Tip: press / anywhere to search · Esc to close
Played to completion where possible, scored from 1 to 10. How we score.
Good · Velocity Unbound
Apex Torque’s arcade racer has a terrific drift-and-slipstream core and a city that looks stunning at speed, but a thin career mode and aggressive rubber-banding take some of the shine off.
Mixed · Brickhold
Forgeworks Collective’s co-op base builder has clever load and power rules and great moments with friends, but thin content, a grindy early game, and launch bugs leave it feeling unfinished.
Outstanding · Tidebreak
Saltmarsh Games has made the most satisfying roguelite of the year, a naval adventure where every run teaches you something and every loss feels fair.
Decent · Hollowmere
Bracken & Bone’s survival horror debut has superb atmosphere and genuinely nerve-racking resource management, but backtracking and a muddled final act sap its tension.
Great · Ashen Meridian
Lanternfall Studios’ first open world is heavy, stubborn, and frequently brilliant, and its map-drawing hook is the best new idea in the genre this year.
Great · Signal to Noise
Quiet Static’s debut is a tense, tactile mystery about a late-night radio engineer and the voices of a drowned town. It asks you to listen closely, and it rewards you when you do.
Outstanding · Kitebound
Little Paper Kite’s gentle mountain adventure turns the simple act of riding a thermal into something close to perfect. It is cozy, generous, and quietly moving.
Good · Starfall Tactics
Ninth Orbit’s turn-based strategy game has the best new tactical idea in years, but a punishing strategic layer and a slow midgame make it a tougher recommendation than it should be.