Top 10 Best Games of 2022

As 2023 is on our doorstep, I’m feeling the irresistible urge to reflect upon the games I’ve played in 2022. Truth be told, it hasn’t been the greatest year in gaming, with several disappointing AAA games and few unexpected surprises. Nevertheless, there were enough good titles to keep me busy, some of them being nothing short of delightful.

A complete list of every game I’ve played in 2022 would be quite extensive, so I’m sticking with a top 10 of my favourite new releases. Everything counts, as long as it was released in the past year (including early access). Oh, and of course, I can only include games that I’ve actually played. As that doesn’t include God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West, you won’t find them below (sorry, Kratos!).

And with that out of the way, here’s my personal top 10 Best Games of 2022!

10) Lost Ark

This Final-Fantasy-meets-Diablo MMORPG, which has been a hit in South Korea since its 2019 release, finally made its way to the rest of the world in February 2022. I won’t deny that Lost Ark suffers from several common MMO afflictions, such as a long-winded (and at times downright boring) main questline, grindy gameplay, bots, and a poor anti-cheat system, but it also has a lot of things going for it: a massive map, beautiful and varied landscapes, a diverse class system, and tons of different endgame activities. If that’s your thing, then this game is good for hundreds of hours of (free to play!) gaming fun, which is enough reason for me to grant it 10th place.

9) Warhammer 40K Darktide

First-person co-op action game Darktide is a tricky one. At its core, it’s an amazing game: fun classes, a variety of cool weapons, great voice-acting, a stunning sci-fi universe, and the occasional gothic and steampunk vibes (bonus points from me!). However, as a result of an unfinished crafting system, surprise micro-transactions, and about a billion error codes, Warhammer 40K Darktide received mixed reviews upon launch. It feels as if this game suffers from a “we were a tad too ambitious when we designed this” issue, exemplified by the amount of almost-useless character background choices in particular. You see my dilemma here? As I can’t ignore the many hours of fun I’ve had so far, I’ve decided to tip the scales in Darktide’s favour and put it in 9th place.

8) High on Life

Some people love it, some people hate it. Personally, I almost died of laughter after booting up this wacky first-person space shooter for the first time, so I count myself among group one. With so many action shooters out there, I appreciate a game that tries something different. For me, High on Life’s light-hearted sci-fi setting, colourful characters (including a psychotic knife and the good-for-nothing ex-bounty hunter Gene), and stupid jokes were a breath of fresh air. The only reason why I don’t rank it higher on this Best Games of 2022 list, is the somewhat generic and repetitive combat system.

7) Dying Light 2: Stay Human

Zombies, parkour skills, cool post-apocalyptic setting, massive map, plenty of NPCs, a large amount of quests… Yes, Dying Light 2 has all the ingredients of a fun open-world RPG. As I played this one pre-release (see my Dying Light 2 tips to outrun the zombie apocalypse), I had no idea what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised by the scale of the Central Loop map after finishing the first part of the zombie-ridden game. That said, there were a few minor disappointments, such as the lack of real impact from siding with a Faction, the somewhat standard storyline and protagonist, and the lazy combat system. I mean, you can see through walls, know exactly where all the zombies are, and then sneak in and backstab them one by one. Where’s the challenge? Luckily for Dying Light 2, I’m a sucker for post-apocalyptic zombie stuff, so yes; I did have an amazing time just running around town, exploring, questing, and fighting zombies at will.

6) Metal Hellsinger

It’s a shooter-turned-rhythm game featuring demons and actual, proper metal music. Yes, you got that right; Metal Hellsinger has you shooting enemies on the beat, while the likes of Tatiana Shmayluk (Jinjer) and Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity) cheer you on. It’s an ingenious idea, but the biggest surprise? It actually works! Take it from someone without any discernable musical talent; as long as you concentrate on the rhythm of the music, you’ll land those “perfect” hits. It makes for a very rewarding gameplay experience, paired with a gorgeous setting and, above all, amazing songs.

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5) Return to Monkey Island

While I wasn’t around for the first round of Guybrush Threepwood’s adventures, I was lucky enough to discover the series in my teens, and I have to admit that I feel conflicted. On the one hand, I absolutely adore this game for its witty point-and-click adventure, jokes, and swashbuckling pirate world. On the other hand, I don’t think it’s as good as previous Monkey Island games, mainly due to the unsurprising storyline and easy puzzle solutions (or perhaps my problem-solving skills have improved -that’s also a possibility). As long as I don’t compare it to the pirate world of old though, I can safely call Return to Monkey Island one of the best games I’ve played in 2022.

4) Vampire Survivors

This roguelike indie game is a dwarf next to my number 1 pick, which makes it all the more impressive that it managed to captivate so many gamer-hearts, including mine. This tiny shoot ’em up dumps the player right in the midst of a never-ending onslaught of vampires, zombies, and similar monstrosities, equipped with nothing but a starting weapon, and in true roguelike fashion, you need to constantly upgrades your armour, weapons, and abilities in an attempt to put off death (which, ultimately, is always going to be your faith). Don’t think that you’ll be stuck on that first patch of greenery for the remainder of the game -without spoiling anything else, there’ll be plenty of surprises along the way.

3) Raft

A new crafting-survival game is always welcome in my collection, but there’s one thing that often bothers me; once I’ve built the home of my dreams, I usually leave that area, never to return. Jaws-meets-environmental-apocalypse game Raft takes care of that by dropping you on a tiny piece of wood, which then becomes your floating home for the rest of the game. Turn the tiny raft into a luxurious yacht as you explore the ocean, looking to find what’s left of humanity while fighting off a rather persistent shark. All of that, plus the surprisingly intriguing storyline, makes Raft a brilliant take on a well-worn genre, and hands down one of the best games of 2022.

2) Pentiment

One look at this stunning piece of 2D art should be enough to convince you that it’s among the best games of 2022. As a murder-mystery role-playing adventure game set in sixteenth-century Bavaria, Pentiment has all the history, suspense, and fascinating characters you could ask for. Trust me, just walking around the town of Tassing and talking to the baker, midwife, or douchebag miller is very entertaining. Even though player choices didn’t have a massive impact on the story’s ending, it was incredibly fun (and at times difficult) to decide the fates of the townspeople. I also appreciated the detailed skill options, which allowed me to choose between studying medicine, learning occult practices, reading a ridiculous amount of books, and more. I assure you; pick up this game and you won’t rest until you’ve figured out the mystery, experiencing a multitude of unexpected twists and turns as you go.

Honourable Mentions

Before we move on to the winner of my personal Game of the Year 2022 award, there are a few titles that deserve a spotlight, even if they didn’t make my top 10. I loved playing as a shrunken kid in Grounded‘s large insect survival world, just like I loved V Rising‘s top-down gothic survival experience. Especially in the case of V Rising, the grinding and the familiar crafting/survival formula kept me from playing it more.

I also loved fighting in Warner Bros’ MultiVersus fighting game, which is basically Super Smash Bros but with Bugs Bunny and Arya Stark instead of Pikachu. For a healthy dose of scares and gore, I had Evil Dead: The Game at my disposal. Neither are groundbreaking in terms of originality, but still great games.

Finally, here’s a shoutout to Slime Rancher 2, which is just too adorable and addictive. Unfortunately, since I’ve only started playing it this Christmas holiday, I can’t judge it well enough to rank it on my best games of 2022 list, hence the honourable mention.

And the best game of 2022 is…

Overwatch 2!!

Kidding, of course 😉 That was my best joke of 2022. My 2022 Game of the Year is…

1) Elden Ring

How could it not be? Elden Ring may not be the most original choice as my personal Best Game of 2022, but I’ve had such a blast galloping through the deadly wastelands on my trusty steed (Horse? Goat? Grasshopper-donkey? I’m still not sure) that I can’t deny this epic open-world action RPG the number one spot. As this decision doesn’t require much further explanation, I’ll keep it short: the Lands Between are gorgeous, chock-full of surprises, and brimming with interesting boss fights. I thoroughly enjoyed my new-found freedom, which I definitely missed in previous Souls games. I’m certain that my fellow Tarnished will recognize the euphoria I felt upon finally defeating mighty opponents like Margit the Fell Omen. It’s a sensation I plan to come back for many, many times.

And that concludes my Best Games of 2022 list. Happy gaming in 2023!!