Astro’s Playroom is one of the best PlayStation 5 titles to come out of the console this year. With gorgeous graphics and performance and an awesome way to get used to the DualSense controller, this free pack-in can go toe-to-toe with the platformer legends.

From its heartful story that is only made better by a charming set of characters, to the soothing atmosphere of the gorgeous island-town Shelmerston, I am Dead constructs a serendipitous but accurate portrayal of the usually sorrowful emotions around death.

Ponpu is a decently fun Bomberman clone that has a distinct art style and some cool multiplayer modes. While the single-player content is nothing to write home about, you can definitely have a clucking good time with the right friends locally or online.

While Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise hosts a number of improvements that will complement your workout, there are a host of technical issues that make this a worse performing experience. If you can get past the underwhelming music and slight slowdown, however, you’ll find a wonderful exercise program if you stick with it.

DOOM: Eternal on Switch may not be as pretty as its PC or other console counterparts, but the trade off is well worth it for the portability and motion aiming.

Chicken Police – Paint it RED! is surprisingly one of the best written games of this year. Hidden behind its animal/human exterior lies a gritty tale that’s sharply written, with a mix of humor and thrilling drama that will have you clucking for more.

When the dust settles, a year has been extraordinarily helpful to Snapshot Games. The AI is sharper, the animations are better, the fight feels more fair, and the game takes risks that make it feel fresh. While there are still some bugs to iron out, and the UI can be confusing at times, there’s a lot to enjoy in Phoenix Point: Year One Edition.

While Sam & Max Save the World remastered makes a few concessions for its console release and the touch screen support is lacking, it’s still a gorgeous and hilarious game that is well worth playing in any form.

Everything that makes Puyo Puyo Tetris great is here, but the additions are incredibly underwhelming. The story is just as simplistic as the first one, and the new “map” is a glorified way to show off a list of challenges hidden behind light character banter. If you’re new to the series, this would be a good starting point, but anyone content with the first Puyo Puyo Tetris doesn’t necessarily need to upgrade.

With five new creatures, more than 120 set pieces, a new educational “Animal Talks” system, and a ton of quality of life improvements, this expansion pack is a must-have for any Planet Zoo enthusiast. Come for the Caimans, stay for the Penguins.

While Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light is a fantastic game that somehow holds up after 30 years, it’s presented in a barebones package that feels too little too late as an anniversary release. If Nintendo is hell-bent on destroying their own history, they’ll have to do a lot more than adding savestates and speed modifiers.

Spirit of the North may look beautiful, sound beautiful, but is a confusing and boring mess. It tries too hard to be artsy while disregarding the importance of fun gameplay and an interesting story. During their short playtime, players are required to interpret the weak narrative and their overall purpose in the game. The only replayability comes from completing the collect-a-thon. However, that provides zero satisfaction to the player and has a hard time trying to stay relevant to the gameplay and story at large.

While Twin Mirror is Dontnod’s worst game so far, it’s still a somewhat enjoyable experience, especially for fans of their work. It’s a game that feels like it needs a redo, because while it presents interesting concepts, it doesn’t flesh out any of them.

Unrailed is simple, charming, and absorbing. The gameplay is addicting, and it is exponentially more fun as you add friends to your game. It’s the best party game since, or possibly surpassing, Overcooked. A true hidden gem.

Sam and Max Save the World looks as great as it sounds. With upgraded visuals, fresh jazzy music, remastered audio across the board, this is the best this game series has ever looked. Bring on Season 2, 3, and beyond.

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is a highly enjoyable game that screams 'high quality production.' Despite its lack of gameplay innovation it still provides a certain level of enjoyment most JRPGs do not.

Demon’s Souls 2020 is a gorgeous game that holds up thanks to a lovingly recreation and some helpful quality of life improvements. Although it oftentimes feels like it’s afraid to change too much lest it incur the wrath of the original game’s cult following which makes it less impactful, this stellar remaster is still a must-play for any PS5 owner.

Immortals: Fenyx Rising is an excellent new adventure title for Ubisoft, full to bursting with genuine comedy, excellent gameplay, and devious puzzles. While there are a few technical hiccups, underutilized DualSense, and sub-30 fps Switch ports, the game is fantastic on all platforms. Come for the bizarre Greek mythology, stay for the stellar gameplay -- Immortals: Fenyx Rising is a fantastic holiday treat.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a ton of fun, but handicaps itself with the occasionally abysmal frame pacing, wonky camera, and design of later missions. Still, it’s the perfect accompaniment to Breath of the Wild and well worth your time.

Overall, there just isn’t much to say about Remothered: Broken Porcelain. Almost every aspect of the game disappoints, so you tend not to focus on any one thing while playing. The story was incredibly confusing, but everything else was pretty bad, too, so I didn’t even care. It feels incomplete and not paid attention to.

Gears Tactics is a stellar tactics game that still manages to feel like the Gears you know and love. With an okay story, addictive RPG systems, and dozens of hours of gameplay, this is a must-play for any fans of turn-based strategy games or the Gears franchise in general.

Cloudpunk started off unique and interesting; you’re new to its world and are exploring it alongside the main character, Rania. Eventually, you’ll realize it’s only a cyberpunk delivery simulator with cringey voice acting and an even worse script. By that point, the game loses any redeemable qualities and becomes a burden to play. Just like the main character, and the mechanics, the game has little to no substance to offer.

Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle is an interesting way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of everyone’s favorite yellow muncher, but the asking price and lack of content might turn off some interested fans. However, with some added updates and patches, it has the potential to be one of the more engaging battle royale titles.

Coming out of seemingly nowhere, Touhou Spell Bubble is one of the best puzzle games I’ve played all year. The mix of rhythm gameplay and a reimagining of the Bust a Move formula is wrapped up in a Touhou presentation, and it’s an addictively fun experience that diehard Touhou fans should definitely check out.

Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate is the definitive edition to own if you don’t already own the game and post-launch content. However, running off a PS5, the improved load times and graphical enhancements are amazing and necessary. It’s a highly optimized game that feels like it was made for the new generation of consoles. The ability to launch within seconds from the main menu into a match is a technical marvel of itself. It’s definitely the Mortal Kombat 11 version to purchase if you want to own all the post-launch content from the get-go.

While the story is unremarkable and the gameplay doesn't provide any innovations to the aged formula, I still very much enjoyed my time with OneeChanbara Origin as it still left me with a satisfying feeling even with the short time I spent with it.

If your connection is strong enough to reliably stream it, Stadia is a good place to play Watch Dogs: Legion. The technology focused stealth compensates for the input lag nicely, and the game looks and runs far better than my mid to low range desktop could hope to.

Save transfers make this a great version of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to supplement the PC or console release. However, the missing accessibility options makes it difficult to recommend to everyone.