LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is an absolute celebration of a galaxy far, far away. TT Games have been at this one for a long, long time and now we absolutely know why. They’ve made perhaps the most complete, expansive and nerf-herdin’ entertaining Star Wars game there’s ever been. Didn’t think they could pull this off? I find your lack of faith disturbing.

Bungie are once again at the forefront of sci-fi with their extraction shooter Marathon. Whilst none of the elements are purely unique individually, Bungie have cultivated a brutal ecosystem that gives you as much as you're willing to put in. The barrier to entry is high, and the player base are already daunting, but what is on offer is an FPS with exceptional gunplay and heightened encounters, wrapped in a brilliant setting.

Victoria 3 is an excellent addition to the Grand Strategy genre that I think will very much live up to expectations. There are a few issues but it does many more things right than it does wrong. Victoria 3 is a highlight amongst strategy games released this year, and I’m extremely impressed by the developers making peace just as fun and engaging as war. This is a must play for anyone who likes grand strategy titles, but wants to play something a little different compared to its competitors.

GRIME brings nothing new to the Metroidvania tag, but it doesn’t have to. Challenging enough combat, with some RPG-like loadout elements make for engaging gameplay. That it’s gross and its bosses skin-crawling also work in its favour. If you enjoy your challenging platformers, you’ll enjoy this.

Outside of the new, most sought after destination of Feudal Japan, Assassin's Creed Shadows never really escapes its own shadow of boilerplate gameplay systems and its tried and true open world formula the series is known for. Whilst the game is at the same high standard as every other entry, it doesn't truly excel at anything more specific.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure takes everything positive from its predecessor and raises the stakes significantly. It takes beloved characters, fleshes them out further and pays off every single thread it dangles throughout the two titles. It is so ambitious with its plot and delivers it effortlessly. Combat is fun, engaging and highly customisable. The Crossbell Arc deserves to be mentioned alongside the titans of the genre. If you are a JRPG fan and you’ve got the time to play them, these titles should be mandatory.

An absolutely barnstorming return to the main stage for Harmonix, who have seemingly taken everything they’ve learned from eighteen years in the genre to create a fantastically creative, inventive and hands-stuck-to-the-controller levels of addictive rhythm video game, the kind of which has been sorely missed.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 finally arrives on current-gen consoles and is all the better for it. With extra content, fun DualSense additions, a myriad of performance options and gorgeous visuals, this is by the far the ultimate version of an already brilliant game.

Sleek presentation and engrossingly deep gameplay makes Wildfrost a distinctive roguelike deckbuilder. It’s a brutal learning curve that might snow you in, but if you persevere and learn you’ll have an overall great time with the game.

Bahnsen Knights delivers on all fronts despite its brisk run time. Pitch-perfect writing, alluring hyper-stylised retro pixel art and multiple quality-of-life improvements make this title the best in the Pixel Pulp series. The ending is still questionable, but the journey is well worth taking as you wade through the filth of a religious cult.

Presented in timeless watercolour, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a beautiful and heartwarming recreation of Moominvalley in videogame form. Being true to its source material throughout while introducing new elements like Sigur Ros’s music, elevates the experience close to definitive. If you want to share Moominvalley with anyone, or simply bask in a world we’ve collectively know for generations, this is now the best way to do it.

WWE 2K24 raises the bar again for 2K’s signature franchise, ensuring another cracking year for fans of World Wrestling Entertainment. The Wrestlemania Showcase mode is a major highlight for fans of the old-school era all the way up to now, and the frankly enormous amount of content available throughout will keep any fan satisfied until the inevitable WWE 2K25 arrives. Until then, this is about as definitive as it gets.

LEGO Party proves that brick-based chaos can rival even Mario’s finest. A big personality has entered the room and while it's not wholly original, it's funny, and full of charm. This is a party game worth its weight in studs.

Svoboda 1945: Liberation defines why some stories should be told in the medium of games. This multimedia experience is filled with impactful emotions and hard truths that are long overdue in lesser known war stories. Although its short lived as far as games go, the lessons you learn are so unique that Charles Games has set a precedent in storytelling.

The Entropy Centre is a masterclass in intuitive, creative and exciting game design. From the first puzzle to the last you’ll be staggered by the imagination on display, and as you rebuild the world around you you’ll have a few chuckles along the way, too. A truly excellent first-person puzzle that deserves to be played by absolutely everyone.

Sorry We're Closed presents an unequal challenge in its gameplay as it flourishes in exploration and combat but slightly let down by its simplistic puzzle design. With that said, the game's story, themes, world building and style makes it one of the great nostalgic survival horrors of recent years.

A bright and breezy game that unfortunately drags a little at points, Paradise Killer is nevertheless an enjoyable jaunt that does something a little different with a genre that has a reputation for being somewhat dour. Absolutely worth your time – just be prepared to dedicate a little more of it than you might expect in the early stages.

With immediately satisfying, simple yet vast gameplay, a touching story of death and astounding design, Hauntii will be a title you’ll want to take into the afterlife. There are only a couple of minor balancing issues that may be fixed. To some, the gameplay may not develop enough to be fun the whole way through, but Hauntii will stir your soul and is a 2024 highlight.

A more obscure collection than the original, Capcom Fighting Collection 2 nevertheless features some absolute classics from yesteryear , along with first time re-releases that will appeal to the most hardcore of classic Capcom fans. And look, it features Power Stone 2, so that's more than worth the price of entry.

Eriksholm the place is a beautiful creation, full of detail and complexity. It’s a shame that Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream lacks the same kind of complexity. With only a handful of stealth tools or route options, it feels like a guided tour of the city rather than a stealth adventure where anything could happen.

A wonderfully unique concept, FAR: Changing Tides had me attending to a virtual vessel with the kind of love and focus usually only devoted to the most valued things in life. Its beautiful, handcrafted art direction, stellar soundtrack, approachable yet unapologetic gameplay and phenomenal world will draw you in and refuse to let you go. This is a voyage worth taking, no matter the stormy conditions.

Two Point Museum's Switch 2 port retains the games gloriously entertaining mechanics, hilarious dialogue and addictive gameplay loop. It stutters in the visuals when the crowds pile up though, and the lack of mouse controls is a strange thing to miss for such a big port. As such, there are far better places to experience this terrific game.

DREDGE’s numerous gameplay systems that don’t overwhelm but invite players are a cloak and dagger for the true horrors that’ll keep you lost at sea. Phenomenal in its art direction and engrossing to play, it’s clear that Black Salt Games have dredged up a mystifying debut.

If you’re a fan of Philip K. Dick’s seminal work, Silicon Dreams is absolutely worth your time. It’s not the most interactive game but it expertly explores some thought provoking themes that are synonymous with Blade Runner via an engrossing game play loop and well crafted dialogue. It’s only 4 hours long but you’ll want to play this game twice.

A gorgeous virtual recreation of The Search for the Stolen Maze Stone, this game is damn near essential for fans of the Pierre the Maze Detective book series. It won’t be for everyone, but it brings some stunning artwork to life and adapts the concept of the book into an enjoyable game.

OTXO comes alive when you hit the Zen-like moment of blowing apart enemies, dodging out of fire, booting in doors and stressfully defeating that encroaching foe with your last round of the magazine. It suffers from some repetitive procedural design and relies a little too much on its slo-mo mechanic to get by, but its as close to a Crank movie you’re ever likely to get, and what a time that is.

Indika tells a story that tests religion in a deeply nuanced fashion and I must confess I just love what Odd Meter was trying to say. However the gameplay, for the most part, is just serviceable, and not even a dedicated prayer button could lead the game to full salvation.

A shooter that echoes the old school with modern sensibilities, Deadlink will scratch that roguelike itch if you let it. A little lacking in variety, hopefully time and TLC will prove us wrong on that front.