4 months, 2 weeks - Borderlands 4 gives the series the massive kick in the pants it has needed, with a fantastic open world and greatly improved combat, even if bugs and invisible walls can sometimes throw off that groove.

4 months, 3 weeks - Between its old-school stealth-action gameplay and engaging spy-thriller story, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater largely succeeds as a faithful, visually impressive remake of the 2004 classic.

5 months, 1 week - With well-layered action and dynamic destruction, Battlefield 6’s multiplayer hits in all the places where it counts most.

5 months, 2 weeks - Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is yet another great soulslike to add to the ever-increasing pile, featuring excellent combat, wonderful level design, an incredible skill tree, and fearsome bosses. Just watch out for some steep difficulty dips and spikes, and a reliance on cheap-feeling "gotcha!" ambushes.

6 months, 3 weeks - Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a triumphant sequel that emphatically delivers on the promise of its original.

6 months, 3 weeks - Gears of War: Reloaded is a celebration of one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. Featuring 4K resolution, 120 FPS support, and the ultimate multiplayer experience with cross-progression and cross-play, across all platforms, this is the definitive way to experience the game that started it all.

7 months, 1 week - Dune: Awakening is an excellent survival MMO that brilliantly captures life on Arrakis, usually to its benefit.

8 months - Doom: The Dark Ages may strip away the mobility focus of Doom Eternal, but replaces it with a very weighty and powerful style of play that is different from anything the series has done before, and still immensely satisfying in its own way.

9 months, 1 week - Mario Kart World may not make the most convincing case that going open-world was the boost the series needed, but excellent multiplayer racing, incredible polish, and the thrilling new Knockout Tour mode still more than live up to its legacy.

9 months, 1 week - The Nintendo Switch 2 is a video game console and the successor to the popular 2017 Nintendo Switch console.

9 months, 3 weeks - By sharpening the edges of its existing systems, Assassin’s Creed Shadows creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it’s been honing for the last decade.

10 months, 3 weeks - Absolutely heaving with buried treasures and varied pleasures, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a consistently captivating voyage that kept my timbers shivering whether on land or at sea.

11 months - Avowed is a perfectly competent RPG that showcases Obsidian’s writing and worldbuilding chops, but has little else to distinguish itself among swords-and-sorcery adventures.

11 months - When Elden Ring Nightreign is played exactly as it was designed to be played, it’s one of the finest examples of a three-player co-op game around – but that's harder to do than it should be, and playing solo is poorly balanced.

11 months, 1 week - Armed with excellent melee combat and an exceptional story, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one part sequel and one part coronation, bringing a lot of the original's ideas to fruition.

11 months, 1 week - Civilization 7's improved warfare and added bits of narrative flair give me reasons to keep clicking one more turn late into the night, but the desire to streamline and simplify this legendary 4X series feels like it has also gone a bit too far, particularly when it comes to the interface.

1 year, 1 month - An irresistible and immersive global treasure hunt, and far and away the best Indy story this century, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle doesn’t belong in a museum; it belongs on your hard drive where you can play the heck out of it.

1 year, 1 month - After a very bumpy take-off, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has hit a smooth cruising altitude, with impressive new features and exciting modes that once again make it an outstanding achievement.

1 year, 1 month - Infinity Nikki has deep open-world exploration, a quirky story, and some of the most beautiful in-game outfits you'll ever see – you just have to be ready to navigate a maze of menus to get them.

1 year, 2 months - In Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket, players enjoy the thrill of opening booster packs and collecting cards showcasing special visual effects unique to this digital adaptation of the Pokémon TCG. Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket introduces “immersive cards,” which give players the experience of leaping into the world of the card’s illustration, providing a whole new way to enjoy the Pokémon TCG.