The licensed racer from 2K and Visual Concepts is a delightful combination of open-world and kart racers, with tons of Lego customization to boot.
Tears of the Kingdom is a triumph of open-ended game design that pays homage to the best parts of the Zelda franchise's own storied history--and sometimes exceeds them.
Aloy returns to explore the wreckage of Los Angeles, and it's just the right amount of Horizon to scratch that itch.
The newest expansion to Dead Cells is an action-packed homage that injects Castlevania flavor into Dead Cells' familiar roguelike structure.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe brings a cheerfully gentle Wii-era platformer to Nintendo Switch with smart additions and a big new epilogue.
Marvel Snap is an elegantly simple and inventive approach to digital CCGs that emphasizes adaptation and creativity.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is an improvement over its predecessor in every way, and one of the best modern Mario spin-offs.
Lego Bricktales is a remarkable approximation of actually playing with Lego bricks, thanks to a variety of clever physics-based building challenges.
Shovel Knight Dig takes everything that was fantastic about the retro platformer and recontextualizes it into a roguelike that's hard to put down.
Splatoon 3 isn't quite as novel the third time around, but a great campaign, tons of multiplayer options, and a few new surprises make it much more of a good thing.
River City Saga: Three Kingdoms blends modern sensibilities into a decidedly old-school brawler style.
PowerWash Simulator is a novel and soothing chore-core game that only occasionally breaks up its own relaxing flow.
Mario Strikers: Battle League has all the makings of a great sports game, but there's not much there right now.
Triangle Strategy strips away some classic genre norms while adding extra nuances of its own and a stellar, if sometimes indulgent, story.
Grapple Dog is a light, breezy mascot platformer that hooks you with precise, simple controls.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a significant reimagining of what makes a Pokemon game, with an exciting level of flexibility that's only slightly hampered by a slow early-game grind.
Nobody Saves The World is a fiendishly compelling action-RPG with creative ideas that all fit together for frictionless fun.
Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon combines familiar tile-matching puzzle mechanics with rogue-lite elements to make one of the best puzzlers in years.
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is a solid collection of mental exercises, but the focus on competition loses the game some of its friendly, self-improvement vibe.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are comfortably nostalgic, with just enough modern tweaks to smooth over the rough edges.