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.

A highly original indie action puzzler, with some wonderfully minimal visuals and a uniquely beguiling atmosphere.

A charmingly illustrated, perspective-shifting puzzle game about paper folding, that has just enough intricacy to keep you engaged without ever making you feel stumped.

One of the oldest and most influential video games of all-time remains surprisingly entertaining thanks to this loving and option-filled remake.

A clever of mix of new and old that blends together several different platforming greats but still maintains a distinctive identity of its own.

A fantastic remake of a sorely underappreciated classic, that has easily Nintendo’s best script and whose pseudo-RPG combat and exploration still proves endlessly charming.

A joyless slog of barely interactive entertainment and a muddled portrayal of mental illness… that just so happens to have the best graphics ever on a video game console.

A flawed sequel, that undermines some of the original games’ greatest pleasures, but this is still a uniquely enjoyable real-time strategy, with plenty of interesting new ideas.

A gloriously surreal third person puzzle game, set in a hotel where everything from its rooms to its artwork is part of a multi-layered mystery of time travel, mazes, and the occult.

A classic indie game that remains as cleverly unique today as it did 16 years ago, even if none of its original flaws have been ironed out in the meantime.

A charmingly short and sweet Metroidvania style adventure, featuring an ordinary cat doing ordinary cat things, in a game that’s perfect for casual gamers and for enjoying between larger epics.

A peculiar but well-conceived concept that brings together multiple disparate gameplay elements, to create a highly customisable, but occasionally somewhat shallow, vampire sim.

Much more than just another indie Metroidvania, as the intricate level design, gorgeous visuals, and clever item usage conspire to make one of the most entertaining puzzle adventures of the generation.

A charmingly old-fashioned survival horror that manages to make all the limitations of 90s gaming work in its favour, especially in terms of its enjoyably obscure puzzles.

Its sedate pace, delightful art style, and distinct personality translate well to touchscreen, the page turning and clue sorting lending itself nicely to the tactile environment.

Deciding when to make a run for base camp with your loot is an exercise in brinkmanship, in this highly addictive and touchscreen-friendly game.

Feeding the upgraded floors to your monsters triggers their individual superpowers, in a game whose action is fast, furious, and extremely silly.

One of the best live service games comes to PlayStation 5 and while the combat is still frustratingly flaccid the sense of camaraderie and exploration is second to none.

An excellent slice of DLC that genuinely feels like a missing part of the main story and features some of the best moments from the whole adventure.

A well constructed tennis game that takes practise to get the hang of, with neat role-playing style player upgrades and a season-based structure that helps prevent monotony.

As laidback and undemanding as the Wii originals but in the modern age it seems restrictive and repetitive in a way that’s unnecessary and even patronising.

A charming, cartoonish action role-player that’s probably not going to make Sand Land the next Dragon Ball but is a fun and unusual adventure in its own right.

At last, a Soulslike manages to do things at least a little differently to Dark Souls, with some clever new features that take advantage of the more cartoonish setting.

Its main character is an embarrassment to gaming but if you can ignore that this is a very competent action game, that borrows wisely from both Bayonetta and Dark Souls.

A spirited attempt to reimagine the ancient 70s coin-op as a modern narrative-based game, but the necessarily simple gameplay is a poor match for the overblown storytelling.

A polished Metroidvania infused with Africana, whose linearity and overreliance on rote-learning action sequences undermine its otherwise high standards.

A successful restatement of everything that was great about the early Suikoden games but many of its old school affectations will only be excused by existing fans.

A wonderfully bizarre premise is spoilt only by frustrating motion controls, but this is definitely the best Victorian lady slapping simulator ever made.

It would probably make a better movie than a game, but there’s still a unique charm about Harold Halibut and his slow-paced journey to discover his place in life.

A successful blend of Zelda and twin-stick bullet hell shooter, which sounds like a terrible mix but brings some welcome novelty to both styles of play.

One of the best Sonic The Hedgehog games never made, although the level design and combat isn’t quite up to the standards of Sega’s best.

The epitome of short but sweet, that is both a clever tribute to Drill Dozer and Ecco The Dolphin and a welcome alternative to bloated and overlong modern epics.

With a splash of gacha summoning, War Of Evolution descends into a, by now wearyingly familiar, microtransaction-based mobile template, completely wasting its early promise.

With no microtransactions or payment of any kind – and a likeable Terry Gilliam-esque anarchy to its animation – this is a lovely way of introducing yourself to various masterworks without once feeling you’re being lectured to.

Clever, cryptic, and with a wicked sense of humour, Recursion supplies a refined set of tools to go about solving its puzzles, and plenty of hints if the going gets too tough.

With a few, surprisingly minor, disadvantages brought about by touchscreen controls, Call Of Duty: Warzone Mobile does exactly what it says on the tin.

A barely-interactive movie that follows a mother and daughter road trip that is disappointingly short on both drama and meaningful choices.

A clever and well-structured interpretation of the classic TV series as a co-op brawler, that would be a fun diversion even without the licence.

An enjoyable counterpart to Ghost Of Tsushima, with some truly excellent combat, but the bloated open world elements can often suffocate your enjoyment.

A disappointingly shallow and unfocused adventure that is aimed solely at a young audience - and even they’re likely to feel somewhat bored and patronised by the end.

An entertaining open world action role-player, with an interesting approach to AI-controlled companions, but which proves disappointingly similar to the 2012 original.

A spirited attempt to revive the former glories of gaming’s original survival horror but a lack of scares and sub-par action can’t defeat the ghosts of the past.

A polished, beautifully rendered Metroidvania with a huge map, plenty of upgrades, and moments of intense frustration.

An excellent remaster duology that’s an interesting reminder of early online console gaming and one of the most feature-packed Star Wars games ever made.

A disappointingly timid reboot/remake that while competently made does little to add to the Contra formula or move beyond the original games.

It all still works on touchscreen, with a few inevitable compromises, making it viable to play while you’re out, before returning to your PC or console.

For reasons unknown, Pinball Masters fails on the most basic level, its blurry, low frame rate visuals look like an early 90s FMV game. That makes it hard to tell where the ball is at any given moment, which in turn ruins the subtle timing necessary to play. Despite the number and complexity of tables on offer, the fact that you can’t see any of them properly makes it a frustrating disaster of missed chances and late reactions.

A wonderfully weird console strategy game that’s inspired by the past but forges its own very distinct legend, with beautiful visuals and deep but accessible gameplay.

A surreal and unsettling work of interactive fiction, that examines not just the end of Covid lockdown but issues of friendship, passion, and murder.

A historical supernatural role-player whose portrayal of Warsaw under Russian rule is highly compelling but where the combat and simplistic detective elements fail to engage.

Another improvement after two stellar editions in 2022 and 2023, WWE 2K24 feels like the culmination of a WrestleMania-sized comeback for the franchise.

An expertly constructed and intricate roguelite deck builder that draws on the language and concept of poker, before twisting it with an infinity of modifiers, unlocks, and delicately balanced risk and reward.

A hardcore roguelike that has none of the niceties of most modern equivalents and yet its old school charm and small innovations make it enjoyable despite itself.

One of the most impressive remasters ever seen, with almost every element of the original retuned and souped up, giving new life to a seminal first person shooter that is still very playable today.

A charming indie platformer with a fun central gimmick and excellent movement options, let down by garish visuals and some deliberate retro foibles.

Another fun piece of Splatoon single-player DLC, with an interesting mix of third person shooter and roguelike that would’ve been much better as the main story mode from the start.

Skull And Bones has great naval combat but far too little else to recommend it, with a weak story and gameplay systems that amount to nothing but endless busywork.

Somewhere between a non-interactive VR experience and a half-baked licensed game, the latest Stranger Things VR experience has neither a coherent storyline nor proper action.

An object lesson in how to turn an old classic into a modern masterpiece, that surpasses even Final Fantasy 7 Remake in terms of appealing to both veteran fans and complete newcomers.

An intriguing set-up, with an impressively ominous atmosphere, is spoilt by overfamiliar roguelike elements that ruin the pacing and increase the repetition.

A gloriously colourful VR flight simulator with a wealth of content and things to do, that never takes itself too seriously despite its dedication to authentic flying.

While the interface works, the game feels half-baked, with no instructions and bare bones interactions. It’s not terrible but in its current state feels unfinished, which for a game whose name riffs on the expression, ‘work in progress’ is perhaps quite fitting.

Stamina, the single currency required to progress, arrives in minuscule volumes, making cash payments the only viable route to making headway in this offensively dull and exploitative perversion of a much loved series.

The world didn’t real need a Mario Vs. Donkey Kong remake but this is still the absolute best effort Nintendo could’ve made, with tons of new content and the same enjoyable but undemanding puzzles as before.

A surprisingly good set of remasters, that present the original PS1 trilogy in the best light possible and with some very welcome options for modern controls and graphics.

A sprawling action RPG with a poignant love affair at its heart, whose enjoyable combat and supernatural detective work is all in pursuit of a morally ambiguous goal of your own choosing.

Sometimes visuals are enough to carry a game and they certainly take Ultros far, although mediocre combat and some jankiness slightly undermines the unique vision.

Although it’s undoubtedly fun, the biggest question for Helldivers 2 is its longevity and variety. We haven’t played enough to judge that yet but then longevity is always difficult to discuss with a live service game, whose future plans are always in a state of flux. However, especially with its sensible price tag, this is definitely the best of the month’s online-only shooters, even if much of the appeal comes from shooting the wrong targets. [Review in Progress]

Despite its desperation to please, Foamstars is hard to dislike – but it’s difficult to say whether it has any staying power. There’s the expected battle pass progression trees, unlockable perks, and skin microtransactions to make your eyes roll, but it’s not as egregious as other live service titles in the same mould. In a similar vein to other B-tier online games with fun ideas (Knockout City, Rumbleverse, etc.), Foamstars feels like it’s caught against the tide, no matter whether it manages to stir up a dedicated player base or not.

The combat is good, and the script has its moments, but otherwise this is a highly repetitive open world shooter that makes very poor use of its licence.

Another disappointing Silent Hill revival, that gets some of the visuals and tone right but is let down by a hackneyed script and frustrating chase sequences.

A proper, meaty JRPG from a newly ambitious developer, whose top notch combat and art design is let down only by insipid storytelling and voice-acting.

A solid, if strangely incomplete, remake which matches Persona 5 for presentation and has some of the most interesting and varied social link options of the whole series.

A successful evolution of Yakuza: Like A Dragon, which makes great use of its Hawaiian setting and an almost endless array of distractions and mini-games.

The best Tekken game of the modern era, with a vastly improved range of game modes and the most accessible and aggressive action the series has ever seen.

An excellent set of remasters that bring the remaining three mainline Ace Attorney games to modern formats, along with a suite of extras and some effective visual updates.

A charming and beautifully constructed virtual train set, with an immaculately designed interface whose elegance helps make up for the game’s brevity and lack of challenge.

Palworld’s success is built upon the shoulders of giants but there’s no denying it is a fun experience, although how much of that is due to the novelty of it all is hard to say at this early stage. We feel almost guilty for praising it but despite the copy/paste approach to game and creature design, and the disturbing way in which Pals are treated, it does hang together as a fun multiplayer game, at least in the short term. Whatever you think of it, there’s no downplaying the fact that this has been one of the most successful indie launches of all time and one that may go on to have important ramifications for both AI content generation and the Pokémon franchise as a whole. [Early Access Review]

One of the strangest remakes of all time, given the amount of effort and care that’s been put into such obscure adventure games that, in all honesty, don’t deserve the attention.

Still one of the greatest achievements in video game storytelling and while the changes are minor the new roguelike mode and cut levels are interesting and worthwhile additions.

It bears little resemblance to any of its predecessors, but The Lost Crown is one of the best Metroidvania games of recent years and a highly enjoyable challenge.

As you might imagine, we’re still quite some way away from completing The Longing, but the experience so far has been deeply unusual, and sublime in every way. It’s a game experience unlike any other – although one that certainly won’t appeal to everyone – and the mobile version is every bit as unexpected and occasionally joyous as the PC-based original.

There’s plenty to do, it has a nice feel to it that works just fine with touch controls, and even though it can sometimes be tough to work out which small, fast-moving blobs on screen are incoming ordnance and which are collectibles, you do gradually get better at it.

In the past, similarly priced premium titles have only been supported for a few years before becoming unplayable forever, adding to any nagging doubts you may already be experiencing given its litany of problems. There’s still a solid game in there, but you’d be better off playing it on literally any other format.

With no in-app purchases, what might have been a gacha system is replaced with crafting, letting you use resources to build new beasts, that unleash damage on your behalf. It’s just as polished as you’d expect from such a venerable franchise, and stripped of its monetisation is at least as compelling.

It’s brilliant while it lasts, but feels like approximately 70% of an excellent game, and one that seems to run out of steam before reaching its full potential.

The definitive example of the stealth strategy game and a worthy swansong for developer Mimimi Games, as they deliver a charming and surprisingly accessible pirate swashbuckler.

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.

In many ways an improvement on The Teal Mask but the tedious currency grinding and ongoing technical problems mean Scarlet and Violet’s DLC is far from essential.

A short but sweet VR romp that replicates the Peaky Blinders universe perfectly, even as it runs up against some of the intrinsic limitations of VR gaming on the Meta Quest 2.

Arc System Works aren’t exactly pushing themselves out of their comfort zone, but this is another polished and highly enjoyable 2D fighter that is not nearly as insular as you’d think.

Addictive, tricky in all the right ways, and vastly more complex and subtle than it initially appears, the Apple Arcade version arrives with everything perfectly intact.

Unfortunately, the game doesn’t live up to its look and feel, with letters proving tricky to place accurately, power-ups supplying confusing benefits – and often what feel like hindrances – while the gradual reveal of letter tiles makes it hard to plan ahead or play tactically.

It’s got a well-designed touchscreen interface that’s more than enough to handle the necessary stealth and occasional violence, even if the game’s graphics and core gameplay are starting to feel a bit creaky 17 years on.

The action and illustrations are all expectedly grimdark, and the interactions come thick and fast, but it suffers from bugs, sometimes failing to recognise completed objectives, spoiling what might have been a neat adjunct to its TV counterpart.

It may be Far Cry by any other name but if you’re an Avatar fan, that’s always dreamed of exploring Pandora for yourself, this hits all of the right notes.

A genuinely amusing zombie shooting sequel, that’s let down by clunky controls, too many bugs, and too little variety in its challenge.

Essentially Assassin’s Creed’s greatest hits, you inhabit the worlds of Ezio, Kassandra and Connor in VR, experiencing their historical sites and clunky real time combat in true first person.