Ori The Collection (Xbox Series X|S)

An absolutely magical collection of both of Moon Studios' phenomenal Ori games, in Ori: The Collection you're looking at two of the very best platforming experiences available on Xbox, two absolutely engrossing, emotional and, most importantly, fun games that we've returned to multiple times over the past few years.

Both Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Ori and the Blind Forest are amongst the finest examples of the modern platforming genre, weaving slick and inventive gameplay with phenomenal graphical and audio work and narratives that will keep you, and your kids, hooked right through your adventures. These are must-play games!

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes, both games from the collection available separately!

Outer Wilds (Xbox One)

The multi-award winning Outer Wilds has earned a ton of accolades for very good reason. It's a wonderful single player game which is best experienced with no prior knowledge going in, well, perhaps outside of the basic premise that you're tasked with exploring space whilst stuck in a crazy time loop that sees you die and restart, with certain persistent elements remembered each time around. If that's not an intriguing premise, we don't know what is.

Outer Wilds has a beautiful soundtrack, a gorgeous art style, and a central mystery that will keep you invested until the very end. It doesn't hold your hand either, and that's the real beauty of it — you feel in complete control and once the puzzle here has been solved, it's extremely rewarding.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Prey (Xbox One)

2017's claustrophobic sci-fi spectacular, Prey, might not get as much attention as fellow Arkane Studios stablemates Dishonored and Dishonored 2, but believe it when we say this unsettling FPS is every bit as good as those two masterpieces.

With a thoroughly intriguing premise, clever and dynamic gameplay, a stunningly atmospheric setting and some truly unsettling enemies, this is a game many missed first time around, and one you absolutely need to get added to your backlog ASAP.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Series X|S)

Tim Schafer's Double Fine returned in 2021 with a sequel to their 2005 cult classic, Psychonauts, and let's face it, they absolutely nailed pretty much everything they set out to achieve with this one.

Yes, there's definitely a bit of noughties clunk to the platforming here, but the story is so well-written, the world so carefully crafted and expanded upon that which we experienced in the original, and the whole thing is full of so much child-like wonder and genuine emotion, that it's easy to overlook these minor mechanical issues. Psychonauts 2 is an absolute delight, a game that could easily have won our GOTY title for 2021, and a trip that will properly surprise and enthral you, should you choose to take it.

  • Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Rare Replay (Xbox One)

Released back in 2015 to celebrate Rare's 30th anniversary, Rare Replay is a splendid compilation that spans the developer's work across multiple genres and console generations. From the ZX Spectrum right up to the Xbox 360, there's a treasure trove to explore here and it's enhanced by behind the scenes footage, interviews, snapshot and rewind functions, built in cheats and more besides.

Yes, we're missing a couple of biggies (we're sure everyone expects to see Goldeneye when they boot this one up) but there's so much more to dig into here that it's genuinely not that big of a deal in the end. With the likes of Sabre Wulf, R.C. Pro-AM 2, Blast Corps, Battletoads, two Perfect Dark titles, Jet Force Gemini, Killer Instinct, Banjo Kazooie and a whole heap more, this is a fascinating history lesson and boatload of fun-times all rolled into one.

Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Xbox One)

Rockstar's biggest and, we reckon, best game to date is nothing short of jaw-dropping. This incredible western epic thrusts players into the battered boots of Arthur Morgan, one of the great video game characters of all time, as he sets out on a campaign that delivers not just shootouts, stand-offs and all that good cowboy stuff, but great big emotional gut-punches with it.

It feels like there's an actual entire world right here, an amazingly detailed slice of the Wild West that's ripe for almost endless exploration as you saddle up with your posse, which includes plenty of characters who tie the story back to the original Red Dead, and take off on the adventure of a lifetime. If you've yet to dig into this one, well, you're missing out on one of the finest examples of single player video games to date. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a must-play, partner.

  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Resident Evil 2 (Xbox One)

This ground-up remake of Resident Evil 2 is a stunning piece of work that takes the already fantastic original game and turns it into one of the very best horror titles of the modern console age.

Resident Evil 2's Raccoon City Police Department is the star of the show here without a doubt, a labyrinthian puzzle box stuffed full of secrets and deadly foes that looks and sounds absolutely incredible thanks to the power of the brand new RE Engine. Your first playthrough here will leave you aghast at just how spectacular a remake this is, and repeat returns will see you fall into that addictive rhythm of hoovering up secrets, unlocking new weapons and outfits, and shaving vital time off your runs in order to secure the very best ranking possible. Resident Evil 2 is a bonafide modern masterpiece.

  • Xbox Game Pass? No

Resident Evil Village (Xbox Series X|S)

Resident Evil Village may have swapped out zombies for the most part in favour of lycanthropic nasties and vampires, but we reckon the Moroaica are close enough to the shuffling undead that we get away with sticking this latest entry in the franchise in here anyway.

Resident Evil Village delivers some supremely slick action that surprises and delights in equal measure as you investigate its spectacular setting as returning protagonist, Ethan Winters. This 8th game drops the full force, and often stomach-churning, horror of its most immediate predecessor in favour of action that harkens back to Resident Evil 4. It's less claustrophobic, more action-oriented, full of ridiculously OTT set-pieces and we wouldn't have it any other way. With scope for multiple paythroughs in the classic Resi style, this is a super solid addition to the storied franchise that everyone should check out.

  • Xbox Game Pass? No

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Resident Evil Village - Gold Edition (Xbox Series X/S)
Resident Evil Village - Gold Edition (Xbox Series X/S)

Road 96 (Xbox Series X|S)

Every once in a while a video game story just hits you right where you least expect it. Road 96 is one of those very games; an incredibly endearing set of stories focused on a bunch of misfit teens who are merely looking for a better life.

This is a masterpiece in storytelling and, depending on your own experience, you may even find yourself moved by its through line of hope, loss, and the ultimate goal of personal freedom. Road 96 is an education in empathy and it really makes you feel for the folks out there who are scrambling to get their lives in order because of other people's actions. It's not a perfect game — mechanically things could be improved at times — but its story is about as close to perfect as you could ask for, and for that, we recommend it without a shadow of a doubt.

  • Xbox Game Pass? No
Road 96
Road 96

Rogue Legacy 2 (Xbox Series X|S)

Rogue Legacy 2 might not fully escape from the repetition and inherently grindy nature of the roguelike genre but, in giving players more agency and control over how difficult things are through the very clever addition of House Rules this time around, it's evolved into a far more chilled and addictive experience than its already quite excellent predecessor.

There's a ton of top-notch platforming for solo players here that's jam-packed full of clever puzzles and challenges, a menagerie of weird and wonderful enemies, some cracking boss battles and a story that's beefed up and better this time around. With tons of skills, classes, artefacts and other moving parts that help keep any two runs from feeling the same, this is a game we'll be playing for a looooong time and one of our favourites of 2022 so far.

  • Xbox Game Pass? No