Ghost of Yotei fufills much of the promise of Ghost of Tsushima, delivering a hugely enjoyable open-world game, that almost rids itself of Tsushima's bloat. Pacing issues and some underdeveloped villains asside, Yotei improves on the original game in every department, and delivers best-in-class visuals and music.

It's been too long since we had a new Shinobi game, but Art of Vengeance has been more than worth the wait. With tremendous visuals, an exceptional soundtrack and a compelling combat system that makes each fight a delight, this elevates Sega's action platformer to new heights in the same way Lizardcube previously did with Streets of Rage 4. Exceptional.

While its battle system is going to divide some players, the monster hatching and raising is some of the best in the business. Monster Hunter Stories 3 might be the best turn-based Monster Hunter yet, and shouldn’t be ignored by fans of Capcom’s larger-than-life series.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a stunning, spooky adventure that puts its hero, and the game’s Canadian developer, firmly on the map. Mario may hog the spotlight, but this Christmas’s best Switch adventure belongs to his little brother.

Mixtape is a tribute to "the best years of your life." It combines authentic nostalgia for being young, with witty commentary on how life doesn't actually end just because you didn't have a Hollywood-style last night in town. The game's use of music is pitch perfect, and heavily contributes to Mixtape being one of the best coming-of-age games of the modern era.

Returnal's constant action and clever semi-procedural structure make it an engaging adventure, not to mention a visually stunning one. The lack of any difficulty levels may unfortunately exclude less experienced gamers, but anyone who doesn't mind dying a bunch of times will thoroughly enjoy themselves.

THA’s latest manages to take the most satisfying elements of problem solving without falling into the frustrations and tedium that put so many off the genre. Humanity’s invention and weirdness makes it the perfect tonic to an increasingly risk-averse industry, offering a welcome return to the kind of eccentric oddities that endeared millions to PlayStation in the first place.

An immersive and stunningly crafted RPG, which has raised the bar for cinematic quality in open-world games. Just be aware of the bug issues at release.

With a terrific soundtrack and clever rhythm mechanics, Cadence of Hyrule is the best Zelda spin-off yet.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a fun-filled exploration that shows what can happen when Nintendo decides to share its toys. While it's not the biggest leap a sequel has ever made, an incredible soundtrack, great visuals and witty writing make it one of Switch's best games of the year.

With few standout multiplayer challenges and little compelling solo content, Bellabel Park feels overpriced and inessential next to the excellent original Switch 1 game.

Despite some ambitious ideas, beneath the surface Echoes of Wisdom is surprisingly uneven Zelda adventure. Few of its headline mechanics are utilised to their potential which means that, while enjoyable and charming, it ultimately feels less essential than other modern 2D entries.

Fallout similarities are distracting, but get into The Outer Worlds’ narrative meat and a more distinctive adventure emerges.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is Star Wars at its very best. A thrilling adventure with a stellar cast tied together with smart, expansive combat, and huge new worlds to explore. Performance issues aside, it's easily one of the best Star Wars games ever made and only makes us want more tales from the adventures of Cal Kestis and BD-1.

Starfield is the ultimate Bethesda game. It takes what people loved about Fallout and Skyrim, and casts it across an enormous galaxy filled with captivating characters.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater does exactly what we wanted it to. It's a way to play the PS2 classic on modern hardware, with a fresh coat of paint, and contemporary controls. While those looking for a more expansive remake may be left wanting, translating much of MGS 5's excellent gameplay to the PS2 classic is more than enough for us. After a difficult decade, Metal Gear is back.

This remains a thoroughly entertaining place to spend a few days, in fact, it is the most enjoyable PlayStation launch game Sony’s ever released. And for fans of Marvel movies who have been robbed of their cinematic superhero fix in 2020, Insomniac’s built a game in barely two years that plugs the gap nicely.

There’s something charmingly simple about Pragmata. It’s an 8-hour, linear third-person shooter with a charming, if fairly generic, story. We used to get dozens of these games a year; now, with this production value, they’re such a rarity that it’s a breath of fresh air.

Silent Hill F is certainly a diversion from the main series in a lot of (mostly welcome) ways, but it's still very much a Silent Hill game at heart. By focusing more on action – especially after a surprising twist halfway through – it risks alienating some survival horror fans by making combat the priority rather than the last resort, while some of its puzzles are too obtuse for their own good, but it's still an astoundingly beautiful game that horror fans really should experience regardless of its flaws.

An intelligent port that shrinks one of the best RPGs of recent years without losing the scale and magic.

Its new content may be underwhelming, but this demanding strategy adventure is still well worth a revisit.

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is the perfect sequel. The kind that improves on every aspect of the original, adding more meaningful content to the mix, quality of life fixes and throwing some interesting new aspects at players, whilst maintaining that core that made the first game so enjoyable in the first place.

The platforming won’t give Mario any restless nights, but the exuberant creativity around it makes for a bold, buoyant adventure.

Iron Man VR feels far more at home on the Quest 2 because the nature of its action is best suited to untethered play. There are still some issues with the game itself, however, that mean that even though we recommend it, we don't do so wholeheartedly.

Fans of the Two Point series will already know that Two Point Museum is a silly but compelling simulation which is easy to learn but hides a surprising amount of depth and variety. The new expedition mode, despite feeling a tad lootboxy, nevertheless ensures that this isn't just Two Point Hospital or Campus with a new lick of paint, meaning while we'd heartily recommend it to newcomers, veterans who thoroughly rinsed its predecessors shouldn't worry about this just being more of the same.

Though a tad slow to get going, Gears 5 has reinvented itself in ways many of us didn't dare dream was possible, blending what we loved about the franchise with a fresh story, personable protagonists, and some of the best visuals and shooting mechanics we've seen.

The new Forza is the best in the series to date when it comes to the look and feel of serious motorsport racing. Its relative lack of modes means it's something of a one-trick pony at launch, but that trick is an impressive one.

Mortal Kombat 1 is the best Mortal Kombat game to date. It looks stunning, has a brilliant Story mode, its new Invasions mode will keep solo players busy and, above all else, it's an absolute joy to play. Thoroughly essential for die-hards, lapsed fans and newkomers.