of 16th century Bavaria will find one of the best games of the year.

Control is Remedy at the height of its abilities. Finally, the studio’s expert handling of tone and story is met with gameplay that’s just as engaging and refined. As an experiment in nonlinear world design, Control doesn’t just stick with tried-and-true waypoints and forests. Its Oldest House is a brutalist masterpiece, and the characters inhabiting it are just as unforgettable. All told, it’s going to be one of the most memorable games of the year.