We show you the best games of 2022 released so far, updated every month.
A new game has been added to the list of the best games of 2022, and it may be one of the most eagerly anticipated games in recent years. Fortunately, Elden Ring comes up to the hype. This year, there will be a lot of huge games to watch, and this list will help you keep track of what you really must play on each platform.
After a year beset by pandemic delays and console shortages, it appears that 2022 will be the year for the PS5 and Xbox Series X to deliver exclusive titles that fully exploit their capabilities. Nintendo’s Switch and PC platforms are also not slouching, ready to take on Microsoft and Sony at every turn.
We use our own review scores to separate out the best games for every month of the year so far, and we update the list every month so you’ll always know what you need to play next. Want to see what might make it on to the list next? Check all the new games of 2022 (and beyond) to get excited about.
February Game of the Month – Elden Ring
Platform(s): PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One and PC
Review score: 5 Stars
Elden Ring turned out to be well worth the wait. By bringing the DNA of games like Dark Souls to a larger, more expansive world with poisonous wetlands and intimidating mountain fortresses, the FromSoftware adventure earns full marks. Torrent, your new horse companion, allows you the opportunity to explore and avoid conflicts you’d prefer avoid, making this FromSoftware game a little more approachable, if not empirically easier. The monsters and bosses of this world are just as psychologically scarring in both their design and difficulty as ever, and Souls fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
February Game of the Month (Runner-up) – Horizon Forbidden West
Platform(s): PS4 and PS5
Review score: 4.5 Stars
Horizon Forbidden West is a big follow-up to the 2017 PlayStation exclusive Horizon, which finds an older, wiser Aloy exploring uncharted land. You’ll be able to play on a new landscape with side missions, new mechanical monsters to kill and tame, and new skills like the diving mask. It’s a great extension of the mechanics that made the first such a compelling new PlayStation series, and the neon lights of a devastated Vegas and the beaches of San Francisco really show off the PS5’s potential.
January Game of the Month – Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Review score: 4.5 Stars
Pokemon Legends: Arceus puts the monsters front and center, shifting the focus away from defeating other trainers in gyms and toward the tried-and-true Pokemon concept of “must collect ’em all.” Instead of just wanting to smash in the faces of your Pokemon squad for clout, you’ll follow a story and NPCs will show up with their own needs as you explore the location of Hisui. Although the game’s visuals aren’t always as amazing as they could be, Pokemon Legends: Arceus is otherwise the ideal Pokemon fan experience, with a fuller narrative and plenty to discover.
January Game of the Month (Runner-up) – Rainbow Six Extraction
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X
Review score: 3.5 Stars
Rainbow Six Extraction is a horror spin on the Rainbow Six Siege PvE tactical shooter, sending you throughout the United States to take on the Archaeans, parasitic alien beings who haven’t come to Earth to discover what it has to offer. While it lacks some narrative depth and still feels like a rushed version of Siege’s 2018 Outbreak mode, there are moments of genuine horror and co-op mayhem to appreciate. Rainbow Six Extraction has the potential to be a fantastic game if Ubisoft follows through on its promise to keep adding to the game.
