The best games of 2022 (so far) – from Elden Ring to Cult of the Lamb

• Developer: FromSoftware
• Release Date: 25 February 2022
• Platforms: Xbox, PlayStation and PC

Just when you think you’ve uncovered everything this game has to offer, it throws up something new, jaw-dropping and challenging, all in equal measure.

It offers plenty of challenges for seasoned players, while the improved combat mechanics and traversal provide ample opportunity for newcomers to get acquainted with the genre.

If this is your first FromSoftware game, and you relish a challenge, there has never been a better time to jump in. If you’re already a veteran, this perfects the formula of every FromSoftware title that came before it. This is gaming at its very best and this year’s game to beat.

Read our full review of Elden Ring to find out more

• Developer: Game Freak
• Release Date: 28 January 2022
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch

This game was a gust of fresh air that the series desperately needed. Taking the same stride from Pokémon Sword and Shield, players can explore wide-open vistas of the Hisui region and capture the Pokémon therein.

Creatures can be spotted roaming the fields from afar – careful planning and approach are necessary, to avoid startling them before capturing them and sending back to the village for research.

This game feels like a necessary departure for the series, and with any luck, Game Freak has taken the positive reception to heart and will maintain its stride with the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet later this year.

• Developer: Roll7
• Release Date: 8 February 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch

At its core, this is a skateboarding game stripped down to its most basic elements, with flips, grinds and wall rides controlled with the left stick and grabs and other variations controlled with the right. But after getting to grips with the basics, skating through each level becomes almost transcendental in the pursuit of “Gnarvana”.

With an updated art style and lo-fi soundtrack, Roll7’s latest entry into the OlliOlli series is its most fully realised yet and easily stands out as one of the best skateboarding games ever made.

• Developer: Guerilla Games
• Release Date: 18 February 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation

Guerilla Games has developed its post-apocalyptic marriage of technology and nature to craft a beautifully realised vision of a world desperate for rebirth.

The story will take new players to unexpected and breathtaking places, and fans of the original, Horizon Zero Dawn, will have plenty of their questions answered.

It’s one of its most detailed, rich and fascinating depictions of a post-apocalyptic future, not to mention one of the PS5’s best-looking games to date.

Read our full review of Horizon Forbidden West to find out more

• Developer: Square Enix
• Release Date: 4 March 2022
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch

In this game, Square Enix has managed to translate the surprise success of its traditional RPG outing with Octopath Traveler into a story that engages players and presents them with choices that will give them pause for thought.

If only occasionally mired by fantasy tropes and the limitations of the genre, fans of turn-based strategy games such as Final Fantasy Tactics will find plenty to enjoy in Triangle Strategy. Battles can be slow and methodical but with multiple endings and different choices to make, there are plenty of reasons to explore everything that the game has to offer.

Read our full review of Triangle Strategy to find out more

• Developer: Andrew Shouldice
• Release Date: 16 March 2022
• Platforms: Xbox, PC and Mac

Before anything else, this is a clear love letter to the old-school action-adventure games of the Eighties and Nineties. Beyond that, it’s an ingenious, brief and occasionally challenging masterclass of modern game design that feels much bigger than the sum of its parts.

The game can be completed in just 12 hours, but there are plenty of hidden secrets to be found beyond that timeframe. It’s the type of game internet forums will be poring over to extract every detail. To say any more about it would be pulling the curtain back too far. It really needs to be experienced to be appreciated.

Read our full review of Tunic to find out more

• Developer: HAL Laboratory
• Release Date: 25 March 2022
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch

This is the titular spherical pink hero’s first 3D outing and it’s one of his best yet.

From Planet Popstar, Kirby is transported into a post-apocalyptic world along with his Waddle Dee friends. Each level sees Kirby inhaling enemies to inherit their powers, and there is also a new “mouthful mode”, which sees him engulf large objects – such as cars and vending machines – to take on their forms.

It’s an easy, breezy action adventure that Kirby fans have always wanted and Nintendo fans will appreciate.

• Developer: BlueTwelve Studio
• Release Date: 19 July 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation and PC

This feline platformer sees a cat navigate through a cyberpunk city, in search of a means of escape.

In our review of the game, we said: “Assuming the role of a cat comes naturally. Stray is not just immersive for its controls, interfacing or animations, all of which help to sell the experience, but the way in which the world is constructed, with raised bars, narrow ledges and death-defying leaps that come naturally to our feline friends.

“With Stray, BlueTwelve Studios has created a memorable platforming experience with an emphasis on giving its stark setting the warmth of a human touch, or paw, in this case.”

• Developer: Square Enix
• Release Date: 22 July 2022
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch

An “HD-2D” remake of the original 1994 SNES game that faithfully reconstructs the JRPG from the ground up, this version comes with updated visuals, soundtracks and more while still retaining its 16-bit charm.

In our review of the game, we said: “Even with a shallow learning curve, there’s plenty to enjoy in this unique omnibus. Fans of classic JRPGs won’t want to miss this reimagining with plenty to enjoy for newcomers to role-playing games.”

Read our full review of Live A Live to find out more

• Developer: Monolith Soft
• Release Date: 29 July 2022
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch

A JRPG that’s as epic in scale as it is strangely life-affirming. Players take control of Noah and Mio, along with their companions, as they journey across a vast continent to bring an end to a ceaseless war.

In our review, we said: “It is the strongest entry into the series yet, while simultaneously managing to bridge the themes and mechanics of the first two games in a meaningful way. Even after the credits roll, close to the 60-hour mark, each of the characters’ personal journeys are fulfilling and memorable, while contending with heavier subject matter than the series has been known for.”

Read our full review of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to find out more

• Developer: Massive Monster
• Release Date: 11 August 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch

In this game, players are cast in the role of a lamb saved from execution by a mysterious entity known as “the one who waits”, and must repay the debt by building a religion in their name.

Players will start their own cult, venture out into a diverse and mysterious region, and build a loyal community of indoctrinated woodland critters. Think of it as a mix between Animal Crossing and The Binding of Isaac – which is not something we thought we would ever write.

• Developer: Roll7
• Release Date: 16 August 2022
• Platforms: PlayStation and PC

It would be woefully simple to frame Rollerdrome as a kitschy homage to early Noughties titles such as the Pro Skater series or Jet Set Radio, but in reality, it’s unlike any other sports game or third-person shooter out there. Despite everything it borrows, all of it feels fresh, rewarding and impossible to put down.

In our review, we said: “From its action to its slick presentation, everything about Rollerdrome screams ‘effortlessly cool’ from the moment it ramps off. Its breakneck pacing and unabating stages make each victory feel well earned, and revisiting each feels like a mastery that verges on transcendental.

“It’s endlessly replayable, and while its gradual difficulty demands a lot from players, none of it ever feels unfair, even in the face of overwhelming odds. Rollerdrome is another crack shot hit from Roll7 that will demand every ounce of your attention.”

Read our full review to find out more about Rollerdrome