This project would revolve around a man and a girl traveling through a broken America—essentially the plot of the original The Last of Us. What makes his post interesting is a mention of “the few stops that remain on the road ahead.”

“Cleaning out the garage today and stumbled on my original sketches from 2003 for a game pitch about a man, his surrogate daughter, and a trek across a broken America,” he wrote. “Been a wild journey. Grateful for every part of it, especially the few stops that remain on the road ahead.”

It is worth noting that the concept art itself doesn’t really mean much anymore, especially since the design behind The Last of Us protagonists Joel and Ellie would see massive changes since 2003, thanks in large part to the advancements in console hardware made at the time. As for the franchise’s future, while Druckmann could simply be referring to the 2027-bound third season of HBO’s The Last of Us, the fact that he used the plural “few stops” indicates that there might be even more in the works.

While he has largely been quiet about the idea of a third The Last of Us game, Druckmann had revealed back in February 2024 that he had some ideas for a third part already in mind. At the time, he noted that he only had “a concept” for it, however, and didn’t have a full story that would fit that concept. Discussing the ending of the first two games, he questioned whether there was potential for more.

“If we never get to do it again, this is a fine ending point. That last bite of the apple, the story’s done,” he said. “The great thing about working at Naughty Dog is that we don’t have to. So it’s always like, we would love another Last of Us, but if you guys are passionate about something else, we’ll support this other thing. Very privileged position to be in. I never take that for granted.”

“I’ve been thinking about, ‘is there a concept there?’ And for now years, I haven’t been able to find that concept- but recently that’s changed. I don’t have a story, but I do have that concept, that, to me, is as exciting as 1, as exciting as 2, is its own thing, and yet has this throughline for all three. So it does feel like there’s probably one more chapter to this story.”

More recently, Druckmann has been busy with Naughty Dog’s next major game—Intergalactic. While few concrete details about it have been revealed since its original announcement, Druckmann recently teased that we might see an actor from The Last of Us returning in the sci-fi game.

Well, we’re still seeing new ideas in games today, but what’s perhaps more common are promising ideas that end up flopping. Whether it’s overpromising, poor execution, or trends chasing monetization, these games prove that a great idea alone isn’t enough.

Here are 15 revolutionary gaming concepts that sounded incredible on paper but then folded like a deck of cards with its execution.

Exploring A Full-Sized Galaxy – Starfield

Everything that Todd Howard presented to us about the then-upcoming open-galaxy Bethesda RPG seemed too good to be true. Skyrim in space was enough to get most of us in pre-order lines, but the promises went much further than that. There’s the hundreds of explorable solar systems with thousands of planets, sure, but the customizable space ship and ability to fly your ship and recruit crew members excited me the most. Unfortunately, when the game released, it was apparent that Todd’s promises really were too good to be true. There were practically no memorable characters, nearly every planet was devoid of interesting content, and ship navigation was frustrating and under-utilized. The game sold well enough due to initial hype, but a 97% player drop-off after six months and the broader damage to Bethesda’s reputation paint a clear picture of Starfield’s shortcomings..

Pirate Live Service – Skull and Bones

Just about everybody wanted a large open-seas pirate game where filled to the brim with tense ship battles and sea shanties, but the developer somehow managed to screw that up completely. The biggest failing with Skull and Bones was that it was a $70 title with a predatory live service model tacked on top of that. You had to grind for what seemed like hundreds of hours obtaining the ‘pieces of eight’ just to upgrade your hard-sought pirate ship equipment. The whole experience was just so bogged down in incremental monetization that even the few fans that were left had a hard time sticking with it for long. So much for the first ever AAAA game.

Hunters vs Hunted Multiplayer – Evolve

I wasn’t exactly the biggest Left 4 Dead fan in the world and even I was pretty excited about Evolve in the 2010s. Evolve pitted a group of hunters against a horrific Godzilla-like human-controlled opponent, differentiating Valve’s team-based shooter with an asynchronized matchup. The big distinction with Evolve is the colossal prey is just one human-controlled creature, resulting in a lopsided 4 versus 1 scenario. Matches were novel and hilariously fun … for the first couple hours. Running around as a hulking horror monster in search of four helpless little humans makes it hard to frown. But the novelty wore off pretty quick. The balance issues, very thin post-game offerings, and hefty price tag for what was essentially a repetitive game loop contributed to Evolve devolving to the husk it is today.

Open World Parkour – Forspoken

I remember being pretty hyped for Forspoken right before its demo released. It was made by the Final Fantasy XV studio using their in-house engine, all of which I’d been a big fan of. And the open-world parkouring just looked absolutely mesmerizing to top it off. Well, after playing the demo, I found myself frankly appalled. The best thing I can say about Forspoken is that it looks nice and has a serviceable soundtrack. The dialogue is perhaps the biggest culprit behind it’s failure, but the repetitive enemy encounters and throwaway isekai story don’t help sell the game either.

Your Choices (Don’t) Change Everything – Mass Effect 3

A lot of gamers want a good choice-driven narrative and plenty of games have attempted it over the years. Yet, carrying over those choices for a meaningful endgame remains an elusive accomplishment for many titles. Mass Effect 3 is perhaps the best example of this. Mass Effect 2 was noteworthy for carrying over key decisions made from the first game and branching those off into even more scenarios into the third game. Yet, Mass Effect 3 ended on a whimper with originally only three endings. The worst part about the narrow endgame funnel was just how paper-thin the different endings were. It’s like all the player-driven choices throughout the three games came to the same uninspired conclusion, albeit with a different color tacked on.

Mandatory Crafting – Metal Gear Survive, Fallout 4

I’m all for looting abandoned houses in open-world games, especially when paired with a robust crafting system. Yet, some games rely a bit too much on crafting to advance the main story. In the case of Fallout 4, crafting is absolutely essential no matter what you plan on doing in the game. The game’s big draw, other than being another Fallout, was its settlement creation system. Yet, to properly build up your settlement, you had to grind for loot and craft like crazy. And then on the extreme spectrum, you have Metal Gear Survive, which made crafting the core gameplay loop, and by extension, the only loop the game had to offer. Crafting is a fun aspect of gameplay, but there’s such a thing as too much of it, as is the case with these two games.

Detective Vision – Batman: Arkham Series, The Last of Us Part 1

Batman: Arkham Asylum made many of us fall in love with detective vision gameplay. Turning on the infrared goggles and snooping the environment for clues just added so much to the setting and gameplay. But then, it seemed like every other game out there started implementing it, and the novelty didn’t quite stick. The Witcher 3 had Geralt investigating hundreds of trails using his witcher sense, but fans generally like it there because of his fun banter. But the later Arkham games and The Last of Us Part 1 tended to overuse detective vision to the point where it slowed down not just the gameplay but story as well.

Procedural “Infinite Story” Generation – No Man’s Sky Launch, Daggerfall

I remember how skeptical a majority of gamers were when Sean Murray talked up his infinite galaxy filled with procedural generation in No Man’s Sky. The game released and, well, a majority of gamers felt correct in their initial skepticism. No Man Sky’s launch lacked the touted multiplayer component that it now enjoys, but it also felt barren and void of meaningful content, something procedural generation often struggles with. An earlier example of empty fields of infinite procedural generated content was Bethesda’s Daggerfall. Daggerfall boasts a staggering 62,000 to 80,000 square miles of traversable land with well over 10,000 towns. It was simply the largest game at the time of release, dwarfing most modern open-worlds today. Yet, the dungeon design was … well, absent. And the actual content within such mammoth maps were repetitive and shallow, even if other systems were novel and fun at the time.

Memory Editing — Remember Me

On paper, Remember Me’s mix of third-person action combat, platforming, and puzzles in the form of Memory Remixing should’ve been the beginning of a new hit franchise. DontNod had the budget and concept for a longlasting series and rewriting people’s past to influence an outcome in the plot was the big selling point. And you don’t just rewrite memories in cutscenes, you actively re-arrange objects called glitches in the subject’s mind like a puzzle. It’s a truly terrifying ability, and one that would’ve rivaled the Animus from Assassin’s Creed if it was used more fully in the game. In the end, Remember Me was known for its subpar combat encounters and underbaked story. If only Remember Me could’ve remembered the Memory Remix mechanic enough for gamers to remember it.

Possess Enemies On-the-Fly — Mindjack

Who remembers the Japanese cover shooter game from the early 2010s, Mindjack? Yeah, probably not many. Besides the generic third-person shooting mechanics and forgettable sci-fi story, it had an innovative mind-hacking mechanic thrown into the mix. Being able to possess enemies and convert them to your side on-the-fly sounds pretty dang fun, until you realize the AI is awful in Mindjack. The repetitive level design and bland missions didn’t help the promising mind-jacking concept either.

Open-World Live Service Campaign — Anthem

Bioware is still chugging along today even after lukewarm releases like Dragon Age The Veilguard and Mass Effect Andromeda, but Anthem was the signal that the  studio just wasn’t the same anymore. Despite building a reputation for rich storytelling and immersive character interactions, EA made Bioware go the live service multiplayer route with Anthem. That decision didn’t go well with longtime fans or newcomers. The launch was plagued by glitches, bugs, and crashes galore. And the long-term looter-shooter loop didn’t do enough to keep players around. This is alll despite a genuinely fun jetpack system that allowed players to fly around with their mechanized soldier through the environment with ease. It’s a fun game to fly around in, but was a chore to actually do anything else.

Superhero Looter-Brawler – Marvel’s Avengers

Marvel’s Avengers was another game that cashed in on the live service looter band-wagon, with the advantage of having the Marvel IP tied to it. There was actually quite a bit of hype building up for Crystal Dynamics’ huge new AAA superhero game. It came out during a time of Avengers high and within a game industry that hadn’t capitalized on it yet. Needless to say, many gamers desperately wanted to pick their favorite Avenger and fight some baddies in a high quality action game. But the aggressive repetition within the mission design and lack of a post-game severely hindered what was supposed to be an ever-evolving game. If you’re going to make a game with the kind of structure of Marvel’s Avengers, at least build it around a compelling story and interesting gameplay.

AAA Episodic Storytelling – Telltale Games

Where’s Telltale Games been, by the way? Episodic interactive game dramas just aren’t the same since Telltale’s reign in the 2010s. Telltale’s The Walking Dead fomented a revolution in the episodic potential for smaller-scale video games. But it seems that ever since Telltale’s Game of Thrones, the formula just hasn’t seen the same kind of success. The stagnant cell-shaded art style contributed to gamers just getting tired of Telltale games, but the realization that choices were largely illusory or at least highly bottlenecked also likely played a role in the genre’s decline.

Time-Manipulation Shooter — TimeShift

Everyone loves a good bullet-time Matrix moment in movies or TV, especially so when we get to control it. TimeShift leaned into the slow-motion cool factor and then cranked it up a notch with full control over time itself. Centering a first-person shooter on time manipulation abilities just seems limitless in its potential. But despite the ability to freeze time in the middle of firefights, the game just felt lackluster to play. Like Anthem, the game had one cool thing going for it: the time-bending abilities, with nothing else to compliment that. The story, while told within a cool dieselpunk setting, was awkwardly paced and surrounded by forgettable characters. And the enemies were bullet-sponges without much thought put into their encounter design. We all love a good time-bending mechanic, but TimeShift just didn’t make a good game around it.

Cloud-Powered, Fully Destructible Cities — Crackdown 3

Gamers were surprisingly delighted by the chaotic sandbox that Crackdown 2 provided and hyped up the next game beyond what it was capable to deliver. The third game executed on the sandbox action hero concept about as well as MindEye did the GTA formula (okay, maybe not quite that bad). Where the second Crackdown delivered on laughs and mindless fun, the third drilled repetitive urban landscapes and bland mission design into our tired hands. Even the advertised cloud-powered destructible environments didn’t make the final cut into the game, except for the now-dead multiplayer mode that nobody played. Crackdown 3 failed to iterate or improve on the chaotic sandbox formula that fans loved about the second one, so much so that even Terry Crews couldn’t save it.

Resident Evil (2002)

The original Resident Evil was a groundbreaking title, mixing together survival and horror in a way that was never seen before. The PlayStation version was a product of its time, and the developer remastered it for the GameCube generation with a significant overhaul to its visuals and several quality-of-life changes. The fixed camera angles meant better pre-baked reflections and textures, making the visuals a step above what was possible with a free camera.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: HEART OF CHORNOBYL

Here’s a recent and obvious one to kick things off. Every step of the way, it feels like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is trying to kill you. The game takes a lot of pride in how brutally demanding it is, to the point where it can feel actively hostile to the player. Terrifying mutant monstrosities, a constant dearth of weapons and ammo, radiation and extreme weather, or the plain and simple fact that you’re incredibly easy to kill- plenty of factors come together to ensure that you never feel at ease in the Exclusion Zone.

Naughty Dog has announced The Last of Us Complete, which, as its name suggests, is a bundle that compiles The Last of Us Part 1 and The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered in a single package. It is digitally available for PS5 today, though a physical release is also on the way. A Collector’s Edition will launch on June 10, coming with a collector’s box with new artwork, lithographs, a steelbook case, and the comic The Last of Us: American Dreams. 

The Collector’s Edition is available to pre-order exclusively via PlayStation Direct, and is priced at $120. 

Meanwhile, Season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation kicks off on April 13. A third season has also been officially greenlit. 

It is worth noting that the leak doesn’t specify which one of the two games in the franchise will be part of the new release. In their post, Billbil-kun posits that it could be either The Last of Us Part 1, The Last of Us Part 2, or even potentially a bundle of both titles.

“According to our information, a new special edition of a game from the franchise The Last of Us is being prepared with a physical release on PS5,” posted Billbil-kun on Dealabs (translation via Firefox). “However, we have not yet been able to determine which game it is: would it be for the first part, the second, a pack of the 2 or even for a hypothetical Part III? Only the future will tell us.”

While speculation might be fun, it is highly unlikely that Naughty Dog has been able to work on a third title in the franchise with this degree of secrecy. The price, according to the leak, will sit at around $109.99. This pricing would indicate that this new release would be a bundle of both games. It is also possible that this might be a special bundle that also includes elements from the TV adaptation of The Last of Us.

This special edition bundle is rumoured to be announced relatively soon, and pre-orders are expected to start off over the next couple of months. This timeframe would indicate that Sony might unveil it in either late May or early June. Interestingly, the timeframe will also end up covering the runtime for the second season of the TV adaptation of The Last of Us.

In the meantime, both Naughty Dog and Sony, alongside support studios Iron Galaxy and Nixxes, are getting ready for the April 3 PC release of The Last of Us Part 2. Naughty Dog also confirmed recently that The Last of Us Part 2‘s PC release has been Steam Deck Verified.

On paper, this is supposed to mean that not only will The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered run on the Steam Deck, but it will also include special features for the handheld gaming platform, including optimised settings and UI modification options to account for the smaller display.

The PC specs that will be required to run The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered have also been revealed, ranging from modest hardware like Intel’s Core i7-9700K and AMD’s Ryzen 7 3700X, to more recent hardware like Intel’s Core i7-11700 and AMD’s Ryzen 7 5700X when it came to CPUs.

The game also includes support for PC-specific features, including super sampling through DLSS 3 and FSR 4, as well as support for ultrawide displays across a host of aspect ratios, from 21:9 to 32:9 and even 48:9.

For more details about The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered on PC, here’s everything you need to know.

One of the biggest points of discussion for the original The Last of Us has been whether protagonist Joel was correct in making the decision that he made at the end of the game and the first series. For some context, a major part of The Last of Us revolves around Joel trying to escort Ellie to some doctors. Since Ellie is immune to the zombie apocalypse caused by the cordyceps, the doctors want to conduct surgery on her in order to try and find a cure.

Joel, having grown close to Ellie as he spent more and more time with her over the course of the game (and the first season of the show), decides that the fact that Ellie won’t survive the surgery is an unacceptable outcome, and murders his way through the Firefly base and kills the doctors that are about to operate on Ellie before they can get started.

“I believe Joel was right,” Druckmann said when asked about his thoughts on the matter during a press tour before the second season of The Last of Us premieres. “If I were in Joel’s position, I hope I would be able to do what he did to save my daughter.”

“But I’d like to think that I wouldn’t,” responded showrunner Craig Mazin. “That’s the interesting push and pull of the morality of it. And that’s why the ending of the first game is so provocative and so wonderful. It just doesn’t let you off the hook as a player.”

“People get to the end of [the game] and there is that question, what would you do? What should you do if faced with the opportunity to save the world, if you sacrifice your child. That goes back to Abraham and Isaac. It’s so profound. The notion of sacrifice to save the world.”

“It’s a difference between, OK, if I had to kill a random person to save who knows how many lives, in the abstract, you would say, well, yeah, that makes sense, of course,” said Druckmann, continuing on from Mazin. “But now, remove it from being a random person and it’s your kid. Now the answer is very different.”

Members of the TV adaptation’s cast have also offered up their own thoughts on whether Joel was ultimately correct in his decision. Interestingly, Bella Ramsey (who plays Ellie in the show) believes that Joel indeed saved a world. “Yeah, he saved his world, just not the world,” she said.

Season 2 of The Last of Us is all set to premiere on April 13. The show will feature Pedro Pascal reprising his role as Joel, along with Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Rutina Wesley as Maria, and Kaitlyn Dever as Abby. In the meantime, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is also going to make its way on to PC later this week.

Conversing with Sony Santa Monica’s Cory Barlog, Druckmann said he doesn’t really see games as franchises, and he approaches writing stories for his games as if they’re going to be the only release in the series.

“That’s a very easy question for me to answer because I never think about multiple games because I’m the game in front of us is so all-consuming,” said Druckmann in response to a question about character development over multiple games.

“I think you’re jinxing yourself if you’re starting to think about the sequel when you’re working on the first game. So when I was making The Last of Us 2, yeah, sure. Every once in a while, an idea pops into your head of where it might go if we get the chance to do another one. But I just approach it as, ‘What if I never get to do another one?’…I’m not saving some idea for the future. If there’s a cool idea, I’m doing my best to get it into here.”

Druckmann further explained this thought process, stating that when the time comes for a sequel to one of his games, he looks back at the previous title to figure out where he can take the characters, and what plot elements are still left to be explored. “And if I feel like the answer is, they can’t go anywhere, then I go, ‘I think we’ll just kill them off,’” he said.

“I’m half joking, but we just find the next game,” he continued. “When we made Uncharted 1, we had no idea we would do the train sequence of Uncharted 2, or where Nathan Drake would be. We figured it out when we made Uncharted 2.

“And eventually, the same when we worked on Uncharted 3, same when we worked on Uncharted 4, where we look back and say, ‘How do we not repeat ourselves? Where else could this character go? What else could get him back into the adventure?’ And we have to come up with a new answer. And if we don’t have a new answer, we should ask ourselves, is this the right character? Is this the right game for us to work on? Or is it time to find something new?”

Barlog, on the other hand, spoke about having more intricate storylines that span over multiple games. He compares this approach to the infamous conspiracy board scene from TV show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where Charlie Day’s character believes that he is uncovering a vast conspiracy of some sort.

“It’s just so magical, but it is absolutely, unequivocally the most unhealthy thing ever because it is insanely stressful to try to fold and connect each of these pieces,” said Barlog. “Because give or take five years, there are hundreds of people involved, and then a whole new group of people often are moved in on the next project. That’s a bunch of different perspectives and likes and dislikes that are going to negatively impact you setting something up that early. And they’re going to be like, ‘Let’s talk about this because that was kind of the dumb. I don’t know if I want to do that.’”

“I think for me that requires a level of confidence I just don’t have,” replied Druckmann. “Like this is going to be so successful, I know where this is going next. I’m like, I just want to focus on the next five days in front of me, let alone 10 years down the line.”

Neil Druckmann has been with Naughty Dog for quite some time, having worked on several critically acclaimed games, including the Uncharted franchise, as well as The Last of Us and its sequel. The studio is currently working on an entirely new game, Intergalactic, which is in development for PS5 and said to be inspired by Akira and Cowboy Bebop.

Demon’s Souls

What better place to start your journey with some of the best single-player titles on the PS5 than with the remake of a classic that also happens to be a launch title for Sony’s current generation of consoles? Sure, the remake of Demon’s Souls, courtesy of Bluepoint, doesn’t quite nail the intense atmosphere of the original, but the game still happens to be an absolute treat when it comes to visuals, and more importantly, it’s still excellent evidence that FromSoftware – the studio behind the original Demon’s Souls – knew what it was doing when it came to gameplay, combat, and level design, even all the way back in 2009.

Evil West

While the current landscape of video game releases is largely populated by massive big-budget AAA games as well as indie titles made by smaller crews, Evil West manages to prove that there also exists a solid middle-ground. While not polished to a mirror sheen like a AAA title would have been, Evil West is an excellent third-person action-adventure game that, despite looking like it was ripped straight out of the PS3/Xbox 360 console generation, still happens to be a good time even today.

Returnal

Quite easily one of the more challenging games on the PS5, Returnal is a great example of some of the capabilities of the console. Alongside featuring excellent gunplay, Returnal also makes great use of some of the PS5’s core features, including near-instant load times, the use of haptic feedback on the DualSense controller, and even offering resistance through the controller’s triggers to offer up multiple firing modes for your weapons. The plot in Returnal is also quite interesting, playing into some classic tragedies through the lens of a sci-fi time-loop story.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

How does one follow up on what is widely regarded as one of the best superhero titles out there? Why, you make it bigger and better, of course. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 builds on both of its predecessors by featuring multiple protagonists, as well as a whole new set of antagonists Peter Parker and Miles Morales to fight against. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is essentially an improvement over the last couple of games in every way, complete with more content, as well as expanded gameplay features and new abilities. Playing as Venom was just an icing on the cake!

The Last of Us Part 1

While the fact that The Last of Us Part 1 is essentially the third time the same game is being re-released, there is a good reason for this: it’s just an all-round excellent game. Featuring intense gameplay that seamlessly switches between a variety of genres, from running-and-gunning, to stealthily taking out groups of human enemies, to even a fair bit of horror as you try and avoid the horrific cordyceps as you journey alongside Joel and Ellie across America. The story and characters of The Last of Us Part 1 are especially notable, with strong writing and character dynamics good enough that it inspired an HBO adaptation.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered follows up on what is considered by many to be one of the best games ever made by giving us a wide, sweeping story that tells us a story about vengeance, and the cycle of hatred that keeps getting perpetuated. Featuring multiple playable characters throughout the game, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered goes to great lengths in not only humanizing even the enemies you often end up fighting, but also allowing us to understand their actions, as heinous as they may have been. This is paired with some excellent gameplay that expertly blends melee and ranged combat, as well as a heavy dose of stealth.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Intergrade

Final Fantasy 7 Remake kicks off what is set to be a trilogy in retelling the story of the seminal Final Fantasy 7, complete with modern visuals, as well as gameplay that blends the original’s turn-based combat with real-time action in a way that not only feels satisfying thanks to the tactical options it opens up, but also allows for some great gameplay customization. The game is also notable since, rather than just being a 1:1 remake of the original, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is also trying to explore what the very concept of a remake can be, complete with a meta narrative that shifts the core themes and foundations of Final Fantasy 7 in meaningful and interesting ways.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Following up on Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sets players loose in a vast, expansive open world. Picking up right after the events of the first game, Rebirth not only gives us a greater look at the world, but thanks to its many bits of side-content strewn throughout its world, also allows us to understand the various nations, civilizations, and even flora and fauna that dot the landscape. While zooming out for its grand tale, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth also zooms into its individual characters, giving us a much deeper look at various characters like Cloud, Aerith, and Barret.

Astro Bot

While 3D platformers are quite rare outside of the indie space and Nintendo’s platforms, Team Asobi knocked it out of the park with Astro Bot, giving us one of the most fun, endearing, and joyful games on the system. Astro Bot features levels and characters from all over PlayStation’s history, along with a great soundtrack that pays homage to many of these games, as well as fantastic platforming gameplay that, while accessible for just about anyone that might be interested in playing games, can also offer up a decent level of challenge in its later stages.

God of War Ragnarok

Following up on the story of the 2018 reboot, Fimbulwintr has arrived, and things are looking quite grim in all the realms. While Atreus has to figure out how he can deal with the coming apocalypse as well as the machinations of their foes, Kratos, on the other hand, has to figure out how to deal with a particularly vengeful mother, while also keeping his son safe. Ragnarok builds on the gameplay foundations laid by its predecessor, bringing with it a large variety in terms of not only combat options, but also enemy types, locations, and challenges that can be taken on.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

An excellent entry in the long-running franchise, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart brings with it quite a few new interesting gameplay twists that make full use of the PS5’s hardware. One of its biggest contributions to the franchise is the introduction of a new protagonist in Rivet, who, much like Ratchet, is a Lombax that has a knack for using improbable weapons to deal with problems at hand. The game also features excellent visuals, as well as frantic combat thanks to the rift mechanic that allows players to instantly transport themselves between various places during a fight.

Final Fantasy 16

While far from the most-loved game in the RPG genre, Final Fantasy 16 still proves itself to be an excellent entry thanks to its fantastic combat mechanics. Final Fantasy 16 tells the story of former slave Clive Rosfield, who has set out to rid the world of slavery, while also fighting to take on challenging encounters that threatens the existence of all humanity in the land of Valisthea. Along with its fast-paced action gameplay, Final Fantasy 16 players can also expect to enjoy epic boss fights where Eikons clash against each other in arenas of improbable scale and size.

Control Ultimate Edition

Control is quite easily one of the strangest modern games to have been released. Taking place in a mysterious building known as the Oldest House, which also happens to serve as the headquarters for an inter-dimensional government agency known as the Federal Bureau of Control, players take on the role of Jesse Faden, who is exploring the building in an effort to find her long-lost brother. Thanks to a series of strange events, Jesse finds herself becoming the new Director of the FBC, uncovering and using new powers as she continues her exploration. The gameplay in Control revolves around fast-paced shootouts, coupled with players making use of Jesse’s psychic abilities to throw things around and fly in the air.

The Nioh Collection

Two of the most unique takes on the Souls-like genre, both of the Nioh games have an emphasis on precise, fast-paced combat which serves a sharp contrast to the more slow-paced gameplay the genre is known for. Players also have an incredibly-vast arsenal of weapons, each with different movesets that also change depending on the stance the player takes. It’s also worth noting that both games also feature loot-based progression along with character-based mechanics, which encourages further replayability, thanks to the presence of ever more challenging encounters as the players experience their own rise in power.

Baldur’s Gate 3

One of the most celebrated titles of recent times, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an expansive RPG that is absolutely stunning. Playable characters tend to have their own stories, motivations, and goals. The game also features an in-depth turn-based combat system that gives players an immense level of freedom in taking on encounters, which can range from simple hack-and-slash tactics, to throwing your Halfling friend at an enemy Ogre to keep them distracted while you lay explosive traps all over the place.

Elden Ring

FromSoftware’s most recent Souls-like release has essentially become one of the definitive takes on the genre. The game features excellent combat that rewards players striking their enemies with efficiency, along with a large open world that players are completely free to explore, as long as they can survive. Elden Ring got a DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, which takes place in the Land of Shadows, where players take on a journey to discover why they decided to come to the Lands Between to begin with.

Resident Evil Village

While Resident Evil Village is more action-oriented than its predecessor, it still manages to maintain the classic horror vibes that the series is well-known for. The game puts players in the shoes of Ethan Winters, who has set off to a rural European city to find his daughter. The game features a number of different styles of horror, ranging from classic gothic horror in dealing with Lady Dimitrescu, to more stealth-based body horror when the player finds themselves trapped in that haunted house. Resident Evil Village also serves as an ending to the story of Ethan Winters, complete with an expansion that explores the physical and mental state of a grown up Rosemary Winters.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Following in the foundations of the new gameplay systems laid by Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth once again returns players into the shoes of Ichiban Kasuga, who finds himself traveling to Hawaii because of events that derail his life in Yokohama. The game sees the return of the turn-based combat system from the previous game, but with more gameplay features to make better use of environmental weapons, as well as an expanded list of Jobs that players can switch between for a larger variety of abilities to use in fights. And if that isn’t enough, there’s also an entire Pokemon-style game, complete with its own combat system and storyline.

Alan Wake 2

A sequel more than a decade in the making, Alan Wake 2 is one of the best horror experiences out there. The game features some downright fantastic gameplay, dual protagonists each with their own unique gameplay mechanics, and a story that, while also tying up the threads left dangling by the original Alan Wake, also manages to tell its own tale in a fun way. Alan Wake 2 puts players in the shoes of the titular Alan Wake, as well as FBI agent Saga Anderson, each of whom is trying to solve the mysteries surrounding Bright Falls. A big theme in Alan Wake 2 is light, and along with some great level design and fun combat, the game also features a fantastic two DLCs that are an absolute must play.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 puts players in the shoes of protagonist V and sets them loose in Night City where they aim to build up their own legend and become remembered like the mercenaries of old. The game features a fantastic story that has V grapple with their own mortality, as well as question the very nature of a person’s soul. Along with a fun cast of side characters, including Johnny Silverhand played by Keanu Reeves, the game also got a DLC release – Phantom Liberty – which features a whole new area, as well as a new story, and new characters. Cyberpunk 2077 is also a visual treat, pushing even modern console hardware to its limits in its gorgeous rendition of Night City.

Hi-Fi Rush

Developed by the studio behind The Evil Within and its sequel, Hi-Fi Rush is a bright, cheerful, colourful third-person hack-and-slash action game with a twist: it’s also a rhythm game. The protagonist, Chai, has a music player implanted into his heart, which not only ends up giving the game a rather fantastic soundtrack, but also encourages players to hack-and-slash their way through enemies to the rhythm of the music. The unique title features a fun cast of characters, as well as some rather fantastic boss fights, all with excellent gameplay mechanics.

Dragon’s Dogma 2

Dragon’s Dogma 2 offers one of the most unique open-world RPGs out there. The game features a dynamic combat system that encourages players to come up with their own combinations of attacks and special ability, as well as a progression system that doesn’t limit the player to any single archetype, allowing them to freely switch between ranged combat as a Ranger, to melee combat as a Knight, and even spell-casting. While the game suffered from performance issues at launch, constant updates since then have made playing the title a much smoother experience.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition

While Mass Effect 3 stumbled quite a bit in its storytelling, the original Mass Effect trilogy is still remembered fondly, and the Legendary Edition proves that nostalgia doesn’t have anything to do with it. Even when compared to modern contemporaries, the Mass Effect trilogy features a downright fantastic sci-fi story set in a believable galaxy where humanity finally achieved interstellar travel. The game also presents players with plenty of choices to make along the way, which further define not only how the world reacts to them, but how the story plays out as well.

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut

Set during the Mongol invasion of the island of Tsushima, Ghost of Tsushima revolves around Jin Sakai, who takes up arms and rallies the survivors into driving the Mongols out. Throughout his time on the island, Sakai is forced to grapple with the duality of the Samurai code of honor, as well as the need to take out powerful enemies stealthily. The game features fast-paced combat, a fun stealth system, plenty of tools to use in and out of fights, and a drop-dead gorgeous island to explore in order to find better equipment and materials to upgrade your swords. It can also often be just as fun to relax in a hot spring, pet some foxes, or write a haiku every once in a while. Oh and don’t miss its fantasy expansion, Iki Island!

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown provides a platforming experience that would rival some of the best titles in the genre. The game puts players in the shoes of Sargon, who finds himself trapped in a temporal labyrinth. In his quest to discover the mysteries surrounding the kidnapping of a certain character, Sargon must fight his way out of the labyrinth as he explores the game’s intricate world and unlocks new powers to unleash on his enemies.

Stray

Far from a high-stakes action game like many other titles in this list, Stray is a more relaxing adventure title where players take on the role of a cat that is trying to get back to their family. The game focuses more on environmental storytelling than using traditional methods, and has players explore an intricately-made cyberpunk world where humans don’t seem to exist anymore, and the world is instead populated by robots.

Jusant

A unique title about self-discovery, Jusant is a game about climbing. Taking on the role of an unnamed boy, players will get to work, climbing up a gigantic rock tower. As they get higher and higher, players will discover just what happened to the world through environmental storytelling, as well as notes or pieces of art left behind. Interestingly, players can’t really die in Jusant, which acts as encouragement to continue exploring and discovering the secrets of the tower.

Horizon Forbidden West

A follow-up to Horizon Zero Dawn, Forbidden West once again has players take on the role of Aloy who must respond to a new threat, since the Derangement hasn’t yet stopped. As its name might imply, the game takes place in the lawless land in the west, where Aloy is equipped with new abilities and tools at her disposal to explore, as well as take on new machines. Along the way, Aloy will also find new technologies, as well as secrets about her own past. Its expansion Burning Shores is a visual masterpiece and something you should not miss.

Lost Judgment

While protagonist Takayuki Yagami developed quite a bit thanks to the events of Judgment, Lost Judgment puts his convictions to the test with an intense story about schoolyard bullying gone too far, and resulting in a series of deaths. The game takes place in Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon’s setting of Yokohama, revolving around the local high school. When it comes to gameplay, Lost Judgment features a number of enhancements to its combat system, including new stances that Yagami can learn to help him better take on enemies through either counter-based gameplay, or straight-up boxing.

Lies of P

While most Souls-like games tend to be more inspired from titles like Dark Souls, Lies of P instead decided to take its lessons from Bloodborne. Taking on the role of a Pinocchio in a dark retelling of the classic tale, players will explore the city of Krat as they try and look for Mr. Geppetto. The game features an intense, fast-paced combat system that also has players mix-and-match between various weapon parts to violent results.

The Quarry

The first standalone game by developer Supermassive Games since it started its Dark Pictures Anthology, The Quarry is a throwback to classic horror movies of old. The game puts players in the shoes of a number of teenagers who manage to find themselves at the mercy of a mysterious, seemingly monstrous killer on their last day as camp counselors. As they play through the game’s story, players will find themselves making choices that not only affect the story in minor ways, but will also essentially decide who survives the whole ordeal. It’s worth noting that The Quarry has quite an impressive cast, played by actors like David Arquette, Ted Raimi, and Justice Smith.

Black Myth: Wukong

Set some time after the events of the Journey to the West, Black Myth: Wukong puts players in the shoes of the Destined One. His enemies launch an assault on the monkey people, which prompts the Wukong, into action. Along the way, players will have to take on several challenges, including combat against mysterious creatures. The graphics are outstanding, the gameplay is simply superb and there are a ton of secrets to be found. Quite easily, Black Myth Wukong is this year’s game of the year contender.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

Taking place in a distant future full of giant mechs, Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon puts players in the shoes of a mercenary Armored Core pilot that is taking on missions from the highest bidder in order to carve out a place for themselves in a war scarred world. The game features fast-paced mech combat that not only rewards reflexes, but also strategy thanks to the in-depth mechanics of your mech’s loadouts. The game also features an intricate story that tells the grand story of an epic war through the lens of the various missions you take on.

System Shock Remake

While it doesn’t really deviate too much from what the original System Shock, the remake certainly manages to make itself the definitive way to experience the classic first-person horror title. Not only does it feature more modern gameplay, complete with a redesigned HUD, it also expertly simulates the original’s visual style in a modern way by making use of high-resolution visuals that somehow look retro in all the best ways. System Shock Remake is one of those rare remakes out there that manages to hang on to its roots, while also bringing in more accessible gameplay that would allow more players to experience the classic.

Nobody Wants to Die

A narrative adventure game, Nobody Wants to Die is a cyberpunk noir story that puts players in the shoes of James Karra, a detective with the NYPD’s Department of Morality. Karra is tasked with figuring out the secrets behind a murder of an important person in a world where dying – especially for the rich – isn’t really a problem anymore. As players uncover layers of conspiracies happening all around them, they will also find themselves making choices that affect the world, all while they’re hot in the trail of a serial killer that is targeting the elite of New York.

Dead Space Remake

Dead Space Remake manages to be more than just a fresh coat of paint. While it manages to hang on to the original’s core identity, the remake also brings with it a host of changes to various aspects, including a better-balanced arsenal that protagonist Isaac Clarke has more reason to use, as well as some impressive gory visuals thanks to how detailed the horrifying necromorphs can look at times. The Dead Space Remake is definitely well worth your time, especially if the thought of dismembering your enemies from a distance sound like an appealing prospect.

Sniper Elite 5

Taking place directly after the events of Sniper Elite 4’s Deathstorm DLC, Sniper Elite 5 once again puts players in the shoes of Karl Fairburne as he takes on Nazi forces. The game takes place before the events of the infamous Normandy’s landing on D-Day, with players tasked with taking out key targets and gathering intel that will allow the allied powers to take on the Nazis. While a third-person shooter, Sniper Elite 5 places a heavy emphasis on scouting and sniping enemies, as well as stealth–based gameplay. Much like other titles in the franchise, Sniper Elite 5 also features the special camera angles that allow players to see exactly how they’re killing enemies from a distance.

Sifu

An intense martial arts experience, Sifu tells the story of a student who sets out to avenge the murder of their master. The game features a unique mechanic where, the more the player dies, the older their character gets, allowing them to do more damage. On the other hand, being older also means that you have less health, and can’t take as many hits from enemies. The game’s fast-paced combat system allows players to live out their favourite martial arts movie fantasies, allowing players to take on enemies with quick hand-to-hand combos, intricate grapples, and even improvised weapons grabbed from all over the level.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy has players taking on the role of Star-Lord, joined by other members of the eponymous Guardians, including Gamora, Draxx, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot. The game features a unique combat system that has players make use of all of their crew members’ various abilities, each with unique effects, along with a fun story that could just as easily be ripped right out of the pages of a comic book. The game is well-regarded for its excellent dialogue and writing, and the scoring system manages to keep the combat interesting throughout its runtime.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

Developed by a studio known for its work in animation in the film industry, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is definitely a visual treat. The game features some downright wonderful art and animations that could just as easily be ripped out of a big-budget animated movie, while also featuring good action gameplay. The story revolves around the titular Kena, who is on a journey to uncover the secrets of an old abandoned village. Kena: Bridge of Spirits features fast-paced combat, adorable critters, and downright jaw-dropping visuals and animations.

Conscript

A unique take on the horror genre, Conscript throws players into the trenches of the World War as they take on not only enemy soldiers, but also try and scavenge for supplies. The game features pixel-art visuals that, despite their simplicity, do a great job of instilling a sense of dread and urgency in players. As they continue their journey of survival through the trenches, players will also find themselves trapped in an intricate web of trenches and bunkers that they must navigate if they want to have any hope of surviving. There is also quite a bit of replayability, thanks to additional difficulty options, as well as endings to unlock.

Stellar Blade

A stylish sci-fi action game Stellar Blade, the player is tasked with reclaiming Earth for humanity. The game features fast-paced combat, and players will take on a variety of different enemies with various weapons and abilities that they find throughout their time.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

A remaster of a game originally released on the Xbox 360, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster has players take on the role of reporter Frank West, as he sets out to investigate the mysterious events surrounding a mall in Willamette, Colorado. The game features a unique gameplay structure where players are expected to make slow progress, often involving dying and restarting, and finding more powerful improvised weaponry, as they take on massive zombie hordes in a mall. The game also features a 72-hour time limit, giving players a sense of urgency in their hunt for answers and fight for survival.

Until Dawn Remake

While the original PS4 release is well-regarded in its own right, the remake for Until Dawn allows more players than ever before to experience the classic schlocky slasher horror story. Featuring a memorable cast and crew, the actions of whom lies in the player’s hands depending on the choices they make, Until Dawn also promotes replayability thanks to the fact that the story and endings can change in interesting ways depending on who lives and who dies throughout the harrowing encounters the game offers.

Silent Hill 2 Remake

Developed by Bloober Team, the remake of Silent Hill 2 pays homage to the seminal PS2 horror game while still maintaining its own identity. While it focuses on retelling the story of protagonist James Sutherland who has reached the eponymous town in search of answers to mysterious questions, the remake features a number of new gameplay elements, including a new over-the-shoulder camera, as well as brand new visuals and voice acting that aim to give a new life to what is widely regarded as one of the greatest horror games ever made. And boy, it succeeded with a bang!

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

A follow-up to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Survivor once again puts players into the shoes of Jedi Knight Cal Kestis. The game takes place five years after the original, with Kestis taking the responsibility of rebuilding the Jedi order on his own shoulders. The title features the same gameplay as Fallen Order, along with new additions, including the ability to make use of different types of lightsabers, including the iconic dual-bladed lightsaber first introduced in the hands of Darth Maul in A Phantom Menace. The game also features new force abilities, as well as additional lightsaber stances that players can make use of to take on the various combat challenges the game throws their way.

Hitman: World of Assassination

Hitman: World of Assassination allows players to play through the entire storyline of the Hitman games, complete with new gameplay mechanics. Taking on the role of Agent 47, players will travel to various locations as they take on contracts to eliminate key characters in a vast criminal conspiracy. The game also features its own unique take on the roguelite genre in the form of the Freelancer mode, which gives players randomised targets and methods of assassination as they build up their arsenal of weapons, tools, and even disguises by making money.

Hogwarts Legacy

Widely accepted as one of the first great games set in the expansive Harry Potter universe, Hogwarts Legacy divorces itself from its source material by taking place in the past, well before the events of the original books take place. As a fresh transfer to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, players will have the chance to create their own character and live out their fantasies of learning magic among the school’s iconic teaching staff. Along the way, players will also take part in magical duels, as well as take on threats including a goblin uprising, as well as wizard criminals.

Dead Island 2

In Dead Island 2, players take on the role of one of six survivors who find themselves in Los Angeles. The world has moved on from being scared of the walking dead, and some people have even found themselves enjoying the carnage that results from fighting the shambling hordes. The game features crazy weapons, as well as a host of new tools and items which will allow you to pull off some crazy zombie kills.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals

Taking place six years after the events of the original Oxenfree, Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals is a brand new coming-of-age story, this time around focusing on Riley Poverly, who is investigating a mysterious radio interference coming from Edwards Islands. Players have to explore the island while completing their mission of placing transmitters at key locations, and ultimately deal with a malevolent force that is threatening the world. Much like the original, gameplay in Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals once again revolves around the player interacting with the locals as they try and figure out what is happening on the island.

Viewfinder

A unique game that relies more on the player’s sense of perception and logical puzzle-solving than their twitch action reflexes, Viewfinder gives players a camera and sets them loose in a virtual reality world. The game features many themes, especially ones dealing with environmental issues, as players are forced to deal with the problems created by man-made structures, including a weather-control machine that might end up being the solution to the global problem of climate change.

Lords of the Fallen

Lords of the Fallen is a unique take on the Souls-like genre. Lords of the Fallen takes place in a Mournstead that is on the brink of collapse. The player, referred to in the game as the Lampbearer, has to travel between the material and Umbral world as they take on the hellish new challenges throughout the land. The game features an excellent combat system that gives players a greater level of freedom in how they tackle enemies.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection

Featuring Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: Lost Legacy, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is a bundle that tells the story of the final adventure of series protagonist Nathan Drake, as well as a side adventure featuring characters that Drake has encountered throughout his different games – Chloe Frazer from Uncharted 2 and Nadine Ross from Uncharted 4. While featuring the same over the top action that the series is well-regarded for, the duo of Uncharted games in the bundle also feature their own unique twists in the series, including the addition of a small, open world in Uncharted: Lost Legacy where players have more freedom to take on objectives in a variety of different ways.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human

Taking place in a time well after the zombie apocalypse has ravaged mankind, Dying Light 2: Stay Human puts players in the shoes of Aiden Caldwell, who finds himself in the city of Villedor in search of his missing sister. The game features a number of new gameplay mechanics over its predecessor, supplementing the melee combat and parkour-based movement with a variety of new abilities, including a glider and a grappling hook that greatly increases the mobility offered to players. The game also got a series of DLC releases, each of which added new gameplay elements as well as new story content for players to experience and earn epic loot in.

Ghostwire: Tokyo

A single-player action-horror title, Ghostwire: Tokyo is an interesting game thanks to the unique look it offers players with Tokyo’s famous Shibuya district. The city has been struck by a strange fog that has allowed spirits to roam its streets, and the protagonist, Akito, finds himself torn between the living and dead thanks to the machinations of the spirit KK. The game features a dense open-world where players can explore the various nooks and crannies of Shibuya to their heart’s content, while also taking on malicious spirits with a host of spiritual weapons. The game also got a DLC in the form of Spider’s Thread, which brought with it a new map, along with new abilities, and even a new roguelite game mode.

Grand Theft Auto V

Sure, the game might be more than a decade old at this point, but few other titles out there can provide players with the same experience as Grand Theft Auto 5. The single-player campaign of the game puts players in the shoes of Michael, Trevor and Franklin as they pull off a series of escalating heists, all of which ultimately pits them against more conspiratorial forces, while also making each one of the characters question their loyalty to each other. GTA 5 also features the multiplayer Grand Theft Auto Online mode, which allows players to become the ultimate crime boss in Los Santos, while also teaming up with, or fighting off other players with similar aspirations.

Sword and Fairy: Together Forever

A unique take in the RPG genre that makes use of the developers’ East-Asian influences, Sword and Fairy: Together Forever sets players free in a world that mixes classical Asian aesthetics with ancient stories. The game features a whole party of unique characters, each with their own personalities, motivations, and abilities, as they take on the massive challenges that will ultimately decide the fate of the game’s world. Despite being the latest entry in a long-running franchise, Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is meant to be a good point of entry for newcomers to the series, featuring a standalone story that doesn’t rely on a player’s knowledge of the previous titles.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is the first mainline entry in the classic platforming franchise since all the way back in the PSOne days. Featuring the return of classic mascot character in Crash Bandicoot and his friends, the game involves players trying to fix a hole in the space-time continuum that was caused due to the events of Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped. The game features excellent platforming gameplay that players expect from the series, along with new gameplay mechanics, as well as incredibly trippy visuals.

A Plague Tale: Requiem

A follow-up to A Plague Tale: Innocence, Requiem once again puts players in the shoes of Amicia and Hugo de Rune in their journey through hell. The game picks up right where its predecessor left off, with the two siblings trying to find the cure for the ailment Hugo is suffering from. A Plague Tale: Requiem will have players fight and sneak their way through plague-infested locations, while making use of Amicia’s new abilities thanks to her experience in dealing with fraught situations in the first game. And the rat hordes…those are hordes are absolutely massive this time around.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Although admittedly not Bioware’s best work, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a decent action role playing game that will give you dozens of hours of gameplay. Sure, the game has issues but it features excellent combat mechanics, beautiful graphics and great looking environments that are filled with details. If the developer had put in more work into the game, The Veilguard would have surely been a better game but as it stands right now, it’s a fine single player experience that is fun in more ways than one.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Expectation was moderate following Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s announcement, perhaps given the mediocracy of Assassins Creed’s side-scrolling Chronicles games, but The Lost Crown, in fact, will be remembered as a modern platforming masterpiece. Deep combat, enthralling, satisfying platforming, and time manipulation powers to unleash upon a host of enemies render this action-adventure game an exhilarating must play.

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