One of the best computer role-playing games ever made works just as well on consoles, with a staggering level of complexity and flexibility but still a very accessible sense of fun.

A superb sequel that improves on every aspect of the already excellent originals, and offers one of the most absorbing and unpredictable strategy experiences ever seen.

Nintendo beat their previous best yet again with a masterclass in imagination, game design and sheer fun.

An exceptionally good expansion that adds in a mountain of new content that specifically addresses the few flaws there were with the original.

A staggering technical achievement that is matched only by the depth and ambition of its gameplay – this is not only the best-looking GTA ever but by far the most fun to play.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars is not a very good compilation but two of the three games it contains are exceptional, one more from a historical perspective, the other from every angle imaginable. These are games that everyone owes it to themselves to play, and if the medium for doing so is this rather underwhelming collection that’s still far better than nothing at all.

One of the best video games ever made gets a substantial performance boost on the Switch 2 and provides the perfect opportunity for new players to jump in or for veterans to hoover up every last Korok.

A perfectly judged makeover for what remains possibly the best arcade adventure ever made.

It also fully recreates one of the best AAA games of the last few years on a phone, and while your handset may get a bit warm during play, in the winter months, and provided you’re near a power outlet, that’s almost comforting.

Both games are not only Nintendo at their peak (as good as Odyssey is, we consider both Galaxy games to be superior) but the whole art of video games. The creativity, the craft, and the bond between your simple control inputs and the magic happening on-screen has never been bettered. A decade and a half ago, Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 stood as two of the best video games ever made and that is absolutely still the case now.

The best version of Street Fighter ever, the best 2D fighter ever and probably the best multiplayer ever.

An incredibly ambitious upgrade that not only improves the visuals and gameplay but, through the new first person view, offers a new way to play the best GTA ever.

The definitive version of one of Nintendo’s most astounding technical and design achievements, that expands and refines the world of Breath Of The Wild in new and unexpected ways.

An excellent remaster of one of the best games of its generation, that looks and plays so well you could easily mistake it for a modern game.

An inessential but enjoyable expansion for the best 2D Mario game of the modern era, with some fun multiplayer distractions and a soupçon of new single-player content.

The best Zelda there’s ever been, and very possibly the best video game ever made.

A fantastic 2D platformer that immediately takes its place amongst the pantheon of Nintendo’s very best titles, with such a constant stream of new and surreal ideas you want to stand up and applaud it by the end of it.

A superb sequel that improves on every aspect of the already excellent originals, and offers one of the most absorbing and unpredictable strategy experiences ever seen.

The definitive version of one of the greatest multiplayer games ever, with a vast array of courses, characters, and the best Battle mode since the SNES days.

The best fighter ever gets even better with a huge roster of some of gaming's most iconic characters.

An excellent sequel and one of the best Zelda games ever made. A follow-up that builds upon and refines the achievements of the original, while adding many new and equally innovative ideas of its own.

Revolutionary on at least two counts, with the best motion controls ever seen in a video game and an inspired reinvention and improvement of the Zelda formula.

A joyful celebration - and evolution - of the Super Mario series, that encapsulates all the fun and creativity of video gaming at its very best.

The best Pokémon game yet, that expertly combines the best elements of the old games with a mountain of new features and wonderfully odd creatures.

Achingly beautiful, tyre-shredding action and enough new features to keep the faithful on board. Occasional frustrations, but is easily the most complete racing experience available today.

Not quite the definitive version that some would've been expecting, but still the best Western style action role-player of the generation.

The best Pokémon game yet, that expertly combines the best elements of the old games with a mountain of new features and wonderfully odd creatures.

A superbly judged revamp of Fire Emblem that final elevates the series to classic status and in the process creates one of the most engrossing and accessible strategy games ever.

Less is most definitely more in this beautifully understated co-op adventure, that dares you to make sense of its enigmatic voyage.

For a start, it’s the only current gen-only game available at launch. And while that’s not a particularly good indication of the Switch 2’s power, given that Split Fiction isn’t a very graphically demanding game, it’s still impressive that it works as well as it does. It’s capped at 30fps when docked but it looks almost indistinguishable from the PlayStation 5 version.

Its rapid-fire sequence of perfectly designed puzzles is a constant source of joy, as is its simple and elegantly-designed interface.

The ability to play as real drivers adds a raft of new possibilities, in what is the most enjoyable and authentic Formula One game of the modern era.

An almost perfectly formed strategy game, that hides near infinite variety and depth beneath its deceptively simple presentation.

One of the best ever examples of how to do DLC right, being both good value for money and introducing several new features to the parent game.

An excellent sequel to one of indie gaming’s most enduring stars, that changes just enough to keep things interesting without losing the magic of the original.

No longer just an imitation of cinematic blockbusters but an interactive roller-coaster of outstanding ambition, technical ability, and genuine heart.

It may have the framework of an ordinary city builder but there’s an insightful, and frequently disturbing, philosophical message at the heart of this cross-genre classic.

Not just one of the best strategy games of all-time but one of the best video games of any kind – and one that excites your emotions just as much as your brain matter.

As substantial as they are the changes won't silence committed critics, but for accessible, content-rich action this is still the best first person shooter of the year.

The best Mario role-player yet is sharply funny, surprisingly deep and endlessly inventive.

It's not really a sequel but this is certainly a superior version of what is already the best new fighting game franchise of the current generation.

Treasure’s cult 2D shooter remains as uniquely entertaining as always and works extremely well on the Nintendo Switch.

The best Advance Wars game never made, whose post-launch update smooths out the rough edges and creates a strategy game that’s more accessible and fun than ever.

There are all sorts of decisions to make: should you try and cover up the civilian casualties from a stray airstrike or fess up, lowering support? Will you educate farmers on use of pesticides, or offer passive advice? It sounds dry, but once you’re in the thick of it, using the game’s myriad social and political leavers to lessen the chaos, it’s utterly gripping and offers layers of extra complexity over Plague Inc.’s already highly compelling ruleset.

The new 2D fighter from the creators of Guilty Gear trails a blaze of innovative and accessible glory.

A longer running time helps address one of the few flaws with the original game, and single-handedly makes up for the lack of official new Metroid and Castlevania games.

To a casual observer it looks almost identical to the PlayStation 5 version and while careful comparison shows it has less effects and the resolution is clearly being upscaled, the important thing is that multiplayer matches are all 60fps. That’s a big achievement for a launch game, especially as it supports rollback netcode and cross-play. The latter is vitally important in terms of ensuring a steady supply of opponents and while Nintendo’s online infrastructure won’t be put to the test until there are more Switch 2 owners in the world, it seems to work fine right now.

The best Forza Horizon so far, and thanks to its huge open world and infectious sense of fun one of the best arcade racers of the current gen.

Making full use of PlayStation 5’s DualSense controller to convey an incredibly deep and satisfying driving model, everything from weather to reflected sound effects have been modelled to perfection – making Gran Turismo 7 easily the world’s most complete driving game.

Probably the best Mario Kart ever seen, with a careful balance of the new and familiar and the most complete online service ever from Nintendo.

PC purists may still scoff but this is an excellent version of one of gaming’s most open-ended and creative experiences.

The Wario Land formula is reinvented and improved upon in this magnificently clever and surreal platformer, that is more fun than any of the official Nintendo games.

Two of the best action games of the last generation make the jump to current gen consoles and prove just as entertaining as they ever were.

If you’ve played Kerbal Space Program you know exactly what to expect (minus the cute characters), but for everyone not familiar with terms like periapsis, there are tutorials that guide you from novice to space flight professional. Having all that in your pocket is a salutary reminder that we live in a wondrous age.

The risk taken with the new defensive system has paid off and all the changes add up to make this the most realistic football experience to date.

The best post-apocalyptic survival game of the generation, that innovates in terms of both its varied gameplay mechanics and its incisive storytelling.

Sports Interactive have done it again. The match engine roars into the modern era with significant and overdue AI tweaks, and whilst there are still some stale features the game feels deeper and easier to navigate than ever.

The definitive version of one of the most beautiful video games ever created, not to mention the best Zelda game that never was.

Codemasters’ stewardship of the F1 licence finally gets into top gear with a thrillingly rigorous simulation that also makes every effort to make its appeal as broad as possible.

Purely from a gameplay perspective, it’s the best first person battle royale title out there, and well worth dipping into a year on. It’s disappointing that Titanfall 3 seems further away than ever, but for now Apex Legends will do just as well.

Most of the time when games overlap with art, the result is whimsical rather than fun. The delicious multi-layered puzzle you’re presented with in Gorogoa is quite an exception. It tells the wordless story of a boy’s quest to find a fantastic beast, via the usual collector’s set of glowing orbs. This time though, you interact with the game by rearranging four on-screen frames, panning, zooming, and playing with perspective until you wheedle out the solution to each of its mysterious and beautifully drawn scenarios, in a process that’s entirely unique.

Thankfully Alphabear 2 removes the ability to purchase unlimited honey, preventing you from immersing yourself to the exclusion of everyday activities, but its mechanics and gameplay remain just as riveting, alternating puzzle levels with ones played against the clock.

If you’ve played other Michael Brough games, like Imbroglio or 868-HACK, the details of Cinco Paus may come as less of a shock to the system. It’s a fabulously complex and deep turn-based strategy game revolving around the use of five magic wands, each of which has complementary powers and limited uses. Discovering how they work and what each system does is left entirely up to you, because the game is only available in Portuguese and does not have English subtitles, making discovering its rules through a series of hard-won Eureka moments, fascinating and daunting in equal measure.

A maximum effort compilation that includes some of the best crossover fighters ever made, with Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 remaining an all-time classic.

The best Wolfenstein game ever made and one of the best single-player shooters for years, with a brave attempt to tackle serious issues and still have fun at the same time.

Exactly as engrossing and meticulously designed as you’d expect of FromSoftware but even by their standards this is an enthralling slice of DLC that underlines and enhances the achievements of the original.

Although touchscreen outings for first person shooters are normally riddled with wearying compromises, this looks and plays like the full game, even if you can never quite recreate the precision of mouse or even joypad control using touch alone. Of course there are still glitches and places where characters merge alarmingly with scenery, but compared with the Xbox One version of PUBG it’s a technical tour de force.

WayForward's best work yet and more than just a love letter to 2D art and gameplay, but a hint of how it can continue in the future.

The best Mario Kart has ever been, with a near perfect blend of features and frequently astonishing visuals – despite some unnecessary repetition in track settings.

An excellent portable version of one of the best strategy games of all-time, and one that could have a profound effect on mobile gaming.

An excellent remake that does all it can to bring the classic original into the modern era, while maintaining the same nuanced levels of psychological horror.

As in its PC and console-based big brother, you’ll be attempting to kill 99 other hopefuls on an island with an ever-shrinking play area. And, like Fortnite, the most surprising thing about PUBG’s trip to the small screen is that it works so well, with the controls and environment holding together magnificently even on older phones. There’s been a little bit of server instability in its opening few days, but given how solid the rest of the experience is that’s likely to be nixed in short order, making this pretty much the best month ever for battle royale fans.

One of the best offline multiplayer games for years and yet more proof that the bow and arrow is gaming’s most entertaining weapon of choice.

At times it seems indistinguishable from last year’s game, but the slower play speed and improved controls work well and make this the best PES yet.

A re-release of the GameCube remake, which remains a masterclass in atmosphere after all these years.

A superb mini-game compilation that’s as addictive and raucously entertaining as it is ugly, with Johann Sebastian Joust blurring the lines between video and parlour game.

The best Japanese role-player of the current generation and a big step forwards for the genre in terms of accessibility and ambition.

It might be missing the name but this is the best Wonder Boy game ever made, updating and expanding the original concepts into a perfect mix of new and old.

The best Fire Emblem yet, with more depth of gameplay and options than ever before and yet still perfectly accessible for new players.

A fantastic sequel, whose improvements may be relatively subtle but are more than enough to confirm Bayonetta 2 as one of the greatest action games ever made.

A breath of fresh air for the Overwatch franchise, with the new game modes, characters, and mechanics all working together superbly well, for a genuinely exciting sequel.

An almost perfectly formed strategy game, that hides near infinite variety and depth beneath its deceptively simple presentation.

A fast-moving and savagely difficult 2D platformer that draws equal inspiration from Limbo and Soulsborne games, with its own restless sense of invention that never falls short.

Warhammer’s fantasy elements add colour to Total War’s already impressive framework, with a strategy game that is both deep and tactical but also fun and attractive.

One of the best movie adaptations of all time and an impressively original strategy game that manages to rival even the best action titles in terms of tension and adrenaline rush.

A superbly focused first person shooter that instantly gets to the heart of the genre, while providing plenty of unique twists – especially in terms of its psychedelic visuals.

Another excellent expansion filled with new weapons, powers, and extra levels, as Dead Cells continues to have some of the best post-game support in gaming.

Animal Crossing finally gets a sequel that moves the franchise forward, in a surprisingly timely release that is perfect for this year in terms of both its gameplay and its philosophy.

A revolutionary approach to storytelling and an excess of charm makes this modest little indie game one of the most important new role-players of the new generation.

The search for the perfect offline mode continues, but even without it this is the best Smash Bros. so far and one of the best fighting games of all-time.

Easily the best Far Cry game so far, with a near perfect mix of open world exploration, action, impressively ambitious storytelling, and one of gaming's best villains.

It's only a very minor extension to the previous games, but if this is your first BlazBlue it's the ideal way to become acquainted with the best new 2D fighter of the generation.

Kratos looks better than ever in this welcome PC port of one of the best action adventures of the outgoing generation.

A great remake of an overlooked classic, and one of the few games that can survive close comparison with The Legend Of Zelda and retain a style all of its own.

An excellent sci-fi platformer with exquisite art design and sublime traversal mechanics, which finds distinctive ground among its obvious inspirations.

The most significant sequel in Civilization history maintains all of the series' most intriguing features while greatly improving the accessibility and combat.

A sizeable improvement on last year’s already excellent game, with major changes and minor tweaks that will delight veteran players and encourage newcomers.

Probably the most satisfying video games crossover ever made, and one that plays with the conventions of both franchises and still delivers a funny and touching story.