The System Shock remake is the best way to play the PC classic, making it an enjoyable first-person experience for the modern age. However, it still clings to some somewhat outdated mechanics that will frustrate newcomers.

No surprises here. Survivor doubles down on Fallen Order, deepening the Jedi power fantasy and expanding on its predecessor in every way, though all its choice and freedom does limit both the story and, to a degree, the combat.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus is an outstanding VR game that shows AAA developers how to bring their properties into a new platform the right way. Some minor buggy moments aside, Nexus is deserving of praise for the way it has stayed faithful and only added to the long-lasting legacy of the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

Easy to master and a campaign full of action movie-worthy missions but the game is let down by frustrating checkpointing and simplistic combat.

Fast-paced, frenetic, and full of fur, Gori: Cuddly Carnage is one of the best hack-and-slash games around. Its highly-saturated, no-nonsense approach to fun is a fantastic execution for the genre.

Guardians of the Galaxy mostly nails the quirky tone and characters that Marvel fans will be hoping for. Otherwise strong presentation is marred by a few too many visual glitches, but if you can tolerate these and some repetitive combat, it's worth a look.

A scrappy, unpolished stealth shooter that nevertheless snipes at the heartstrings through its slapstick thirst for gory kills and open-ended maps.

A sprawling, varied, endlessly fun open-world game, and a glimmer of hope for the extreme sports genre.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a hauntingly beautiful tale of two lovers embarking on a treacherous journey that tests their relationship through tragedy. With a world and combat that emulate the God of War reboot, and side quests similar to The Witcher 3, this is one of 2024's early must-plays, even if its moral decisions are restrictive.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream wants to spin a grand Dickensian tale centered on the familial bond of a street urchin and her brother, but this ambition is betrayed by its lack of emotional stakes. And while its stealth puzzles can be intriguing and challenging at times, thanks to the ability to swap among multiple characters, these largely fail to deviate from the genre's long-held conventions.

Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader’s adventure across the dangerous Koronus Expanse is full of fun sci-fi lore and companions, but it’s buried beneath wonky balancing, tedious spaceship battles, and quest-breaking bugs. Perhaps after numerous patches, Rogue Trader will one day become a strong addition to the CRPG genre.

Limbic has turned down its opportunity for revolución in favour of reinforcing the rule of El Presidente - a safe pair of hands for colourful city-building and wry commentary on the abuse of democracy.

Amid the Ruins feels like the peak of the pint-sized survivor’s development. After the brutal trauma of the previous episode, we get to decide, or at least influence, what she will be like in the finale and how she’s been transformed by the events of this second season. Every moment is a struggle between Darwinism and kindness.

Wargame: Red Dragon is more of the same excellent, very serious strategy that experienced players have come to expect. If you’ve exhausted AirLand Battle and still want more, it would be silly to ignore Red Dragon. But if you’re looking for an entry point into the series, then this is not it. Pick up AirLand Battle instead. It’s still one of the best modern RTS titles you could have the good fortune to play.

The Operator borrows a bunch of strong puzzle concepts and uses them to good and imaginative effect, but it throws in a few dud sections and its well-paced thriller story is sadly lacking in depth.

Hell is Us starts strong, but quickly falls into a tedious loop of collection and delivery, with an uninspiring combat system and a story that loses its initial promise. The superb place-setting and unnerving tone can’t save this action RPG from stumbling across the finish line.

Its failures prevent Far Cry 5 from being a classic, but its successes mean it has plenty to keep you embroiled in its reactive world.

Per Aspera explores the cost of humans' need to conquer, all through the mind of an AI. A smart, sprawling city builder that requires a lot of patience and blurs the line between duty and morality.

Easily better than Snowrunner or Expeditions, Roadcraft is one of 2025’s best, and a convincing argument that even the most esoteric subject matter can be translated into compelling videogames.

PvP still needs work, and the story is once again more style than substance. However, abundant content elsewhere - including new PvE challenges and a build system with actual depth - means Shadowkeep does what it needs to.

Rivals puts a spin on its predecessor’s formula, but doesn’t really improve on it. For the yet to be initiated, the original is simply bolder, represents a more unique take on the 4X genre, and is thus the one to pick up. The ability to choose how to take on the Sorcerer King, directly or indirectly, is still a welcome addition though. Indeed, I wish it could be added to the original game as a mode or optional victory path. With that not happening, the standalone is the only way to get that extra choice and experience the apocalyptic war from a different perspective.

Though slightly overshadowed by the depth of the accompanying free update, Fates Divided's new factions and late-game start positions are the ideal way to experience it.

If you’ve been away from the F1 series for a year or longer, or just want the definitive F1 game from this hardware generation, F1 2013 is an easy pick. It is the best this series has ever been in all the ways that count, and historical cars and tracks are a wonderful bonus.

After quite a bit of meandering, Life is Strange offers revelations, along with dialogue that isn’t trying to ape how a teenager might sound. Or maybe the awkwardness is just drowned out by Chloe and Max’s sincerity. And, in the tradition of all good TV pilots - it owes as much to TV and cinema as it does to other games - there’s a cliffhanger that’s going to force me to come back.

Bugs, repetitive side content, bad storytelling, and the unfulfilled promise of its choice and consequence system leave Dying Light 2 unable to capitalise on the strength of its excellent parkour and combat mechanics.

The most direct challenger to Civilization yet is full of brilliant ideas which could yet change the genre, although bugs and underdeveloped features occasionally get in the way of the fun.

Revamps the endgame to give you a lot more choice, and is perhaps the most impactful expansion released in a while.

Promise Mascot Agency's Kaso-Machi is an unforgettable setting packed with mysteries, mascots, and chaos. It somehow crams together almost any genre you might care to mention, from management sim to open-world RPG, and it does it all with style and heart.