Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. Kitaria Fables is a real-time action RPG where a heroic feline will take up arms along with their watering can in the fight against the forces of evil. Although the RPG side of the gameplay is thoroughly entertaining, the farming aspects, unfortunately, are lacking. If you’re looking for an RPG experience to tackle in two-player couch co-op, you can’t go wrong with Kitaria Fables.

WRC 10 is another solid entry in the long-running series. This year’s a special one for WRC fans thanks to the 50th-anniversary content which is its own game mode. The racing is as good as ever and the Career mode has taken pains to bring fans into the backroom of the sport. A few performance issues aside, WRC 10 is a must-play for rally fans.

I Expect You To Die 2 delivers on its promise of a captivating, funny, and witty escape room puzzler. It’s challenging enough without being frustrating and it rewards experimentation. The only downsides are that it’s over too soon and the replayability just isn’t there.

Traffic Jams manages to do a lot with a little, expanding its five levels with a huge list of challenges, multiple game modes, and heaps of fun gameplay. Who knew directing traffic could be so much fun?

nDreams has managed to squeeze a little bit of magic out of the PS Move wands to put together a bombastic VR shooter that feels far bigger than the aged platform it has been built around.

Faraday Protocol is an enjoyable experience even if it isn’t a particularly long one. If you enjoy a decent puzzle game that is sure to give you a challenge, Faraday Protocol ticks all the right boxes.

Synth Riders is the closest thing to a perfect video game that I’ve ever played, and it’s a must-play for any PSVR owner – or any fan of video games for that matter.

Button City is a child-friendly adventure that pushes the right buttons with its combo of a sweet narrative and fun gameplay.

Spiritfarer offers calm and serene gameplay while dealing with some heavy subject matter that will surely poke at your emotions. The mini-games are a fun distraction and being able to dish out hugs whenever you feel they are needed helps make this journey a very personal one. Don’t forget your tissues…

Get Packed: Fully Loaded is a fun couch multiplayer game with enough variety to keep its gameplay feeling fresh. It’s best played with at least one other player and competitively, though solo players can still have a good time with the game’s over-the-top physics.

Like a crossword puzzle completed on a Sunday afternoon, Omno challenges you in a relaxed and soothing way, and when you manage to overcome its obstacles, it leaves you with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. If you’re looking for a simple but satisfying puzzle experience, look no further – Omno is here.

SkyDrift Infinity is the arcade sky-racing game that I didn’t know I wanted. With a decent campaign, over a dozen planes to fly, and online/offline multiplayer, it’s hard not to be impressed with this budget release.

Trigger Witch is a satisfying twin-stick shooter with plenty of charm, though it does tend to play it overly safe. The familiar gameplay is deceptively moreish and it’s hard to put down once you pick it up. The lack of challenge is offset by the undeniable charm of Collette’s magical world.

Whether you’re a grizzled Musou veteran with the calloused thumbs to prove it, or a blister-free newcomer to the genre, Samurai Warriors 5 is a fantastic game to play. With more content than you can wave a battle-bloodied katana at, it’s a great value game that’ll keep you in the war for a long time to come.

Orcs Must Die! 3 is a must-play game if you have any passing interest in tower defence games. The content on offer is fantastic value and there’s nothing else quite like it on console.

Cris Tales is a classic example of a game that serves as a homage to games of the past, while managing to forge a path all of its own. Solid and satisfying combat merge with a storyline that moves things along nicely and if you enjoy turn-based RPGs, Cris Tales is definitely one to play.

Streets of Rage 4’s first proper DLC is a certifiable banger. The Survival mode alone is worth the asking price with its robust perk system that makes every survival attempt feel fresh, fun, and frantic.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale is a beautiful adventure where it’s your job to splash life back into this colourless world with the help of your magical paintbrush. You may not be the next Van Gogh or Picasso, but you will have a great time exploring what this land has to offer. With an endearing protagonist and a fantastic cast of characters, this experience will make you profoundly rethink art and mental wellness.

Where The Heart Leads is a one-of-a-kind experience that will stick with me for a very long time. It’s not often that a game can reach beyond the screen and get me to look around and think about my place in the world and what I could do to be a better man in it.

Sniper Elite VR is a great first-person VR shooter wrapped in the familiar camouflage of Rebellion’s famous franchise. The story is nothing to get excited about but the moment to moment gameplay, whether you’re going for thrills and kills or sneaky silenced shots, is more than worth the budget-friendly asking price.

Don’t judge a book by its cover, especially when you’re part of a literature club. Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! brings the cult classic back with improved visuals and six enduring side stories that explore the characters’ backdrops. What first may appear as a lighthearted dating simulator will quickly spiral into a psychological horror experience that will leave a lasting impression on anyone who plays it.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 pushes the series forward without making any great changes to its core. The writing is rubbish but the sniping is brilliant, and everything else in between is good enough to warrant this shooter a second glance.

Chivalrous by name, but certainly not by nature. This team-based medieval multiplayer offers a bloodbath of gore and carnage across several fun modes with tactical combat that’s brutal, fun and satisfying.

Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection is the best way to play through Ryu's blood-soaked, over-the-top adventures. New trophies, lots of content, and a modest visual upgrade make this a must-have package for hardcore Ninja Gaiden fans.

Green Hell ups the ante by combining survival, storytelling and ultra-realism to create a tense, tough, and terrific game. It’s brutal but fun, and even better if you can rope a buddy into playing Survival mode.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition is the definitive collection of what is one of the finest gaming trilogies ever released. With an extensive list of tweaks and improvements under the hood, this is how the Mass Effect trilogy should be played.

Biomutant is ambitious to a fault and it won’t be forgotten about anytime soon. Its flaws are bared for all to see, but so is its charm, heart, and fun. Most of its flaws can be overlooked by literally overlooking them – you don’t have to do everything the game throws at you to enjoy Biomutant’s one-of-a-kind world of wonders.

Ghosts ‘n Goblins Ressurection is a fun and fitting installment in the classic franchise. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, instead choosing to give lovers of the series, and the genre, more of the same. It looks and sounds great, and the difficulty options, while controversial, are welcomed with open arms by this gamer. A few updates to the playstyle and story would have been nice, but I still had an absolute blast playing this game.

Boxed In is a deceptively simple game about matching colours and breaking blocks. It really doesn’t look like much, but trust me, once you’ve played an hour of Boxed In, the next dozen or so will fly as you promise yourself “just one more go."

Capcom Stadium Arcade is yet another retro gaming collection with its share of classics and rarities. If you loved the early Capcom shooters and bullet-hell titles then this is a collection for you. The iconic Capcom fighting titles feel a little light with only four fighting games, including three versions of Street Fighter II. Otherwise, this collection feels almost complete and would make a nice addition to any retro gaming fan’s library.

Old age isn’t a battle, it’s a massacre! Just Die Already embraces this to the extreme with a ridiculous odyssey of carnage, bloodshed, and mayhem – and that’s just in the retirement home. With an outrageous sandbox world to explore, ragdoll mechanics to exploit and a wide variety of novelty items to misuse, the bucket list is well on its way to being conquered.

Resident Evil Village is as good a place to start as any if you're a newcomer to the series. The game takes pains to open itself up to new players with its action-orientated gameplay, supernatural story, and a cast of great villains to sell the package. I'm sold and Resident Evil now has a new fan.

Housemarque has managed to do the impossible by crafting a solid story that fits within the tight confines of a roguelite. Mixing the studio’s signature fast-paced arcade action with an atmospheric environment, Returnal gets its claws into you early on and refuses to let go, instantly putting it up among the first true next-gen experiences of this generation.

Wreckfest on PS5 is a clear improvement over its last-gen origins. The core game stays intact and offers some ridiculously fun gameplay throughout its extensive single-player campaign. The DualSense is under-used and the graphics could have been clearer in some areas, but it’s still a great game and it’s the perfect introduction to Wreckfest if you missed it on last-gen consoles.

ScourgeBringer is exactly what you would expect from a game that sells itself as a “fast-paced, free-moving roguelite”. It does exactly what it says on the tin while providing an arcade-style experience that surprised me in how satisfying it felt. If you like roguelites then ScourgeBringer will definitely scratch that itch – but be warned, you will die a lot. Obviously.

Pinball in VR is a great alternative to the real thing, and in many ways, it can be even better. When you’ve got 3 balls going at once, and an X-wing flying around you or baby Yoda is cooing and drooling in the corner, you realize this isn’t the arcade in your old hometown. It’s pretty great unless you don’t like Star Wars. Then it’s just weird. But for the rest of us, Star Wars Pinball VR has some excellent fan service, some interesting Star Wars-based minigames, and some insane pinball action to go with it.

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness And The Secret Hideout refines some of the series’ classic gameplay pillars without abandoning the core experience that fans love. Although a little more mature than past games, it’s a great adventure that manages to stay upbeat and challenging. It has earned a sequel, and I’m excited to play that one as well.

This is a game that can absorb your time if you let it but it’s easy to jump in and play as well, I believe Gods Will Fall has delivered on its promise and then some, and in doing so has claimed its own individual spot in the market, a game truly like no other. I will definitely enjoy the Platinum hunt for this one.

With an intriguing story, interesting location, and exploration that feels rewarding, Die Young is a great example of a survival sim done right. Combining so many elements we have seen before into one neat package, I was thoroughly impressed with what Die Young had to offer – do not let the cut scenes put you off!

Speed Limit drags the best of the past to the present and then spends a few hours killing you repeatedly. That might sound like hard work but it’s some of the best fun I’ve had this year. The only question now is: when’s Speed Limit 2 coming out?

Disjunction is a great stealth game wrapped in a highly-polished pixel-art wrapper. It’s difficult at times – and occasionally unfair – but it gets the job done and it’s generally enjoyable.

Yupitergrad for PSVR is another fine get for the platform. The gameplay is a fair challenge, mostly, and there’s lots of fun to be had finding new ways to swing down dangerous corridors of doom. The controls and tracking are remarkably good, too, meaning you won’t feel hindered by the PS Move wands.

Taxi Chaos might be a shameless knock-off, but it at least has the distinction of being a fantastic shameless knock-off. Taxi Chaos does what SEGA don’t.

Pumpkin Jack is a fantastic platformer that gets very little wrong. While it does have its flaws, mainly in the combat department, the rest of the game carries the weight superbly.

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a weird game with a confusing story, but one I completely enjoyed. Nova and her dust-sucking vacuum may not be the heroes we wanted but they are probably the heroes we deserve. If you like retro-looking games and are tired of the big devs who are too afraid to take chances, this may be the game you’re looking for.

Mortal Shell Enhanced Edition might be a little light on next-gen upgrades, but the ones that matter are there and they are game-changing. 60FPS is the main attraction but a nice 4K is welcome, too. For returning fans, it’s a nice free update. For newcomers looking to get punished, it’s a cheap and, well, not cheerful game, but it is its own brand of fun – if you can call it that.

Monster Energy Supercross 4 clearly wasn’t made for me. I’ve never had a Monster Energy drink and I haven’t played a motocross game in over 15 years, but the game is a blast. The tutorial sucks and leaves out (or brushes over) absolutely crucial information, but the bike physics and racing action make a difficult to master game so exciting to play. I can’t speak to how much better this version is over last years, but I can say the current version is a ton of fun for newcomers if they don’t mind putting in the work.

In Rays of The Light is a masterclass in building tension and horror, all without slipping into the familiar tropes.

The small three-person team at developer Wayward Distractions has delivered one of the cutest games of the year, but it’s not just for kids. It’s not a punishing precision platformer by any stretch, but it isn’t easy either and it managed to be fun even in the more difficult sections.

El Hijo is a simple but fun stealth game set in the Old West. The fact that it managed this without letting me shoot a single six-shooter or ride a horse is a testament to Honig Studios. The controls could be tighter and it isn’t overly difficult made even easier by the numerous checkpoints, but there were a ton of fun puzzles to solve and it was damn beautiful to look at.

DARQ: Complete Edition is a fairly priced package that offers up around 6-7 hours of puzzles and thrills, though the thrills aren’t all that thrilling. The horror is definitely missing but the cleverly constructed puzzles and the dark world of Lloyd’s subconscious carry the weight well.

Spacebase Startopia provides a decent challenge with its cosmic twist on the city-builder/resort management genre, and it hits more than it misses. The combat feels a bit misplaced and difficult to care about, but it’s not a big feature of the game and encounters are few and far between. The real fun is getting into the nitty-gritty of keeping your guests happy and keeping that sweet energy money flowing so that you can finally finish your doughnut-shaped galactic getaway.

Mail Mole provides a fun 3D platforming experience. The game is easy to pick up and play, but plenty of time can be spent with in-game endeavours such as time trials and gaining new outfits.

Die With Glory is witting, charming, and gorgeous to look at – it’s also good fun to play, too. The only real letdown is the controls which can be a bit of a headache. Mostly, though, this is a fun point-and-click adventure that’s over just a little too soon. Apparently, Sigurd’s story continues, but when?

Mixing platforming and simple, effective spellcasting, Lost Words is the Harry Potter game you didn’t know you wanted – with an impactful story to boot. Younger gamers will be drawn to the platforming, but don’t be fooled by the family-friendly art style as beyond that lies a game with a powerfully emotional story that is likely to crack even the hardest among you.

Star Wars: Republic Commando is still worth a play in 2021, no matter where you choose to play. The gameplay holds up even if the presentation doesn’t, but it’s the price you pay to play a true first-person shooter in the Star Wars universe with nary a lootbox in sight.

Sir Lovelot doesn’t try to be anything it’s not. And what it is is the story of one man’s search for the perfect girl in a beautiful but dangerous pixelated world. The platforming can be difficult, but the super tight controls keep the game and the fun going. If you like platformers or pixel art, you should check this little Romeo out.

What The Dub?! is the best party game I’ve ever played – simple as that. Its core concept is super simple and the execution is easy. The hard part? Being funny enough to make it worth playing, but that’s on you.

If you’re not a fan of visual novels games, you probably won’t be converted by ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos. However, if you’re looking for the next engrossing visual novel to get your teeth into, this will provide a captivating sci-fi story with a surprising amount of replay value.