Every last RPS Bestest Best review of 2022
A big ol' list of the games we've given the coveted bestest bests badge to this year
I've been looking back over an entire year of RPS reviews and, well, we've written a lot. Over the past twelve months, the RPS treehouse and our merry band of freelancers have reviewed 168 games in total - and that includes early access reviews, PC-port reviews, group reviews, reviews-in-progresses, and your common or garden fully-fledged reviews. 168! Damn. Even though game releases are still suffering from pandemic pushbacks, 2022 has been a busy year for games. There wasn't a huge number of big name releases - although the ones that did come out were plenty big enough - but, as always, we've had a wealth of wonderful indies releasing all year round, and we scooped up as many of them as we could.
Out of all the games we’ve given any kind of review treatment throughout the year, only a handful of them recieved RPS’s coveted Bestest Best badge; just 23, to be exact. I've gathered them all in one big round-up bundle below (there are round-ups of our favourite bits from other sections of the site, too), and they make a great collection of games. Have a scroll and click on any that take your fancy for the full review. Enjoy!
Lil Gator Game review: a heartfelt adventure about childhood antics
Lil Gator Game is a short but sweet adventure set on a cosy island, with a loveable bunch of characters that had me laughing throughout. A favourite of 2022.
Marvel's Midnight Suns review: the best Marvel game yet
An essential for MCU fans. Midnight Suns is an ambitious tactics RPG that captures the fast fun of its comic book source material, and a brilliant marriage of intellectual conundrums and turn-stretching power fantasy.
Pentiment review: a captivating murder mystery spanning 25 years of rich medieval history
Pentiment is an enthralling murder mystery that uses the rich backdrop of 16th-century medieval Europe to masterful effect.
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Signalis review: PS1 survival horror fans, rejoice
Signalis is like playing a classic survival horror on your PS1, but you accidentally spilled a bucket of raw meat in the disc tray. Also, your PS1 is possessed by a malevolent cosmic entity that you’re madly in love with.
Saturnalia review: a truly unique, beautiful, and exquisite horror game
Saturnalia is a pulse-raising, shiver-making, dark little whisper; a beautiful horror game, and guaranteed you won't have played anything like it before.
Betrayal At Club Low review: a delicious snack-sized espionage RPG set in a nightclub
A focused and fantastic first serving from a new genre for this accomplished indie dev.
Cult Of The Lamb review: an adorably twisted cult management game
A creative mashup of roguelite and management sim with oodles of character and charm, Cult Of The Lamb is a great (albeit finite) time for players with an evil streak.
Stray review: one small step for cats, one giant leap for action adventure games
A remarkable tale about the best cat in video games finding their way home through a dense and rich post-apocalypse. A must-play for cat lovers, and it also breaks new ground for action adventure fans.
Neon White review: a slick, stylish speedrunner with parkour demon murder
A speedrunning fps with tight level design and satisfying movement, Neo White is a solid, speedy romp polished to a mirror sheen and oozing with style.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker review: moreish sci-fi work sim sticks the landing
Hardspace Shipbreaker's 1.0 release delivers a compelling work sim where methodically salvaging derelict spaceships is as enormously satisfying as it is thought-provoking.
Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy review: a special, chunky roguesomething
A deep and chunky world that sets itself apart from other roguelikes. Unexplored 2 makes the player feel adventurous and special. Even when you've got no money, no XP, and no shoes.
Warhammer 40K: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters review: the best kind of tactical mayhem
A deep and riveting turn-based tactics game, Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters embraces the mayhem to create one of the most thrilling strategy epics of recent years.
Dorfromantik review: the best strategy puzzler two years in a row
Dorfromantik has grown to become a puzzle game for the ages. Its soft approach to strategy makes it instantly accessible but challenging at the same time, and its chill, lilting soundtrack soothes the soul.
Turbo Overkill early access review: a retro-inspired FPS that never lets up
A perfectly paced retro-inspired FPS which'll have you wishing every future video game protagonist is outfitted with a chainsaw for a leg. It's an all-consuming delight.
Weird West review: a breathtakingly reactive spin on classic Fallout
Rootin' tootin' and the ol' time loopin'. Arkane founder’s first indie outing is a chaotic soup of colliding systems, and that soup tastes absolutely delicious.
Patrick's Parabox review: a super smart puzzler of infinite depth
A recursive Sokoban puzzler that constantly surprises and delights, Patrick's Parabox is a source of infinite joy. The sheer brilliance of Patrick's puzzles makes it stand out.
Elden Ring review: an unmissable journey through the most impressive open world to date
Elden Ring is an action-RPG with an open world that's not only incredibly rich, but encouraging too. This game will be the talk of the Blighttown for years to come.
FAR: Changing Tides review: a delightful adventure you'll be glad you played
A delightful adventure powered by toys and fun, but with a heartfelt warning. FAR: Changing Tides is a little more barbed that its predecessor, but there's hope - and surprises - to be found.
Sifu review: a rewarding action game with plenty of passion and kung fu
A rewarding and excellently made third-person action game with fantastic level design, and plenty of passion for kung fu. Sifu is incredibly good at encouraging experimentation and balancing difficulty.
OlliOlli World review: so good it will give you blisters
OlliOlli World's platforming skateventures are skin-blisteringly good. This game may become responsible for hundreds of game pads laid low by kickflip-induced stick drift.
Strange Horticulture review: quiet, meticulous, delightful, dark and beguiling
Strange Horticulture is part ideal life sim and part puzzle adventure, where running an arcane plant shop is quiet, meticulous, delightful, dark, and beguiling.
God Of War review: a fantastic action-adventure epic with beauty, bleakness and heart
God Of War is a fantastic action-adventure epic with beauty, bleakness and heart. Believe the hype: it really is very good.
Monster Hunter Rise review: every bit as great as MH: World
A more than worthy successor to Monster Hunter: World, Rise elevates the series to new heights with this gorgeous new PC port. Another stonking addition to the series.
What are some of your bestest bests from 2022? Let us know in the comments!