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.

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

An incredible technical achievement and a hugely accomplished Western epic that, despite a few minor flaws, represents Rockstar Games’ most engaging and ambitious work so far.

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.

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 exclusive on the PS3 is also one of this gen's greatest (and most attractive) action adventures.

An incredible achievement in role-playing game design, in terms of the level of freedom and interactivity – although even ignoring the bugs it’s not quite as consistent as you might hope.

A milestone game for BioWare, where character-driven drama proves just as engrossing as the combat.

A masterful blend of Dark Souls and Zelda: Breath Of The Wild that makes high demands of its players and yet still remains surprisingly accessible and adaptable.

Easily Bethesda's best game yet, with an impossibly detailed and beautiful game world and a new gold standard for Western style role-playing.

One of the best role-playing games ever created, with an incredible level of freedom and interactivity, and a superb console port that may even be the best way to play.

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.

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.

Describing it as an online community arts program is possibly not the most enticing of descriptions, but it's nevertheless the most accurate.

A stunning achievement in both storytelling and third person adventure, with unforgettable characters and tense, brilliantly paced action.

A solid roguelike with a fun and well-balanced challenge, but it does little to move the formula forward and in certain respects is actually inferior to its predecessor.

The definitive version of one of the best Japanese role-playing games ever made, even if it’s easy to see the joins with some of the story additions.

Still a stunning achievement in both storytelling and third person adventure, and although this is the definitive version the differences are still minor.

Possibly the best Grand Theft Auto game never made and one of the most atmospheric video games ever.

Not as perfectly formed as the original, but close enough - with some of the best story-telling and voiceover work in all gaming.

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.

An excellent 3D platformer, with the best force feedback ever seen (or rather felt) in a video game, even if it’s a curiously flawed celebration of 30 years of PlayStation.

Daringly ambitious in terms of both subject matter and structure, BioShock Infinite is the most successful mix of storytelling and action this generation of gaming has ever seen.

A top-to-bottom revamp of the whole God Of War franchise that matches thrilling, if slightly shallow, combat and exploration with some impressively trenchant storytelling.

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.

Not just the best superhero game, but one of the greatest action adventures ever made - set in an expansive and engrossing virtual world unlike any other.

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.

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

The best indie platformer since Super Meat Boy, but also one of the best storytelling experiences of recent years – with an incisive and thoughtful portrayal of mental illness.

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

This is likely to be the definitive version of a great game, and an excellent excuse to dive back into its gloriously rich and varied world, but at the moment it’s a bug-ridden mess that’s more trouble to play than the seven-year-old original. We’re sure by next Christmas it’ll all be running perfectly but all you get this year is a lump of 4K coal. [Review in Progress]

An excellent Japanese role-player that is at least the equal to Persona, with an engagingly thoughtful story and enjoyably fast-paced combat.

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

A more flawed experience than its predecessor, with a sense that the formula is already starting to wear thin, but the character-based storytelling with Kratos and his son is handled masterfully well.

It's not the originality of the design, but the workmanship, that makes this one of the best FPS ever.

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

A milestone in action video game storytelling and while the gameplay is not nearly as inspired, the experience as a whole is one of the best of the generation.

A startlingly well realised iteration of GTA that even does some things better than the home consoles.

A perfect mix of retro and modern sensibilities that loses none of the charm or accessibility of the originals, but adds a great deal more variety.

A hell of a good roguelike, supported by a surprisingly strong narrative that provides just as much motivation to persevere as the excellent combat system.

An incredible technical achievement but one that is surprisingly short of genuinely new ideas, and often struggles to get the balance right between VR showpiece and satisfying gameplay experience.

One of the best computer role-playing games ever, with such a level of complexity and flexibility it’s difficult to believe it exists, let alone that it could ever be bettered.

Easily the best game on the Wii U and one that can proudly stand alongside Nintendo’s greatest, even if it doesn’t quite top the Super Mario Galaxy games.

The lack of innovation is a shame, but the attention to detail and superb multiplayer is beyond criticism.

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

This is not a perfect game, and it never has been, but Persona 4 has always been our favourite Japanese role-player and this is the definitive version of it.

One of the best role-playing games ever made, Japanese or otherwise, and beyond that simply one of the most stylishly told interactive stories you’ll ever experience.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an amazing achievement in terms of production values, but it is also a fundamentally flawed video game that leverages its seemingly infinite resources in such a self-indulgent way that it undermines both its storytelling and your patience for seeing it through to the end.

It may be short on gameplay surprises, but it's long on visual shock and awe.

A great ending to a landmark trilogy. A near perfect mix of action and storytelling, where the personal drama is as engrossing as the galaxy-spanning battles.

The best Metal Gear Solid game ever made, as it bravely reinvents both its gameplay and its storytelling to far greater effect than ever before.

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.

The Quest controllers are much more precise, and together with the lack of cables transforms this from a good game to a truly great one.

Ask not what Rock Band 3 can do for you, but whether you have the commitment (and a large enough wallet) to make the most out of it.

More a reimagining than a straight remake but despite the difficulty of recapturing lighting in a bottle, this is both a loving tribute to the original Resident Evil 4 and a great game in its own right.

An incredible technical achievement but also one of the most cleverly crafted and most cinematic action games ever made.

Easily the best Smash Bros. ever made, with a fantastic new story campaign and a near infinite range of characters and options for multiplayer.

There are a few niggling technical issues but this still easily laps any other serious racing game on the iPhone - or any other portable format.

Visually though this is one of the most impressive games of the year, with the subtle animation and sparing use of colour telling you all you need to know about the situation without a word of dialogue. Inside isn’t a fun video game, but it is a clever and intelligent one. And despite how long it’s been since Limbo it’s telling that nobody has managed to perfect that formula as well as Playdead.

An extraordinary debut release from a French indie studio that has managed to make the best JRPG of recent years, with some of the best combat the genre has ever seen.

One of the best arcade racers ever made, with mountains of interesting content and a seasonal gimmick that makes perfect use of the new setting.

The end result is certainly the best of the series, with the sense of scale and superb presentation overcoming most concerns over repetition and depth.

A beautifully executed and immaculately polished continuation of Hollow Knight’s Metroidvania artistry, with a similarly lugubrious art style and occasionally rage-inducing difficulty.

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

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.

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.

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

One of the best action games of the generation and a stunning achievement in terms of gameplay, art design, and encouraging players to push themselves beyond their limits.

Thrilling open world driving peppered with a massive variety of challenges, events, racing styles and carefully orchestrated, motoring mayhem, as one Xbox’s tentpole exclusives arrives on PlayStation 5.

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

The best in the series so far, that embraces the open world approach in a way previous entries never quite did – while also being an endlessly enjoyable and highly varied arcade racer.

The concept may sound absurd but the experience of playing Papers, Please shines a light not on the game’s hapless victims but on the player’s own sense of decency.

Undertale is a superb indie role-player that proves once again that it’s not graphics that make a game entertaining but gameplay and great ideas.

A colossal achievement in technical terms, with a level of interaction with the game world and its inhabitants that is unsurpassed in modern video games.

A far better launch experience than its predecessor, with an excellent fighting system and a wide range of options and features that transcend the usual genre traditions.

The best gets that little bit better in what is a modest sequel, but a still stunning driving simulator.

A fantastic remake of one of the most influential games of recent history, with stunning visuals and improved technical features that make it easier and less frustrating to play for everyone.

Undertale is a superb indie role-player that proves once again that it’s not graphics that make a game entertaining but gameplay and great ideas.

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.

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.

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.

The classic 1995 role-player is finally released in Europe and it's almost sad how fresh it still feels.

A fantastic sequel and one of the greatest action games ever made, and now available on a format that people actually own.

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

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

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 text adventure is reborn as one of the smartest and most engrossing interactive stories of the year, and with one of the best touchscreen interfaces ever seen.

Few games warrant the HD treatment as much as these two – on both a technical and artistic level – in what remain towering examples of the art of interactive entertainment.

A giddying rush of fast cars, beautiful landscapes, and pounding music that never lets up; the forgiving driving model and continual feed of new events providing a conveyer belt of instant gratification.

An excellent send-off for Geralt and The Witcher 3, and although the jokes don’t always hit home the stunning visuals and breadth of content do.

A staggering achievement in indie gaming that offers almost too much value for its own good, with 50 superb indie games – many of which could be standalone games in their own right.

Rather than iron out the faults of the original this new platformer construction kit tries to hide them under a wave of useful but inessential extras.

As usual the new play controls add little, but this is still a good deal for such classic games.

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.

An instantly accessible control system opens the floodgates to satisfying gameplay, hilarious upgrades and highly replayable levels. Ridiculous Fishing rarely makes a misstep.

Old school to a fault, but fans of the series – and anyone else that appreciates its honest charms – will find much to love in this simplistic but heart-warming role-player.

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.

A stunning recreation of one of gaming’s most enduring classics, and what remains a towering example of the art of interactive entertainment.