Alan Wake 2 is a marvel, serving up intense gameplay, a twisty, dark story, and more secrets and surprises than you could possibly imagine. Remedy has outdone itself here, delivering a truly remarkable experience.

Capcom’s remake is a spectacularly gory game that brings a classic in line with horror titles of today, and only at the loss of some of the original’s beloved goofiness.

Few games are as endearing in their madness as Devil May Cry 5. It’s deeply old-school and made for fans first, but its new character will entertain newcomers and keep them coming back for more.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the end result of two decades of iteration from Ryu Ga Gotoku and the studio's best game yet. Sprawling but never bloated, it remains captivating from beginning to end across both its main narrative and bountiful side adventures, almost never missing a beat.

You start off as a weak, undead wanderer and eventually grow into a being that can kill god-like monsters, and it’s not because the game’s narrative needs you to be that powerful, but because you’ve worked so very hard to get to that point. It’s an incredible feeling, and makes Dark Souls III an incredible game.

Obsidian had a daunting task before them: to make a spiritual successor to a series of games that are inextricably tangled up in nostalgia, over a decade after the height of those games’ popularity. This is not the Baldur’s Gate of 2015, it’s Baldur’s Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, the best parts of the lot of them wrapped up in something new and brilliant.

An intricate and highly replayable game that shines across both of its genres, MegaCrit’s debut combines a simple premise with near-flawless mechanical execution.

A rare sequel that improves on the original in every meaningful way. It's packed to the brim with beautiful worlds and surprising interactions, and its colourful cast is equal parts funny, believable, and sympathetic. Double Fine is rarely wide of the mark, but this time it hit the bullseye.

Phantom Liberty is a fitting send off for V, Night City, and Cyberpunk 2077 as a whole. After a rocky launch, CD Projekt Red has delivered with an incredibly dense and impactful expansion to one of the medium's best cityscapes, even if the narrative choices on offer hold it back a smidge.

Boasting a gorgeous map that’s filled with delights, slick racing, and some incredible single and multiplayer events, Forza Horizon 6 has, for the most part, iterated for the better. Though lacking vehicle customization holds it back, it is a near-perfect celebration not only of Japanese racing culture, but racing itself that espouses the joy of being behind the wheel. It’s a highly polished jack-of-all-trades fiesta, and very nearly a master of all.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape ties up a decade's worth of story, conflict, and relationships in the most engaging and emotionally satisfying way possible. Bungie's best-in-class narrative team has outdone itself, the combat and gunplay sit at the pinnacle of the FPS genre, and I've ultimately never played anything like it.

Horizon Forbidden West is utterly gorgeous and builds on the original's intense combat, but a lack of ambition and a flat narrative hold it back as a sequel. It provides more of the first game but bigger, with a few new inclusions struggling against the tidal wave of familiarity.

Resident Evil Requiem stuffs three decades of fan service into a single package, all while maintaining its place as a mainline entry to the series. While it’s not without its tedium, and the new protagonist takes a minute to find her feet, Requiem finally strikes the balance between action and horror that Capcom’s wrestled with for all these years.

Whether you’re a new player experiencing it for the first time or a veteran on your latest playthrough, Persona 3 Reload is the best way to play the classic JRPG, even if it’s missing some key content.

A memorable core cast, often hilarious side quests, and a gripping main narrative make Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 a must-play medieval RPG, despite its late-game progression woes and rough edges.

A masterclass in open-world game design and a thrilling samurai epic in its own right, Ghost of Tsushima is a must-play on PC.

In its new expansion, XCOM 2 makes people of its soldiers and turns its aliens into personalities. It cares about the individual. But that’s only so you feel the loss of your bonds more keenly, and hate the enemy more personally. In War of the Chosen, Firaxis are being kind to be cruel.

Boasting the best swordfighting in the business, Sekiro is a game of rare but deserved self-assurance. You’ll despair as it breaks you down, but then you’ll exult as it builds you up. It’s a journey like little else in gaming, and if you’re up for the challenge, you absolutely have to play it.

To review it is to appraise the enormity of the human spirit of exploration, to rate the drive that spurred us to flop up out of the ocean and then up a tree and then back down again and then over some mountains and through some deserts and then off up into the heavens...I love space and Kerbal Space Program.

Mewgenics offers more depth and ingenuity than any strategy game I've played in years. It is also terminally unfunny, with an aesthetic, theme, and cast of characters that consistently miss the mark. If you can square yourself with the humor, there is a genuinely great game waiting here.

For better and for worse, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is a faithful reimagining of Hideaki Itsuno’s flawed yet ambitious action-RPG. Those who rise to the challenge of meeting it on its own terms are suitably rewarded, but a deluge of trash mobs, restrictive fast travel, and endemic hardware issues will be a dealbreaker for many.

A haunting journey through a woodland with a real sense of place, but its breadth of mechanics silts up the pacing.

A lumbering historical murder mystery with little regard for tension or pacing, but one that packs in such dense detail you can’t help but respect it. Pentiment immerses you in 1500s Bavaria and that’s the main event.

Monster Hunter Wilds is the successor that Capcom’s best-selling game deserves. It improves on almost every aspect of World to deliver a tremendous adventure that, if you can make it over the steep initial learning curve, remains the most rewarding action RPG around.

That this story of desperation and ingenuity should come from Firaxis, who had no cause to be ingenious, who weren't desperate but instead buoyed by the hard-won success of Enemy Unknown, is all the more remarkable. The studio is known for handing new iterations of Civ off to younger, less-proven designers, but this is braver still. XCOM 2 is no iteration at all, but an inspired rework. A new underdog story that requires new, underhand tactics.

With the launch of Halo 3, the Master Chief Collection on PC has reached its pinnacle. The end of the original trilogy is the high point of the series, and the collection itself is finally moving past its technical issues.

Hearthstone is a wonderful game. Nostalgic, simple and best of all: fun. This is the best online collectible card game you can play. Just be careful how much you spend in it.

Respawn’s game elevates its entire genre, doing away with its failings while innovating upon its strengths. From out of nowhere, it’s become the prodigious new face of a worldwide phenomenon.