As we said in our original review of Tetris Effect: Connected, this is perhaps the best that Tetris will ever be. And in VR, that couldn’t be more true. On paper, “Tetris in VR” doesn’t sound all that great, and if you’ve never played Tetris Effect before, it’s a hard sell. But spend just five minutes inside this incredible experience, and you’ll never look back.

It’s safe to say that Pistol Whip has quickly become one of our favourite PSVR 2 titles. Who doesn’t want to feel like Neo in The Matrix, dodging bullets left, right and centre? Or John Wick, spotting and dispatching enemies with a combination of shots and melee attacks? Basically, Pistol Whip allows you be Keanu Reeves: the epitome of cool. And so, for anyone picking up PSVR 2, this should be considered a must-have.

Playing Company of Heroes 3 is a great experience if you like dynamic, tough, tactical RTS games that revolve around utilising the terrain to your advantage. But if you’re expecting a major evolution from the previous games in the series, you’ll likely come away disappointed. If you’re a fan of WWII strategy and somehow haven’t dived into the series yet, you’ll have a great time. But otherwise, you may as well stick with the original Company of Heroes.

Atomic Heart leaves a lot to be desired, but its unique setting, varied gameplay and often inventive enemies go a long way to keep you interested in your traipse through its ruined utopia. Just bear in mind that while it may look like a AAA game, it’s not; Mundfish has achieved a great deal here, but there are signs of corners being cut and a considerable lack of polish. And so, you might want to wait for a patch or two to sort out some of its unfortunate bugs and other blemishes, but you could do a lot worse than venture into the hostile world that Atomic Heart offers.

Was it really necessary to remake Like a Dragon: Ishin!? It’s questionable, but we’re glad it’s finally available in the west in some form. It’s not the best Like a Dragon game – in fact, it might come quite low in the pile – but a good time can be had with it nonetheless. Its world might not be all that attractive, and its story a slow-burner, but it has the usual charm and a bucketload of interesting activities to carry it.

If you’re picking up a PSVR 2 headset and want a game to show off what it’s capable of, Horizon Call of the Mountain is it. The visuals are astounding, and the gameplay – while a little slow to start – soon becomes captivating. Climbing is tiring but rewarding, while doing battle with mechanical monstrosities has never felt more involving. Add in loads of neat interactions and activities to be enjoyed along the way, and you have a game that not only expands the world of Horizon, but also makes us excited for what’s to come thanks to PSVR 2.

Going back to Returnal on PC, we were instantly reminded why we fell in love with it. This is a game like no other. We were disappointed when Housemarque announced it was stepping away from the arcade-style games that it became known for, but when Returnal was unleashed we quickly came to terms with it. This may be a third-person shooter with roguelike elements and lashings of horror, but it’s Housemarque’s penchant for making games that keep you going back for more that ties it all together. And the result is quite simply phenomenal.

Ten Dates might be one of our favourite FMVs to date. It’s sweet, it’s fun, and it’s packed with larger-than-life characters that we had an absolute blast getting to know. One playthrough may be short, but it makes for the perfect interactive rom-com to cosy up with. If you enjoyed Five Dates, this sequel is a no-brainer: it’s bigger and better in every way.

If you’re not put off by its grave challenge that all too often feels unfair and its general rough-around-the-edges nature, you might have a good time with Wanted: Dead. Most, though, are likely to become disheartened and infuriated by it. It tries to do something new with the genre and we applaud it for that, but the execution isn’t quite there. We love its characters and its quirkiness, and even its mechanics, but they’re in a game that at the moment only sporadically feels fun to play.

If you enjoy first-person puzzle games and quite fancy jumping into one that puts quirkiness and personality front and centre, then you’ll find a lot to enjoy in Backfirewall. With well-written and acted dialogue and plenty of engaging puzzles to work your way through, it’s a hidden gem that’s well worth seeking out.

If you feel like taking on Lady Luck and fancy a roll of the dice, Dicey Dungeons is a hell of a lot of fun. Its vibrant art style is a delight, and its simple but endlessly entertaining gameplay loop will keep you coming back time and time again.

Early on, Forspoken‘s somewhat empty, barren world isn’t the most appealing. Stick with it, though, and you’ll be rewarded with more interesting landscapes, plenty of side content to sink your teeth into and a range of magical beasts itching for a fight. Frey makes a great protagonist, and we couldn’t help but be charmed by her punchy personality. But it’s her exhilarating parkour that really sets Forspoken apart. This open world adventure offers up the type of fun that’s hard to put down once you get started. We’re certainly keen to keep returning to Athia to mop up those remaining distractions.

PowerWash Simulator is the type of game that you sit down to play for 15 minutes, then realise hours have gone by. It may not be full of intense action or have a rivetting story, but once it’s got its hooks in you, it’s hard to break free. The desire to clean just one more object is strong. Still, it’s an acquired taste: it does simply have you undertaking menial jobs after all. But if you like stress-free games and don’t mind repetitive tasks, the reward of making things look shiny and new is considerable.

Avalanche Software and Portkey Games have done an impressive job of creating something original within a much-loved franchise. Hogwarts Legacy is the closest any of us are ever going to get to actually attending Hogwarts, and what a magical experience it is. It’s clear that it’s been created with love, and the attention to detail here is phenomenal. It’s not without its issues, of course, but there’s few that get in the way of the overall experience. It looks gorgeous, it’s a joy to play, and being a wizard is just about as fun as we’d always hoped it would be.

If you’re a fan of rhythm games or simply love quirky adventures, consider Rhythm Sprout an essential purchase. This is a game that has snuck up on us from nowhere but has thoroughly rocked our worlds. Combining comedy with rhythm-based gameplay, it’s tickled our funny bones and tested our timing while also making us tap our feet and bob our heads. And we’ll certainly be revisiting it for a long time to come.

Dead Space is an accomplished remake that not only brings new life to a classic, but hopefully paves the path for more entries in the series in the future. While much of the game will be familiar to those who have played the original, the meaningful updates and additions go a long way to keep the experience feeling fresh, modern and unpredictable. So, whether you’re already a Dead Space fan or new to the series, this is well worth your time and money – as long as you have the nerves for it. For some, it’s even likely to be an early game of the year contender.

Deliver Us Mars is that rare, beautiful thing: a successful sequel which not only builds on its predecessor but enhances the experience in numerous ways. Sure, more puzzle variety would have been nice. But that’s about the only complaint we can make about this otherwise thrilling, atmospheric deep-space adventure.

Fashion Police Squad, with its sheer outlandishness, is easy to recommend to first-person shooter fans. With its colourful visuals, purposeful weapons and camp sense of humour, there’s nothing else quite like it available. You’ll chuckle at its dialogue, be thrilled with its gameplay, and take glee in fixing fashion errors that may cause you genuinely roll your eyes in real life. Who’d have thought making your enemies stylish could be so much fun?

With repetitiveness being part and parcel of the roguelike genre, those familiar with it probably won’t be too aggrieved with the lack of randomness in Helvetii. Some, though, may come to appreciate its combat and visuals but perhaps wish they’d been served up in a straight-up action game. In any case, perhaps its greatest crime is that it doesn’t try to do anything original. But you can tell that developer Team KwaKwa has put some love into this release, and the end result is sure to delight roguelike fans eager for something new to sink their teeth into.

If you’re after a short horror experience with a grim story, you could do worse than Trenches. Leave the jump scare enabled and we dare say you’ll jump out of your skin on multiple occasions, which is somewhat entertaining. It’s impossible to wholeheartedly recommend, though, what with its basic gameplay. Once you’ve played through it to completion, there’s very little reason to return.

Still, there’s a lot to love in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, whether you’re a hardcore SpongeBob fan or a sucker for a good old-fashioned 3D platformer. The colourful worlds and silly humour will appeal to kids, sure, but it also calls out to the inner child in all of us. It’s the sort of game you can simply switch off with: forget about the rest of the world, and get lost in a zany world of rainbows, pineapple houses and balloon starfish for a while. What more could you want, really?

If you’re a shoot ’em fan, there’s no better way to play this classic. The visuals may be a little dated, but it’s hard not to be impressed by some of the enemy designs, now rendered in high resolution. And as you make your way through Raiden IV x Mikado Remix‘s impressive array of modes, the remixed soundtrack is sure to pump you up, driving you to perform better than ever before. Needless to say, this classic slice of arcade action remains as entertaining as ever.

There’s something special about the power that Season: A Letter to the Future gives to the player; the freedom you have to explore, to document, to see and do exactly as you wish. Free of threat and any real time pressure, you’ll simply become absorbed, seeing everything for the first time just as your protagonist is. For the action-oriented amongst you, that might sound a little dull. But we can’t overstate just how wonderful it feels to play something like this, a game that really doesn’t mind what you do or how you do it, as long as you’re doing… something. It’s freeing, wholesome, relaxing but evocative. And we wish it didn’t have to end. Let us explore more corners of this enchanting, mysterious world, please.

Whatever flaws you can find with Dread Templar, one thing counters them all: it’s hellishly fun to play. The speed of the action, your impressive arsenal, the pounding soundtrack – it all combines to create a thrilling first-person experience that you can’t help but lose yourself in. As far as retro-inspired shooters go, Dread Templar is up there with the best of them.

Praise should be given for Grammarian Ltd for trying to do something different. There’s a lot to be said for games that also happen to be educational, and Grammarian Ltd is so nicely presented that it’s genuinely an appealing prospect for those of us who get a kick out of editing and proofreading. It’s just a shame that most of the documents you’ll be working on are pretty badly written in the first place, making your edits ultimately feel rather fruitless.

Devout Neptunia fans keen for another outlandish escapade to lose themselves in will no doubt get some enjoyment out of Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters. There’s little here for anyone else, though. Far better RPGs exist on PS5, and even as Neptunia games go this is a bit of a disappointment thanks largely to its ho-hum combat system. So, perhaps give it a miss unless you really must spend more time in Gamindustri.

Does Tortuga – A Pirate’s Tale fulfil all our piracy-based fantasies? Not really – we’d kill for some sort of additional on-land adventuring. For those who’d like to focus on sailing the seas, however, it’s sure to tick many boxes. Especially so if they gel with its unique turn based battles that really reward thoughtful movement and positioning.

While it pales in comparison to classics of the genre, if you’re after a new and very colourful 2D platforming shooter to sink some time into, you can do a lot worse than OmegaBot. It has some frustrations and sometimes feels a little repetitive or drawn out, but at its core lies entertaining gameplay that’s easy to pick up.