Baldur's Gate III is an amazing game. While the length can be intimidating and the lore vast - that makes it all the more compelling and the game could easily become one of the biggest time sinks for gamers since the likes of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or Elden Ring released. If you're a fan of Larian Studios' previous work, DND, strategy RPGs, or any of the above, BG3 is almost certainly the game for you, and comes highly recommended.

Persona 5 Royal is chock full of amazing music, beautiful set pieces, wonderful characters, and a compelling story that makes its length feel almost too short, despite the opposite being true. Royal is worthy of its shimmering title, and is sure to steal your heart!

But the wonderful storyline and the memorable characters help to make the unbelievable believable. Despite the change in scenery, Columbia still exhibits the BioShock feel that was evident in Rapture.

I can't say if Elden Ring will be something genuinely new or more of the same to players who have already battled through the other From Software titles, but playing it felt to me like something I haven't experienced before. I was incredibly stressed, I considered quitting out of frustration several times, but I never stopped having fun and wanting to play just a little bit longer.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is PC gaming personified.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 takes what the last game did, and juices it up to levels beyond what the doctor recommends. By maximizing its strengths, and finding new ways to improve on weaknesses, it knocks down barriers and locked doors alike in a power move to rush towards one of my favorite games of the year. Though it does have its flaws in the form of small technical glitches, and one really annoying one where sometimes my characters would stop moving as a party unless I manually did it myself, this is an imperfect gem that manages even in imperfection to put some of my favorite RPGs to shame. Well done Larian Studios, well done!

When the game was released for the major consoles last year, I was annoyed. As a PC user, I was still waiting for Rockstar to release the original Red Dead Redemption on PC. Well, that never happened, and a year after the console versions were released, I was beginning to think that Red Dead Redemption 2 would suffer the same fate. But I’m happy to say that it has finally arrived, and it is a glorious cinematic gaming experience that was well worth the wait.

Whenever I stopped playing this game, all I could think about was how I was going to handle my next run. I’d think about the gods I should look for and the characters I wanted to learn about, I’d think about the next weapon I should try and how frustrating a certain boss was. Then, I’d sit down and play again, losing myself in a world that I could consistently feel myself getting better at. And once I still think about the first time I fully completed a run, beating the final boss. That feeling of accomplishment is something to be celebrated and appreciated.

Overall, Resident Evil Requiem is one of the series’ best outings in recent years. Delivering on the action and scares, the game shows what makes the franchise so special. It can fall into the trap of fan service, but never falters much in what it sets out to do. Yes, it’s February and, yes, it is cliché, but Requiem is already one of 2026’s best and an experience that fans and newcomers won’t be able to get enough of.

Shadow of the Erdtree is not just the best DLC of the year so far, one of the best DLCs ever, one of the best gaming experiences of the year. It is also one of the best gaming experiences ever. It also, not for nothing, did the impossible: it returned the feeling of playing Elden Ring for the first time, for the last time.

It is an outstanding creation I highly encourage anyone to go out and buy this game.

Metaphor: ReFantazio was the game I was looking most forward to this year and it didn't disappoint. I'm glad that we have you wealth of options to choose how we want to play our RPGs, and I am especially glad that there is still a place for games like Metaphor: Re Fantazio, one that feels familiar and new at the same time. It has never been a better time to be a gamer.

Well Blizzard, it looks like you have a fantastic new IP on your hands because Overwatch comes just shy of perfection with addicting enough gameplay to ensure people stay hooked in the same way they stay hooked on your other long standing games.

Kojima and his team saved the best for last, bringing the long running story of Big Boss to a close with a bang in gameplay, though a slightly stumbling run in the story. Despite that, the Phantom Pain a must play.

Fez is a marvel of a game. Rotating its 2D world on the third axis transforms what would otherwise be a forgettable platformer into an instant classic. Paired with smart and satisfying puzzles, Fez provides hours of entertainment at a budget price. It is disappointing that PC controls and additional content come up short but the quality is unquestionable. Fez is a must buy.

Resident Evil 4 is an excellent remake that more than satisfactorily manages to pull in a new generation of players, while still managing to stay true enough to the spirit of the original game so as not to offend the sensibilities of veteran players. While far from perfect, it nevertheless scores high among the long list of prior RE titles. Whether you prefer the original or its remake, however, will largely depend on your expectations from it. Being old is not inherently a sign of quality, but neither is a new coat of paint and a reinvented story necessarily an inherent virtue either.

From thrilling turn-based combat to incredible artistic direction and a truly engrossing story, this is a hard game not to recommend to players of all preferences, and it has easily cemented itself as a contender for my game of the year.

Disco manages to represent feelings I’ve only ever had when I’ve been drunk when shivers especially channels unusual, almost out-of-body mental experiences that we’ve all had at one point that relies heavily on the quality of the writing. Disco Elysium is not only the best game of this year in my opinion, but undoubtedly one of the best games of the decade.

Despite the camera angle and controller issues, Dark Souls II is a great game.

Coffee Stain Studios has made something special. Satisfactory has the perfect balance of tediousness allowing the game to feel rewarding when creating new factories. However, having only one map with no randomised material spawns will shorten its longevity, (as of now), as there are no plans for a new map or any additional expansions of the current map. This is disappointing to see, as even though there is a lot to explore and thousands of hours that could easily be put into a single save file, players will likely become bored of it over time, and the game will slowly enter a decline in players. If it wasn't for this, I could have comfortably scored the game a 10/10. I must admit that I have put in an embarrassing amount of hours into the game, and will likely continue to do so. I love the experience it offers and highly recommend others to try it out for themselves.

The sound cue that plays when an enemy charges towards you should be enough for you to know to jump over it. You will die a lot, but you’ll always know what killed you, and you’ll always know it’s your own fault for not being fast enough. That’s what makes completing a particularly hard level all the more satisfying. You’ll slowly unlock new colour schemes which simply swap the colour palette.

There is so much to say about Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, but I'll spare you all the nitty-gritty details about the improvements, both big and small. If I did, this review would become a novel. What I will say is that if you were on the fence about SMT V, or if you loved it, Vengeance is the best way to go. Not only does it fix issues with the original, but the sheer amount of added content is reason alone to pick up this title. Hopefully, Vengeance will put the Megami Tensei name back in the spotlight, right alongside its spinoff.

Ultimately all of its component parts come together to make a game that needs to be played primarily because of how it feels. How it feels to play and how it feels to discover the bits of joy both big and small. There's no other way to do it justice.

By the end of Rebirth, Cloud and the others aren't at the ending of Final Fantasy VII by a wide margin, so the eventual third game rounding out this trilogy is sure to be quite a large one. With a huge amount of content, a deep story, and combat that improves upon the previous game's style, players may end up falling in love with the world of Final Fantasy VII all over again, or alternatively for the first time if they have yet to play this gem and its initial remake. That is not recommended by any means, the game tends to expect you to have played Final Fantasy VII as well as Remake, however, so keep that in mind before you mosey into Rebirth!

Whether you have played the original or not, this is a game for anyone seeking atmosphere, story, and FPS gameplay blended into something amazing. Do not miss this experience.

Tadpole Treble is a game for children, specifically for the child that still exists in everyone. It uses music as a mechanic in a way that I haven’t really seen before. The excellent soundtrack, fun gameplay, and great level editor makes Tadpole Treble a game for the “kidult” in all of us.

Despite being a black sheep of Tango Gamework's library, Hi-Fi Rush is quickly setting itself up to be a standout in popularity as well as genre, having already become a massive hit despite being a complete unknown mere hours before it released. With any luck, the budding success of Hi-Fi Rush encourages more game developers to stretch their wings and experiment. Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone can really pay off, and in this reviewer's opinion, Hi-Fi Rush epitomizes that.

It could be easy to take a cursory glance at Alan Wake 2 and think it's little more than a collage of genre staples, but the game is so much more. Like the best works in any medium and genre, these references and familiarities feel like homages and love letters, never like crutches. The promising young FBI agent, a creepy cult in the woods, and the sleepy Northwestern town are incredibly engaging because the tropes are backed up by wonderful writing, a palpable atmosphere, and a narrative that's legitimately engaging. It also makes everything that much more satisfying when it twists and turns in unexpected directions. Alan Wake 2 sets a new bar for Remedy, and I can't wait to see what they follow it up with next.