Best Xbox Games of 2021

Forza Horizon 5 is like a greatest hits compilation of the entire Forza Horizon series. From the opening seconds when you're dropped from a cargo plan... Read More

A game that provides a healthy dollop of pathos with its co-operative fun, It Takes Two is an unadulterated shot of joy brimming with inventive puzzle... Read More

If you've never played a Mass Effect game before, you can consider purchasing the Legendary Edition an absolute no-brainer. If you fancy revisiting Bi... Read More

While it's a shame that classic cars have been nixed this year, F1 2021 is nonetheless an exhilarating racing game brimming with compelling modes and ... Read More

A lovingly crafted dungeon crawler brimming with personality, Death's Door combines robust, rewarding combat with equally gratifying metroidvania expl... Read More

Hades is an excellent action game that allows players to find progression even in death. Roguelikes are normally known for their high level of difficu... Read More

Life Is Strange: True Colors is a return to form for the franchise, which delivers a captivating story from start to finish, one that will see you go... Read More

While Halo Infinite's campaign structure is new territory for the series, and will likely divide opinion, it tells a good story, and creates moments t... Read More

If you’ve spent hundreds of hours with Kazuma Kiryu over the years, then the conclusion to his sprawling arc in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life won’t disap... Read More

We'll be damned if this isn't another fine Call of Duty game. The solo campaign is excellent, multiplayer delivers on practically all fronts, and Zomb... Read More

Art of Rally is an unbridled joy, its Career Mode and free roam options, in particular, providing hours of rally driving nirvana in an appealing packa... Read More

We may have been waiting a decade and a half for a sequel, but Double Fine’s efforts haven’t been in vain - Psychonauts 2 is an energetic, imaginative... Read More

While it has one or two irksome flaws, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is, nonetheless, a fine solo experience, with characters that you'll enjoy spe... Read More

The third act is often the hardest, and with Hitman 3, IO Interactive has managed, somehow, to mix things up and make it feel fresh. Some will celebra... Read More

Layers of Fear showed early promise, Blair Witch demonstrated that Bloober could resurrect a dormant movie license to great effect, and Observer saw t... Read More

If you're a Yakuza fan, you've probably already bought Judgment in your head. If you're not, then this is a great place to start, Yagami's hardboiled ... Read More

If you need additional proof that developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is a master of its craft, then look no further. Though slightly flawed in places, Los... Read More

A cracking little arcade racer from a studio better acquainted with motorcycle sims, Hot Wheels Unleashed is like sticking both hands into a big toy b... Read More

FIFA 22 offers a slower, more deliberate game of football on the pitch, and that's a good thing. But with minimal investment in new modes or updates t... Read More

Expertly aping past glories, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is a definitive compendium of remastered classics, stuffed to the gills with bonus modes,... Read More

Alan Wake is a fantastic game, while Alan Wake Remastered remains just a great port. Yes, it loses something with the new shiny visuals and a few thin... Read More

A blistering return to zombie-slaying nirvana, Back 4 Blood is an excellent spiritual follow-up to Left 4 Dead that ticks almost all of the right boxe... Read More

A definite improvement over Steep, thanks to the Mass Races and the new bike discipline, but Ubisoft Annecy has still got a lot of work to do if it wa... Read More

While Jurassic World Evolution marked a rock-solid dry run for Frontier's prehistoric theme park management sim, Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a meani... Read More

Quite possibly developer Frogwares’ most accomplished crack at the iconic detective yet, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One combines a compelling story, deta... Read More

A Short Hike is a wonderfully chill little game that can easily be finished in the space of an afternoon, combining clever traversal mechanics with a ... Read More

Fun and accessible, yet deep and detailed, Evil Genius 2: World Domination is pure fantasy fulfilment for anyone who has ever quite fancied being Erns... Read More

An endearing and impeccably-made reboot of a Capcom classic, Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection not only looks really good, but it doesn't compromise on a... Read More

Going rather heavy on its convoluted, nutty storyline, Scarlet Nexus delivers on all fronts as far as its combat is concerned, with fast, flexible act... Read More

A thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing voyage of soul-searching self-discovery, Sable is also a rewarding jaunt across an otherworldly desert that involv... Read More

Chorus might ostensibly look like any other space shooter, but, discounting a few annoyances, it has some cool ideas of its own, and frenetic action t... Read More

The Gunk is a difficult game to label, but an easy one to enjoy. Whether you’re sucking up a load of the titular gunk to help bring an alien world bac... Read More

A welcome revamp to a more than decade-old cult classic, NieR Replicant ver.122474487139... will be equally inviting to Automata fans, NieR veterans, ... Read More

An esoteric little gem, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is an enormously enjoyable RPG-building sandbox hybrid that deserves time and attention.... Read More

Simplistic it may be, but there's an inherent charm to The Big Con that proves infectious. A sweet, coming-of-age yarn that happens to involve a lot o... Read More

A fine remaster of a good 3D Sonic game, Sonic Colours: Ultimate delivers speedy thrills aplenty, with its rainbow of Wisps injecting a smart twist to... Read More

As solid as it’s ever been on the court, NBA 2K22 is still an astonishingly good sports game, but its continued reliance on cynical microtransactions ... Read More

Biomutant is a scrappy and charming open world RPG, but despite its many systems and gameplay mechanics, there isn't enough depth and direction to mak... Read More

A grim, dystopian future shock, The Ascent is an action-packed ARPG brimming with guns and ultra-violence. It's enormous fun, especially in co-op, but... Read More

Battlefield 2042 is DICE’s most average Battlefield yet, one that despite boasting two new modes to discover in Hazard Zone and Battlefield Portal, cl... Read More

If you've ever dreamt of owning your own farm, or simply ploughing, fertilising, spraying, and cultivating someone else's land, then Farming Simulator... Read More

Despite contriving its fair share of unsettling moments, Little Nightmares II is a disappointing follow-up to one of 2017's most pleasant surprises. I... Read More

Enjoyable in a mad, pantomime sort of way, Resident Evil Village feels like a pretty significant step back from Resident Evil VII, and a toe back into... Read More

Credit where credit is due to Team17 for trying something different. While not necessarily a roaring success nor an abject failure, Worms Rumble guara... Read More

While not bad enough to be nuked from orbit, Aliens: Fireteam Elite regrettably falls short of what I'd hoped for from the franchise, especially seven... Read More

Buried beneath Lake's innumerable mundane tasks are some really cool characters and stories. It’s just a shame you have to dig deep to really reach th... Read More

A messy remaster of three genre-defining open worlds, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition fails in giving GTA III, Vice City, and S... Read More

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood fails to satisfy as a stealth game or a brawler, and is let down by poor AI and shoddy presentation. At its best... Read More

Boasting solid combat marred by a woolly lock-on system and repetitive objectives, Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is, nonetheless, a mostly enjoyab... Read More

It looks lovely and plays well enough, But Greak: Memories of Azur is hamstrung by awkward puzzles, maddening boss battles, and annoying backtracking ... Read More