Nightingale is an enchantingly pretty game that can't hide the fact that there's not much interesting beneath the surface. Those familiar with survival games may find this one too familiar, though it's rarely offensive - with the exception of some technical and server issues. [Early Access Review]

For all the noise about a rich simulated reality, inZOI currently underperforms and overpromises. It's a gorgeous game with a best-in-class character creator, but doesn't provide anything amounting to a fulfilling life for its Zois, who largely exist to eat, sleep, and go to work. All of the pieces are in place, and there's hope yet, but its depiction of life's narrative falls short at present. [Early Access Review]

Overwatch 2 shines and pops with updated graphics and gorgeous new maps, but its deviation from the source material is impossible to ignore.

Path of Exile 2 is a thrilling and sprawling action-RPG with fantastic combat and impressive character customization options, but will require some patience to fully appreciate. Even in early access with a fraction of the planned content, it offers a robust package for players who want to dive into buildcrafting and master their own way to tear through dungeons. [Early Access Review]

Grounded 2 is terrific fun, even if this is currently a slightly safe sequel to a true original. It's still a treat to play, with improved combat and a fantastic new park to explore. Let's hope the rideable buggy is just the beginning of lots more great new ideas to come in what's already a substantial early access release. [Early Access Review]

Though a lot of my experience with Oblivion Remastered is fueled by nostalgia, I'm a big fan of the deeper changes it makes. While the original game's mechanics are a tough sell for anyone who plays without the benefit of nostalgia, the remaster makes it all far more palatable. Levelling up is now more straightforward and offers more control over how your character develops, allowing you to put specific points into attributes. Combat isn't miraculously on par with modern RPGs like Avowed and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, but it's serviceable; feeling leaps and bounds more textured than it did in 2006. You can sprint! [Review in Progress]

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is a triumphant return for the legendary strategy RPG series. Even in early access, this is the best entry since the iconic Heroes 3, combining the appeal of the classics with slick modernization and plenty of fresh ideas. This launch is a terrific starting point, and is already incredibly feature-rich, offering near limitless play. While the campaign is incomplete, what's there is a solid entry point for this deep and unique turn-based take on the genre.

Slime Rancher 2 may play largely the same as its predecessor but, between the beautiful new world and some key quality-of-life improvements, the future looks promising for Monomi Park's sequel. [Early Access Review]

Fallout 76 is still far from perfect but the main thing about the Wastelanders DLC isn’t that it makes things more fun or more interesting, and it certainly doesn’t fix much in terms of mechanics, it’s that it shows Bethesda is really trying. Wastelanders is the absolute antithesis of what launched which should underline how much work has gone into designing, making and implementing an entirely new game. I don’t know if we’ll ever reach a ‘remember when Fallout 76 wasn’t good’ point, but it’s clearly climbing in the right direction.

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault's early access launch offers entertaining dungeon-crawling and smart inventory and management minigames, even if the devs are still figuring out exactly how those systems all combine. [Early Access Review]

Warzone 2 makes a good first impression. While it shares some similarities with its predecessor, Infinity Ward has delivered a more tactical battle royale that smartly subverts expectations. [Review in Progress]

Death Stranding: Director's Cut is like going for a hike through the most haunting beautiful woodland you could possibly imagine, only for a guy in a cinema-quality Jason Voorhees costume to leap out at you unexpectedly from behind some trees and try to shove you into the mud. Naturally, the surprise creates some tension the first time around. Maybe the second time it happens too. But eventually that tension transitions into annoyance. That annoyance quickly into embarrassment for everyone involved. That dichotomy between Death Stranding's two halves has only been further exposed by the Director's Cut. Exploring its wondrous world is an experience quite unlike any other, but it is so routinely shattered by stilted combat and pantomime villains that you'll routinely wonder whether it's worth the effort.

A firm improvement on its predecessor even at this early stage, Slay the Spire 2's slight twist on its deckbuilding philosophy might not appeal to everyone, but makes for a rewardingly complex alternative. [Early Access Review]

Stormgate has the makings of a great RTS, but it needs a stronger identity of its own in its full release. [Early Access Review]

Cataclismo needs a little more time in the oven to really polish up its systems, but it has great bones and Early Access will probably do it a ton of favors. [Early Access Review]

Fntastic has confirmed that development has ceased on The Day Before, just four days on from its launch into Early Access. Steam has since stopped allowing anybody to purchase the game, although our review of The Day Before remains – giving you some insight into the state the extraction shooter was in at release. [Review in Progress]

Palworld is a strange and obliviously cruel game that nonetheless shows effort and some real thought running through its core design. Consequently, the end result (so far) is an arguably-functional hybrid of several proven formulas that still can't help feeling like a tonal car crash. [Early Access Review]

Naturally I couldn't resist the chance to revisit Avowed a year on, with the PS5 launch giving me the perfect excuse. But I don't feel like I'm repeating history by replaying the same game at the exact same time in 2026, because its big anniversary update alongside its release on Sony's console really does change things for the better – and after sinking 20 hours into a fresh playthrough, I've never been more convinced that now's the time to play Obsidian's RPG (no matter what platform you're on).

While some of its farming, crafting, and resource collecting mechanics feel familiar, Spiritfarer has so much richness and depth, and everything you do feels meaningful and rewarding. Even in-between moments when I'm not playing the game, I catch myself thinking about it and picking apart all of the little details that really make it shine. Gorgeously animated and beautifully brought to life with an enchanting soundtrack, soaking up the sights and sounds of this mystical world is a true joy, and spending my time with the loveable spirits is an experience I won't soon forget.

The new direction has also resulted in tweaks that prioritize depth over width. [Hands-On Impressions]

Despite the blood stains and ransacked rooms, I’m having a blast so far.

Lightyear Frontier is a delightfully peaceful adventure in an inviting world that shows a lot of potential in Early Access. While it's in need of a little refinement to make the experience more streamlined overall, the mech offers up a fun, fresh approach to farming, with a variety of tools to play with and a satisfying sense of progression. [Review in Progress]

Enigmatic, visually stunning, but so far a bit lacking in substance.

Even at this Early Access stage, Gameloft has created an awesome game here. There's enough content here already to give a good sense of what's to come, and a foundation to build something rather special.

As it stands, around 12 hours in, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a fun game, but one that hasn’t quite lived up to its potential in any section. The fights can often feel unbalanced, the adventuring lacks the carrots and sticks needed to pull you through, and a lot of the activities feel like little more than a distraction. It does, however, look like the anime has come to life, and sound spectacular. It’s just a shame it’s not a little bit deeper, but hey, at least it’s flashy. [12 Hour Impressions]

Right now, Hyper Light Breaker feels like a mash-up of ideas from disparate console generations, very PS2-feeling combat coming up against modern live service sensibilities, with flashes of visual stylings from everything in between. Mobs and environmental features repeat way too quickly, and the loot and perks aren't as interesting as they could be. [Early Access Review]

There have been some great 007 games before, but none of them have managed to capture the experience of a full Bond adventure and the way it ebbs and flows between explosive set-pieces, grounded action, and quieter moments like IO Interactive manages here. 007 First Light just gets James Bond. [Hands-On Impressions]

I'm only a few hours in, but while there's clear potential for this gacha system to become predatory, it hasn't felt at all intrusive. And let's not forget that Genshin Impact is free. You have nothing but a 10GB download to lose. I'm still trying to get over this, because if you focus on the gorgeous world and fun combat and ignore all the gacha stuff, it doesn't feel like a free-to-play game at all. So I suppose that's two more similarities to Breath of the Wild: Genshin Impact is what you make of it, and it is pretty darn fun. [Impressions]

Exploration is a joy thanks to gorgeous visuals and a varied landscape. So too is the eco-friendly job of returning the land to fertility, even if the incredible trailer scenes are not actually what you'll be playing for tens of hours. The heavy emphasis on crafting and perishable tools isn't fun, but the devs' roadmap looks promising and the rewards are certainly there if you persevere. [Early Access Review]

Witchfire enters early access with a bright future ahead of it. While there's certainly some rough edges, The Astronauts has assembled the skeleton of a capable fusion between FPS sensibilities and roguelite punishments, and I'm keen to see how it evolves over time from here. [Early Access review]