Still the best of Monolith Soft’s three Xenoblade games, tweaked and polished to perfection.

A monster-sized expansion that builds on and enhances Monster Hunter: World in every way, Iceborne is an essential upgrade for hunters craving new monsters, challenges, and gear.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 delivers a massive world, and more than enough story and character to fill it, combined with the series’ most reactive combat system to date. While certainly a monster commitment, Aionios is an incredible place to live for a month or two.

3D World is Nintendo EAD at its imaginative, brilliant best and remains a platforming triumph. Bowser's Fury, while not nearly as inventive, offers hours of additional challenges and a welcome excuse to revisit a classic.

Tetris Forever is an exceptional celebration of one of the most important series in video game history. Although factors outside of the developer's control means some of the most iconic versions of the game aren't available here, everything else – including the references to those games and one cheeky recreation – is handled with such attention to detail that this has to be considered the definitive telling of the Tetris story.

Pokémon Pokopia is an excellent life simulation game that takes the best bits from the champions of the genre and evolves into something that Pokémon fans, and cozy game fans will love. Late-game grinding doesn't dull an adventure that's as full of discovery at 100 hours as it was at 1.

Thank Goodness You're Here is the new high watermark for a comedy game. Constantly hilarious, inventive and creative, it's a complete joy. A brisk 3 hour jaunt through the fictional north of England, Thank Goodness You're Here sets out its ambitions from the beginning, and confidently exceeds them.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty is a pulpy spy thriller that we enjoyed massively. Excellent main missions are complemented by a revolutionary 2.0 update that makes this expansion worthy of giving the game a second chance.

INTERmission is a classy addition to one of last year’s best games, which itself runs a little better now on PS5. It’s great to see Yuffie again, brought up-to-date to match the rest of the cast and providing her uniquely wide-eyed perspective on Midgar. We’re ready to move on from the great city now, but this is a fine farewell party.

Intelligent Systems has gone big with its latest Fire Emblem and it’s a real achievement, layering up the base game with an absorbing system of customisation options and character development. But at times it feels too big, and will demand plenty of time and patience to see it through.

Forza Horizon 5 was already an exceptional racing game, but Forza Horizon 6 takes everything up a notch to deliver an even more engaging, entertaining and all-encompassing experience. There's an absolute wealth of racing, exploring and collecting to do here, and that's before the inevitable live-service updates start adding even more content. Few games are as essential as this.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an all-time great sequel and one of Hideo Kojima's best games. With a stunning world, greatly expanded gameplay and player choice, and one of Kojima’s most compelling casts and narratives, it significantly improves on the original in virtually every way.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is one of the best RPGs we've played in years. Excellent combat, a wonderful cast of characters, and a willingness to be incredibly weird make it absolutely unmissable. Not only that, but it's so full to the brim with things to do, we could have probably spent another three weeks with it and not finished everything.

When taken in isolation, Resident Evil: Requiem is fantastic, and a genuinely brilliant entry into the mainline series. It’s still straddling that line between fear and power, and while Grace might not have Leon’s roundhouse kicks and one-liners, she can always fall back on the Requiem. It’s a game designed to challenge you, not pull your last precious hairs from your head (unless you try Insanity difficulty). Capcom has once again delivered a polished and beautiful Resident Evil game, it’s just not quite amongst the best.

Vicarious Visions has delivered a superb remake of two iconic games without letting modern gaming’s vices get in the way.

$70 is a steep mountain to climb. But, if you want to play the very best version of one of the greatest games that has ever been made, then The Last Of Us Part 1 is a triumph.

Monster Hunter Wilds is confident, bold, and one of the best Monster Hunter games ever, thanks to its ability to stand on the giant shoulders of Worlds and improve it in virtually every way.

An already spectacular game breaks free of its solo constraints to become the definitive Tetris experience.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is one of the best RPGs of the last decade. Capcom's incredible run has reached unfathomable heights with a game that's destined to be beloved by players and revered by developers in turn. It's a game that refuses to hold your hand, but will give you all the tools to experience an adventure that's one for the ages.

With its relentless stream of clever ideas, It Takes Two is one of the most memorable and inventive co-op games of the modern era. Just make sure your partner knows their way around a DualSense controller.

The capabilities of the PlayStation 5 enhance and improve a pre-existing game series, rather than give us something altogether new. This isn’t a bold reinvention for Ratchet & Clank, but the same relentless, varied, sometimes funny, always charming, fun action game, only with some fancy new tricks and a higher price tag.

If you’re willing to take your time and explore through the ruins of a fallen society, where every other corner is teeming with machines that you’ll need to be at the top of your game to destroy, then Horizon Forbidden West is an incredible game and a world that we wanted to return to many hours after the credits rolled.

Deathloop is slick and inventive, with a delicious sense of style and humour. It distils Arkane’s hefty systems into something more explicitly playful, then leaves its sparkling cast to run riot in its huge interlocking puzzle of an island. One of the smartest and most outright entertaining games of the year.

With a near-perfect balance of nods to the past and fresh ideas, Metroid Dread brings cinematic flair, fast-paced action and a surprising story to the side-scrolling classic. This is the comeback fans have been waiting for.

Mario Maker 2 offers a fun and more dynamic package than the original game. A surprising and enjoyable Mario classic in the making, with plenty to offer creators and non-creators alike.

20 years after its original release, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remains a treasure. With a refreshingly un-Mario-like script, a memorable and lovable cast, engaging turn-based gameplay, and more variety than your average Taylor Swift concert, the GameCube title is regarded by many as a classic entry in the plumber’s RPG lineage.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a brilliant RPG that's uncompromisingly itself. Difficult, mucky, and bloody, it's an excellent realization of the promise of the first game and a coming-out party for Warhorse into gaming's top tier.

Two of the best PS4 games heading to PC in one package is a great entry point for anyone new to the series, and while we'd have loved 1-3 to also make the jump, what's here is a visual masterpiece and two of gaming's very best action titles.