The best video games of 2022, so far

2022 is not overdue.

The quarter that began in 2022 is a tsunami of game releases, be it because there are shifting release schedules, less reliance upon the retail sector, or delays from the COVID-19 epidemic, has been chaotic. We’ve caught Pokémon. We’ve led demon armies. We’ve parkour’ed our asses off. And there’s no end in sight — the rest of March is just as varied in its genre trappings, from developers big and small, on just as many platforms, as the preceding months.

Even so, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to help you start separating the wheat from the chaff — to recommend our favorite games from the slew of ambitious titles that release as the months go by. We’ll be updating this page throughout the year, with the most recent releases toward the top, so you can stay up to date with all of the excitement (or at least, as up to date as possible). We’ll also be doing the same for the best movies, the best anime, the best TV shows, and the best science fiction and fantasy books of 2022.

Elden Ring

Image via Polygon: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco

Numerous games have tried to emulate the explorative wonder of 2017’s The Legend of Zelda – Breath of The Wild However Elden Ring It is the very first successful game. With a landscape that will take years to fully decipher, it is every bit the kind of game we’ve come to expect from developer From Software: mysterious, impenetrable, and ultimately rewarding. But its open-world trappings reframe much of the brutality of those games, and don’t detract from their challenges, but rather, encourage incremental progress over brute force. It’s not 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. It’s a wonderful game. —Mike Mahardy

Elden RingThis is for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Windows PC), Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

Destiny 2: Witch Queen

Image: Bungie

Destiny’s journey has been difficult since 2014. There have been rocky releases, pandemics around the world, and sales to PlayStation. So it’s almost a miracle that, eight years along, Destiny 2: Witch QueenThis is one of the greatest things to happen in the history of the series. With a new campaign, a new location, new weapons, and new powers, it’s Continue readingIt’s Destiny. But it’s also Destiny without the qualifiers, or the conversations that are spoken with not a small amount of yearning: “Imagine how good 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, it’s finally paying off. —Ryan Gilliam

Destiny 2: Witch QueenThis feature is also available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Windows PC), Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Google Stadia.

Lost Ark

Smilegate RPG/Amazon Games Image

Lost ArkThis is quite an achievement. Its outstanding class design and excellent ARPG gameplay would already be enough to set it apart from many of this year’s games, but it’s also a content gold mine. The MMO, originally released in Korea in 2019, was adapted to North America and Europe this year. Its endgame content is exceptional for its genre (a rarity). The MMO is still available for download. Lost Ark’s already extremely rewarding in its own right, developer Smilegate RPG is promising more endgame content and new classes in the near future. It seems as if there’s still an exciting road ahead. —Austen Goslin

Lost ArkWindows PC users can access it.

Strange Horticulture

Image: Bad Vikings/Iceberg teractive

In Strange HorticultureYou can 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. They can be used to focus your attention or make you sick. It’s a simple game that’s executed with the utmost attention to detail. Through customer gossip, and the discovery of plants via an in-game map, you can create a bizarre, occult tale while running this plant shop. Strange Horticulture is short — it took just over five hours to complete — but it was one of the more impactful games I played this year. —Nicole Carpenter

Strange HorticultureWindows PC users can access it.

Total War: Warhammer 3

Image: Creative Assembly/Sega

There are both ambitious and simple games. ambitious games. Total War: Warhammer 3 It is the former. It has a map that is more expansive than its predecessors and launched with eight fantasy groups, each one stranger and grandiose. It’s also exceedingly weird,As the trilogy’s final chapter is completed, it refuses restraint and pushes the limits. This transports players into ethereal Chaos Realms. Then, it returns them to their homeland to defeat diseased goliaths or shapeshifting demon-lords. It is as far from a safe third installment as we’ve seen since Hitman 3. If the DLC roadmap for Total War: Warhammer 2 If history is any guide, it’s likely that the next couple of years will be even more strange. —Mike Mahardy

Total War: Warhammer 3Available on Windows PC and Mac as well via PC Game Pass.

Horizon Forbidden West

Image: Guerrilla Games/Sony Interactive Entertainment via Polygon

The sequel to 2017’s excellent post-apocalyptic Horizon Zero Dawn is already one of the year’s best. Horizon Forbidden West The sequel takes the best parts of the original and offers more: more weapons, settlements, traversal possibilities, and more. It starts a bit slow, and can take a while to introduce some of its more creative gadgets — but it gets better and better as you unlock more tools for your arsenal. Aloy is able to glide over mountains and swim in the most arid waters, as well as explore landmarks on the west coast of America. This game’s gorgeous open world feels like a gift, and it’s easy to sink hours into exploring every gorgeous corner. The character writing and the world-building are excellent, and make this a game well worth your time. —Nicole Clark

Horizon Forbidden WestAvailable on the 4th and 5th of May

OlliOlli World

Image by Roll7/Private Department

OlliOlli World, by Roll7, is fast-paced, colorful, and a real challenge — a gorgeous celebration of skateboarding and its culture. It’s also goofy and perfectly earnest, too, with more similarities to Adventure Time than Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. In one moment, I’m doing a stalefish grab over aliens dancing in their underpants, and in the next, I’m racing a bear in a tube on a river. Though it’s fun and silly, it’s also Thank youIt’s hard work. To excel you need to master precise-based buttons and flicks that push your limits. —Nicole Carpenter

OlliOlli WorldThis app is now available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Windows PC), Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch.

Dying Light 2

Image: Techland

Immersive payoff Keep Humanity Alive by Dying LightIt requires some time and effort. The plodding story pacing isn’t helped by some of the reversals and outright nullifications that can happen later, either. But the game’s first-person parkour and combat gameplay are stand-up delights. However much time you choose to spend in the vast, locked-down city of Villedor, you won’t be bored by any of it. Aiden Caldwell is a compelling and powerful role-playing character. He has multiple storylines, makes decisions with irrevocable consequences and can use two perk trees to make his athletic abilities even more thrilling. —Owen S. Good

Dying Light 2This is for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Windows PC), Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

Vampire Survivors

Photo: Poncle

Vampire Survivors is a simple game, but it shouldn’t be dismissed. It is a gripping game that has been hidden behind retro graphics and a low price. There’s only one method of input in Vampire Survivors — movement — and it’s your goal to survive for 30 minutes while picking up weapons that automatically attack for you. My whip is used to slash enemies in the vicinity every two seconds or less, and my character uses a timer to lob axes. 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 end. I’ve completed countless runs already this year, and I’ve unlocked all the new tools I can. But Vampire Survivors is one of the only games that keeps me playing just for the sheer fun of it, “wasting” 30 minutes every night as bigger and more sprawling games pass me by. —Ryan Gilliam

Vampire SurvivorsIt is accessible on Windows PC and Mac as well as via the web browser.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Image: Game Freak/Nintendo, The Pokémon Company

That is to say Pokémond Legends: Arceus To say that it was long overdue would be an understatement. In fact, I’ve fully embraced the Dunkey joke that this is actually the second Pokémon game ever made. It gracefully streamlines so many of the series’ tedious aspects (the mere act of catching Pokémon in real time is now satisfying as hell) that it’s a wonder Game Freak hasn’t tried this before. It’s also the first game in which I actually care about filling out the Pokédex, complete with each creature’s challenges and research tasks. It feels less like a hamfisted series of turn-based battles, and more like a contemplative, sometimes terrifying adventure into the wilderness to sate my collector’s appetite. —Mike Mahardy

Pokémon Legends: ArceusIt is now available for purchase on the Nintendo Switch

The World is not Saved by Anyone

Image: Drinkbox Studios

The World is not Saved by AnyoneThis is a very strange video game that has shaped my life. It’s a game all about shapeshifting — unlocking new powers to build yourself into the perfect weapon for the job, or a very specific tool needed to solve a single puzzle. It’s about exploration and experimentation. It’s funny and interesting, and, above all else, it’s deeply clever. It’s hard to believe that there are so many major games in a single year. The World is not Saved by AnyoneIt seems so small. But great things often come in small packages, and I won’t be forgetting Drinkbox Studios’ latest anytime soon. —Ryan Gilliam

The World is not Saved by AnyoneIt is accessible on Windows PC and Xbox One through Game Pass.

Wordle

Photo by Michael McWhertor/Polygon

Similar Animal Crossing New Horizons Before it Wordle’s biggest strength is its communal power. The simple puzzle allows users to enjoy a 24 hour refresh and allow them to rejoice, criticize, pontificate, or even complain about one thing. It is a simple, yet harmless thing to do every day on social media and at your local bar. This has been a lightning rod for both heated debates and thoughtful arguments. The thing has caused me to be insufferably clever one day and reminded me the next. Very dumb The next. It has also single handedly reignited my family’s text thread. Who among us will ever forget the day they encountered the word “vivid?” —Mike Mahardy

WordleAvailable via web browser Here.