Baldur's Gate 3 manages to pull off the spontaneity and unpredictable nature of a long-stretching Dungeons and Dragons tabletop game. The story is intriguing with beautifully woven side quests but never feels like it's forcing you in a set moral direction. You can be as lawful good, or chaotically evil as you wish from scene to scene, and the game will be a different experience for each and every player. Character voice acting, motion capture, and a spellbinding soundtrack make the game world feel alive and the storytelling compelling. The only limit to your experience is your imagination and creativity, and while the sheer volume of possible outcomes can lead to bugs and occasional immersion-breaking moments, Larian has ultimately achieved its ambition for a generation-defining RPG.

Miyazaki and company have delivered a fantasy epic that viciously scrapes and claws its way into the pantheon of unforgettably important video games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Elden Ring is FromSoftware's most remarkable work so far and stands confidently as one of the greatest RPGs of all time.

Hades 2 takes the already-awesome formula that made the Supergiant Games' first take on Greek mythology so great and ramps up every aspect possible, with more gods and monsters and an even more complicated narrative. The result is a masterpiece that shouldn't be missed.

Persona 5 Royal is one of the finest JRPGS Atlus has ever produced, and thanks to the visual and performance boost of the Xbox Series X|S, it is better than ever. While I do have minor misgivings about the game's pacing during the opening act and its difficulty quirks, it is nonetheless a must-play for any JRPG fan on Xbox.

A groundbreaking experience that makes the world of Half-Life more tangible than you could imagine.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a polished, well-designed RPG, and through its phenomenal mechanics, astounding art, sound design and fantastic writing, it is sure to revolutionize the modern RPG genre.

You already know God of War is hailed as a masterpiece, with top-shelf acting and writing, next-level art direction, and varied and satisfying combat. A question emerges of any console to PC port: Is it faithful to the platform? That answer is a resounding yes.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe expertly expands the original critically acclaimed narrative adventure with hours of brilliantly written new content and a lot more of Kevan Brighting's incredible narration. Even if you played the original, you shouldn't miss this updated version.

Split Fiction proves that Hazelight Studios isn't done defining what co-op games can be, with excellent gameplay and unique level design that stays fresh throughout the entire experience. Mio and Zoe may drift into some cheesy genre clichés, but that's entirely the point of this warm story that emphasizes human creativity above all.

An epic soundtrack, top-tier voice acting, gorgeous artwork and locales, frenetic but balanced action, and an addictive roguelike progression system and surprisingly deep build system come together to make Hades the indie game you should be playing if you have a PC.

I had high expectations for Resident Evil 2, and Capcom delivered. This is the best horror game on Xbox One today, and one of its best single-player experiences in general.

The masterful art direction, polished and responsive physics, and blisteringly intuitive gameplay design elevated Inside far, far beyond my expectations – which were already pretty high. Inside is a masterpiece.

Resident Evil Requiem is another instant classic in the overarching canon, as Capcom once again tries its hand at a dual-protagonist, dual-gameplay style approach. Grizzled veteran Leon plays like a Michael Bay action hero, and fearful rookie Grace plays like she's still restricted by tank controls in the OG Resident Evil mansion. The contrasting styles don't always work, but when they do, Requiem truly sings. Another fantastic entry that horror fans cannot miss.

Forza Horizon 4 can be summed up with a single word: Masterpiece.

RimWorld has become a lauded classic on PC, and with the Xbox port, Double Eleven delivers a master class in how to bring games designed for mouse and keyboard intuitively to console. RimWorld is an utterly brutal survival sim where cutesy simplistic graphics belies endless depth, and you get procedural drama on a scale I have never before experienced in video game form. This game is a masterpiece, and RimWorld for Xbox faithfully shepherds the budding franchise to a brand new audience.

Forza Horizon 5 is the culmination of all of Playground Games' efforts to perfect its craft, and the result is the best open-world racing game you can play. It combines the most beloved parts of Forza Horizon 3 and 4 into one ultimate racer.

Street Fighter 6 is an exceptional entry in the franchise that reminds me why I love fighting games. Freshly introduced mechanics shake up the familiar dance of previous titles and notably improve the moment-to-moment gameplay. Capcom continues to demonstrate precisely how a team can triumphantly transform established IP. The blood, sweat, and style pouring from nearly every moment in Street Fighter 6 will delight newcomers and veterans alike.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a real gem of a narrative game. It has a compelling story, beautiful graphics, and mechanics that are extremely easy to pick up, even for gamers new to console controllers.

The welcome return of the mainline entries to the series Infinite Wealth delivers an almost infinite amount of content on top of a story that only gets spicier as the game progresses. Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu make a dream pairing worth every penny.

The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is Elden Ring at its most refined, with overly formulaic elements of the base game's open world design cut away and some of the most exhilarating boss battles in the entire FromSoftware Soulsborne catalog. The result is a game-sized masterpiece of an expansion that will keep players enthralled for upwards of 40 hours, with its new map home to an enjoyable character-driven narrative, a diverse collection of treasures, and countless secrets to discover.

With the credits rolling as I write this verdict, Metaphor: ReFantazio has cemented itself as the best game I've played this year so far. While the long periods of time with no gameplay and the divisive art style may not be to everyone's taste, Metaphor: ReFantazio makes a compelling argument for the "game of the year" title with its evocative and passionately crafted narrative, loveable and believable characters, incredible RPG, combat, and social simulation elements, and an art design that truly brings to life this unique world.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is a fantastic expansion that pays homage to the series' legacy and is a beautiful send-off to a ten-year-long story arc. The plot me had engaged throughout its entirety, the characters are memorable, and the new dungeons and Trials are satisfying to conquer. While some Job changes could be improved with future patches, many of them are welcome additions to the game.

Thanks to modern hardware and quality of life improvements, this is one of the best Dragon Quest games to date that newcomers and veterans alike will enjoy immensely.

The Halo 3: ODST port on PC is essentially perfect, and so far, it's 343 Industries' best work with the Master Chief Collection.

With flawless and varied character design there's something unique for everyone, combining the most desirable attributes from the biggest shooters of today. Blizzard's ability to perfect a game's balance has come to light once again, creating one of the most exhilarating multiplayer shooters this generation.

I've spent roughly fifty hours with the game, and there's still so much to do. Sekiro is a captivating experience given its setting and lore. There are so many mysteries to uncover, and I can't wait to play it even more...It's definitely harder than Dark Souls, but the sense of satisfaction you feel after defeating powerful titans is a reward in itself. The more you play, the stronger you become.

As if it was in much doubt, Forza Horizon 3 is one of the finest games you'll find on the Xbox One right now. It's so incredible to look at, so beautifully crafted and so enjoyable to play that there are literally hundreds of hours of fun to be had here.

Resident Evil 4 is a true technical marvel on Xbox Series X, with utterly stunning visuals and wonderful ray-tracing implementations. While the game is a bit thin in the "survival horror" department, Resident Evil 4 is an absolutely spectacular action horror game with varied and satisfying combat, memorable characters, and a meaty amount of content.