Without a focus on MJ’s career, 2K23 doesn’t offer too much more than last year’s iteration. It’s a serviceable experience for newcomers and pros alike, it’s just a damn shame it’s becoming more and more a marketing tool than a game. What concerns me is, where do they go from here?

There’s a lot to like about Beyond Galaxyland, from its 80’s-vibe story full of vibrant characters to its enjoyable turn-based combat. It manages to pull together a number of different mechanics into a level of coherence (though some work better than others) in a package that impresses with visual flair and an identity wholly its own. This is the kind of sci-fi I love, the fish out of water tale where the impossible becomes possible and the characters all manage to feel unique to each other amongst a sea of weird designs. Come for the action, stay for the Boom Boom.

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.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader not only promises, but delivers the very thing it was designed to be – a meaty, authentic Warhammer 40k game that feels right at home in its RPG trappings.

Eastward is a beautiful adventure, full of complexity and memorable characters that makes a world full of pixels seem larger than life.

In Sound Mind is a flawed but fun horror-adventure game. Flawed on the horror but fun on the adventure.

It does feel a little patchwork in places, but Crisis Core is a reunion worth going to. The emotional gut-punch of a finale remains one of the best in the long running series, and that alone is worth the price of admission.

Playing through the thoughts and emotions that Izzy's feeling during a difficult time in her life is confronting and heartfelt in equal measure, making it all the more disappointing that Lost Words' core mechanic lets it down so much.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a compelling tale of love and loss brought to life by phenomenal writing and performances with solid combat to boot, and it serves as a reminder that good storytelling remains a crucial element of video games.

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.

Aping great co-op shooters like Left 4 Dead but in the VR space, After the Fall provides a fun yet fleeting experience that could do with more to do.

FIFA 22 is the most enjoyable football title in years thanks to revamped player AI and gameplay mechanics that offer unprecedented realism on the pitch. Off the pitch, EA still has some work to do, but new additions to Career Mode and match days somewhat make up for Ultimate Team’s egregious tactics.

Gunborg: Dark Matter is a simple yet challenging arcade platformer that pushes players to perfect their timing and dodging abilities. The 8-bit world is beautifully coloured in a neon palette and complemented by a soundtrack that is absolutely jamming. If you’re a fan of testing your mettle in old-school style arcade shooters, Gunborg: Dark Matters is more than worth the $17.95 asking price.

Not a mere reboot or refresh, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons delivers a fiendishly familiar beat ‘em up that will have you hooked on its charming retro styles and clever modern trappings.

Saltsea Chronicles crafts a striking storybook world and populates it with deeply human characters on a fantastical journey into the unknown.

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.

Loco Motive does what it sets out to do – be a modern and faithful homage to the LucasArts adventure games. I’ve said it before, but modern game design has seen puzzles evolve beyond simply combining every item to progress and unfortunately, Loco Motive’s crime is that some puzzles pay too much homage, hurting the experience as it brings the game to a halt when you feel invested. Thankfully, the game’s captivating characters, funny dialogue and excellent pixel art animations mitigate the annoyances, and regardless, adventure fans should give Loco Motive a ride at some point.

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.

Need for Speed Unbound sees Criterion put its spin on the formula laid down by its predecessor and the result is a stylish racer that is mostly fun but sometimes frustrating.

With like-minded cleaners and a weekend spare, Back 4 Blood is a hoot. Lacklustre modes and a lack of identity dampen its long-term appeal.

Although the formula is bordering over-familiar at this point, it’s been long enough between entries that this return to the Mario & Luigi series is incredibly welcome. It manages to feel fresh enough with interesting new wrinkles that play on this new world and story’s overall themes, and its obsession with fraternal bonds results in probably my favourite take on the Bros. to date.

Despite it feeling really late in the game to drop this HD re-release, the simple fact is that Donkey Kong Country Returns is a masterclass in tough-yet-exhilarating platforming, and the Switch is now the best place to play it all over again – or for the first time.

Luigi, the loveable scaredy-cat that he is, returns for another outing that holds up well in its transition from 3DS to Switch. Despite being a straight port without any new features, it remains a gorgeous and inventive world worth exploring for old and new fans alike.

Humankind is an impressive showing of what Amplitude can do with historical turn-based strategy but is edged out by the series that clearly inspired it. The promise on the box of building a culturally diverse empire is not yet fulfilled, with successive playthroughs showing the moral choice and culture systems as being underdeveloped.

The magic of manual map drawing is curbed with the handy auto-map feature, yet pulling off risky expeditions into Etrian Odyssey's dangerous labyrinths remains unmatched.

Combining smooth gunplay and god-like telekinetic abilities, Synapse is a stylish roguelite shooter that more than deserves to be labelled as a PSVR 2 must-buy.

Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE could have used its inventiveness more concisely, but what’s here is still an enjoyable first entry for a new IP that holds plenty of promise now and hopefully into the future.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised at the quality of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus. It does, after all, feature members of the same team that impressed with their Metroid fan game AM2R, before Nintendo politely (I guess) asked them not to. Arguably one of Nintendo’s smartest moves yet given the results we have now, a bright and beautiful adventure that puts signature Metroidvania pathfinding and action to better use as a clever little blossom within an equally clever world. It’s a pure delight from start to finish, one that deserves all the attention amongst a sea of highly regarded titles already defining 2024, that captures the spirit of old-school action titles and stands out with unique visual palette. It is, in a word, breathtaking.

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.

Without a doubt Pacer is a love letter to Wipeout. It successfully manages to evoke the thrill and fun of Psygnosis’ iconic racer while also injecting its own flavour to the mix. But importantly, where other Wipeout wannabes have failed to me hooked, Pacer keeps me coming back for more instead of making me want to go play Wipeout.

Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef is a title that revels in the simple joy of carnage for carnage sake – with a story exactly as shallow as it needs to be, it breathes refreshing life into a dark, dystopian future that we’d rather visit than live in.

Scarlet Nexus surprises with its ecstatic, colourful combat and cast of characters. However, experiencing the story is a test of endurance due to its dull presentation.

Enjoyed in the same vein as a Saturday morning cartoon, Persona 5 Tactica is welcoming to all and has a pleasantly casual air about it. As a game of two halves, dialogue and turn-based tactical battles, there is little fluff standing in the way of players assembling their team of three Phantom Thieves as they gun their way out of the Metaverse. While Tactica makes no big mistakes, it forgoes bringing new ideas to the table and mostly presents a mundane experience for genre fans.

Focusing on having fun above all else, Riders Republic’s excellent open world, great disciplines and a huge amount of variation will keep you shredding snow and blasting through berms for a long time.

Melatonin is a short but kind experience, a hint of melancholy and a splash of retro vibes. It’s less about the challenge (though it's there for those who seek it) and more about chilling out to some cool tracks across some fun levels, with accessibility that should be applauded.

Proving that looks aren’t everything, Crimson Desert’s stunning visuals and strong performances aren’t enough to save it from being a disappointing experience. Jam-packed with content and systems that make it feel like a Jack of all features, master of none with an unenjoyable gameplay loop, Crimson Desert is really just a single-player MMORPG in all but name.

It is a masterclass in vibes, the kind of immersive experience games with a small country’s worth of budgets can only ever try to clumsily emulate. That is of course if you’re open to what POOLS is trying to do, no doubt some will find its lack of explicit systems or goals frustrating or outright boring. Fortunately, I’m a sicko and this kind of slow-burn, ambient horror is exactly what I want from interactive experiences. As I began to piece together my understanding of events in the game through stray imagery and implications, jumping at shadows and straining my ears for an attack that never came, I realised I had drowned somewhere along the way in POOLS.

Avowed moves Obsidian Entertainment even further toward the action side of Action-RPG with a satisfying combat system and vibrant world stapled to an unengaging narrative and surface level roleplaying systems. Despite its initially promising setup, Avowed never rises above a binge and forget experience.

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.

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.

id Software round out the Doom Slayer's bloody interdimensional journey with characteristic style and flair, delivering a punchy and satisfying finale.

Nobody Wants To Die is a bit of a surprise package. I was ready for the crime fiction-infused future noir tropes and the cool post-human sci-fi musings that go with the genre, but I wasn’t ready for the sheer beauty and precision of the visual presentation. With a little polish on the dialogue and narrative tone, plus some deconvolution of the story elements, Nobody Wants To Die could have achieved greatness, but at the very least it’s indicative of a very talented studio with infinite potential, and one that should be watched with a keen eye.

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.

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.

Bloated, buggy and with its best ideas in the back half, Neocore's grimdark tactical King Arthur spin-off is halfway decent might and magic.

The Big Con is a bright, fun and surprisingly wholesome crime spree through a Saturday morning cartoon version of 90s America. You might develop a compulsion for kleptomania, you might feel bad for picking hundreds of pockets, but at least you'll laugh along the way and feel cool doing it.

Proving that we can all get along, KarmaZoo is a unique co-op platformer that focuses more on altruistic actions than personal glory. With gorgeous presentation and a set of fun cooperative mechanics, this is an online experience that breaks moulds and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy.

Solar Ash will go down as an absolute triumph of form and function, a storytelling masterclass amongst a perfectly crafted visual and audible feast. They left it to the last moment to drop right near the top of my best of 2021, but Heart Machine should be proud of their accomplishments across the board.

UnMetal puts a parody spin on the older Metal Gear games, while also being a competent mid-80s stealth title. Its reliance on its humour in both gameplay and writing will make it a chore for some, but a joy for others.

This interactive crime drama packs a unique visual style and some gripping moments dealing with mature themes. The choices you make are crucial to the fates of two families, but the impact is more keenly felt in the first act than the second.

Rebellion treads little new ground, however Sniper Elite 5 remains the chief among WW2 stealth action games.

Game Builder Garage is a novel and wonderfully-designed visual programming suite, but its tutorials are far too rigid and there's little else to do outside of them if you find your creative juices have run out. It's got the Nintendo charm in spades though, and it's definitely something that parents of budding bedroom developers should see good value in.

Taking inspiration from the Tower of Babel mythology, Chants of Sennaar provides an intriguing puzzling experience with a striking visual style that stumbles slightly with unnecessary stealth sections and oversized environments.

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.

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.

Without straying too far from the formula set by its predecessors, Bravely Default II proves there's still life left in old-school JRPG ideals with challenging and addictive combat and some beautiful sights and sounds. Its punishing nature might put some players off, but the satisfaction of mastering its systems is well worth the time and effort.

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.

The beating heart of the Call of Duty experience in terms of multiplayer feels like a solid return to the classic formula, but abundant technical issues make this a worrying stumble into a new generation.

Tchia’s ambitious ideas and brightly textured open world come together in harmony. Despite an air of familiarity, there’s simply nothing else like Tchia, and I have no doubt it will be high on my game of the year list.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is a gorgeously crafted love letter to the memory of the franchise, establishing a vibrant new world but coming up a little short on ideas to match it.

As someone who plays EA Sports FC casually and just wants a solid football game, EA Sports FC25 ticks the boxes. Career Mode has had some nice additions but it still pales in comparison to its competition, but the new Rush mode is a blast. But as the years go on and the changes get less meaningful and more buzzwordy, it’s hard to argue against the idea that this could be a DLC pack that EA charges for a fee much less than a full-priced product. However, the shareholders would likely give that idea a red card.

It doesn't reinvent the wheel by any stretch, but there's no denying that on the track GRID Legends is a fun time.

Sable should be applauded for its strong aesthetic choices and ambitious restructure of open-world priorities, but it fails to fully deliver on its premise and is ultimately undone by a lack of polish or engaging mechanics.

Kicking out at 2.9 and coming back to win the match, 2K22 hits the ring with a huge amount of content and a revamped control systems that welcomes newcomers and rewards the dedicated.

A remaster of Epic Mickey didn’t need much to be a slam dunk, other than to save this inventive and introspective piece of Disney history from finding itself in the same state as the ‘toons it spotlights – unworthy of the current corporate image and left to decay in the dark. As a bonus though, Purple Lamp’s capable brushstrokes have managed to both preserve the art and make it easier than ever to appreciate.

As Tales of Kenzera reaches its natural conclusions and the woes of its crunchier challenges fall away, it’s hard to not be happy in the afterglow. Here’s a game that, while mechanically rather safe, takes huge personal and cultural swings, infusing the genre and industry writ large with almost singular emotional reflections and broader, deeply necessary, creative visions. If this is your genre, you’ll have a blast with its tight platforming and expressive combat, but even if it’s not, bite down and give it a go. We deserve more games like Tales of Kenzera: ZAU.

A pixel art treasure-hunting adventure title with a pirate theme and boatload of charm, Bilkins’ Folly gets lost and digs holes in the wrong spots, but ultimately finds the booty.

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.

Mario vs Donkey Kong remains an enjoyable platform-puzzler as it did back on the Game Boy Advance, freshened up and featuring a small number of modern and welcome additions.

Despite some minor design flaws, Golf Club Wasteland is a solid, if depressing, round of golf on post-apocalyptic Earth.

Taking the best parts of a card battler and classic ‘match three’ board busters, Demon's Mirror manages to create something familiar but still fiercely unique and unquantifiably vast.

FIFA 23 signs off on EA and FIFA’s partnership with another solid entry that brings the gameplay experience closer to the real thing, but it’s once again sullied by its Ultimate Team monetisation.

RKGK / Rakugaki offers a visually stunning world with great music but struggles with slow pacing, flat interactions, and frustrating gameplay mechanics. The game has potential, but it needs more polish and variety to truly shine.

Taking everything learnt from Void Bastards, Wild Bastards is an inventive spiritual sequel, blending strategy and shooter perfectly within its space cowboy antics. It’s a must play, no doubt.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human could have been one of the highlights of the year, but a disappointing story, some frustrating design choices and performance issues mean it doesn’t cash in on its potential.

From start to finish Pumpkin Jack is a joy to play thanks to its magnificent soundtrack, impressive writing and gorgeous visuals that complement the solid gameplay.

Rise of the Rōnin's open world is vast and content-rich, but it's a case of quantity over quality that's only partially rescued by the unambitious but technically adequate combat.

If you loved the original Life is Strange, We Are OFK should be on both your list of games to play and most definitely on your music playlist. It’s a banger, though it should be said, Debug deserves its own game.

Dordogne’s strengths lie within its storytelling, making it very easy to empathise and resonate with the protagonist’s journey. I definitely recommend this to any gamer out there wanting a relaxing but intriguing game experience.

A sort and sweet visual novel which gives the player plenty of choice and leverages its source material well, only occasionally stumbling in the writing department.

SMT3 Nocturne HD Remaster realises that the less time we can spend with the cobwebs of the past by opting into the new Merciful difficulty, the more time we can enjoy this world and its story anew.

Penny’s Big Breakaway manages to create an enjoyable platforming experience, despite some glaring flaws. As a package there’s still plenty of entertainment to be had, a handful of cutscenes do a solid job of telling the tale and a banging soundtrack nicely backs the colour on screen. It does lose some of its magic towards the end, when all the creative ideas run low its the boss battles that carry it through, but despite my worst frustrations I still had a fun time here. It’s an experience I wish had a bigger backing, maybe some voice overs or a bolder overarching story to Penny’s adventure. Ultimately, Evening Star’s debut doesn’t hit my lofty expectations, but if colourful worlds and a bit of old-school shenanigans are your thing, you’d do well to give Penny and her sentient yo-yo a crack.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV offers a few new diversions wrapped in a neat presentation that makes it a compelling enough upgrade for existing owners. But for anyone jumping in at full wack, the slight visual edge and mixed bag of camera-based minigames don’t necessarily make it an essential purchase over the much cheaper and perfectly playable Switch 1 version.

En Garde! is a fun, humorous and stylish frolic through a colourful 17th century Spain that pays homage to Zorro and the golden age of swashbuckling adventures.

The move to virtual reality strengthens what makes MADiSON an effective scare machine, while shining a light on its poor design choices and slightly wonky VR implementation.

The Crew Motorfest crafts a stunning playground for its refined array of vehicles but never fully realises the potential of its new toys.

Immortals of Aveum is an enchanting battlemage adventure and a satisfying spell-shooter in a breathtaking world filled with annoying personalities.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree sets out to do a lot in a short space of time and manages to pull it off impressively, even though I wanted to spend even more time within its take on Midgard compared to what it holds.

With combat that’s as brutal as it is satisfying and a progression system that truly makes you feel like you’re mastering you’re the craft of kicking arse, Midnight Fight Express is a brawler that surpasses most and challenges those at the top of the genre.

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical has a sharp eye for aesthetics and a kind heart but its ambitious concept buckles under uneven implementation and a lacklustre sound.

Ritual of Raven is a cosy, witchy farming simulator that attempts to offer a fresh take on the genre. While the game has technical glitches and a couple of subpar design choices, it does enough right that it is hard not to enjoy one’s time with the game.

Trigger Witch’s twin-stick action and RPG elements scream for a more defined identity, but that’s more than made up for by the game’s incredible aesthetic discipline. A lesser development studio would have tried to run with the idea of G-rated fantasy with [REFUSED CLASSIFICATION], but Trigger Witch is clever enough to let it all happen naturally. It’s a loud, proud, blood cloud of an action game that anybody with an interest in the genre needs to check out.

If you’ve been waiting for another lifestyle game to sink countless hours into, Fae Farm should be on your list. It’s fun for all, allows for plenty of customisation and sprinkles plenty of magic over the top for good measure.

On the pitch, EA Sports FC 24 provides a promising foundation for EA to build on thanks to some strong gameplay improvements, but off the pitch it still needs a bit more love.

With a strong initial roster, great visual presence and focus on cooperative combat, MultiVersus carves out a distinct spot for itself in the platform brawler genre.

The team at Outerloop Games exudes confidence and style with Thirsty Suitors, a delightfully approachable palate cleanser that anybody can enjoy in this year of incredible releases. With its heart on its sleeve, a charming cast, and constant nailing of intimacy and culture, Thirsty Suitors comfortably ollies its way into your heart and makes for one of the year’s best depictions of desire, culture, and vulnerability. Jala’s skateboarding odyssey of growth is worth beholding, even when the surrounding gameplay doesn’t quite meet the standard of its writing and visuals.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition is the same game that everybody lamented when it was lost six years ago. The progression-based game flow, the fantastic visuals and soundtrack, and the same problems bar one. While it’s nice to have back what’s become something of a legend in its absence, you know what they say about meeting your heroes.

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.