Forza Motorsport’s comeback is an impressive one after its divisive seventh entry and a welcome return to the sim-lite formula after back-to-back entries in the Horizon sub-series. With highly accessible racing and gorgeous visuals and lighting, it’s another strong exclusive for Xbox consoles in 2023.

The concept of Station to Station sounds incredibly simple at first, but this sweet pixelated world will enchant you for hours on end - regardless of your passion for trains or railway networks.

Counter-Strike 2’s wall of noise and violence will feel impenetrable to newcomers but a welcome upgrade for long-term Counter-Strike fans. It’s the best competitive shooter on the market, but it’s so difficult for new players to get on board that it won’t be for everyone.

Small-scale combat and excellent character work combine for a memorable turn-based strategy game. The Lamplighters League doesn’t have the scope or depth of its genre stablemates, but it has a whole lot of heart.

Under The Waves is a heartfelt story-driven adventure set in a beautifully crafted underwater world. While there’s a lot to love, such as the magnificent locations and the bizarrely beautiful dream sequences, there are also some flaws that pull it back from perfection.

El Paso, Elsewhere is a creative and thoughtful project that expertly mixes nostalgic graphics with clean controls. It’s a thrilling fight from start to finish. However, sometimes, the protagonist's monologues can feel like a pizza cutter: all edge with no point.

Paleo Pines offers a fresh spin on what is starting to feel like an oversaturated genre, yet still maintains the same satisfying day-to-day loop of traditional farming simulators. It’s a lot of fun for dinosaur fanatics, but there’s a lack of content to drive you to keep coming back once you’re set up.

Off the pitch, EA Sports FC 24 struggles to establish an identity, but the addition of HyperMotionV and key upgrades to fan-favorite modes including Pro Clubs and Ultimate Team makes this franchise-starter an objectively better football game than its de facto predecessor.

Payday 3 is a competently made and fairly polished heist-’em-up but while stealth gets an upgrade, the shooting is the same as its decade-old predecessor. Hitman-esque levels provide a nice distraction, but this feels like a foundation for Payday 3 as a live service game rather than a total product.

A competent strategy outing, Dune: Spice Wars provides a range of strategic systems that offer engaging decision points for players. However, without a narrative campaign, options for play are limited, and immersion into this classic sci-fi setting is held back by samey environments and shallow combat.

Synced boasts superb PvE for a free-to-play title thanks to its compelling upgrade loop and an excellent mod system. Unfortunately, the disappointing battle royale component lets the overall package down.

Mortal Kombat 1 takes the series back to its roots but also innovates with exciting new aerial combat, a game-changing Kameo system, and a thoughtfully designed roster to be the most mechanically deep and engaging entry in the franchise yet.

AK-xolotl is a must-play if you’re a fan of roguelikes and bullet hells. Its various enemies offer interesting attacks and are distinct enough that you can customize effective defensive strategies against them with a range of weapons and abilities. However, some of the runs can get quite repetitive.

The Crew Motorfest has plenty of moments of joy and wonder as you traverse its open world rendition of Hawaii. The massive variety of events and stunning presentation, however, are held back by a general lack of polish, an unsatisfying handling model and some truly outrageous AI behavior.

Lies of P is as slick and well-done as it is dark and mysterious. With weighty combat, cool weapons and tools, and some exquisite - though very creepy - enemy design, it’ll scratch the ‘souls’ itch for many, despite a few blemishes.

Eternights boasts fast, frantic, and rewarding combat with numerous satisfying abilities and attacks to unlock, alongside deeply enjoyable social simulation elements. However, shortcomings like a lack of map, samey environments, and some questionable dialogue dampen the overall experience.

Starfield is a technically solid systems-heavy role-playing game that works well with a surprising degree of polish compared to previous Bethesda RPGs. Despite this, Starfield has no sense of character and the story lacks impact.

A delightful indie gem, Sea of Stars takes you on a wholesome adventure full of laughs, danger, and twists. Borrowing mechanics from a wide range of genres, Sea of Stars is more than the sum of its parts, though it is slightly hampered by its relatively dull protagonists and lack of character customization.

Armored Core 6 offers slick and well-polished mech battling fundamentals, diluted by the inclusion of ill-fitting soulsborne mechanics that don’t compliment the mech pilot fantasy. Though there’s much to enjoy for fans of the series, newcomers will be met with a lopsided experience that doesn’t quite capture the full potential of the Armored Core series.

A near miss, Immortals of Aveum is a fun arcade shooter that is less than the sum of its parts. The stunning world and unique concept aren’t quite charming enough to make up for the game’s sluggish pace and disjointed combat.

Ride 5 is a stunningly realized motorcycle racing sim with excellent attention to detail that is held back by frustrating controls, a steep learning curve, and the fact that it barely iterates upon the previous entry in a meaningful way.

Blasphemous 2 is not for the faint of heart. The battles can be difficult at times - to a controller-breaking level. However, if you’re a fan of the stresses and strains found in Souls-like games and are willing to learn the moves inside out, then this Metroidvania will reward you with beautiful finishing kills and adrenaline-filled boss fights.

Stray Gods successfully summons a hefty portion of theatrical flare within its visual novel format. While some choices may not feel as weighted as you’d hope, a likeable cast, earnest writing, and catalogue of tunes make it a moreish musical experience worth the price of admission.

Atlas Fallen is a solid but uninspiring open-world fantasy RPG with brilliant movement and traversal but not much else. In a crowded field of fantasy RPGs, it doesn’t have the level of finish, characters, and story to make it a truly memorable experience.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a fine contender for one of the best video game RPGs ever made. It’s the most ambitious RPG out there, and the painstakingly accurate rendition of Dungeons & Dragons will delight fans. A must-play, even if some frustrations with D&D’s format might grate.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is an exceptional side-scrolling beat ‘em up that infuses modern elements into the classic structure to make it more than the sum of its parts. Short, sweet and with a fascinating tag team mechanic at its heart, this old-school treat is worth a bash.

If you’ve ever imagined you could run a race team better than F1’s team principals, give F1 Manager 23 a go. Its difficulty can be very humbling, but if you put the time in to learn its overlapping systems you’ll find an engrossing strategy game that does a fantastic job of holding your attention.

A varied and engaging experience moment-to-moment, The Expanse lives or dies on how much time the player invests in exploring its setting and engaging with its characters.