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]

Tales of the Shire does Tolkien's lore justice and has a new approach to unlocking features in cozy games that'll make your heart sing. However, Bywater struggles to keep you content with staying in the Shire for long.

By merging Burnout Paradise and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with pedal power, Wheel World arrives somewhere unusual and worth visiting. For fans of the soothing sound of displaced gravel.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a solid soulslike game with some unique systems that sets it apart from its contemporaries. Combat is flashy and fun, but it's bundled with some frustrating boss and movement mechanics. Still, a stunning world and excellent dungeon exploration make Wuchang: Fallen Feathers worth trying.

This is the best reason yet to own a Switch 2, and shows Nintendo at its absolute best. The central destruction mechanic is so much fun, and smart level design keeps it delightful from beginning to end with an adventure rivaling Mario's very best.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 is a delightful skateboarding title that series fans can't afford to miss out on. It brings welcome visual updates to classic maps, and the level creator brings plenty of new challenges. While the product placement and lack of evolution from the previous entry scuffs the overall experience, there's still a lot more ups than downs.

Our best sports game of last year remains the one to beat in 2025, too. College Football 26 is the most detailed, authentic, and fun sim on consoles right now, and will keep you playing – and recruiting! – right through to next summer.

A novel mecha-based take on the hero shooter that delivers the pilot fantasy with style and feels like what a modern-day team-based Virtual On might be. Yet, while more approachable in its hero and extraction shooter guises, it also lacks deeper level customization in favor of more shallow cosmetics delivered with aggressive microtransactions.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach builds on the foundations of the original, but adds whole new wings with a different vibe. This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse – but it well serves series fans like me. Charmingly bizarre with its worldbuilding and spectacle, there's still a real sense of community as you bring the world online with other players at your side.

Rematch sees French studio Sloclap’s first foray into sports mesh elements of Rocket League and classic Be A Pro modes, to form a lighthearted football experience with a bright future. Mais oui.

Despite a solid set-up and the joys of disc-throwing and lightcycle action, Tron: Catalyst ends up being more style than substance, failing to truly build on predecessor Tron: Identity. It's fun while it lasts, and is visually gorgeous, but an overly repetitive structure drags things out with a story that ultimately falls flat.

Control without the superpowers was always going to be a tough sell. Sadly, FBC: Firebreak makes a pretty appalling case. Moments of supernatural whimsy are few and far between, bogged down by repetitive objectives centering around shooting some pretty mediocre feeling guns.

Dune: Awakening is a game that Dune fans will find rapturous but that has a lot of small annoyances that mar it for players who aren't as engaged in the franchise. A solid but not world changing adaptation of a legendary sci-fi series.

If you really want to know all about the Nintendo Switch 2 and its various features as a product, there's no better way than playing Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. But if you're looking for a truly engaging experience, you're in the wrong place.

With a mediocre story and lackluster gameplay that wastes the potential of its sci-fi premise of big tech and AI, MindsEye is a resoundingly disappointing action-adventure that's neither satisfying as an old genre throwback nor presents a confident foundation for others to build upon.

If you want a free, slickly produced FPS with a neat twist, Splitgate 2 delivers. If you want a better but still free FPS, with the same twist but rougher edges, then the truth is you should check out the first game instead.

The Alters is both immense in scope and deeply introspective. 11 Bit Studios has once again found the humanist side in a genre rooted in systems and management. It's a fantastic base builder and survival sim, but what makes The Alters truly brilliant is how these systems are underlined with vulnerable, emotional moments – like holes being punctured in your space suit.

Rainbow Six Siege X is the reference in tactical team shooters, where elite strategy and execution triumph. Enjoy free access to Quick Match, Unranked and Dual Front game modes with a selection of operators.

Date Everything is a masterclass in character design, full of wonderful faces based on everyday household objects that spring to life who I love getting to meet. Still, juggling 100 characters is an ambitious undertaking, and a lack of nuance means some feel flatter than others, sacrificing some depth. Date Everything is at its best embracing interpersonal dynamics that make the house feel alive. Still, it's well worth working from home for this.

Deltarune channels a broad range of classic RPGs but remains a unique, goofy and heartfelt creation of Toby Fox that finds novel ways to find victory in battle through peaceful means, while tickling your funny bone at every opportunity. Even with just over half of the saga complete, it's already the developer's most ambitious work yet.

Mario Kart World is indisputably the best first-party launch game for the new Nintendo Switch 2 console, and its new major departures for the franchise – like Knockout Tour and Free Roam – are delightful, but it remains to be seen if the kart racer can keep up the pace for the long haul.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die is an enjoyable roguelike with satisfying gameplay loops, rewarding combat, and lots of features to unlock and upgrade, but the narrative-rich source material is overshadowed by a new focus on combat, largely wasting a concept ripe for more storytelling.

A smooth and simple survival-lite experience, Survival Kids does what it sets out to do well whether you're playing alone or with others. It's just a shame that what it sets out to do isn't always as ambitious as it could be.

A brilliantly fast and playable racing game that doesn't cost the Earth, Fast Fusion is a superb example of what Switch 2 can deliver. Super Hero mode is pretty perfect, though some balancing issues and oddly fuzzy visuals take off some of the shine. This is really front of the pack.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a surprisingly well-executed roguelike that melds well with the core of Elden Ring and even builds on it with a refreshingly rapid pace and spectacular new bosses. It's also excellent with friends, making for a superb co-op experience, but limited matchmaking options and mixed bosses mean it can be as frustrating as it is fun.

Though it struggles to pace itself evenly due to a short run-time, To a T is a remarkable, life-affirming wonder. Perfectly un-perfect and proud of it, this is a flag waved high for oddballs – and likely to be one of 2025's most memorable games.

TMNT: Tactical Takedown is more experimentally thrilling than you might expect from a licensed game, its solo strategy fights packing so much momentum it almost feels like a brawler. A lack of variety in objectives and environments, along with some balancing issues, leave me wanting more from this short but cheesy (complimentary) experience – but this is still a radically easy recommendation.

Let's hope the conductor doesn't come through because Monster Train 2 is a truly first class ride through deckbuilder roguelike heaven. I'm already going off the rails with all the possibilities these smart evolutions to the rules and cards on offer bring, each run teasing me to chase new ways to to master the rails. I'm well and truly on board.

MercurySteam follow up the career high point of Metroid Dread with a dark fantasy soulslike full of neat ideas. Blades of Fire dares to make the case for weapon degradation being a good thing and succeeds. The fun characters, secret-stuffed level design, and terrific combat don’t hurt either. A really pleasant surprise.

While Doom: The Dark Ages is a solid game, the ways it differs from previous titles are largely to its detriment. Most of what's praiseworthy about the Slayer's 2025 adventures are what's translated from older entries, while new features like the melee focus and mech sequences feel like fumbled missteps the series would be well-advised to forget going forward. Still, the joy of blasting cacodemons with a shotgun is never truly lost, and the over-the-top aesthetic will always elevate the experience.

Empyreal is a richly detailed, loot-based action RPG with a real 'one more go' quality that focuses on a loop involving selectable level cards. The difficulty can be incredibly punishing and it's rather drab-feeling at times, but there's rewarding depth and challenge if you take the plunge.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a large, ambitious adventure with great visuals, varied gameplay, and split-screen co-op to boot that's a great sequel to an underrated sci-fi platformer. However, the crude humour and corporate satire can be grating and the whole game feels like a collection of shallow busywork – though the design of the final few hours is exemplary.

Many Nights a Whisper is a narrative-focused experience where great writing is just the launching pad for you to bring the rest of the story – reflecting on how you feel about the upcoming ritual as you balance granting wishes and archery training. With one chance to land a single, perfect shot – few games have this tension and impact, really making me sit with how I felt about everything.

Skin Deep is a genuinely stellar immersive sim, replete with chaos and countless combat options to fend off space pirates. Always funny, never dull, and full of felicitous felines, annoying bugs and an irritating save system don't spoil what is one of this year's must-play indie games.

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]

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an outstanding visionary debut from Sandfall Interactive, which isn't merely a love letter to JRPGs but builds on its traditions with a distinctly French identity, making for one of the most exciting and rewarding action and turn-based hybrid battle systems ever devised, while putting you through the emotional wringer. This is an old-school feeling JRPG as dynamic as Persona but with parry-filled battles as hard-won as Sekiro.

With the story complete, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is dazzling. Teen rage, girl power, sapphic love – it's all explored with care and consideration. It's rough around the edges in parts, but Don't Nod has created a wonderful supernatural coming-of-age story that ends with teen defiance and queer rage.

Promise Mascot Agency's oddball, sometimes grotesque characters are actually incredibly charming, and the town of Kaso-machi is great to explore. These yakuza-managed living mascots can be messy mechanically thanks to poor balancing, but I'm won over by its truly immaculate and bizarre vibes. It's hard not to love the result, even if it could be a lot tighter.

Blue Prince feels truly unique in how it takes a simple premise and fills it with multiple threads of mystery to pull at. This exploration roguelike is like nothing else I've played, and became a puzzle obsession I just couldn't shake across multiple runs where I always felt like I was discovering something new. Even after credits, the mysteries of Mt. Holly continue to surprise me.

South of Midnight is a charming (if predictable) action-adventure experience that's perfectly happy to play it safe. Nods to folklore and the Southern Gothic tradition are well conceptualized through mechanics, lore, and environments, even if areas like narrative order suffer for this stylization. Familiarity soon fades into monotony across nine of its 14 chapters, though it's hard to stay bored when South of Midnight's world is such a smooth and effortless joy to explore. The result is a spellbinding tale that struggles to find its rhythm, but once found, absolutely sings.

With a tightly designed world, and a level of player freedom rarely seen, Atomfall already represents some of the best offline adventuring 2025 has to offer. Best of all, it's keen to allow as many people as possible to join the party.

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]

Assassin's Creed Shadows thrives on boldness. Its dual protagonists improve on the series' stealth-driven roots and modern RPG leanings, though they're let down by a vague story that fails to make full use of either character.

A truly wonderful wrestling experience, hampered by the determination to drive fans into parting with even more cash. Maybe that's just the way sports sims are now – but it's still a huge shame.

Alta's reluctance to be in her own cozy game brings a tender and sometimes sharp flavor to an otherwise calming brew of farming and cafe management. Wanderstop is a beautiful and balanced combination of sweet and savoury on the palate of the overworked, exalting the transformative power of tea.

Split Fiction is another expertly crafted cooperative game from Hazelight that perfectly straddles two genres simultaneously and consistently introduces one good idea after another.

Two Point Museum is the best management sim from Two Point Studios to date. With a wealth of customization options and intuitive building tools, you can create the museum of your dreams, with different museum themes that offer up unique challenges and designs. Curating exhibits through expeditions also introduces a new layer of adventure and discovery that works together with its management features to deliver an in-depth, satisfying simulation experience.

With the best combat and narrative in a 20-year series of action RPGs, Monster Hunter Wilds is the new peak of Monster Hunter, only further enlivened by a colorful cast of monsters that defies longtime design conventions.

The return of beat 'em up combat and Goro Majima are great, while new ship combat refreshes a wealth of side content. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii feels like RGG Studio's most worthwhile spinoff game to date – sun, surf, and treasure hunting takes the series to new places at the right time.

The first part of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is a wonderfully sincere portrait of teenage girlhood. Don’t Nod has returned to, and evolved, a tried and true formula, and the result is a supernatural teen coming-of-age story that’ll spirit your heart away.

Avowed fills a first-person void within the fantasy RPG genre, but it also stands as an immersive spin on Pillars of Eternity without losing any of the stellar storytelling and worldbuilding that Obsidian Entertainment is known for. Overlooking its forgettable party combat system and some minor quality-of-life misses, Avowed deserves to be remembered as one of this year's best games.

Building upon and refining its predecessor's commitment to historical realism, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an absorbing RPG that fully immerses you in medieval life. If you have the patience to endure a wilfully slow progression system, you'll be richly rewarded with heaps to do in 15th century Bohemia.

Civilization 7 is a revolutionary strategy game for newcomers and long-time fans alike. Though some tweaks around diplomacy and Ages fall short, a host of small reinventions – along with Firaxis' biggest gamble in tackling the tedium of long-running campaigns – pays off superbly.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is a smart sequel in that it takes everything that worked from the stellar first and expands, but the novelty of the original – which was quietly transformative for anyone interested in the genre – is a difficult lightning to capture in a bottle twice. It works, and works well, but the success of Citizen Sleeper also set the bar impossibly high.

Look past the tedious story and Eternal Strands features some brilliant massive monster battles, especially when you unlock some great magic to use on them. The problem comes in getting to those bits, bogged down in plenty of bloat and repetition that results in its best moments being fewer and far between. Flawed but fun behemoth battling makes this an interesting if imperfect mix of its superior influences.

A case of evolution rather than revolution, Sniper Elite: Resistance uses what came before to create something that's familiar, but consistently fun and occasionally tense. Plentiful collectibles and unlocks throughout the campaign, and a fantastic invasion mode, ensure this will last long past the final mission.

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]

More than getting the series back in the saddle after the disappointing Dynasty Warriors 9, Dynasty Warriors: Origins evolves the genre and injects fresh excitement. A stripped back approach champions the explosive combat's focus on visceral clashes and tactile battlefields, with charming characters and a more immersive story mode.

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]

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the best adventure this character has embarked on in over 30 years. Developer MachineGames has leveraged its expertise in the FPS space to deliver an immersive, authentic first-person adventure that is quite unlike anything you’ve played before.

Marvel Rivals wants to reinvent the hero shooter genre with its complex characters and special synergies, but it's so preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths. Its oversized roster also needs more balancing – and more differentiation from Blizzard's stable of heroes.

Antonblast explosively reinvents the destructive energy of Wario Land, delivering high-energy action that has you demolishing levels at speed while also rewarding precise play with a serious sense of momentum. Boss fights slow the pace a bit, but this is a front-to-back thrillride that you'll keep coming back to master.

For fans of hardcore shooters or punishing post-apocalypse games, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is truly incomparable. Unfortunately, due to a litany of bugs, it's the greatest game you shouldn't play right now. Give it some time, and this will be one of the best survival experiences you'll ever play – but until then, only the series' biggest fans should take the plunge.

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]

Slathered with infectious energy, its innovative alternate-reality heartbreak shooting mechanics are thrilling to play with, and it's a world you won't want to say farewell to after you get your first ending. Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill can't match this neon-soaked survival horror for its sheer inventiveness.

A surprisingly charming Lego-ified version of a PlayStation icon, this action adventure has superb combat and sumptuous, entirely Lego-built environments. Mix in some nice village cosmetic tinkering, great vocal delivery from the returning Ashly Burch, and the fact it's also on Switch and it's a very welcome offering. Sadly it runs out of steam after some 10 hours, so it's short but very sweet.

Great God Grove's system that has you sucking up speech bubbles remains novel throughout, with plenty of quirky characters and stories to uncover. With some fantastic highpoints, some more straightforward areas will have you yearning for a bit more depth.

The Rise of the Golden Idol wonderfully evolves on the original with some truly devious cases that empower you to feel like a genius as you piece everything together and read between the lines. Loads of details make this best played with a notebook to hand, each case stretching you to think in genuinely fresh directions.

There's a good VR game in Metro Awakening at times, but it feels pulled between its pleasing core combat and narrative ambitions it lacks the gameplay vocabulary to fully articulate. The lack of overall variety, and increased leaning on expositional filling over time, means that while it starts strong its impact fades with continued play.

A fun and refreshingly light-on-its-feet tactics game successfully translates a lot of Metal Slug's charms into the turn-based genre. But it's not as natural a fit as Gears Tactics was, and an obtuse UI combined with abundant glitches hold it back.

Despite a few lurches here and there and some so-so exploration, Mario & Luigi Brothership offers an enjoyable voyage with smooth sailing, and a punderful script that brings the laughs. It has a new developer and an extra dimension, but the same dedication to humor and brotherly love.

Part sci-fi body horror, part thrilling detective yarn, Slitterhead is a story of humanity versus monstrosity in a city where both are plentiful. Bokeh's debut release bravely takes strides to manipulate, challenge, and evolve how we play horror games, and while some of these risks do not pay off as well as others, Slitterhead's sheer creative ambition is impossible to ignore.

Planet Coaster 2 is an ambitious sequel that expands sideways upon the foundation laid by its predecessor. The graphics are stunning, the water slide additions are fun, and the creative potential is immense, but it comes at a cost. The complexity of infrastructure systems interrupts the creative flow, making the impressively customizable experience feel unnecessarily convoluted at times.

With the best Call of Duty campaign in years, and a tweaked movement system that comes to life in multiplayer, Black Ops 6 is both a return to form and a great entry point for new or lapsed players. Just don't expect it to do anything interesting with the Gulf War setting.

Life is Strange Double Exposure draws you into a mystery full of intriguing twists and turns in a fresh university setting. The new shifting ability that allows for parallel timeline hopping works well in the context of a murder investigation, but can make it harder to feel like you're truly connecting with the characters. Overall, Max's return feels like it finds its feet towards the end, and is building towards something bigger.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an approachable, expansive action-oriented RPG and feels like a true end to whatever the franchise was before. The book's not finished, but a significant chapter has closed. While Dragon Age: The Veilguard is undoubtedly different in many ways from its predecessors and takes lessons learned from Mass Effect to heart, there's a lot to love – mechanically and narratively – about the new normal and what is hopefully a foundation for what's to come.

Nailing its low-poly aesthetic, smart visual and audio choices combine to create luxurious moments of tension. While a lack of friction makes action a bit straightforward, the well-crafted vibes make for an experience you won’t forget anytime soon.

Part of a mixed media web, Unknown 9: Awakening isn't strong enough to pull us further into its universe. Anya Chalotra's Haroona is a great protagonist, and causing havoc with supernatural powers can be a delight. But, lacking in polish, Unknown 9: Awakening feels torn between what it wants to be, ultimately undermining its areas of promise to deliver a janky experience. Despite it all, it can still charm – but takes work to love.

Intentionally prioritising flashy fanservice over competitive play, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero provides the most complete series toybox yet. But, with simple enemy AI and repetitive fighting mechanics, it lacks the depth of its more serious competition to the point of becoming rote.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a triumphant evolution of Atlus' best, and offers a gripping new story supplemented by a loveable cast, dungeons begging to be explored, and a gorgeous art direction that makes you feel like you're wandering the pages of a fairytale book, although it takes a while to reach its greatest heights.

Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred demonstrates that Blizzard Entertainment is following the right path with its ever-evolving action-RPG. The addition of a new region and class breathe new life into Sanctuary, and smart changes to progression and core systems only improve the baseline experience further. The story could have been more impactful, but this expansion still offers a journey worth taking.

Starfield Shattered Space is a solid expansion that presents lots of choices and exploration, but it doesn't really deliver on the horror aspect Bethesda teased. There's plenty of intrigue to be found in Va'ruu'kai and the city of Dazra, and some side quests offer some memorable highlights. But as one of most elusive factions in Starfield, Shattered Space feels like a missed opportunity to go all in on the weirdness and the unsettling atmosphere the opening did so well to establish.

However you approach it, Silent Hill 2 is an atmospheric and rewarding horror game up there with the Resident Evil remakes for reinventing a classic. While its strict adherence to the past can feel a little constrained at times, and a few things are lacking as a result, it nails the feel of the original well. Despite a scattering of minor issues, any negativity comes more from a place of believing the new Silent Hill 2 Remake could have been better, than it actually being bad. The whole thing ultimately delivers and does a good job of making the series feel meaningful and relevant in a way it hasn't for years.

FC 25's gameplay familiarity may trigger initial disappointment, but career mode tweaks and the brilliant Rush mode soon pull you back in for another year. Ultimate Team, meanwhile, remains divisive as ever – but fans of that mode will love its myriad fan-service additions.

The Elder Scrolls: Castles promises to put you in charge of your own castle and dynasty, and it certainly does, but managing your subjects, making rulings, crafting gear, and venturing outside to fight only to do all of the above again and again and again makes the new Elder Scrolls title lose its sheen sooner rather than later.

In all, Nintendo and Grezzo have pulled off a surprisingly refreshing retooling of the Link's Awakening engine. All hail Princess Zelda.

When it hits its stride, Shadows of Doubt feels like it might be one of the greatest detective games of the 21st century, but it's hampered by outrageous bugginess and vestigial mechanics. The core is rock solid, but it still feels several major updates away from reaching its final form.

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed updates a 2010 Wii classic for a new generation, somehow packing in even more nostalgia and twisted Disney references than ever before. An engaging story, gorgeous visuals, and bags of charm make it well worth the wait, despite some technical hitches and gameplay frustrations that detract from its undeniable potential.

Thanks to its unusual source material and sunny setting, Enotria: The Last Song looks like a fresh take on a genre so often set deep in gothic nights. Unfortunately, beneath the mask, there's little that sets it apart from other, better games.

Frostpunk 2 successfully expands on everything that the original brutal city builder had, and its larger scale, great story campaign, and new faction system are as "fun" as a calamity reduction simulator can get.

It's the perfect game for Gen X parents (any parents, really) looking to introduce their younger kids to gaming, with heaps of '80s music and movie references to keep them amused while watching their kids play before they're inevitably called upon to tackle a puzzle or two when Minibeard's on break. Of course, it's also great for big kids who just want to bliss out for a while on some creatively validating childhood nostalgia, complete with glow sticks and an epic trance DJ wizard.

The novelty of a 13-character cast is a solid hook for Wild Bastards, but a myriad of streamlined and sidelined elements compromise its potential to the point of becoming a trip to outer space that you won't remember for long after hitting credits.

Yars Rising keeps the spirit of its inspiration alive through the robust old-school challenges of a hacking game, but as a 2D Metroidvania it all falls a bit flat. Great controls, fun ability progression, and a killer soundtrack can't elevate the game past the limitations of its straightforward level design.

Although a great initial distraction for Potterheads, the novelty of Harry Potter Quidditch Champions fades to reveal a competent yet insubstantial grind-a-thon. With questionable voice acting, childish animation, and a flimsy campaign to blitz through in three hours flat, even the biggest Wizarding World fans will struggle to stay engaged – unless staring down the barrel of another battle pass appeals to you.

Astro Bot doesn't just deliver on the promise and potential displayed in PS5 pack-in demo Astro's Playroom, but soars above and beyond to serve up a near-perfect platformer to rival – and possibly surpass – the best of Super Mario's Mushroom Kingdom romps.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is an exceptional, larger than life shooter that raises the bar for all Warhammer adaptations. A dizzying sense of scale, along with some of the slickest combat around, will leave you often breathless but always grinning.

The War Within continues World of Warcraft's comeback trajectory with a war worth fighting for Horde and Alliance alike. While this expansion isn't groundbreaking, it does do a great job of setting the stage for the Worldsoul Saga.

Concord is by no means a disaster and has the potential to grow into a compelling hero shooter. But a thin selection of modes, characters who leave a weak impression, and a misguided overabundance of lore make it a hard sell currently.