Hauntii review – a ghost searches for understanding in the afterlife in this imaginative debut
What is Manor Lords? The medieval city-building game that sold a million copies in a single day
March 2024
Alone in the Dark review – Jodie Comer and David Harbour can’t save this soporific horror
The stars are lost in a swamp of poor writing and buggy combat in this wearisome reimagining of the 1992 survival classic
December 2023
Video games and musical theatre: 2023’s most unlikely crossover?
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora review - welcome to the jungle, it’s yours to reclaim
October 2023
Alan Wake 2 review – a confidently strange horror thriller
With two protagonists exploring different worlds, this thriller is a thoroughly entertaining blend of detective procedural and narrative weirdness
September 2023
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty review: excellent expansion enhances an overhauled game
CD Projekt’s stylish RPG has undergone a radical transformation, and the expansion starring Idris Elba makes the best of the game’s new features
June 2023
‘I’m terrified’: Nightdive Studios boss on remaking System Shock
CEO Stephen Kick tells the eight-year story of his firm’s ambitious reboot of a lost sci-fi horror gaming classic
May 2023
System Shock review – you versus a murderous AI in revived sci-fi horror classic
Lovingly remade, this game is no longer the trailblazer it once was, but there is an enduring majesty to the design of its space-station setting
Top 10s
The 10 best Star Wars video games
From thrilling space combat simulators to spectacular Jedi adventures, these are the best video games from a galaxy far, far away
Redfall review – vampire shooter is sucked dry of fun
Despite occasional flourishes, Arkane’s latest game feels fundamentally at odds with itself
April 2023
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor review – the best Star Wars game in 20 years
Respawn Entertainment’s sequel is a huge improvement over Jedi: Fallen Order, and a virtual blockbuster without compromise
Tron: Identity review: moody sci-fi detective game is all light, no cycle
This visual novel spins a passable yarn in a noirish atmosphere, but would benefit from more space to explore it
The Last Worker review – unconvincing takedown of capitalist megastructures lacks conviction
Set in an Amazon-like fulfilment centre, this satirical adventure has interesting ideas but fails to adequately explore them
March 2023
Cults, prophecies and helpless villagers galore: Diablo 4 is back to its moody goth best
What is Sons of the Forest, the cannibal survival game that sold 2m copies in a day?
February 2023
Dead Space review – an intensely horrible sci-fi classic returns
This remake of 2008’s urgent sci-fi horror from Visceral Games resists big changes in favour of some laser-focused improvements
December 2022
2022 in Culture
The video games you may have missed in 2022
Run an arcade, oversee an archeological dig, kill people on rollerskates or play the trombone – our critics pick some deep cuts from the year in games
November 2022
‘You can blow cyborg Thatcher up with a rocket launcher’: the video games lampooning Britain’s cursed politics
Combining satire with simulation and working-class viewpoints, a suite of games is currently exploring the causes and consequences of Britain’s political and economic crises.
October 2022
A Plague Tale: Requiem review – rat-infested sequel raises stakes and spectacle
Asobo’s medieval adventure sequel is bigger, bleaker and more battle-scarred, but suffers from uneven storytelling
