Enlarge
Collage by Aurich Lawson
Before you enter the list, don't miss this year's Ars Technica Charity Drive raffle. You can win a game of almost $2,000 in prizes, including limited-edition in-game collectibles, while helping a great cause. Entries are due by January 3, 2023 and no purchase is necessary. Thank you in advance for your participation !
2022 has been a bit of a weird year for video games. For starters, probably the most anticipated game of the year was released in March, well before the usual holiday season release rush. But that holiday rush has itself been muted this year, thanks to delays from big-name franchises ranging from Diablo to Starfield to The Legend of Zelda.< /p>
This has led some commentators to call 2022 a "slow year" for a gaming industry still recovering from the chaos of COVID development. And that's true; we had a collective difficulty getting to our usual selection of 20 games for this year's best games list, a possible sign that there were fewer "obvious" picks than usual.
Looking at the selections that made the 2022 roster, however, it's hard to think the collective industry let us down in any way. The relative lack of big-budget blockbusters has allowed many indie games to shine, including those that made this list thanks to brave new gameplay or storytelling ideas. Altogether, the games listed below will stick with us for a long time to come and are a testament to the continued creativity and resilience of the gaming industry.
This year, we've chosen to list our game picks alphabetically, with only one "Game of the Year" pick at the end. Here they are.
Atari 50: Anniversary Celebration
Digital Eclipse; Windows, Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series, Atari VCS
It's rare for a compilation of retro games to be considered for Ars' annual Games of the Year list. It's unprecedented for such a game to win one of our coveted spots. But the Atari 50 does a few crucial things to separate itself from the countless collections of classic game emulators that have proliferated over the years.
Enlarge / A speedy version of Atari's Lunar Lander, as seen in Vctr Sctr.
The first is a heavy emphasis on supplemental materials. Atari 50 is packed with video interviews, design documents, contemporary advertisements, anecdotes, quotes, and more. All of this gives crucial context to Atari's 50-year history and makes even the least playable games in the collection more historically interesting. The "timeline" presentation is also top-notch, making the whole product feel more like an interactive museum than just a collection of old titles.
Atari 50 also shines in its half-dozen "reinvented" versions of some Atari classics. These feature updated graphics, sound, and gameplay that take advantage of decades of advancements in game design and technology, giving old concepts new life for new audiences. While not all of these deals are winners, the addictive action of Vctr Sctr alone is enough to warm the heart of any fan of old-school arcade games.
Enlarge
Collage by Aurich Lawson
Before you enter the list, don't miss this year's Ars Technica Charity Drive raffle. You can win a game of almost $2,000 in prizes, including limited-edition in-game collectibles, while helping a great cause. Entries are due by January 3, 2023 and no purchase is necessary. Thank you in advance for your participation !
2022 has been a bit of a weird year for video games. For starters, probably the most anticipated game of the year was released in March, well before the usual holiday season release rush. But that holiday rush has itself been muted this year, thanks to delays from big-name franchises ranging from Diablo to Starfield to The Legend of Zelda.< /p>
This has led some commentators to call 2022 a "slow year" for a gaming industry still recovering from the chaos of COVID development. And that's true; we had a collective difficulty getting to our usual selection of 20 games for this year's best games list, a possible sign that there were fewer "obvious" picks than usual.
Looking at the selections that made the 2022 roster, however, it's hard to think the collective industry let us down in any way. The relative lack of big-budget blockbusters has allowed many indie games to shine, including those that made this list thanks to brave new gameplay or storytelling ideas. Altogether, the games listed below will stick with us for a long time to come and are a testament to the continued creativity and resilience of the gaming industry.
This year, we've chosen to list our game picks alphabetically, with only one "Game of the Year" pick at the end. Here they are.
Atari 50: Anniversary Celebration
Digital Eclipse; Windows, Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series, Atari VCS
It's rare for a compilation of retro games to be considered for Ars' annual Games of the Year list. It's unprecedented for such a game to win one of our coveted spots. But the Atari 50 does a few crucial things to separate itself from the countless collections of classic game emulators that have proliferated over the years.
Enlarge / A speedy version of Atari's Lunar Lander, as seen in Vctr Sctr.
The first is a heavy emphasis on supplemental materials. Atari 50 is packed with video interviews, design documents, contemporary advertisements, anecdotes, quotes, and more. All of this gives crucial context to Atari's 50-year history and makes even the least playable games in the collection more historically interesting. The "timeline" presentation is also top-notch, making the whole product feel more like an interactive museum than just a collection of old titles.
Atari 50 also shines in its half-dozen "reinvented" versions of some Atari classics. These feature updated graphics, sound, and gameplay that take advantage of decades of advancements in game design and technology, giving old concepts new life for new audiences. While not all of these deals are winners, the addictive action of Vctr Sctr alone is enough to warm the heart of any fan of old-school arcade games.
Enlarge
Collage by Aurich Lawson
Enlarge / A speedy version of Atari's Lunar Lander, as seen in Vctr Sctr.
