Vampire Survivors
poncle
Vampire Survivors looks like a standard auto-shooter on the surface, but a gameplay loop of upgrades, synergies and discovery combines with a driving, energetic soundtrack to form an exquisite dopamine generator. Every piece of this game feels like a reward, from the experience and upgrades you get from defeating hordes of enemies and bosses, to new character unlocks and rogue-lite upgrades in between games. The simple, intuitive controls leave you free to focus on planning and strategy, while making the game incredibly accessible for players of all skill levels. — Joe Jackson, QA Engineer
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Crows Crows Crows
I’m not the biggest gamer in the world, but The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe was one of those games I could (and did) play for hours on end. A wry commentary on choice in video games, I enjoyed exploring its carefully designed multiverse that ranges from the droll to the diabolical. I’m sure I still haven’t found everything this game has to offer — and for me, that’s one of the most exciting things about it. Plus, what’s not to love about having your very own Reassurance Bucket? — Ehianeta Arheghan, It’s Been a Minute Intern
King of Fighters XV
SNK Corporation
The latest in a series that began in 1994, King of Fighters XV is one of the most fluid fighting game experiences I’ve had in years. It’s full of colorful characters with slick special moves, and chaining them together has never felt more satisfying. While the graphics may not be as crisp as competitors like Mortal Kombat XI, KOF has an unmistakable style that keeps its fans coming back. And, importantly, online connections with opponents are usually smooth, so you don’t have to worry about dropping your combos as a result of shoddy netcode. I’ll definitely be playing this all year as new DLC characters are released. — Lindsay Totty, Morning Edition Director
Nock
Normal
Nock is a fast-paced multiplayer sports game for virtual reality. You basically play soccer with a beach ball and a bow and arrow. You can glide on the floor as if you’re on a skating rink — and you can jump unreasonably high. The gameplay is just as insane as it sounds. You, a noodle-armed, jelly-bean-shaped character, glide and fly around the Tron-like arena as you try to shoot the ball into the goal. After 5 minutes, my Apple Watch asks me if I’m exercising, and I’m not sure how to answer that. — Will Mitchell, Streaming Media Manager
Vermillion
Thomas van den Berge
I haven’t really painted much since elementary school art class. I picked up Vermillion on a whim and have had such a fun and relaxing time painting in this virtual art studio. It’s easy to pick up and start, but provides a wide swath of brushes and tools to get really detailed with your artwork. Painting virtually with an undo button and an infinite number of canvases is liberating. Plus, the in-game browser and YouTube player allows you to watch tutorial videos, or to just chill with some videos or music while you paint. — Will Mitchell, Streaming Media Manager
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Warner Bros. Games
I played the original Lego Star Wars as a kid and this new iteration lived up to my childhood memories. It’s not just a nostalgia trip — it’s also a well-designed game that holds true to the original Star Wars vibe while embracing the chaos Lego is known for. It’s super fun alone or to co-op with a friend, lots of content (nine movies worth), with potential for more. I love the game just as much as an adult as I did its original as a child. — Allen Walden, Production Operations Specialist
Tunic
Finji
A friend sold me Tunic as a cross between Dark Souls and Zelda, but there is more to appreciate than familiar mechanics and nostalgic nods to your favorite games. The beautifully illustrated in-game guide is a microcosm for the game itself: at first-glance, it’s merely an artistic player’s manual, but within every page are countless puzzle pieces. You could slash your way to an ending without knowing there are deeper secrets to explore; or you can take a closer look and immerse yourself in the trove of mysteries spilling out from every corner. Also, you’re an adorable fox. — Phil Shannon, Digital Media Software Engineer
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
Square Enix
This expansion of Final Fantasy XIV Online brings with it one of its largest scale stories yet. You, the Warrior of Light, become the only beacon that the whole world can turn to, facing down almost certain doom destined for the world of Hydaelyn from an era long past. This story tugs at your heartstrings, and is an excellent vehicle to team up with your friends, using new classes and powers to battle some world-ending baddies. FFXIV usually does spectacularly with its stories and gameplay, but this expansion knocks it out of the park. — Tre Watson, Broadcast Recording Technician
Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel
Konami Digital Entertainment
It’s time to duel — but first, you must ask… do I know how to duel? A follow up to Konami’s beginner-friendly Duel Links, Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel offers a contemporary version of their card game that’s easy to get sucked into. It’s free to play on most consoles and mobile, and has a single player mode that teaches the mechanics of the game at a rudimentary level. Current-day Yu-Gi-Oh has a steep learning curve, but Master Duel automates complex card-effects and convoluted game rulings, which makes Master Duel a great game for longtime fans and newcomers alike. — Bryant Denton, Grove Support Associate for Member Partnership
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Square Enix
Combine a timeloop mystery with a villain origin story and surprisingly difficult battles, and you still wouldn’t quite have the measure of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. It’s all these things, but Stranger of Paradise is also a thoughtful re-imagining of the original Final Fantasy, with a strategic combat system that’s at once familiar and exhilarating, all wrapped in a splendid soundtrack. Add a drop of unexpected commentary on stereotypical masculine video game heroes, and you end up with a unique experience that works against all odds — despite the chaos. — Josh Broadwell, Contributor
AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative
Spike Chunsoft
AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative offers an incredible sci-fi detective story with twists and turns at every corner. The game follows two police detectives, Mizuki and Ryuki, as they solve a murder spanning six years, where both halves of a body are found in the past and in the present. Nirvana Initiative weaves high-concept science fiction and deep conspiracies into a story that demands attention, with a wonderful cast of characters and top-notch voice acting to boot. — George Yang, Contributor
Neon White
Annapurna Interactive
Neon White is one of the most fun games I’ve played in a while. The titular character has died and gone to hell. In order to ascend to heaven, he has to compete with other sinners to quickly assassinate demons. The game focuses on speed-running levels as quickly as you can. By discovering shortcuts, you can achieve faster times and beat your own friends on online leaderboards. And when you’re not racing to the finish line, you also have to rekindle relationships with an old crew White seems to have forgotten. It’s a stylish thrill ride unlike anything out this year. — George Yang, Contributor
Horizon Forbidden West
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Horizon Zero Dawn was an incredible journey, and I had doubts that its developer would be able to repeat the experience with the sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. I was shocked and delighted to discover that they, in fact, made an even better game. The story is wonderful, the landscapes are beautiful, the mechanics are intuitive and well thought-out — Horizon Forbidden West is absolutely captivating. — Swapna Krishna, Contributor
Elden Ring
Bandai Namco
Even if you pay little attention to the gaming scene, you’ve likely heard whisperings of Elden Ring, the newest title from veteran developer From Software. Its striking beauty, ridiculous scope, and relentless difficulty catapulted this game into “GOAT” discussions overnight. Yet frightening creatures and complex combat don’t mar the experience for people like me who are new to the Dark Souls canon. To any who are curious to see what the hype is all about, Elden Ring offers a unique path to victory however you approach it. It’s a masterpiece that’s already cemented itself into gaming history. — Keller Gordon, Contributor
Citizen Sleeper
Fellow Traveler
Eschewing the set stories of many narrative games, Citizen Sleeper instead takes you on an open-ended sci-fi journey through a working-class existence aboard a space station in the far future. Despite its high-tech trappings, the parallels to our own lives are clear. How will you pay for health care? How will you make enough money to get through the month? Can you afford a treat? Well-written character studies, charming portraits, and a truly lovely soundtrack complete this as a life simulation you won’t want to leave. — Jonathan Bolding, Contributor
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Nintendo
I played Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards when I was a kid and two decades later, I became instantly enamored by this modern-day reimagining. I love the new objects Kirby can take over using his “mouthful mode”: a vending machine, a car, a traffic-cone, and so much more. I love how you can collect copy abilities and upgrade them at the adorable Waddle Dee Town. I even love the hidden areas to explore, and the treasure road challenges between levels. Kirby and the Forgotten Land isn’t always a challenging game, but I adored my time with this pink puffball. — Alba Karuni, Senior Research Analyst
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Nintendo
Pokémon has been my favorite gaming universe ever since I got Pokémon Red for Christmas when I was six. Ever since then, I’ve played and loved every new game, but Pokémon Legends: Arceus is hands-down the most exciting iteration to date. The gameplay has changed entirely (it’s an open world!), but the most exciting update was all the new ways we got to interact with Pokémon in the wild. The natural behaviors we always hear about in past games are actually brought to the fore — they can be aggressive, clueless, or even friendly. Some Pokémon are easy to sneak up on and catch without a battle, some ‘alpha’ Pokémon are a serious threat, and you can see them all doing their thing out in the wild. It lets you feel like you’re actually living with the Pokémon, which has always been the goal, right? — Sabrina Mohsenin, Ad Operations & Programmatic Ad Tech Manager
Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate
Hasbro
Take my one love from high school — the trading card game Magic: the Gathering — and combine it with my other love from high school — the rich fantasy roleplay of Dungeons & Dragons — and you get Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate. In an age of cash-grab crossovers, here’s one that actually makes sense. In this new set, you build a deck of spells and creatures, led by a “commander.” Your commander is your D&D character sheet. Your spell cards are pages out of your ritual tome. Your creature cards are the allies you’ve met along your journey. Games of Battle for Baldur’s Gate feel remarkably like the improvised roleplaying game that inspired it. — Alexander Tuerk, reporter, Contributor
Triangle Strategy
Nintendo
As a 30-plus-year veteran of Square Enix titles, I was beyond stoked to see a modern Final Fantasy Tactics emerge. The pixel art is beautiful. The AI is brutal. Resources are scarce. And if you’re clever enough to win, here’s the twist: your enemies level-up alongside you! Play an array of 30 weird characters, from exotic dancers to robots! Con: 3000+ bland dialogues. Pro: no permadeath! If you’re one to strive for perfection, good luck putting Triangle Strategy down. — Lear Bunda, Lead Production Operations Specialist - Video
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course
Studio MDHR
Cuphead returned this year with more brutal boss battles, more big-band music, and more paper-animated action inspired by 1930s cartoons. For just $8, The Delicious Last Course offers many new reasons to play this fan-favorite game, five years after its initial release. The DLC adds new challenges that take a long time to master and a new playable character, Ms. Chalice. If you want an absolute feast for your eyes and ears, Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is well worth the challenge. — Kaity Kline, Contributor
Card Shark
Devolver Digital
I’ve spent my life trying to master card games legitimately, but Card Shark isn’t about playing fair. Set in 18th century France, you cheat your way from humble taverns to aristocratic halls, meeting luminaries like Voltaire, Giacomo Casanova, and Madame de Pompadour as you go. Clumsy as I am, I was often caught, imprisoned, or stabbed before learning how to stack decks and palm cards undetected. But Card Shark’s compelling plot, striking characters, and painterly aesthetic kept me coming back to the table, no matter how much it made a fool of me. — James Mastromarino, Join the Game editor and Here & Now producer
Strange Horticulture
Iceberg Interactive
Cozy and inviting, Strange Horticulture unfolds like a delicate flower. Behind rain-spattered windows you’ll identify specimens, decipher cryptic letters, and attend to customers seeking herbal remedies or dangerous potions. You’ll soon grow accustomed to puzzling over a map and horticultural guidebook for answers to the world’s many secrets. And if you play your cards right, you may just crack an occult mystery and save a life or two. — James Mastromarino, Join the Game editor and Here & Now producer
Aperture Desk Job
Valve
Aperture Desk Job’s Steam page warns you it isn’t Portal 3, but it should also warn you that it’s the best tech demo you’ll likely ever play — and its entirely free. Written with Valve’s trademark wry comedy, you’re guided through your career by a stoner-super-genius-robot with zero common sense who should be training you but — well, let’s just say hijinks ensue. Even better, J.K. Simmons reprises his role as cantankerous Cave Johnson, CEO of an Aperture Science far past its space age prime. The 30-minute game — and its artillery-laden toilet guns — ostensibly just wants to teach you about the Steam Deck (while playing fabulously on PC with a controller), but it never stops being delightful. — Danny Lore, Contributor
Powerwash Simulator
Square Enix
There’s a reason why so many Twitch streamers refer to PowerWash Simulator as one of the most satisfying gaming experiences they’ve had. Your whole job is to clean the grime covering everything from bikes to shoe-shaped houses to the Mars Rover, with a collection of power washers, nozzles, and soaps. Feel free to do part of a job and come back, or get lost for hours making that Gnome Fountain sparkle. Now with the game’s full release, we can power wash in co-op, and explore those increasingly strange in-game text messages we keep scratching our heads about. — Danny Lore, Contributor
Weird West
Devolver Digital
In so many cases, video games have begun to step in to tell stories that TV, books and movies can’t — or won’t. Games are where real risk and true, niche strangeness happens today. A perfect illustration of this? Weird West — a top-down, RPG/action hybrid with a sketchbook art style that blends Old West and horror tropes. Where else but in indie games would you find a campfire yarn of bloody vengeance, witchcraft, cannibalism and immortality told by a retired bounty hunter, a tribal monster hunter, an apocalyptic witch, a werewolf named Dezi and a talking Pigman trying to kill a magical tree. It’s exactly as weird as the title promises, and plays out as one of the wildest rides of the year. — Jason Sheehan, Contributor
Stray
Annapurna Interactive
You don’t acquire powerful skills in Stray. You don’t have superpowers, either. You don’t level up; you don’t upgrade weapons, and you don’t fight enemies. You’re a cat: a resourceful, ridiculously cute cat looking for a way home through the somber alleyways of Dead City. Neon signs illuminate the trash crunching beneath your paws and hapless robots look longingly at the giant dome trapping them in gloom. Luckily, you’re not alone in the dark. The robots are friendly, offering a helping hard drive as you slink, meow, and scratch your way toward solving an ancient mystery. It’s a cinematic must-play, and I can’t wait to return to it. — Keller Gordon, Contributor
Norco
Raw Fury
Beautifully written and thought-provoking, this story of a young woman looking for her lost brother left me feeling hollowed out like the finest novels. Norco uses its setting in sci-fi Louisiana to evoke a world familiar to those who grew up in the post-industrial South of suburbs, shuttered factories and industrial waste. There are coal-ash pits, semi-legal dumping, and petrochemical plants. It’s nature reclaiming industrial decline: a place that is not wilderness yet is nonetheless verdantly and utterly wild. Playing with a classic point-and-click format, rendered in a pixelated style that makes use of painterly tones, Norco still feels wholly modern. — Jonathan Bolding, Contributor
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Capcom
I adored 2021’s Monster Hunter Rise, and this year’s Sunbreak DLC gave me all the excuse I needed to dust off my hunting horn and scarf down some more Bunny Dango. This expansion teems with improvements and delightful additions. There’s a new hub area, complete with a cat-operated steam train, new skills to make your palicoes and palamutes even more formidable, and new locales with fauna ranging from ornery crabs to fearsome Elder Dragons. Sunbreak gives me plentiful reasons to reconnect with online friends and revisit a grand ecosystem I had already fallen in love with. — James Mastromarino, Join the Game editor and Here & Now producer
Sifu
Sloclap
Elden Ring isn’t the only challenging game out this year. Meet Sifu: an impassioned ode to martial arts movies that asks for near-perfection from its players. I’ll be honest, I still haven’t completely beat this one. But with each run, I do get tantalizingly closer. With a game this good, that’s enough to keep me going. For those who aren’t in the mood for masochism, a gentler difficulty mode has been added since the game’s release. Either way, Sifu is worth experiencing again and again. — Vincent Acovino, All Things Considered Assistant Producer
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
2K
Fan-favorite Borderlands character Tiny Tina, a 13-year-old genius obsessed with explosives, now has her own game. In an adventure clearly inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, Tina walks you through creative worlds based on her imagination. Venture solo or with friends through a story filled with plenty of humor and plot twists. I enjoyed the familiar Borderlands formula: the leveling up, the search for wacky loot, the epic fights against zany bosses. But new gameplay mechanics and spectacular writing helped keep the experience fresh — and the best part is that it’s not over once you finish the story. The infinitely replayable Chaos Chamber awaits you. — Allen Baker, Senior Android Engineer