A clever mix of Team Fortress 2 and Tower Defence that is a lot more nuanced and inventive than it appears.

A host of small improvements helps this action strategy hybrid edge ever closer to classic status.

The best Formula 1 racer by default, although beyond the new retro additions very little has changed in this year’s game.

An impressive, near-essential expansion for Borderlands 4, with an excellent new vault hunter and some of the best level and mission design in the franchise.

A fantastic crossover that despite a few necessary simplifications manages to do some things better than either of its parent games, especially in terms of accessibility.

It won’t win over Diablo III haters but this is a competent expansion that will renew the addiction for fans and help to earn new ones.

An impressively ambitious expansion that greatly improves on some of the original’s failings, offering new ways to play while still remaining accessible and fun.

The best Transformers game so far but, more importantly, a hugely entertaining and original action game that is one of the most uniquely entertaining releases of the year.

It feels a lot like the second half of the same season, rather than a true sequel, but Hitman 2 is still a beautifully crafted stealth game that’s full of character.

An elegant blend of 2D action and cyberpunk storytelling, that manages to make a very distinctive experience out of some very familiar indie tropes.

Helicopter sims may be a niche interest but after IL-2 Sturmovik this is the best flight simulation available on current consoles.

As unique a vision as video gaming has ever seen and one able to use its many incompetencies – including the new ones – to entertain and surprise.

At last a Fallout download that's genuinely worth the bandwidth, with a sparkling script that's better than either of the main games.

EA hasn’t reinvented the wheel but they’ve reimagined what a fun football sim can be, with innovative game modes and gameplay tweaks that will make even seasoned FIFA vets rethink their approach.

One of the most complex and rewarding strategy games of recent years, hidden behind a mask of weird humour, ugly visuals, and a lot of random number generation.

A real Super Mario game on smartphone might have seemed impossible at one time, but this has all the polish and charm you’d expect of a top flight Nintendo game.

The definitive version of one of the most enduring indie games of the last decade, with great offline multiplayer and a near infinite array of levels.

The plot may have gone off the deep end but thankfully the puzzles remain perfectly logical in what is Layton's biggest and arguably best adventure yet.

A joyous, challenging and chaotic first person sandbox of destruction, that also requires tactical thought and planning, with a huge amount of extra content and fan-made add-ons.

Destiny 2 is redeemed at last, with a weighty expansion that brings back the best elements of the past and adds some welcome new ideas to the franchise.

The best Pro Evo has been all generation and, for players looking for a more in-depth and grounded game of football, a genuine alternative to FIFA.

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.

A gripping mix of survival horror and existential science fiction storytelling, which is notably improved by an optional new safe mode.

Transplanting its action from the snow of Alto’s Adventure to a desert makes less difference than you might imagine to this beautiful-looking, almost meditative sandboarding game. Sharing a great deal with the first outing, you’ll once again be sliding down undulating, procedurally-generated terrain, popping tricks, hopping over rocks, chasms and bonfires and occasionally racing stray lemurs. Its perpetual magic hour lighting and immaculately drawn visuals complement the serene action, in which you can now wall-ride to extend your chain of tricks, even if players of the original may feel they’ve seen much of this before.

The best Joe Danger yet, with some fun new gimmick and some of the best touchscreen controls ever seen in an action game.

A visual novel set in the world of Roadwarden that offers some degree of choice, but whose real charm comes from its straightforward prose and troubled, authentic-seeming characters.

It’s fun, and its script wonderfully acerbic.

The most entertaining Yakuza game so far and a fine debut on PC, with a game that’s part gangster epic and part surreal Japanese nightlife simulator.