Overwatch is ready to join the likes of Quake and Team Fortress 2 in the pantheon of greats.
GTA 5 can be depraved, amoral, sickeningly violent and childishly desperate to shock, yet it's also one of the richest and deepest games ever made, with an ambitious three-stranded storyline that holds so many disparate parts together.
A near-perfect arcade racer, with gorgeous graphics, beautiful scenery and some of the best on-road and off-road driving around. With Forza 5's guts still inside it, you can make Horizon 2 as arcade-easy or demanding as you choose, and throughout the game shows a level of flair and invention that leaves its would-be rivals choking dust. It might not be the best racing game we'll see this year, but it sets a fearsomely high benchmark for others to beat.
It might be shorter – as reflected in the price – but The Lost Legacy is a great Uncharted and a dazzling example of a studio at the top of its game. To be honest, I wouldn't have believed that Chloe and Nadine could make such fantastic, sympathetic protagonists or that Naughty Dog could stretch the formula out for another 10 hours, yet it has and I loved every minute.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the new RPG by which all other RPGs should be judged. Not only has CD Projekt Red deliverered the largest and most convincing fantasy open-world we’ve ever seen, but a storyline, quests and systems that make it an incredibly compelling place to run, ride and sail around in.
This isn't just a worthy sequel to Titanfall, but one that improves upon the original while adding a superb single-player campaign. The latter combines fast-paced action, pilot acrobatics, heavyweight Titan warfare and a surprising amount of heart in one of the most enjoyable solo storylines of the year.
Dishonored 2 honours its brilliant predecessor and then goes on to surpass it, delivering one of the richest game worlds and some of the strongest levels you'll have encountered in any game for donkey's years.
Against all odds, Mortal Kombat X can take on the best of Capcom and Namco and hold its corner. While the core fighting isn't quite as fluid, it's smart, inventive and a lot of fun, while the brilliant story mode, Factions meta-game and additional game modes should keep you coming back for months to come. Easily the best Mortal Kombat yet, it's the first that can go toe-to-toe with Tekken and Streetfighter without going down.
Terrifying, tense and almost unbearable, this is the Alien adaptation you've always dreamed of. It's not quite flawless and the hide-and-seek gameplay can be tough going, but few other movie tie-ins work so hard to capture not just the look of the film, but the emotion and the pacing. It's also the scariest game since the original Dead Space. Consider yourself warned.
Not just the definitive version of Diablo III, but the best action RPG on next gen consoles – even if the competition isn't exactly fierce. Diablo III: Reaper of souls - Ultimate Edition is slick, gorgeous and ferociously addictive, even if the minute-to-minute gameplay is one-note. It's all-absorbing played solo, but virtually unbeatable as a co-op action RPG.
The visual upgrades are more modest than you might expect, but the extra definition and detail and the enhanced effects make The Last of Us even more stunning and richly cinematic, while the steady frame rate improves the gameplay. There's probably not enough of a difference to justify buying the same game twice, but if you have a PS4 and haven't played The Last of Us, then you can consider this edition a must-buy.
Yoshi's Woolly World is Nintendo doing what it does best, then proving that it still does that thing better than just about anyone else. It's a smart, imaginative and beautifully constructed platform game that scales up for the hardcore and down for the most casual gamer, while packing in so many ideas and so much heart that anyone should have a brilliant time. More than just a pretty platformer, it's right up there with the finest on Wii U.
Don't listen to the cynics and the moaners: Titanfall was a great multiplayer shooter last year and it's even better now. Its innovative movement and Titan mechanics put many more recent shooters in the shade, and it's as fast-paced and addictive as ever. If you've just bought an Xbox One this Christmas, put it on your shopping list right away, and on PC it's an absolute bargain. Titanfall might not be the deepest, richest or most tactical competitive FPS around, but it's easily one of the most entertaining.
Hearthstone does for collectible card games what World of Warcraft did for MMOs: taking a niche genre and transforming it into a mainstream-friendly hit that's primed for success. It's hugely accessible and incredibly enjoyable, even when you're getting crushed, yet there are layers upon layers of strategy to be explored. If you haven't tried Hearthstone yet, then do so - just don't blame us if you can't give it up.
It this is the end of the Arkham series, Rocksteady leaves it on a high note. This is an even bigger and more epic game than Arkham City, but one which luxuriates in the details and doesn't lose track of what makes the Dark Knight such a powerful protagonist. We could pick faults in the tedious Batmobile battling or the way the gameplay hasn't evolved, but that wouldn't do the game justice. Powerful, thrilling and ambitious, this is one of the best games on PS4 and Xbox One.
For once a long-awaited sequel is superior to the original game. Not content with being the best all-action blockbuster on Wii U, Bayonetta 2 is a high-water mark for the epic brawler as a genre, sitting right up there with Devil May Cry and God of War 2 in the pantheon of greats. It's so ultra-violent, innuendo-packed and sweary that it's hard to believe its running on Nintendo, but all credit to them and to the team at Platinum; the Wii U can boast another of the year's finest games.
Thrilling, moving, exhilarating and ambitious, A Thief's End is a storming climax to the Nathan Drake saga. If it's the last of its breed, it's one of the best.
While it's possible to be disappointed by the lack of new material, The Nathan Drake collection makes three of the PS3's finest games one of the best things you can buy for PS4. Bluepoint's upgrades drag the visuals straight into the next-gen era, while subtle improvements to the gameplay make the first Uncharted even stronger.
Break it down and The Witness is nothing more than variations of the same simple maze puzzle, spread across a gorgeous island setting.
XCOM 2's brand of tactical strategy might have its roots in the golden age of PC gaming, but its sights are set square on building a future. By limiting your reliance on safe, defensive play styles and pushing you to work quickly and attack, Firaxis has built one of the most tense, demanding and addictive strategy games ever, where every choice has repercussions and every soldier, every victory counts. If you buy it, clear your schedule: this one will keep you gripped for months.