Ultimately, Resident Evil Requiem is a confident, near-perfect blend of horror and action that Capcom had long dreamt of executing. It stands tall when compared to some of the series' best entries, and while it falls a little short in a few areas and has a somewhat inconsistent pacing with unnecessary padding, it delivers the scares, the gameplay, and a surprisingly compelling story that will be sure to surprise long-time veterans of the series.

Dispatch’s first two episodes are a strong start to AdHoc’s vibrant episodic series. It may not reach the heights of Telltale’s classic titles yet, but it’s slowly shaping up to be a strong superhero adventure with a lot of heart and soul packed into its characters. With 6 more episodes left, I can’t wait for it to break my heart.

An expertly crafted narrative and two fascinating main characters make for a lovingly crafted sequel that is well and truly worth the 13-year wait.

Sitting somewhere between remake and remaster, the asking price is steep, but The Last of Us Part 1 is a beautiful version of one of PlayStation’s best ever games.

Pentiment’s incredibly compelling characters, immersive ambience and impactful choice and consequence make it a masterfully crafted RPG. Josh Sawyer and the team at Obsidian have created a truly special game.

A certain level of scrappiness can be charming, but it’s harder to excuse in a big-budget project like this one, and three crashes in an hour is far too scrappy to be overlooked. Still, I do have a fondness for Rift Apart, perhaps because I do get the sense that this was a project built with love, yet not so much love that it wasn’t willing to experiment and try some new things. Once all the many, many bugs are fixed, this’ll be a pretty good game for families to enjoy, and a superb showcase for what the PS5 is capable of.

Legends of Runeterra is a digital card game that's somehow both accessible and complex in equal measure. It makes smart use of the League of Legends universe while still being approachable for newcomers, and is the rare example of free-to-play done right. If you've been looking for a card game to sink your teeth into, Legends of Runeterra is an easy recommendation.

Once Deathloop steps back and lets you explore Blackreef in your own way, you’re presented with an expertly crafted world that changes as you poke and prod away at it. By doubling down on a handful of mechanics, Deathloop is a much sleeker, much more immediate experience than other Arkane games. I’d struggle to pick out a sub-par moment, or a target that was anything less than iconic. I feel that with Deathloop, one of the world’s best studios has put its best foot forward, offering up a painstakingly curated selection of reasons why it simply does it better than most. Deathloop is the most compelling reason to buy a PS5 yet, and a game that is destined to be referenced by future titles for years to come.

While it may not win over every fan of classic 2D Metroid, MercurySteam’s approach keeps Dread from feeling like a rehash of what we’ve grown accustomed to. The map design and pacing have never been better, and Dread’s stellar combat justifies MercurySteam’s action-heavy overhaul to the series. Ultimately, Dread was worth waiting two decades for. If this is the way forward for Samus — and, with additional accessibility options, I sincerely hope it is — Metroid has a bright future ahead.

When you consider all of these new additions on top of the solid foundation of Monster Hunter World, what you’re left with is the best Monster Hunter game around. This game is as close to perfect as we’ve had yet, and assuming it gets a lot of post-launch support, we’re in for an incredibly exciting new era of Monster Hunter, and one that brings back some of the bombastic absurdity that World omitted.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a timeless RPG that older and newer fans should definitely check out. To this day, it’s still one of the best Mario RPGs available and is easily the best in Nintendo’s Paper Mario series. If fans want more quality Paper Mario games for the next Nintendo system, definitely pick this up.

F1 2021 delivers the high-octane racing everyone is used to but mixes in greater multiplayer options through two-player career and the new social online lobbies and the addition of a compelling and well-structured story mode.

With its deep storytelling, living world, and brutal but satisfying gameplay, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has set an early benchmark for RPGs in 2025—and for me, it’s already a strong Game of the Year contender.

Persona 3 Reload is a fabulous remake, with some of the best graphics and presentation we’ve seen for the franchise. The gameplay is just as addictive as ever, with the improved combat system continuing to complement the various student activities. It is a shame that this game is missing content from FES and Portable, but this is still a meaty JRPG that everyone should check out.

If you've been looking for more Jin Sakai in your life, then the Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut will happily fulfil that request. After a year of post-launch support, Iki Island feels like a fresh checklist of content to tick off. It won't break the mould, but it will keep your sword sharp for the inevitable sequel, and if this is your first time jumping into the game then you're in for one of Sony's finest adventures.

Despite some repetitive combat mechanics that can start to feel stale during its final act, Sea of Stars manages to be an extremely wholesome and gorgeous retro RPG that is bound to keep you smiling all throughout its 30-hour campaign.

Pikmin 4 is a blast, and a game I never expected to be quite as intensely engrossing as it is. From stunning visuals to hugely endearing gameplay, it's a fresh return for the series.

With strong characters, a captivating narrative and the best combat in the franchise, Final Fantasy 16 is a wonderful continuation of a series that has only gotten better with time.

The love that Polyphony Digital has for motor racing seeps through in every pixel, and the final product is a genre-defining victory lap for the Gran Turismo series.

The Super Mario Galaxy 1+2 collection brings two all-time great Mario adventures to the Switch 2, offering their best visual presentation yet, with a crisp 4K docked resolution. While the package is a great value, the port is severely compromised by Nintendo's choice to retain the original Wii-era motion controls—clumsily mapped to gyro and touchscreen—instead of fully remapping them to buttons. This results in frustrating and unintuitive gameplay in handheld mode. Despite these "shackles from a previous generation," the sheer quality and inventive design of the two core games shine through, making it a recommended, though imperfect, way to experience these masterpieces.

Playing Mini Motorways is as much a chance to enjoy the game’s puzzles as it is an opportunity to unwind and refocus. I went into Mini Motorways expecting a fun and quirky puzzle game and ended up finding so much more. The Steam release is definitely not one to ignore.

Psychonauts 2 is a difficult game to describe. At times, its refusal to step out of the past can be extremely frustrating, but not often enough to dampen the good times. It’s absolutely greater than the sum of its parts, and when taken as a whole, once the credits have rolled, it easily possesses the strongest narrative of any game this year. Above all else, Psychonauts 2 is unapologetically Double Fine. It’s sweet, funny and has a deep reverence for the games that came before it. The graphics and art direction are some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen, a shining example of the value that a strong visual style can have over mere graphical prowess. Psychonauts 2 is the result of a studio operating at the absolute top of its game. It’s an absolute must-play for anyone looking for a great story, deep characters and jaw-dropping visuals.

As warm and refreshing as it is earnest and rejuvenating, Chicory is genuinely a game like few others and a joy to play. Even if, ironically, it sometimes limits the same creative capacity it encourages, Chicory also lets you know that’s fine. Whatever anyone else might think, the adventure you play and choose to create is what matters.

Tales of Arise is a revitalizing step in the right direction for the Tales of series, offering new players a chance to play Tales at its very best, and old fans an incredible journey that feels familiar. It’s hard not to love what Tales of Arise has to offer and while there are some small issues, it doesn’t take away from my opinion that this is the Tales game that will breathe new life into the series.

At launch, Halo Infinite is a somewhat uneven bundle. The multiplayer is outstanding, and free to all players, even those without a Game Pass subscription. It recaptures that classic Halo magic from the early 2000’s, and has managed to inch out its competitors with its cleverly re-imagined gameplay. The campaign is less consistent, and harder to recommend unless you are really itching for yet another Chief/Cortana story. It’s a step up from Halo 5, absolutely, but its experiment with a larger map doesn’t quite land as well as it should. There are few memorable moments throughout, but its excellent gunplay makes it worth a try, even if you just mainline your way through the story missions.

With proper cross-play, cross-progression, and gamepad support, Diablo 4 perfects almost every worthwhile aspect of its namesake, generating a multiplayer dungeon crawler with laser-focused objectives that never feel like a waste of time. It’s to the point - and the point is damn sharp. Monetization, while not immediately egregious, is still hard to trust.

Asgard’s Wrath 2 is hands-down the most impressive adventure available on Quest hardware. As the start of a new generation of Meta Quest headsets, Sanzaru Games’ melting pot of Norse and Egyptian mythology is a must-play for anyone who is a fan of VR gaming.

If you are looking for the best Nintendo game at launch for Switch 2, look no further, but for fans of 8, you may need to wait for Mario Kart World to make the podium.