Our favourite games of 2022 – here’s the full list

Elden Ring

Elden Ring is a game that continues to deliver, regardless of how many hours you spend playing it. No matter how carefully you comb an area, there are always more secrets to discover, enemies to defeat, and exciting places to visit. This game is as stylish as it is difficult to master.

Horizon Forbidden West

We didn’t think the visual experience of playing Horizon Forbidden West on our PlayStation 5 could possibly beat its predecessor Horizon Zero Dawn, but we couldn’t have been more wrong. The lush greenery in the intro is dazzlingly beautiful, and the rest of the game is pretty great, too. It’s stylish, challenging and offers gamers many exciting missions.

The Quarry

The Quarry is a sequel to 2015’s awesome Until Dawn, and while we dare say that its predecessor is a notch sharper, The Quarry definitely still hits home. It’s exciting, stylish and truly challenging if you want all the characters to survive. To do that, it’s important not to let your guard down for too long – if you do, your characters will meet their end faster than you think.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is not only stylish but also huge, with loads of Lego figures for you to collect. In the game, you get to play through the stories from the nine Star Wars movies in a classic, Lego-esque way that weaves in an ample dose of humour. We promise that by the time you’re done with this game, you’ll never look at the Star Wars universe the same way again. 

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

What would a gaming year be without Pokémon? In Pokémon Legends: Arceus you will cross vast, open expanses and collect Pokémon to create the first-ever Pokédex in the Sinnoh region, long before the events of Diamond and Pearl. Of course, you get three starter Pokémon to choose from. Which one is your favourite?

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection

The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection consists of two games – Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy – featuring all of our favourite characters from the Uncharted series. Two incredible stories that will lead you through environments that are as beautiful as they are deadly, all in search of treasure and adventure, with either Nathan Drake or Chloe and Nadine as the protagonists.

Sifu

Sifu is an action-packed game with a unique pretext. You must use your knowledge of kung-fu to fight your way through hordes of enemies and bosses who do everything they can to stop you. Every time you get knocked out, you get a little older and have to start from scratch. If you get too old, you die and the game starts all over again. Can you make it to the end and avenge your family?

Last of Us Part 1

No list of the year’s best games would be complete without The Last of Us Part I. The original game was released in 2013 and has since been upgraded for both the PlayStation 4 and most recently for the PlayStation 5. If you have yet to play The Last of Us Part I, it’s high time you did – you’ve truly been missing out on one of the best games of all time. The story is gripping and we promise the last scene will move even the hardest of hearts.

Dying Light 2

Dying Light 2 offers action, an open game world, dazzlingly beautiful graphics and elements of parkour – what more could you ask for in a really great game? Zombies, of course! Dying Light 2 has tons of zombies of all sizes! And they’re all starving for... well, you know what. Yum. Run, jump, swing and kick your way through hordes of zombies in this post-apocalyptic world, 20 years after the events of the original Dying Light.

Vampire Survivors

It’s incredibly easy to get pulled into Vampire Survivors for longer than you intended. So far, this writer has spent 100+ hours on the game – and keep in mind that each round lasts a maximum of 30 minutes. Plenty of playtime for the approximately £4 the game currently costs on Steam. Resist wave after wave of attacking enemies and accumulate magical skills to survive.

Click here to find Vampire Survivors on Steam

Hogwarts Legacy

You needn’t be a Harry Potter fan to look forward to Hogwarts Legacy. Who doesn’t want to fight trolls, use magic formulae and fly around in an open game world? And of course, you can choose which “house” to belong to at the beginning of the game! Hogwarts Legacy is scheduled to be released on 23 February 2023, and you can play it on PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch.

Diablo IV

We can scarcely contain ourselves until Diablo IV is released. After a big miss with Diablo Immortals, we hope that this upcoming blockbuster game really delivers on all counts. Stylish graphics, inviting stories and awesome action are all on our wish list – the question is whether Activision Blizzard can deliver. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn’t go to hell (well, maybe just for a little while – hell is part of the whole game series, after all).

At the time of writing, there is no indication of when Diablo IV might be released. Regardless, we hope it will be sometime in 2023.

Forspoken

Forspoken is one of the best-looking games we’ve seen in a game trailer, so we hope the game lives up to our high hopes. The game is designed from the ground up to work optimally with PlayStation 5, and features both heart-pounding action and really beautiful graphics.

Forspoken will be released on 24 January 2023