2022 is almost over, so it’s time for an epic question: What were our best games this year? We deliberated for a while and came up with a list that includes what we think are the best games of this year!
All week long, we’ll have a post from one of our writers detailing the best games we played this year on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Please keep in mind that we didn’t play all of this year’s releases!
After you’re done reading this list, please be sure to tell us about your best games for this year in the comments below!
On my end, I usually play independent releases and generally play AAA blockbusters a year or two later, so I’ll let other reviewers discuss those AAA games! Between the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch, we had a lot of games to choose from, so without further ado, here are our best games for this year!
My Game of the Year: Young Souls
(PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch)
Young Souls is an amazing beat ’em up X RPG hybrid that is easy to recommend to players looking for a good single-player and local multiplayer game with a great story. The art style is outstanding, and I loved exploring the dungeons. You can also play this one in short 10-20 minute bursts and make some solid progress, which is also great for when you only have a bit of time for a gaming session. Once I had earned my Platinum trophy, I started a new game a few hours later in local multiplayer with my wife, who had been drawn to the experience by its visuals. Do be aware of how this one is Rated M for Mature, but the game does offer a profanity filter, in case you want to play it with younger gamers.
Honorable Mention: Potion Permit
(PS4/PS5 Cross-Buy, and Nintendo Switch)
I really had to consider if Potion Permit would be my GOTY or if it would be my second-best game this year. This is the game I played the most this year (42 hours strong!), and I got obsessed with its gameplay mechanics. The only reason why it fell in second place is because of how grindy Potion Permit is. Other than that, it is a very good game that is easy to recommend!
Potion Permit is a great experience with a lot to do on a tiny island. You’ll explore the different zones by collecting resources or developing your relationship with all of the NPCs this game has, and each one has its own personality. I had a lot of fun playing and had a hard time putting my controller down, going back for “just one more day” while ending up going to bed way too late at night. I loved the presentation, and the soundtrack was great, but there were a few pacing issues, and you’ll have to grind for a lot of wood and stones to complete your objectives.
Best soundtrack: The Outbound Ghost
(PS4/PS5 Cross-Buy and Nintendo Switch)
I love game music, and since we got a lot of amazing ones this year, I’d like to take a moment to talk about some that you should definitely check out.
The Outbound Ghost is a gorgeous game set in the afterlife where you’ll have to help ghosts to reach the world beyond. I liked the presentation and gameplay, as they reminded me of the Paper Mario series. There were a few performance issues that did drag down the experience – and that’s why this one didn’t manage to get into the final round of my potential GOTY pics.
With that being said, the soundtrack for this game is hands down the best one I heard this year. It was written by Kimmo Savilampi, and it can be purchased directly at Bandcamp. I definitely recommend you check it out!
Honorable soundtrack mention: Cursed to Golf
(PS4/PS5 Cross-Buy, Nintendo Switch)
Cursed to Golf is a unique experience and one that was very fun to play. The trailer sold me on the game, and after getting a chance to take it for a spin on PlayStation 5, I’m here to report that the game certainly delivers. It’s not an easy game, but it does offer a challenging but fair and fun experience by giving us a 2D roguelite golf game!
Other Honorable Mentions
There were a lot of great games released this year, so it was really hard to decide which ones made the cut and which ones didn’t. Here are some other releases, in no particular order, that I recommend you play:
– Star Ocean: The Divine Force, a great JRPG in the long-running franchise from Square-Enix and Tri-Ace. Discovering the world was fun, and the story spans a ton of events. The first half is relatively slow, but the second half of the game makes up for it. It is my second favorite in the franchise, with the best one still being Star Ocean: The Last Hope. This one should take you around 40-45 hours to complete (PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5).
– Freshly Frosted is a colorful puzzle game with donuts that offers a very chill experience you can enjoy at your own pace. New elements are introduced at a slow but steady pace, allowing you to get the hang of things before the next element is added, which helps to keep the whole experience feeling, well, fresh!
Stay tuned for our upcoming post for the best PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch games of 2022, which will go live later this week!
What were YOUR best games this year?
