The Drifter is a tense, stylish pixel-noir adventure that blends mystery, time loops and sharp writing into a gripping whole. While its final act stumbles under its own ambition, the journey remains atmospheric, brutal and surprisingly smooth on Switch 2.

A psychological agent thriller, that doesn't live up to it's full potential, but still manages to hook you up and offer excitement.

Little Nightmares II Enhanced Edition brings its haunting world of shadows, tension and childhood terrors to the Nintendo Switch 2 with improved visuals, smoother performance and a chilling atmosphere that still hits. While some clunky combat and pacing issues remain, the adventure’s eerie tone, clever puzzles and memorable set pieces make this return to Mono and Six’s nightmare realm a compelling one, especially for newcomers.

After three year development work, one could expect even greater strides forward, but EA Sports UFC 6 still leaves a good aftertaste for fans of the sport and also for those who generally like high-quality fighting games.

The best thing about Batman is definitely its insightful, genuinely funny script. The characters crack jokes, the game is full of references to the films, and the story moves naturally forward. LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a comprehensive history of Bruce Wayne's life, deeds, and companions, with a family-friendly, fun twist from TT Games.

Yoshi and the Mysterious Book trades traditional platforming for curiosity-driven exploration and playful problem‑solving. The result is a surprisingly fresh and delightful journey through a world full of odd creatures and clever mechanics.

After a challenging start, Mina the Hollower burrows its way into my all-time indie favorites. Despite its fairly lengthy 25–30 hour runtime, the adventure never feels dragged out, as the game stays fresh from beginning to end thanks to its variety. Practically every aspect of the game reflects the developers’ passion and care for their magnum opus, and above all, Yacht Club Games has avoided gimmickry for gimmickry’s sake – instead, the inventive mechanics and skillfully crafted world complement each other brilliantly. Comparisons to older Zelda titles and Souls games are justified, but a bit tiresome, because Mina the Hollower absolutely has an identity and style of its own despite its influences.

A versatile simulator, RPG and strategy game set in space impresses.

A tight, yet creative stealth game builds a fun whole on top of the genre's conventions.

Gorgeously crafted and with an impeccable balance between arcade thrills and meticulous simulation, Forza Horizon 6 is the best racing game on the market.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is fast, chaotic and surprisingly deep alternative for Mario Kart World – especially for Sega and Sonic fans. It's like a great rollercoaster ride that just keeps on giving with its inventive cross-world mechanics and wonderful track design.

Mixtape is a great game in every way, both audiovisually and narratively. Realistic yet magical. Funny yet melancholic. A short, meaningful story about friendship and life.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream brings back Nintendo’s strangest and most unpredictable life simulator after a long break. The game thrives on absurd humor, chaotic social interactions and the sheer joy of watching Miis behave in ways no one asked for. While the lack of online features are a bummer, the core experience remains irresistibly funny and endlessly surprising. If you’re willing to embrace the nonsense, Living the Dream is one of the most entertaining social sandboxes on Switch.

The end result is a top notch when gameplay, entertainment value, and difficulty level are perfectly tuned to the same pitch.

Aphelion is a fascinating and visually stunning adventure that has some of the best audio work that I've ever witnessed. Gameplay-wise it is quite simplistic – and that may drive some people away.

The new Moomin adventure offers a warm and gentle journey through a beautifully snow‑covered Moominvalley. Its cozy atmosphere, charming characters and serene winter landscapes create a relaxing experience that captures the spirit of Tove Jansson’s world. Light gameplay and a peaceful tone make it an inviting escape for players looking for a calm, heartwarming adventure. Even though the pacing and the amount of text might need some looking into.

A strongly performing sequel brings a long-awaited character back to the books of the living.

It's still hard to find anything bad to say about the game itself. Of course, re-releasing a title that already worked perfectly fine in first place is somewhat pointless. On the other hand, if the great source material gets a new audience this way, so be it. Especially first-time platforming fans, go shopping.

Supremely beautiful and with impeccable atmosphere at every turn, Replaced struggles with its game-to-narrative pacing and repetitive gameplay mechanics. Still, the big picture is so lovingly crafted and gorgeous that all minor issues are fairly easy to ignore.

Pragmata spices up the traditional shooter genre with unique hacking mechanics and displays some extremely cool visuals as icing on the cake. The end result works better than expected.

Minishoot' Adventures was stumbled upon on Game Pass by total coincidence, but it immediately charmed a bit sour game journalist, maybe forever.

The Switch 2 exclusive Pokémon Pokopia is a mix of Minecraft's building, Animal Crossing's decorating, and Viva Pinãta's species gathering. The relaxed pace combined with the series' collect-it-all mentality is really addictive, although the Nintendo-esque clumsiness of slow menus and game mechanics occasionally raises the annoyance curve.

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly REMAKE is a completely new version of the game initially made for Playstation 2 and later on Wii. The story revolves around twins Mio and Mayu who find themselves trapped in a village shrouded in eternal night.

Escape from Ever After is a refreshing surprise in this year’s lineup of games and therefore a strong candidate for my personal Game of the Year list. Its whimsical premise, satirical tone, and overall humorous writing – combined with quirky gameplay mechanics and sufficient variety – carry the experience wonderfully throughout the entire adventure. Best of all, it offers entertainment for all ages: cutesy and fairy-taleish' elements for children, and an engaging script for adults that brings a smile on my face time and time again, enhanced by enjoyable gameplay mechanics. The end credits even left a slight sense of wistfulness in the air, as this is the kind of game one would have gladly kept playing for longer.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 delivers a polished return to familiar settings, with improved combat and presentation, but it also suffers from pacing issues and content cuts. Dark Ties, meanwhile, struggles to justify its inclusion, offering a filler‑heavy side story that adds little to the overall package. Still, there is plenty of fun to be had, even though some odd decisions dampen the mood.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance still isn't a particularly great game, but its remaster is nothing short of superb. This is how remasters are meant to be done.

The wacky and murderous feast gets even better when the universes last hero gains access to a skateboard, a host of new weapons, and an even more diverse playground to wreak havoc in, among other things. High on Life 2 is a sequel that improves virtually every aspect compared to its predecessor, including writing and the jokes. Hopefully the occasional technical issues can still be ironed out – luckily the updates that have been released so far show that things are heading in the right direction.

The ninth entry in the long running main series doesn't quite live up to the perhaps overly grandiose promises of the ultimate Resident Evil experience. The hybrid between survival horror and more straightforward action is still a definite success by the standards of the series.