When Will Video Games Be Good Again

The best video games of 2022, so far

A running list of standout games from an already impressive year

By Updated April 5, 2022, 1:04pm EDT

2022 has not wasted any time.

Whether because of shifting release calendars, less reliance on the retail sphere, or delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, the early on months of 2022 have get a perfect storm of video game release mayhem. We've wandered The Lands Between. We've deciphered hush-hush languages. We've explored 31st-century America. And although we're out of the thick of the hectic release schedule, we're still coming across the occasional hidden gem or ii, and returning to the games that were too huge to finish the offset time around.

And so, we've taken it upon ourselves to help you split up the wheat from the chaff — to recommend our favorite games from the slew of aggressive titles that release every bit the months go by. Nosotros'll be updating this page throughout the year, with the well-nigh recent releases toward the top, and so you tin can stay up to date with all of the excitement (or at least, equally upwardly to date every bit possible). Nosotros'll also be doing the aforementioned for the best movies, the best anime, and the best TV shows of 2022.

Tiny Tina'southward Wonderlands

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands class guide header

With Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, information technology feels as if Borderlands' developers are finally comfy letting go, and the results speak for themselves. Wonderlands is a joyful romp through tabletop-RPG-inspired worlds, with seemingly pocket-sized tweaks that create huge ripples in the series' "Diablo meets guns" formula. You can combine ii disparate character classes, traverse a board-game mode overworld, and cascade dozens of hours into the phenomenal "Anarchy Bedroom" endgame. Through it all, Gearbox is willing to acknowledge that nosotros're not here for a script, or even a coherent narrative, and it leans into that sentiment with an appropriately scattershot story — it doesn't take itself and so seriously that information technology sacrifices unpredictability, joy, or the satisfaction of mesmerizing, well earned loot. —Mike Mahardy

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation v, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC.

Norco

Norco stands out for a lot of reasons: It'due south a cute, honest portrayal of southern Louisiana, an inventive and dystopian scientific discipline-fiction story, and a sharp criticism of the oil industry's blight. Created past Geography of Robots, Norco is an interpretation of Norco, Louisiana — the real town whose name stands for the New Orleans Refining Company, domicile to Beat out's manufacturing complex. Equally a signal-and-click adventure, Norco unravels slowly every bit the main character, Kay, returns to her childhood abode following her mother's death. Information technology's all at once a magical realism story with mystery elements, however still firmly rooted in a sense of reality — not an easy blend of genres to rest. The writing and simple ecology puzzles, together with a unique mind-map mechanic that acts equally a character list and mental notebook, lend to a fast-paced story that still leaves room to finish and take in all of the poignant weirdness. —Nicole Carpenter

Norco is bachelor on Mac and Windows PC.

Tunic

Some games thrive on meaningful obfuscation. Tunic is one of them.

There are echoes of Myst, The Witness, and the original Fable of Zelda in developer Andrew Shouldice's action-adventure outing. It has also drawn myriad comparison to 2012's Fez, a game which also deployed its own unique written linguistic communication to misfile, entice, and ultimately steer players toward its larges overarching secrets. Its combat can go cloying — especially during later boss fights — and its level pattern doesn't e'er permit for the almost leisurely backtracking. But its willingness to trust the player'south intelligence, patience, and well-nigh of all, thirst for discovery make information technology a masterful adventure in its own right. —Mike Mahardy

Tunic is available on Mac, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Serial X.

Elden Ring

Numerous games have tried to emulate the explorative wonder of 2017's The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but Elden Band is the get-go game to truly succeed. With a landscape that will take years to fully decipher, it is every bit the kind of game nosotros've come to expect from programmer From Software: mysterious, impenetrable, and ultimately rewarding. But its open up-world trappings reframe much of the brutality of those games, and don't detract from their challenges, but rather, encourage incremental progress over animate being strength. It'southward non uncommon to get lost in a far corner of the map for a dozen hours, only to return to a previous challenge as a completely new character, with stronger powers and newfound wisdom at your disposal. This game is a curiosity. —Mike Mahardy

Elden Ring is bachelor on PlayStation four, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

Destiny has been through a lot since 2014: rocky release days, a global pandemic, and a sale to PlayStation, to name a few of its many obstacles. Then it'south almost a phenomenon that, eight years forth, Destiny ii: The Witch Queen is the best thing to ever happen to the serial. With a new entrada, a new location, new weapons, and new powers, information technology's more Destiny, to be sure. Merely it's as well Destiny without the qualifiers, or the conversations that are spoken with not a small amount of yearning: "Imagine how skilful this would be if Bungie did X, Y or Z?" Bungie has spent the past few years building on the potential of its massive experiment, and with The Witch Queen, information technology'southward finally paying off. —Ryan Gilliam

Destiny two: The Witch Queen is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation v, Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Google Stadia.

Lost Ark

Lost Ark is an impressive feat. Its outstanding class blueprint and splendid ARPG gameplay would already be enough to set it apart from many of this twelvemonth's games, merely it's also a content gold mine. Originally launched in Korea in 2019, so adapted for release in Europe and North America this twelvemonth, the MMO launched with fantastic endgame content right out of the gate (a rarity for the genre). And while Lost Ark's already extremely rewarding in its own right, developer Smilegate RPG is promising more than endgame content and new classes in the almost future. It seems as if there'due south still an heady road ahead. —Austen Goslin

Lost Ark is available on Windows PC.

Foreign Horticulture

A note on the table in Strange Horticulture, outlining another potential clue

In Strange Horticulture, you sell plants. Though the plants may look ordinary, they're anything but: There are plants that make people brave, and others that lure them to their death. Some are meant to increment focus or toxicant your enemies. It's a simple game that's executed with the utmost attention to detail. In running this plant shop, a strange, occult story unfolds through customer gossip and plants establish via an in-game map. Strange Horticulture is short — it took but over 5 hours to consummate — but it was one of the more impactful games I played this year. —Nicole Carpenter

Foreign Horticulture is available on Windows PC.

Total State of war: Warhammer iii

The Tzarina wades into battle against the forces of Khorne in Total War: Warhammer 3

There are aggressive games, and there are aggressive games. Total War: Warhammer iii is the latter. Its map is bigger than those of its predecessors combined, and it launched with eight fantasy factions, each stranger and more grandiose than the last. It'southward likewise exceedingly weird, and refuses to residual on its laurels every bit the strategy trilogy wraps upward, instead pushing the envelope wherever it tin can. It transports players to ethereal Chaos Realms before warping them back to their homelands to battle diseased goliaths and shapeshifting demon lords. It is as far from a safe 3rd installment as we've seen since Hitman three. And if the DLC road map for Total State of war: Warhammer two was any indication, the side by side few years will become even weirder. —Mike Mahardy

Total War: Warhammer iii is bachelor on Windows PC, Mac, and Linux, and via PC Game Laissez passer.

Horizon Forbidden West

The sequel to 2017'southward excellent mail service-apocalyptic Horizon Nada Dawn is already i of the yr'southward best. Horizon Forbidden West takes and so much of what fabricated the first game groovy, and gives players more than to piece of work with: more settlements, weapons, and traversal options. It starts a bit slow, and tin accept a while to introduce some of its more than artistic gadgets — only it gets better and better equally you unlock more than tools for your arsenal. Past the end, Aloy tin can glide off mountains, swim the deepest seas, and explore American landmarks forth the west coast. This game's gorgeous open world feels like a gift, and it'due south easy to sink hours into exploring every gorgeous corner. Meanwhile, the character writing and world-edifice convey a culture well worth saving. —Nicole Clark

Horizon Forbidden West is available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

OlliOlli World

OlliOlli World, by Roll7, is fast-paced, colorful, and a real challenge — a gorgeous celebration of skateboarding and its civilisation. It's as well goofy and perfectly earnest, too, with more similarities to Adventure Time than Tony Militarist'southward Pro Skater. In one moment, I'g doing a stalefish grab over aliens dancing in their underpants, and in the next, I'grand racing a conduct in a tube on a river. Though it's fun and dizzy, information technology's also very hard; to excel, you must master precision-based flicks and button pushes that test your limits. —Nicole Carpenter

OlliOlli World is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation v, Windows PC, Xbox I, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch.

Dying Light 2

The immersive payoff in Dying Light 2 Stay Man requires a rather stiff time investment. The plodding story pacing isn't helped past some of the reversals and outright nullifications that tin can happen later, either. But the game's showtime-person parkour and combat gameplay are stand up-upwards delights. Nevertheless much time yous choose to spend in the vast, locked-down urban center of Villedor, yous won't be bored by any of it. And, every bit a function-playing game, Aiden Caldwell evolves into a fascinating and powerful grapheme, thank you to multiple storyline branches, decisions that have irrevocable consequences, and two perk trees that make his athletic capabilities even more exciting to see, let solitary do for yourself. —Owen Due south. Good

Dying Light 2 is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

Vampire Survivors

Vampire Survivors is a simple game, but it shouldn't be dismissed. Hiding behind its retro graphics and cheap price is ane of the most gripping games in years. There's only one method of input in Vampire Survivors — motion — and information technology's your goal to survive for 30 minutes while picking upward weapons that automatically attack for you. My whip slashes nearby enemies every second or so, and my character lobs axes on a fix timer. During each run, I choose new upgrades from randomized pools, combining them with other items to create the optimal build that'll help me survive until the terminate. I've completed countless runs already this year, and I've unlocked all the new tools I can. Just Vampire Survivors is i of the merely games that keeps me playing merely for the sheer fun of information technology, "wasting" 30 minutes every night equally bigger and more sprawling games pass me past. —Ryan Gilliam

Vampire Survivors is available on Windows PC, Mac, and via spider web browser.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

To say that Pokémond Legends: Arceus was a long time coming would exist an understatement. In fact, I've fully embraced the Dunkey joke that this is actually the second Pokémon game always made. It gracefully streamlines so many of the series' tiresome aspects (the mere act of catching Pokémon in real time is now satisfying as hell) that information technology'south a wonder Game Freak hasn't tried this earlier. It'southward besides the kickoff game in which I actually intendance about filling out the Pokédex, complete with each brute's challenges and enquiry tasks. It feels less similar a hamfisted series of turn-based battles, and more like a contemplative, sometimes terrifying chance into the wilderness to sate my collector's appetite. —Mike Mahardy

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is available on Nintendo Switch.

Nobody Saves the World

Nobody Saves the Earth is a bizarre piffling video game, simply it has left an indelible marker on my psyche. It'due south a game all nearly shapeshifting — unlocking new powers to build yourself into the perfect weapon for the chore, or a very specific tool needed to solve a single puzzle. It'south about exploration and experimentation. Information technology's funny and interesting, and, above all else, it'southward securely clever. In a yr filled with then many big games, the size and grind of Nobody Saves the World seems small. But smashing things ofttimes come in small packages, and I won't be forgetting Drinkbox Studios' latest anytime presently. —Ryan Gilliam

Nobody Saves the Earth is available on Windows PC, Xbox I, and Xbox Series X through Game Pass.

Wordle

Like Animal Crossing: New Horizons before it, Wordle'south biggest forcefulness is its communal power. By offer a uncomplicated discussion-guessing puzzle that refreshes every 24 hours, it allows the states to celebrate, complain, pontificate, and ultimately rejoice about i very specific and ultimately harmless thing per day, whether on social media or at the neighborhood bar. It has become a sort of lightning rod for heated discussions and considerate arguments alike. It has made me feel insufferably smart one day, just to remind me that I am, in fact, extremely dumb the next. It has as well single handedly reignited my family'due south text thread. Who among us will always forget the day they encountered the word "bright?" —Mike Mahardy

Wordle is available via spider web browser hither .

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Source: https://www.polygon.com/what-to-play/22956981/best-games-2022