Soul Hackers 2 is a worthy successor of the 1997 game, modernizing the series and putting it closer to games like Persona 5 and SMTV.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! despite being set in the distant past, is unmistakenly bore of the same DNA of the Yakuza series proper and will be a treat for fans of the long-running series.
Layers of Fear (2023) is Bloober Team’s magnum opus and a must-play for atmospheric horror fans who have yet to play the originals in the series.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered takes an excellent game and polishes it into a gleaming gem made brighter than ever, thanks to the inclusion of new content.
Endless Space 2 is one of the strongest 4X games in recent memory, even if it's not the deepest.
Titles such as Battleblock Theater have illustrated that The Behemoth can tackle new genres and still deliver a great game and Pit People is no exception.
Tempest 4000 is a love letter to fans of the original and Tempest 2000 on the Atari Jaguar, for everyone else, the game is a fun but hard to master, arcade-style, synth-heavy romp.
No More Heroes III is a blast to play and a well-conceived sendoff to the series, one which stumbles on a technical level but delivers enough on the gameplay front to carry most players to the end credits of what may be the Switch's wildest exclusive to date.
Sable borrows a popular and tried and tested approach to open-world game design and gives it a truly unique feel indicative of the works of the French artist Moebius. The lack of combat may turn some off from playing the game—however, for those looking for a casual game where exploration and light puzzle-solving comes first, it's hard not to recommend Sable.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a solid game that hearkens back to titles of the sixth generation of games, with a coat of paint indicative of modern gaming that should appease younger players while offering enough gameplay variety for anyone to enjoy.
A Plague Tale: Requiem finishes the brutal and often forlorn story of the De Rune children in a sequel that feels imperative to fans of the original but adds little to those not convinced by Asobo Studio's first entry into the series.
Sonic Frontiers may not be the best game released this year, but it is one of the best 3D Sonic titles released in recent memory and should not be missed by fans of the series.
Monster Hunter Rise brings an already great game and improves it thanks to the power of more capable hardware, ultimately making it more accessible to a broader audience of players.
Returnal brings all the high-tension, arcade-inspired gameplay from the PS5 to PC while adding a whole new host of bells and whistles, making it the definitive way to experience the game.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty doesn't reinvent the wheel, but what it does, it does right and continues Team Ninja's trend of delivering well-polished action games that reward their player base for sticking with it when things get tough.
Everspace 2 shakes things up in the aerial/ space combat genre, resulting in a unique shooter with solid RPG mechanics that feel fresh for the genre.
If you're a fan of old-school survival horror, My Friendly Neighborhood is an essential playthrough that feels fresh yet familiar to fans of the genre.
If you're a fan of the Dragon Quest series and haven't picked up Dragon Quest Treasures on the Switch, its release on Steam is easily the better option and is worth checking out if you're a fan of the series or DQXI.
Sonic Superstars successfully brings classic Sonic into the 3D era while stumbling slightly in its inclusion of a tacked-on multiplayer experience.
Hellboy Web of Wyrd cleverly uses the roguelike genre to its benefit in creating a game true to the comics while still being fun to play for fans of the genre.