Shin Megami Tensei V's excellent JRPG combat and deeply rewarding customization shine bright, even when it sometimes feels like Persona without the heart.
Expeditions: Rome deserves a Roman triumph as one of the most impressive tactical RPGs of the last several years, despite occasionally bending under the weight of too many systems.
Punchy, side-scrolling combat and a richly realized, anime-inspired world make Anno: Mutationem a blast, but the script is a bit rusty.
Dune: Spice Wars is a layered, clever, generally well-balanced RTS with great faction diversity that feels more or less finished even in its current early state.
Warhammer 40K: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters is an excellent XCOM-like and one of the best 40K games since Dawn of War II. Our review:
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.
Planet Coaster 2 may share the same problems as its predecessor, but it's even better at all of the things it was good at, with water attractions alone being reason enough to dive in.
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.