In non-calendar form
Don’t be fooled by the simple synchronicity of the headline above.
We have selected our 24 favourite games from the past year every year since 2008.
As always, the list is composed by the Rock Paper Shotgun staff via vote and discussion.
Don’t see your favourite game on the list?
And since then, its all clicked.
I understand what I need to do and when to do it.
And then Factorio: Space Age came along and turned everything on its head.
And then the moment I launched my first rocket, everything ground to a halt.
Out there beyond the atmosphere, different rules apply.
Take the lava planet of Vulcanus, for instance.
Here, there are no iron or copper deposits in the ground.
How about the spongy landscape of Gleba, where everything spoils into unusable gunk in a matter of minutes?
Factorio: Space Age is gobsmacking in its scope and inventiveness.
Felvidek
Nic:Felvidekwas the loveliest surprise of the year for me.
Genre wise, it’s a JRPG.
You cant argue with me on this, because it says JRPG on the Steam page.
Go argue with that.
Do they not appreciate dynamic difficulty based on how many optional challenges you want to go for?!
Id say for shame!
but its clear they are incapable of feeling any.
Im confident that anyone, even if this is their first tactics game, can enjoy finishing Breach Wizards.
On the other hand, a lack of challenge can absolutely murder otherwise fantastic games.
But Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus this is not.
And if I know anything about my own opinions, its that theyre good ones.
Also because he beat me too many times at Dune Imperium this year.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
James:I wouldnt blame anyone for being suspicious of Vampire Survivors-likes.
Probably the best example of this is the mining.
Need to juke a heavy horde?
Bash a hole through the barrier and slip through to safety.
Building for close-range damage?
Cut a new tunnel and bait the bugs into your bespoke chokepoint.
At least not as soon as a run begins, anyway.
This is what leads to every finale being tense.
I have never been frustrated when this has happened.
Instead it feels nailbitingly tense and eminently fair.
No card shop, only tech progression?
Forsake water gathering in favour of spice and money?
It’s a miracle, given all these many systems, that I’ve never felt overwhelmed.
All of which has made Dune Imperium a regular companion for the past six months.
That’s probably what Dune is about, yeah?
The real spice is the friends we made along the way.
One of those rare games where the losses are as compelling as the wins, maybe even more so.
Im a tad scared of the effect Rise Of Ix will have on my life next year.
I probably shouldnt play this game with friends.
Not the ones I want to keep.
The Finals
Graham:I assumed my years of multiplayer shooting were behind me.
Here is a very particular “wouldn’t it be cool if” made real.
Wouldn’t it be cool if a video game featured an entire city?
Yes, take Grand Theft Auto and enjoy, my child.
Yes, yes it would.
Ollie:Theres a special joy that arises when backup plans work flawlessly in The Finals.
Oh, your team jumped on mine and forced us off the vault with seconds to spare?
Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown!
Do these things matter?
This is a Prince Of Persia game where you don’t play as the prince.
Instead you are Sargon, the youngest member of the crown’s protectors, on a rescue mission.
What does that mean?
It means there are platforming challenge rooms riddled with switches and spikes and swinging blades.
All of which makes it the kind of game I wish big publishers would make more.
Jeremy:I have many feelings about how Ubisoft mismanaged Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
Because The Lost Crown deserved better.
The world deserves more games like this - more revitalisations of a series like this.
2: Heart of Chornobyl
James:This is a game that probably shouldnt exist.
Over a decade of false dawns and scrapped builds.
A modern FPS landscape thats firmly multiplayer-first.
Its a wonder that S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
2 might be constantly trying to kill you, but its really good at making you feel alive.
Edwin:These devs have absolutely been through the wringer.
Im happy they managed to reach the finishing line.
Im also delighted to return to the Zone.
Arco
Edwin:Im still struggling to decide how seriously to take Arco.
You could also read it as an affectionate joke about both those things.
Arcos battle system is by some distance its best feature.
Make some space, or commit to a kill?
Smash the boss with that big move youve been saving, or interrupt one of their attacks?
The only thing Im cool on with Arco is the quest flow.
And the world itself is engrossing, with its gargantuan forest slugs and touches of spaghetti western.
In those exact words.
I believe Ill call it an autobattler, then.
One of my finer inventions, that.
The sensation of playing Mechabellum is similar to a tug of war.
Maybe theyve over-invested in swarm units on one side, so you plonk down a few anti-swarm toasters.
It has cost me hours of my life.
I will give it many hours more.
If the options are extravagant, theyd be nothing without the presentation.
It makes the mouth water.
How I fear you.
But there is always time for one more go.
Brendy:Fear is definitely the right word.
It’s too good.
I can’t have it anywhere near me.
Graham:Balatro’s unheimlich mashup of poker, tarot and grander deckbuilding games brings to mind bothCalvinballandNumberwang.
And then, second: what a lot of alluring, brain-fizzing bullshit.
Balatro meant to trap me.
I uninstalled it after an hour.
We all need to just keep our mouths shut until he realises for himself that she’s awful.
That’s how I thought about Helldivers 2.
Now they were making an over-the-shoulder shooter like everyone else.
Sony was their girlfriend now.
The first joy of Helldivers 2 was discovering that my fears were misguided.
Helldivers 2’s missions are also perfectly bite-sized.
In 2024, there are few blockbuster multiplayer games where that’s the case.
Sometimes, that friend?
Fast forward a few years and you realise that the posh girlfriend is alright, really.
She’s his posh wife now.
And their dining table?
Covered in Warhammer figures.
The way you should probably pick and choose your reloads.
The intensity of the fights.
Edwin:I still love playing this game solo.
Every good propaganda machine needs a subversive pirate radio station.
I am awful, I know.
Brendy:You are evil, Ed.
But it’s the kind of evil I like.
Friendly fire in video games is always funny.
Hed even built the technology to maximise the odds of compatibility with much later generations of PC.
I guess its possible there are a few enigmas remaining, which Basso is keeping quiet about.
It doesnt matter, because to me, Animal Well will always be bottomless.
Which is not to say its wholly abstract.
But its not a built world.
Its the product of dream (sometimes nightmare) logic and free association.
Instead, you get cheerful toys like a frisbee, a slinky, or a bubble-wand.
They are forever whimsical and powerfully strange.
Among Animal Wells greatest discoveries is that reaching the credits isnt game-over.
For all that, Animal Well remains graceful and easy to grasp.
Im very curious to see how future generations of player might respond to it.
Brendy:I didn’t get too far in Animal Well.
Graham:By contrast, I did not get on with Animal Well.
The guns are irresistible, lending themselves to obvious playstyles.
One map gives you a bunch of single-shot rifles and teleportation doors perched on exposed gantries.
The 1v1 format creates a degree of intimacy that feels exotic today, more fighting game than FPS.
People are going to cuss you out in the chatbox, but its sort of fun.
Plus some weapons and hats.
I cant wait to see what brothers Sirius and Leonard Lemaitre get up to for their third project.
Maybe a town builder next?
Or a single city block detective game.
Brendy:Cussed out in the chatbox?
But yes, Edwin is right.
There is something pure and beautiful about these tiny maps.
It was enough to make me go back and finally play Babbdi.
Which itself took 40 minutes.
That’s two amazing games scarfed down in a single hour.
AND THEY’RE BOTH FREE.
It is absolutely bonkers.
What the hell are these fraternal fraggers drinking?
That mostly meant user-made levels, and mostly crude, gimmicky, throwaway levels at that.
In fairness, the games themselves usually contained more than a few such levels, anyway.
All of these maps were hopelessly imbalanced or borderline unfair, producing repetitive and occasionally frustrating experiences.
They were also thrilling, dramatic, and often especially wonderful in one-on-one fights.
They simply push the experience, one round at a time, into greater heights of panic and laughter.
It’s an ugly Trillian skin in a world of Apple white design.
It’s a Napster download of blur_-_woohoo.mp3 in a world of monthly subscription streaming services.
It’s a Glasgow teen producing happy hardcore tracks in a world of celebrity DJs.
It’s pure nostalgia and completely forward-thinking.
I also think thats unfair nonsense.
Take that open world itself.
Fighting the robot dinosaurs is also a pleasure in itself.
My favourite: a wonderfully gratifying grapple-into-jumping-spear-attack combo that instantly became my go-to finishing move for damaged machines.)
Not an easy balance to strike, Id imagine.
Abiotic Factor
Brendy:I haven’t played half as much Abiotic Factor as I have wished.
But also because of schedules.
This game, you see, is best enjoyed with friends.
It’s basically a survivalHalf-Lifeparody.
You may also choose to feed “co-worker”, the hungry man (?)
There are tram systems and offices to sprint through, fearful of mutants and security mechs.
And huge internal structures that make you wonder what the hell these scientists were up to.
Although there are interdimensional “portal worlds” where the climate can suddenly whip up freezing snow.
The new gold standard for open world environment design, and it comes from a DLC.
That’ll be offputting to some, but to me it’s an impressive testament to the world design.
This is a truly ancient and complex place.
The birthplace of a goddess’s people, before she ascended to godhood.
The Land Of Shadow does not know you or owe you anything, until you give it reason to.
It’s marvellous, truly extraordinary worldbuilding.
Of course, the combat and boss fights themselves are still best-in-class.
Entirely new weapon classes and schools of magic are free to explore or entirely ignore as you wish.
Organically unfurling, DLC-spanning side quests offer you more unforgettable journeys if you desire them.
I’ll likely play it through again every year until we finally get Elden Ring 2.
Nic:Good worms.
The absolute best worms.
Ed:It’s super dense and at times, maybe a bittoodense.
I wish the base game had this level of weird.
Also yeah, great worms.
James:I, uh, misunderstood the voting rules and didn’t think this was eligible.
But if I’d bothered to check, this would get many, many James votes.
Graham:Soulslikes: like roguelikes, but for cowards.
(I have not played Elden Ring or Erdtree.)
But first he shows you the ropes, since you’re new to it all.
Notice the train that blazes past the post?
Blowing into the whistle forces air out of your lungs, though.
What’s on the train?
And so, you’re to continue where Mo left off.
But since Mo leaves, you’re given a bit of autonomy to explore the post between train whistles.
It is, essentially, a game about poking and probing.
This is a compact horror game you’re obligated to play now!
You read this piece, which counts as signing a “must-play” clause with your eyes.
And my goodness, what a lovely place to be.
All bolstering Kasuga’s laidback attitude and sunny demeanor, despite the circumstances he finds himself under.
Renewed dungeons make level gates a little less stubborn.
I mean “wealth” in the sense that Infinite Wealth contains multitudes.
Besides all the minigames and the fighting, some of the most exciting moments lie in these reunions.
For new fans it’s a way of learning about a legacy.
For old fans, these heartfelt moments are a reminder of the power of the mighty Yakuzaverse.
As I saidin my review, thank goodness for Yakuza.
Its what makes them so special.
But this add-on to everybody’s favourite historical bastard simulator changes the strategy game in profound ways.
Enough to basically merita whole new way of playingfor a life or three.
Or to start as a big emperor and try your best to stop your realm from falling to pieces.
And there will be plenty of ambushes.
You’ll need to hire mercenaries as escorts.
But I haven’t played like that.
For me, it’s more fun to see the world.
It is astounding how many people need to die to keep one reckless Gael alive on the road.
What’s more, Crusader King’s inheritance rules remain intact.
What say you, wanna come with?
All in a day’s work.
Except that’s never how it goes.
Absolutely anyone could be the next murderer, and they all have their own detailed identities and schedules.
They go to work, to the bar, to the diner.
Graham:I have solved precious few cases in Shadows Of Doubt, but it hardly matters.
All of this headache-inducing stuff made me not want to like Black Myth.
Nic:I only played enough to fight about three bosses, but what bosses they were!
Also, the move where you scurry up your pole to avoid ground attacks is an instant all-timer.
Everything that happens afterwards to the five crew members aboard this long-haul cargo ship is your fault.
A troubled medical officer, a disgruntled engineer, a naive intern.
The food is running out and everyone is constantly bickering.
None of this will end well.
But at least there is a cargo hold full of mouthwash!
And, as it turns out, some of those events happened before the ship even crashed.
This is one neat trick of the game.
Before the crash, the captain (your character) seems under pressure, but ultimately optimistic.
It’s hard to see why he would crash the ship on purpose.
After the crash, you play as co-pilot Jimmy, who now has to keep the crew alive.
That includes feeding the injured and incapacitated captain his painkillers.
I don’t want to spoil any more of the story.
I’ve done that already ina massive post about the characters.
Look, I’ll help, don’t sweat it.
Never mind all that.
I’ll take care of it.
Every waft of mouth air?
Thats all Ill say!
