While lacking the polish and production value that saw the genre float into the mainstream this year, Rogue Trader is a refreshing CRPG experience that values everything that makes games like these so special. It's impossibly expansive, full of rich characters and stories, complex without being overencumbered, and so much more that doesn't fit into a snappy conclusion. Owlcat has really gone out of its way to bring the Warhammer 40K universe to life here, and in doing so, it's created one of the most memorable RPGs of the decade.

Shifting toward a more open-ended structure, Amnesia: The Bunker's dynamic encounters and emergent gameplay allows it to remain freshly terrifying and tense throughout the several hours your first run will likely take. Beyond just claiming the title of the best Amnesia game to date, it's also one of the best survival horror experiences of recent times, and a perfect entry to spearhead the future of the franchise into a new direction.

Vengeance is undoubtedly the definitive and best way to play Shin Megami Tensei V, with a fantastic new narrative path and quality-of-life adjustments that are so good you wonder how the game was released without them. Featuring fantastic turn-based combat that constantly keeps you on your toes, and a darker tone to the world and narrative, you'd be missing out if you didn't decide to dive into Vengeance either for the first time or as someone who has already played the original game.

The Pale Reach is a brief but brilliant stop on an outstanding expedition. It’s side content you can tackle at any time, and it’s easily on par with the rest of the game. For DREDGE fans it’s a must-play, and for anyone else looking to get into the game, it’d be hard not to recommend such an effective dose of frozen fear. I can't wait to see what Black Salt Games is cooking up for us next.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a triumph on PC and should set an example for how ports should be - not just for PlayStation games, but for every other game on the platform, too. The game wrapped up in the port is very close to perfect, too. After finishing the main story, I’m still aching to go back to grabbing collectables, zipping around the planets and mashing enemies with ridiculous weaponry at the same time. Boss design can get a little stale in the closing stages, and the illusion of dimension jumping is broken slightly on even relatively powerful PC specs. However, there’s no doubt that Rift Apart is a must-play on PC if you haven’t had the pleasure of trying it on PlayStation yet.

It's tempting for me to say that Prince of Persia is back with the release of The Lost Crown and leave it at that. But that feels like a disservice to a game so boldly different from its predecessors because ultimately it's more than that. While it certainly still feels like a Prince of Persia game at the core, it stands on its own merits as a consistently brilliant and challenging Metroidvania experience, holding its own against some of the genre's very best.

F1 Manager continues to offer more of what I'd hoped for when the franchise debuted, and it's just getting better and better each year. Additional drivers to nurture, subtle improvements to race day, and the long-awaited team creation option make this a much deeper simulator in major and minor ways.

Overall, Crystal Creations is a no-brainer addition to your game if you like your Sims to get crafty and make some beautiful crystalline pieces to wear or sell...Its CAS mode may be slightly underwhelming for me, but it has some gorgeous new hairstyles and a beautiful set of items to furnish a Sim's home in Build/Buy mode - making this one Stuff Pack that's sure to have something for you regardless of whether you're intrigued by the new gameplay elements or not.

Gigantic: Rampage Edition is a pleasure to play, if you can get a game, and even though it has a somewhat low ceiling, there’s no denying that Abstraction knocked this out of the park.

WarioWare is a bonkers collection of blink-and-you’ll-miss-them microgames that are brimming with creativity and humour. It’s one of the few Switch games that truly makes use of the Joy-Con’s features, and it’s a real laugh with friends. I just wish it had a bit more content - and space to let its ideas breathe.

LEGO 2K Drive delivers everything fans have come to expect from LEGO games and it translates well to this challenging genre. The maps are full of things to do, it looks amazing, and it's approachable for everyone regardless of their age. The store and microtransactions leave a bitter taste, but only feel so out of place because of the game's family-friendly nature.

Risk of Rain Returns might not be quite as free-flowing as its 3D successor, but it's a brilliant recreation of the original title that started it all. It hooks you and keeps you playing, dying, then playing again.

Decarnation is an impressive journey through a difficult lens of strife and toxicity, and despite its more passive gameplay, is an easy recommendation for psychological horror fans. Its topics are handled well, and given enough room to breathe that there’s reverence paid to each, while not overwhelming the player.

Comparisons to the Forza Horizon series are excruciatingly apparent in The Crew Motorfest, with it almost sharing more DNA with its competitor than its own predecessors. That said, the learnings are almost all for the better, with Ubisoft presenting an arcade racer that’s very close to being just as fun and comprehensive. If you’re an Xbox player, Forza Horizon remains top dog. However, The Crew Motorsport is undoubtedly one of the more pleasant surprises of 2023, cementing itself as the best arcade racer option for those on PlayStation.

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly Episode 2 is the perfect pick-up-and-play title whenever you're looking for an escape from the bustle of everyday life. Delivering everything you'd expect to see from the previous instalment alongside enough small changes like a new outfit for a returning character, new drinks and ingredients, and the addition of Stories on Tomodachill, it feels familiar yet fresh. With an incredibly relaxed, ambient atmosphere, and a cast of fully realised, memorable characters with storylines that echo the real world, this fantasy-based visual novel is an absolute treat to play. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to practise my Coffee Talk latte art.

Arizona Sunshine 2 is the closest VR has come to a popcorn action flick, and I found myself loving it for that. It's more than a little rowdy, and a tad rough around the edges, but it also offers some of the most delightful interactive elements of any Quest 3 game I've played so far.

It's very clear to see that WWE 2K23 comes from a team that's rediscovered something within itself. Like a comeback victory, the road has been paved with crushing lows, but WWE 2K23 is the closest the company has come to a Hall of Famer in years.

Whilst the pack holds up against other expansions, it is lacking just that extra oomph for elders and critically needs more outdoor activities and places to visit as a family.

Cassette Beasts feels very genuine. Whilst you can tell where the inspiration for certain choices has come from, the soundtrack, characters and story are all entertaining and heartfelt in a way that separates it from being just another Pokémon clone. Whilst the retro 80s design feels like a comforting warm blanket, the game isn’t afraid of inflicting a tonal shift into more Undertale-like otherworldly horror. You'd be forgiven for getting distracted in the gameplay loop of adventuring and collecting cute beasts, but underneath is a compelling and much more sinister story waiting to come out.

EA FC 25 is definitely a game of two halves. Its core is still excellent and endlessly enjoyable, and several new additions have given fresh life to the game. However, it remains held back by age-old issues that have plagued the series year-on-year. Overall it offers an improvement over the previous iteration, and Rush, in particular, is an outstanding addition that I hope will become a core part of the game in years to come, but I just wish that painfully slow menus, an abundance of bugs, and sometimes sluggish gameplay wouldn't hold it back.

Crusader Kings 3 Tours and Tournaments adds a lot of new flavour and role-playing opportunities for characters of all kinds, putting an increasing emphasis on the presence and social life of your ruler.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is an example of Don’t Nod doing what Don’t Nod does best - delivering an enthralling, story-driven title that had me hooked in its world and characters from the opening titles. It’s elevated by inspirations from other titles with bigger budgets in this genre and is all the better for it with a stunning world that invites you to explore. The combat sections fall a little flat, and the run-time feels ever so slightly too long. However, the weight of the storytelling more than offsets these frustrations and will drive players through to see the ending of this magnificent adventure.

In a time when retro graphics have been done to death, Warhammer 40K Boltgun still manages to impress with its visual style. Better still, it feels amazing to play. Your Space Marine feels weighty, but also extremely quick. You get to be just as deadly as an Ultramarine should be, and you will need to be to take on the horde of classic Chaos monsters this game throws at you. Many fans regard Warhammer Space Marine as the gold standard of games from this setting, and I can say wholeheartedly that this game belongs in that conversation. The upcoming Warhammer Space Marine 2 will have to fight to get my attention away from Warhammer 40K Boltgun, because I cannot imagine it having as good a Boltgun as this game does.

Although continued technical issues and the grinding of its quests can be irritating, the finale to the Hidden Treasure of Area Zero expansion makes its imperfections far easier to ignore by doing more to excite all manner of players. Whether you love catching Pokemon or simply want more challenging battles, The Indigo Disk marks a clear step up from The Teal Mask and ties a nice bow around the whole package. Despite not exactly being the treasure its name implies, it still has enough sparkle to keep Pokemon fans happy.

While F1 23 mostly feels iterative in its execution, it’s still the best F1 racing experience you can get for your money. The racing experience feels more lifelike than ever, with the subtle tweaks to the car handling resulting in a far more engaging drive. Breaking Point 2 is a bit of a melodramatic dud, but then again, so is the source material that it’s based on. There’s definitely more scope for innovation, but fans of the series will likely feel satiated with this year’s entry into the F1 racing series.

Despite some gameplay issues that hold the game back from greatness, it is the evident love and care that has been poured into Realms of Ruin that carries the game high up the list of the best Warhammer games. While it probably won't win over hardcore strategy fans, the Warhammer community will feel right at home in the wastes of Ghur.

If you’re looking for a slick John Wick-style shooter to delve into, this game will be right up your street. If you’re looking for a successor to F.E.A.R, with action and horror combined in one package, it’s all here too. In the moment-to-moment action, Trepang2 pretty much delivers on all fronts. It's sheer fun, a joyous bloodbath where creativity in combat reigns supreme, and well worth a look if you’re not averse to a few scares.

Company of Heroes 3 is an excellent game for veterans of the RTS genre and complete newbies who've never felt the rush of overseeing resources while micromanaging units on a virtual battlefield. Its double campaign feature provides two very distinct ways to experience the game, while the real-time strategy gameplay shows just how engaging and rewarding the genre can be if you give it the time and learn the systems in place.