You can find Jake Dekker over at GameSpot making sick vids.
10. Ghost of Yōtei
I’m as surprised as you are that a Triple-A open-world game ended up on my top 10 list. Typically, when one of these games comes out, I dip my toes in it and fall off after the first ten or so hours. That wasn’t the case with Ghost of Yōtei. The stunning visuals, organic sense of progression, and flashy combat kept me hooked for 50 hours.
9. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
I guess I’m a Trails sicko now. I’ve heard people speak fondly (and occasionally sob) over how good these games are, but I’ve never found the time to give them the attention they deserve. Thanks to this year’s remake, and my Nintendo Switch 2, I managed to chip away at it over the last few months, and yeah, it lives up to the hype.
8. Öoo
Öoo is a brilliant little puzzle game with incredible level design. Each area presents you with two paths: the critical path that takes you to the next level, and a side path that subtly teaches you new mechanics. There is no tangible reason to take the side path, but unless you’re a genius, you probably won’t be able to clear the main path until you adequately learn the mechanics the game is trying to teach you. It’s only a few hours long, but Öoo consistently doles out incredible “a-ha” moments that will stick with me for a long time.
7. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
The vibes, man. I get the criticism. I get why people are disappointed. But this is everything I wanted from a new Metroid Prime game. Prime 4 also further cements Samus as the coolest protagonist in video games.
6. Hades II
Aside from a handful of multiplayer games, Hades II is the only game on this list that consistently kept me up until 2 am just to do one more run. Apart from the story, Hades II is better in every conceivable way.
5. ARC Raiders
I’ve dabbled in the extraction shooter for years now, but none have captured me the way Arc Raiders has. While there’s a lot going for it, the secret sauce of Arc Raiders is the robots. The machines are so deadly that they encourage players to work together. Sure, other players are still a threat, but there are just as many reasons to cooperate as there are to fight each other. Arc Raiders has me feeling the way OG PUBG made me feel, and that’s probably the biggest compliment I can give it.
4. Hollow Knight: Silksong
It finally came out, and it turns out Team Cherry still knows how to make a good video game. I spent 60 hours exploring this world, and the second I finished Act 3, I started a new game. Easily one of the best metroidvanias of all time.
3. Silent Hill f
Silent Hill f does things that most studios and publishers would be terrified to do. Miraculously, it manages to do almost all that stuff incredibly well. There is so much to unpack in this game and so many unanswered questions, but that’s part of the reason why I enjoyed it so much.
2. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Is there anything left to say at this point? It has a gut-wrenching story, beautiful music, punchy combat, excellent characters, and baguettes. It probably should be my favorite game of the year, but…
1. Elden Ring Nightreign
Nightreign has had me in a chokehold since it came out. I unlocked all the achievements, completed every questline, defeated almost every Everdark boss (Everdark Libra is a son of a bitch), and unlocked all the outfits. Right when I thought I was done, From Software dropped The Forsaken Hollows DLC so I got right back in. I have a whole rant about how I think this game brilliantly captures the beauty of replaying and speedrunning Dark Souls games, but I’ll spare you for now.