Pragmata is a surprisingly great homage to late-2000s survival horror and platforming classics with enough identity and sauce to shoot for the moon.

Whether you're a fighting game veteran or someone who usually avoids the genre, Invincible VS offers an intuitive fighting experience that is hard to put down. It’s flashy, it’s bloody, and most importantly, it’s really fun to play.

Advancements in progression, narrative delivery, and player engagement, as well as refinements made to a near-perfect set of gameplay fundamentals, see Saros eclipse its predecessor and ascend to a throne above all others in the genre.

Easily the game with the highest meme potential of 2026, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’s combination of zany (if repetitive) writing and player input makes for a memorable time. The open-ended play is balanced with a steady flow of bite-sized activities for structure, and while the game could have used a bit more substance, it’s surprisingly addictive nonetheless.

With its fusion of heartfelt narrative, giant robot combat and flexible flavour-driven cooking system, Dosa Divas serves up a hearty genre mashup that more than lives up to its ambitious premise. It’s a beautifully crafted journey where the only thing more satisfying than the snappy dialogue and deep character bonds is the undeniable joy of saving the world one home-cooked meal at a time.

Bungie successfully makes a grab at the extraction shooter crown with Marathon. Rook is a revelation for solos, and Cryo Archive is the best endgame experience in the genre. It is mean, yet fair, with more than ample flair. The biggest issue is that you’re currently not playing it, hence my matchmaking woes.

An addictive and lovingly crafted adaptation of Star Trek Voyager that will keep fans on the hook. Expect a lot of reading, menu diving, and a steep learning curve, but the payoff is an experience that puts you in the captain’s seat for one of the franchise’s most unique stories.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a loud, proud, and stylistically sharpshooter that shines brightest when you're tearing through hordes of gunk zombies with a group of friends.

Set in a vibrant cartoon world and exploring relatable themes, Apopia: Sugar Coated Tale is a hidden gem in the adventure genre that sees you saving the Kingdom of Yogurt while finding out more about yourself in the process.

Tight controls, excellent fighting-game-inspired mechanics and an anime aesthetic that can't be overlooked are all reasons to start the engine, so it's a shame Screamer's story mode is so stuck in first gear.

Nioh 3 makes minor updates to the formula that was so successful in Nioh 2 but transplants it into a time-travelling open-world adventure. Asset recycling is a little egregious, but it's a tough new Nioh outing that fans of the series will eat up.

With its gorgeous visuals and punchy character arcs, Twisted Reflection supercharges the Monster Hunter Stories formula into a whole different beast. This isn't just a sequel – it’s a total glow-up for the series, packed with dazzling world-building and more iconic monsters than you can shake your Kinship Stone at.

It’s all too easy for me to say that WWE 2K26 offers the best gameplay this series has ever seen. The moment-to-moment gameplay was already excellent, but the improved collision and physics manage to push the presentation even further. While not revolutionary, the new match types offer new ways to have fun and widen the suite for folks who are on the lookout for authenticity. While it’s wearing a little thin for me as a concept, this year’s Showcase is solid, and the MyRise and MyGM offerings continue to impress. Isn’t it a shame, then, that all I can think about when I look at WWE 2K26 is how much this game wants to nickel and dime me, just for being a wrestling fan.

Under The Island is a charming, puzzle-filled adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The balance between the game’s systems ensures that progress always feels meaningful, and while it would have been good to see some slightly more rounded out combat and extra polish, there’s enough substance here to make for a fun and memorable adventure.

Key Fairy’s striking hand-drawn visuals and quirky score are accompanied by tight and satisfying gameplay mechanics to create a truly unique experience.

Resident Evil Requiem is an intoxicating mix of the series’ DNA, blending exhilarating action and palpable horror to make not only one of the best Resident Evil games, but one of the best modern survival horror experiences.

Reanimal may come from the same flock as Little Nightmares, but in many ways it’s a different beast. The simple puzzle platforming won’t ask too much from you and your co-op partner, but it doesn’t need to when there’s such a strong focus on tone. Confronting themes and well-implemented spooky visuals help to create a mesmerising and horrific world that you’ll be equal parts happy to see the back of and devastated to leave behind.

Mario Tennis Fever lives up to the series’ tradition of fun pick-up-and-play sporting fun, while expanding on it with fun new mechanics and a range of entertaining game modes.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a successful retelling of one of the series’ less-understood titles, massaging it into something that's a touch homogenous but ultimately more agreeable. But some off-putting choices and a fumbled focus on Mine in both the main game and Dark Ties stop it from sticking the landing.

Thanks to a star-studded voice cast, Earth Must Die is a hilarious sci-fi romp that features plenty of laughs and crude jokes. And while its comedy won’t land for everyone, its meticulous and clever design, and stunning cartoon visuals make it an early contender for adventure game of the year.

Given a little more time to cook, Pathologic 3 would be an easy recommendation to players looking to see what this cult series is about. For those returning, tragic healers, these wobbles will hardly detract from the allure of another deadly vacation with gaming’s most neurotic medicine man.

MIO wears its tough-as-nails metroidvania influences proudly, but spends enough time contorting familiar ideas into punishing gauntlets and rewarding patience with dazzling artistic spectacle that it truly comes into its own.

Like its adorable amphibian hero, Big Hops is charming and scrappy in equal measure. For all of the issues I faced during my playthrough – some squashed by patch work and others more fundamental – it’s ultimately one of the most charming, playful, exhilarating and deeply funny adventures I’ve embarked on in some time.

Ambitiously creative, Skate Story delivers an offbeat and artistically memorable narrative adventure with some excellent technical skating sequences. It’s not without some issues, but its strengths and individuality make it well worth a look.

With a truly spectacular retrofuturistic aesthetic, Routine delivers an immersive sci-fi horror that is incredibly tactile to play, impressively creating tension amongst the silence, but a disappointing ending, frustrating design choices and gameplay repetition stops it from reaching the stars.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond risks missteps in its attempt to modernise a cherished formula, but for the most part it all coalesces into an entry more than worthy of the series. Even the most vocal diehard fans should be pleased by the fundamentals, and for those willing to accept them, the new wrinkles iron out nicely.

Hymer 2000 eschews traditional storytelling, instead offering players the opportunity to piece together a fragmented narrative using the very computer terminal that you have been sent to decommission. A starkly haunting exploration of what it means to be human, the experience will stay with you long after its end.

As oddball as the puzzling puffball on the cover, Kirby Air Riders is a spectacular example of twisting preconceived expectations into something weird, wonderful and altogether incredible – inviting you to go fast and kick arse in equal parts.

Throughout the 12ish hours it took me to roll credits, you can see that this is a developer that understands adventure games and their players. With a story that is engaging from start to finish and is packed full of memorable characters, mostly satisfying puzzles and has a gorgeous art style and immersive soundtrack to boot, Inklingwood Studios has nailed the brief for what it takes to create an outstanding adventure, and to do it with its first try is very impressive. But the real feather in its cap is the quality of life features that ensure the player never loses momentum and spends their time enjoying the good stuff.

AdHoc Studio have knocked it out of the park with its comedic take on the superhero life. Thanks to its high-quality graphics, voice acting, story, characters, music, and gameplay, you’ll be immersed the entire time you uncover the incredible story of Mecha Man and the Z-Team.

A clear and cohesive fusing of Tears of the Kingdom’s eons-spanning story and recognisable gameplay with the typical musou trappings means Age of Imprisonment is not just a fantastic Warriors-style game, but a genuinely great The Legend of Zelda title.

The HD-2D Remake renaissance is, gladly, here to stay. This glowed-up pair from Dragon Quest’s origins look, sounds, and feels fantastic while balancing innovations and classic frictions.

Despite a slightly tangled narrative and some very uncomfortable sexualisation of female characters, Majogami offers an engaging action adventure that drips imagination and flair. Once you’ve gotten the hang of combat, prepare for some impressive boss fights.

The lack of chatty treasure chests continues to be a missed opportunity in this otherwise immaculate remake of the Trails saga debut. Falcom is on fire.

It sticks hard to the formula established two decades ago, but Once Upon a Katamari’s tumble through history has enough new ideas and relentless charm to make it a worthy entry for fans old and new.

The original PowerWash Simulator was my go-to chill out game for the longest time, and I’ve no doubt PowerWash Simulator 2 will fill that some role for quite a while. But this go around I’m also much more drawn to playing it like, well, a video game. There’s just enough new depth here to tease out a bit of strategy and self-imposed challenge, and I’ve enjoyed rising to it – especially when there’s a scissor lift handy.

Team Ninja and PlatinumGames' collaboration brings a stylish new numbered entry of this hallowed series into the modern era. Some old problems persist, but it's nonetheless a (very) bloody good time with some of the slickest action gameplay out there.

Letters to Arralla is a wholesome game that gets it right. Beautiful to look at and propelled by a sense of place that you want to keep walking and sitting in. The cheekiness of opening mail, delivering it to vegetable folk, and wobbling around with your turnip butt is alluring, but its true charm lies in its delicate craftsmanship and whatever you feel like taking away from it.

Proving there's almost nothing that can't be painted with the roguelite brush, Ball x Pit manages a dangerously intoxicating blend of arcade brick-breaking, ball-based alchemy and town planning that I haven't been able to put down.

Battlefield 6 had the weight of a franchise on its shoulders after the misstep that was 2042, a burden that only intensified with the promise of a return to the days of Battlefield 3 and 4. Stepping back into and refining the class system has reignited the squad-based fire that Battlefield is known for. At the same time, advancements to gunplay and player movement have resulted in some of the most satisfying moment-to-moment gameplay you can find in the first-person shooter genre. A serviceable campaign/tutorial, some fantastic maps, and a new mode that could unseat Conquest mark an incredible start for what should be a long-running title. Battlefield 6 is more than a return to form; it’s one of the best entries in the franchise.

Nudging into pole position for this generation of the kart racing genre, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is all gas, great gimmicks and most importantly, great fun.

Techland has spent more than 10 years refining its open-world zombie-slicing sandbox blueprint, and there’s no doubt that The Beast is best rendition of that. Techland has clearly been listening to its fans on what they love about the series, as The Beast is a mix of everything that Dying Light has been made of thus far, but all the good bits. It’s got the survival horror of the first game, the heavy action approach of Stay Human and the vehicles of The Following. Castor Woods’ more condensed layout allows for the gameplay strengths to shine, with tight parkour mechanics, brutal and satisfying combat and a terrifyingly tense night time (even if it feels a little unbalanced) makes for a thrilling and comforting experience. It’s great to see Crane return and the story has some good moments, even if it’s a little plain and predictable. Regardless, Dying Light fans will be happy here.

I miss the Virtual Console days, when your new Nintendo console came with a potentially vast library of classic games at very approachable prices. Now, we’re caught between paying a subscription fee for drip-fed retro catalogues, and paying top dollar at retail for games considered too new for Nintendo Switch Online but old enough that they need retouching. Thing is, I’ve been ecstatic at being able to jump back into these games – Super Mario Galaxy 2, especially – and what’s here is a perfectly fine way to play or replay them. I think we should just be glad that Nintendo is (rightly) averse to the whole Unreal Engine 5 remake path.

Hell Is Us has a unique tone and setting that complements a deep combat system and exploration puzzle elements, but its complex layout and crisscrossing sidequests may have you begging for a map that the game proudly withholds.

Ghost of Yōtei is an improvement on Tsushima when measured by almost any metric. The beautiful open world is dense and invites exploration, the combat is tighter and more varied, but it’s Atsu’s personal, honest story of revenge and self-reflection that makes this an unforgettable masterpiece.

Progress is hard fought in Final Fantasy Tactics, arguably the hardest of this isometric strategy sub-franchise. At the same time, it wastes none of the player’s attention, rewarding us with an incredibly un-Final Fantasy setting and characters. Its story is the biggest winner from this pseudo-remaster, with the professional voice cast offering their dramatic best. The themes hit so much harder this time around. Its main players are far more sincere and tragic for the emotion well voiced through the often overwhelming, but nevertheless compelling, writing.

Part physics-based, slapstick open world walking sim, part satire of the worst parts of modern gaming, Baby Steps is a stumblecore banger that only those with a penchant for punishment and hyper-realistic donkey dicks will manage.

Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar offers steady and reliable gameplay with an excellent balance between consistency and novelty that keeps you engaged through its many hours of content. There are plenty of small details and design choices which help to elevate the experience, and while, equally, some of the game’s systems could use a few tweaks, it’s an easy recommendation for fans of the genre.

Cronos: The New Dawn is easily Bloober Team’s best original work, delivering a challenging sci-fi survival horror experience with brutal combat in an immersive and tense setting. It’s just a shame that it doesn’t quite nail the resource management that would elevate it to greatness.

Borderlands 4 realises the full potential the series has always had, delivering that unmistakable Borderlands experience but with a ton of modern sensibilities to establish itself not simply as a fun co-op shooter, but as the definitive example of what a fun co-op shooter should be.

Rosewater combines the Wild West and traditional point-and-click mechanics with relative success, taking players on a road trip that is more about relationship building than the trip’s purpose. Which is both its biggest selling point and frustration. Rosewater is full of well-written and performed characters, but it’s hard to care about all of them when they’re not your headline.

Fully invested, second screen, or idle in the background, no matter how you interact with Cast n Chill it calmly meets you on your own terms and provides a serene, relaxing experience.

From start to finish, the resurrection of the Shinobi franchise is one well deserved – with gorgeous visuals and a stellar ninja power fantasy that confidently (and silently) stands on its own two feet.

Herdling's brisk walk through a wild world manages to charm from beginning to end, with just enough drama and beauty to make waving a makeshift cane at a horde of hairy beasts into an unforgettable journey.

MakeRoom is a simple interior designer sandbox that allows you to explore three distinct modes. Despite having no story, the endless creative freedom will have you hooked for hours, all while providing a cozy, stress-free experience.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers may not be overly impressive out of the gates, and could at first glance appear like just another Soulsborne ripoff. But persist and the game will open up and demonstrate its true character, with plenty of freedom to build and customise your skillset and exploit some of the unique mechanics at the core of the experience. Some of the level design is a little obtuse for its own good, and a handful of bosses need to calm the fuck down, but this is a competent and mostly confident opening foray from a development outfit that should now firmly be in the gaming’s public eye.

I didn't think it was possible, but Ready or Not’s unique thrills and overwhelming controls have adapted well to the PlayStation 5.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 is still a Tony Hawk game at heart, and as expected, plays brilliantly. As a package, the plethora of content on offer is easily the best way to revisit the masterful skating experience that was THPS 3, even if it entirely overshadows the meek representation of THPS 4 within the title.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a story-rich, isometric stealth game that features heavily realistic close-up cutscenes, simple controls, layered depth and detail that creates an immersive experience. As you traverse through various locations, plan your strategies, sneak, and knock out many enemies, you’ll uncover just how far siblings will go for each other.

As a whole, Until Then is a memorable experience, and one that will stay with you long after its end. The narrative will speak to just about anyone who has ever had to face challenges alone when there should have been someone beside them, but it’s also a gentle acknowledgement that, despite how things may sometimes feel, you don’t always have to go through everything on your own. The story also builds in a quiet reminder that the sun will keep on rising no matter what you’re facing or what you’ve lost, and while this can sometimes be an uncomfortable reminder of one’s ultimate insignificance in the universe, there’s also a strange comfort in knowing that, despite everything, life will always go on.

The Drifter has everything you want from a modern point-and-click adventure – a banging story, excellent characters that are unabashedly Australian, and expertly designed puzzles. It’s one of the best adventure games you’ll ever play and it feels like an evolution for the genre, and Powerhoof deserves all the acclaim about to come its way.

Donkey Kong Bananza is a game so committed to its premise you can’t help but revel in the gorgeous, destructive genius of it all. Constantly building to a spectacular finish and incorporating the most comprehensive post-game experience I have seen in a Nintendo game to date, this is a proper benchmark of brilliance for what a first-party Switch 2 title should be. The world is your oyster – so why not punch it into pieces.

An unassuming but essential bit of art preservation, Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster is an excellent way to experience one of the best RPGs of the 21st century. Team Asano’s love letter to the genre remains a fresh and engaging medley of systems and theme, even if the new Switch 2 minigames add little to the already wonderful experience.

Ruffy and the Riverside is an impressive debut title and a top-notch 3D collectathon adventure. The texture-swapping gimmick adds a rich layer to the canvas that more than makes up for some spotty platforming, and Riverside itself is a wonderfully weird and gaudy locale well worth exploring.

Yakuza 0 doesn’t do enough to justify its director’s cut title, but the main story arc remains a benchmark for a franchise that has only grown in popularity, so what better time to give it a run on a console that can do it justice.

Immensely self-assured in the quality of its foundation, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach masterfully iterates and refines, while introducing considered additions that complement the experience, not complicate it.

Date Everything! is a fun experience where you can truly date everything – from your computer to your sink, to that teddy bear you’ve kept for years. This dating simulator is a great introduction to the genre, and it makes the time fly by when playing. Each character you come across is a new object with a unique personality, and it is such a blast discovering all 100 of them. Has this game made me question every object in my home in the real world? Absolutely. Now I can’t help but think what personality my shower has and if my bin hates me. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

11 Bit Studios strikes again with a fresh take and setting that borrows from the brilliant mechanics of This War of Mine and sends them into space.

A fascinating precursor to FromSoftware’s multiplayer pivot, Elden Ring: Nightreign offers us a glimpse at the thrills, and pitfalls, of adapting the studio’s signature style to meet contemporary standards. Propulsively fun gameplay loops and a killer art direction gently usher in one of the least considered efforts from the studio to date.

You can’t argue against the value of free DLC that expands on an already classic RPG. With more inventive, enjoyable combat and a compelling additional story, Throes of the Watchmaker is tougher, perhaps a tad short, but just as entertaining as the main campaign.

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is another excellent addition to Capcom's remastering efforts, keeping all the interesting tension and charm of the original title while allowing it space to flourish with quality of life improvements and gorgeously realised art.

I love to see projects like this in the games space, ideas that are hyper-specific and borne of a deep passion for something, and then given some genuine backing in production. Lushfoil winds up a wonderful game of Show and Tell, where the Show is Matt Newell saying “Look at all these great trees I made!,” and the Tell is a set of handy instructions on how to take a really good photo of them.

This world that MoonHood has crafted captures the way those darkly comic stop-motion pieces invite us to a curious and frankly frightening place beyond reckoning, and ask us to simply accept what we’re seeing with little context or history. It’s art that has negative space, and it’s in that negative space that the imagination plays. We’re invited to observe strange rituals and customs, to break bread with the grotesque and the macabre, and to live by the light out of respect for the dark.

It’s an abundance of well written humour that bridges the gap between Skin Deep’s surprisingly deep gameplay and storytelling, despite a few hiccups along the way. I chuckled consistently as each new interaction played out in violent, amusing bursts, popping a few heads and scrambling around the outer hull to surprise an unexpected pirate or two. Sure, it’s not a Sam Fisher scenario, but if you’ve been hankering for a stealth experience with a twist, I can’t recommend this enough.

An amazing new array of systems reinvents DOOM once again, delivering a bombastic and brutal new way to smash demons. With awesome new cosmic threats dying to meet the serrated edge of your shield, The Dark Ages may well be the best age for any aspiring Doom Slayer.

Revenge of the Savage Planet already looked to end on a pitch-perfect note, rewarding the time and effort I’d put into erecting an entire outpost – inclusive of my own customised living quarters and several small zoos – with utter abandonment. But then it managed an even greater late-game twist. One that’s inward-looking, AI-critical and ends on a credits song about shitting and pissing on company time. It’s exactly as dumb and brilliant as that sounds.

I enjoyed my time watching the little Tempopo buds flapping about to my unintentionally silly commands, perhaps more so than solving the puzzles themselves. I don’t know what that makes me, but it’s a sign that Witch Beam has crafted more than just another puzzle game to wile away a few hours. There’s a lot of love and care in each element of its design, making it desirable to every level of skill or age.

Despelote is yet another juicy example of the ability of hyper specific stories to unlock universally human feelings, rather than the often misguided attempts to generalise settings and identities to reach more people. I want more games like this, and thankfully smart companies like Panic keep publishing them.

Clocking in at around five–six hours, Slender Threads is a great example of a point-and-click adventure that simply tells its story and does not overstay its welcome. I wish more developers understood that not every story needs to drag on because it has to hit a longer runtime. In saying that, any story still needs to be entertaining, and Slender Threads’ finale may not be the conclusion that everyone is hoping for, but I enjoyed it. Regardless, Slender Threads is a great fusion of modern and classic point-and-click design that should be played by all fans of the genre.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a confident new IP, bold in its execution and not afraid to mix old and new ideas. It’s a stunning achievement, born from passion and raised within technical excellence equal to the best in the business. Go in unspoiled and be ready for a truly rewarding experience.

This is a game that hands you a hammer in the first thirty seconds, then introduces new and exciting nails for the next ten hours. A simple analogy, sure, but it works as beautifully as the game itself. Bionic Bay is one of those rare experiences that has such confidence in itself that it doesn’t need to muddy the water with bloat and uncertainty – it is precisely what it is, and what it is is excellent. Take a mystifying workplace accident, a rock solid visual identity and a hefty industrial soundscape, throw them together and serve on a bed of platforming mechanics that just refuses to quit.

To call South of Midnight a ‘perfect’ Game Pass title would be disrespectful because the reality is that our industry has become obsessed with bloated experiences, and it’s led us to believe that anything less isn’t worth paying for – at least at full price. The truth though, is that we need more creatives being just that, and South of Midnight is part of Xbox’s supposed plans to let its developers cook. We just have to hope that the kitchen doesn’t close when service is over, because we need developers like Compulsion Games to make games like South of Midnight – shorter experiences that tell new and exciting stories set in immersive worlds, even if the gameplay feels familiar, because nothing beats a good story.

I’ve already fired up a new save file just to get a taste of those first few hours where the way I ran my mascot business really mattered, and to re-experience the joy of immersing myself in Kaso-Machi and all of the strange and wonderful folks living there. There’s just something so oddly wonderful about this work, an unmistakably scrappy “indie” texture that permeates the piece. Go in expecting not to roleplay a savvy manager and talent agent, but to cosplay one in a world where a guy can be made of road signs and an asexual ex-yakuza can be hit on by a Tetris block.

Such is the joy of Two Point. It’s a lot of lessons about middle-to-upper management under capitalist rule, and it’s also a lot of slapstick gags and grueling puns. It could partly be because this is the richest and most polished effort from the team so far, but I reckon the Museum theme might have Hospital beat for what it brings to the little sim-lite niche that Two Point has carved for itself.

Everything about Koira left me with a smile on my face, from its cute environmental storytelling to its thoughtful, emotive adventure. It’s such a beautiful journey, one that tells important lessons for those willing to find them but otherwise explores how important it can be to have someone by your side. I wanted to protect that dog at all costs, so every moment that came across when they were in danger drove me to find the right solution as quickly as possible. Way to make me feel for a 2D character, Studio Tolima.

Level Devil is a unique 2D platformer that will have you fighting your instincts to survive unpredictable obstacles in its nostalgically simple worlds. Nothing is as it seems and the game is actively against you- rage if you want but keep pushing and you’ll soon escape hell in just a few short, but entertaining hours.

The additions and improvements made in WWE 2K25 more than justify the series’ annual cadence, but new mode The Island shows us a potentially grim future of monetisation and pay-to-win practices.

Ubisoft's big, bold swing with Assassin's Creed Shadows mostly connects, proving that it was right to hold off on the Hail Mary Feudal Japan setting until it had honed the series’ RPG trappings. Shadows’ attempts at new ideas don't all land the same, but it excels in the areas that matter most in these games with a gorgeous, rich and well-researched world to explore, compelling stealth gameplay and a story full of intrigue and fresh takes on historical figures.

The underdog in Monolith Soft's Xenoblade Chronicles series has never looked or played better, giving new life to a game that could have been destined to rot in the ill-fated WiiU’s library. By boldly refitting its systems and gently touching up the already-beautiful art, along with adding some welcome chunks of all-new content, this Definitive Edition of Xenoblade Chronicles X is essential playing for fans new and old.

Carmen Sandiego is a welcome addition to a franchise that continues to educate in all the right ways. For better or worse it doesn’t mix the formula up too much, but any young one should find much to like. Just be sure to stick with a portable platform to enjoy it best.

Building off the strong foundation that is It Takes Two, Split Fiction is a consistently charming and entertaining co-op adventure that doesn't take a single second to rest between its frankly insane number of unique and well-designed gameplay mechanics.

Monster Hunter Wilds manages to deliver on every expectation one would have for a new Monster Hunter game, before dropping the throttle and blasting through every expectation you didn’t even know you had. With gameplay shake ups, weapon tweaks and a brilliant range of monsters strewn across a score of incredible landscapes, Wilds is a different beast that establishes itself as well worth the hunt.

Starward Vector is a confident, brilliantly written sequel that builds on its predecessor's deft ability to weave thematic and story threads through direct-feed role playing. Gameplay tweaks and the new Contracts system turn what could've been an overly familiar double dip into a follow-up that stands confidently on its own.

I feel like we’re at a point now where “that’s just how the series goes” is wearing thin as an excuse for the more disappointing parts of a Like a Dragon release. And yet, I can’t help but lap it up every time. Slapping a pirate hat on the Best Boy, dropping him in the waters of the last game and calling it a day might not be moving the needle forward in any meaningful way, but god damn does it work. I think that if there’s a future in LaD, the next entry is going to have to really turn a corner, but for now, you can peg my leg and call me cap’n because I’m headed back out to sea.

Terry’s console debut is well worth a look-in for anyone yet to be charmed by the tale of a town with no laws, a road with no end and a boy with limits. If I could focus on anything with half as much pluck and determination as Terry and his mission to space, I’d be unstoppable. It’s a shame that some pretty egregious performance issues exist in the PS5 version right now, but look past them and you’ll see one of the most absurd, bold, funny and endearing little adventures in recent memory.

Afterlove EP pulls from a deep emotional well to weave threads of grief, love, hope, resentment, forgiveness, identity and more through a mostly-good mix of choice-driven visual novel and rhythm game. It has some issues with flow, and the rhythm stuff isn't amazing, but stick with it and you'll fall in love with this little slice of Jakarta.

Civilization VII is an excellent turn-based strategy game. As a Civ game, it looks and feels the same as its predecessors but with enough changes to leave long-time fans with something new to learn and hopefully cherish. At times I felt at odds with the decisions, but I always come back to the fact that I still enjoyed my time and will absolutely keep playing this game long into the future.

Warhorse has been quietly cooking up the greatest first-person roleplaying series of the last however many years. It overhauls little from the first game, instead improving on everything that made it such an ambitious, unwieldy beast. The fact this sequel builds upon everything I loved, means it’s a sequel that improves more than innovates. Make no mistake, there are glimmers of a masterclass, action-packed role-playing game here that has me thrilled for whatever Warhorse has in store next. Kingdom Come: Deliverance should now be regarded alongside greats like Oblivion and New Vegas.