Tears of the Kingdom is a triumph of open-ended game design that pays homage to the best parts of the Zelda franchise's own storied history--and sometimes exceeds them.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury packages one of the best recent Mario games with a delightfully odd new experience.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart looks and plays better than ever thanks to new-generation hardware, but it's still the same lovable, goofy series at heart.
Nobody Saves The World is a fiendishly compelling action-RPG with creative ideas that all fit together for frictionless fun.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is an improvement over its predecessor in every way, and one of the best modern Mario spin-offs.
Marvel Snap is an elegantly simple and inventive approach to digital CCGs that emphasizes adaptation and creativity.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a bountiful blend of stealth, strategy, and swashbuckling.
This is the rightful successor to Super Mario World, and hopefully, will serve as a touchstone for 2D Mario going forward.
Prince of Persia boldly reinvents itself as a metroidvania, and it feels like it has found its new home.
SteamWorld Heist 2 takes a cult hit and expands it massively, without sacrificing its charm or making its systems overwhelming.
UFO 50 is a masterful compilation of retro-style games that invokes the sense of delightful discovery at the heart of the 8-bit era.
The Plucky Squire is a joyful, beautifully visualized adventure game, bursting with inventive ideas that will make you feel like a kid again.
Blue Prince is a masterfully intricate roguelike puzzle game that reveals increasingly elaborate details and interlocking systems as you peel back its layers.
Mario Kart World expands on almost everything that made Mario Kart 8 such an enduring success, laying the foundation for years of raucous racing to come.
Donkey Kong Bananza is a raucous, wildly inventive, and propulsive platformer that reboots one of Nintendo's most iconic mascots.
The Ivalice Chronicles provides the best way to play an all-time classic, even if it lacks some of the archival glow-up it deserves.
Infusing a classic beat-'em-up structure with a modern roguelike loop is a match made in heaven.
Keeper is Double Fine at its most confident, presenting a visual feast and a heartfelt tale in a detailed, complex natural world.
Pragmata offers a robust post-game with plenty to do, but I hope that's not the last I see of Hugh and Diana.
Shovel Knight was a well-deserved successful debut for Yacht Club. Mina the Hollower may be its masterpiece.