Leana Hafer
Gwent: Rogue Mage is a new and satisfying way to play Gwent with an interesting roguelike twist.
The wacky humor might be hit or miss, but as a management sim, Two Point Campus graduates with honors.
Victoria 3 is a remarkable, if a bit janky, nation-builder with ocean-deep political and economic systems that suck you in and don't let go.
Even in early access, Sons of the Forest is already a strong survival crafter sequel that takes all the things The Forest did so well and does them a little bit better.
Have a Nice Death is a punishing but satisfying roguelike with some extremely tough boss fights, but it could be a bit less stingy with long-term progression.
Age of Wonders 4 is a dizzyingly customizable fantasy 4X made mightier by a legacy that follows you across multiple campaigns.
Amnesia: The Bunker is a smaller, more self-contained episode in the groundbreaking horror franchise that shows Frictional still has some chilling, new tricks up their sleeves.
Total War: Pharaoh's interesting battles complement an impressively rich campaign centered on the Late Bronze Age Collapse.
Persona 5 Tactica is a big bag of bite-sized Phantom Thieves adventures that keeps the spirit of the series alive and shows that it can work great with a grid-based battle system.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an ultra crunchy, 130-hour space epic with excellent writing and combat, but unfortunately, also a lot of bugs.
Project Wingman delivers exciting aerial combat and an interesting campaign, though it won't impress those looking for a hardcore flight sim.
Stronghold Warlords has a refreshing East Asian setting and satisfying castle building, but it looks and plays like an RTS that was asleep for most of the last decade or two.
Total War: Rome Remastered makes a grand old game feel less old – but it doesn't make it feel new again.
Tribes of Midgard is a hectic, exciting, Norse-flavored action RPG that is best faced with a shield wall full of friends.
Humankind is an interesting but fairly safe riff on historical 4X that doesn't always rise to meet its potential.
While park management and customization aspects are a bit shallow, Jurassic World Evolution 2 has tons of excellent dinosaurs and exciting ways to interact with them.
While its time-consuming crafting aspects can take the bite out of the vampire fantasy, V Rising really does rise to the occasion with its excellent boss design and respectable ARPG combat.
Starship Troopers: Terran Command is a competent asymmetrical RTS, but its only substantial mode is a single-player campaign that takes a while to warm up.
Farthest Frontier needs a bit longer in the early access oven, but its realistic food systems and problem solving already provide a lot to enjoy.
Real-time tactics meets old-timey politics in The DioField Chronicle, a fast-paced JRPG where quick and fun combat are paired with a generic story and some awkward controls.