Ghost of Tsushima Developer: Sucker Punch This joint was hands down my favorite game to play on the Playstation 4. Graphically, nothing really tops it. From a story perspective, it takes a while to ramp up but it gets enthralling. Combat? Absolutely nothing is better. You're a hybrid ninja-samurai fusion and fighting with sheer desperation to win your homeland back. You feel that with every single strike. - Mike

Demon's Souls Developer: Bluepoint Games A PS3 classic remade into one of the most breathtaking console games we've ever seen. A must-have exclusive for PS5 owners. - Nick

iRacing Developer: iRacing.com Motorsports Simulations iRacing wasn't released in 2020, so it should technically make this list, but it became a de facto national sport during the lockdown months this spring, and showed just how impressive it has become over the years. When NASCAR drivers couldn't go to the track, iRacing events were televised instead - and there were times you couldn't tell the difference from real racing. iRacing requires a bigger investment than most games, but if you're serious about racing, there's no better place to compete. - Nick

Microsoft Flight Simulator Developer: Asobo Studio The gulf between the next-best flight simulator and Microsoft Flight Simulator cannot be overexaggerated. MSFS recreated the *entire world* in stunning, almost photorealistic detail. My mind is blown whenever I fire up this game, and it will hopefully hit a wider audience next year with an Xbox release. - Nick

Immortals Fenyx Rising Developer: Ubisoft Immortals was my most pleasant surprise of 2020, and is my pick for the best open-world Ubisoft game of the year ahead of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Watch Dogs Legion. There's something here for everyone, whether you want challenging combat or just want to relax with some interesting puzzles. - Nick

Spider-Man: Miles Morales Developer: Insomniac Games Spider Man: Miles Morales is incredible in almost every aspect. Visually, it's been my favorite thing to play on the PS5. Combat wise, it's just as fun as its PS4 predecessor. From a story perspective, Miles Morales is charming, brave and daring all in one. My only gripe with this game is that I wish it was longer. - Mike

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Like a Dragon reinvents the Yakuza franchise as a turn-based RPG and introduces a new protagonist, which may not sit well with long-time Kiryu fans, but the result is a fresh and hilarious experience. - Nick

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Developer: Blizzard Following the poor response to the Battle for Azeroth expansion and the rise of WoW Classic, there hasn't been much hype surrounding retail World of Warcraft for quite some time - but Shadowlands, combined with the introduction of a far more player-friendly leveling system for alt characters, is a fantastic return to form that has got me hooked once again. - Nick

Call of Duty: Warzone Developer: Infinity Ward Call of Duty's second attempt at a battle royale mode became one of the biggest hits of the year, and for good reason. This is arguably the best free-to-play game ever released. - Nick

Among Us Developer: Inner Sloth Talk about a late minute entry to the game, Among Us blew up toward the tail end of 2020 and for good reason. I didn't know I needed to try and solve murder mysteries with my friends until I played this. It's a really fun exercise that gets everyone in the mix. - Mike

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Developer: CyberConnect2 As a huge Dragon Ball Z fan, this game brought back everything I love about the series. It touched on every last detail from the distinct battles to the series opening and finishing music. It was an incredible experience and a necessary one in 2020 where everything sucked. - Mike

Genshin Impact Developer: MiHoYo Talk about a time suck. It's so easy to get engulfed in this game. It's essentially a free-to-play anime version of Breath of the Wild. The map is vast, the combat is well put together, the story is legit, the puzzles are abundant. It's worth the hours on end you'll spend playing and revisiting this game. - Mike

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Developer: Nintendo Animal Crossing unintentionally released at the perfect time in March, just as we were all hunkering down at home, and provided a vibrant and relaxing escape that you could sink untold hours into. - Nick

Persona 5 Royal Developer: P Studio/Atlus Persona 5 was a great game when it first released in 2016, but the Royal re-release adds even more content to one of the best and most stylish RPGs of the generation. - Nick

The Last of Us 2 Developer: Naughty Dog This game caught a lot of flack because of how they handled [redacted]'s death, but even if you want to use that as a knock, the storytelling here is incredible. This is a romantic coming of age tale for Ellie with zombies filling in all the twists and turns. It's sad and can be a tough play at times because of that, but you won't be able to stop playing it. - Mike

Crusader Kings III Developer: Paradox A tremendously deep and complex grand strategy title that can be as overwhelming or as relaxing as you want it to be, depending on your ambition. Pick a ruler, expand your empire, and rewrite the history of the Middle Ages as you see fit. It's the type of "stuck on a desert island" games you could play for the rest of your life. - Nick

PGA Tour 2K21 Developer: HB Studios A major upgrade from the last game in the series, PGA Tour 2K21 is unquestionably the best sim-style golf game ever created, and its deep course-creation tools mean that you'll never run out of new places to play. For serious players, competing with others via TGC Tours is the type of realistic career experience only iRacing can match. - Nick

WRC9 Developer: Kylotonn Every new console needs a racing game, and the next-gen port of WRC9 is the best option for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S owners. If you're not a rally racing veteran, WRC9 can be a major challenge at first, but once you settle into the rhythms of the tight, technical stages, there are few feelings as rewarding as nailing a run. - Nick

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Developer: Treyarch/Raven Software Every few years, you find a Call of Duty game that just feels "right." Black Ops 4 and Modern Warfare didn't hold my attention for long, but Cold War - while it could use a few additional maps - is a blast in multiplayer, and looks stunning. - Nick

FIFA 21 Developer: Electronic Arts FIFA remains the golden standard for sports games that remain true to their sport. There aren't a lot of options out there that feel like the actual sport — NBA 2K is more arcade-y than an actual basketball game, for example. While FIFA isn't perfect, it certainly gets closer than most. - Mike

Fall Guys Developer: Mediatonic This is another game that you could literally just spend hours playing. You're competing with thousands of others in a competition to be the last one standing. When you win? It feels incredible. Or, well, I suspect it does. I've never actually won before. - Mike

Final Fantasy VII Remake Developer: Square Enix After years (and years) of waiting, the FFVII remake did not disappoint, turning a classic PS1 game into a visual showcase, and making a tremendous story even more accessible to a new audience. - Nick

NBA 2K21 Developer: Visual Concepts NBA 2K21 on last gen was an extreme disappointment, but that's because that wasn't the actual game we were getting. On the Playstation 5? This game is incredible. Visually, there's an upgrade but it isn't by much. The thing that really sells it is the improved gameplay. There's also the versatility of the MyPlayer builder that has been enhanced and the addition of an entire WNBA mode. This is the most fun NBA 2k has been in years. - Mike

Super Mario 3D All-Stars Developer: Nintendo There's nothing especially impressive about 3D All-Stars - it's simply three classic Mario games packaged together on the Switch. And yet it's a reminder of all the tremendous experiences Nintendo *could* be giving us on their fantastic portable console. I'm happy to pay for old N64 and GameCube games on Switch, Nintendo! Open the floodgates already. - Nick

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 Developer: Vicarious Visions Tony Hawk fans had suffered for so long, but Pro Skater 1+2 is a perfect remake of two of the most beloved sports games of all time. - Nick

Astro's Playroom Developer: Team ASOBI! I wasn't sure what to expect from Astro's Playroom, a game that comes included with the PS5 - but what I got was an eye-opening tech showcase for the amazing DualSense controller, and a surprisingly beefy and nostalgic journey through PlayStation history. If you get a PS5 this holiday season, play Astro's Playroom first. - Nick

Gears Tactics Developer:The Coalition/Splash Damage It's X-COM with brilliantly staged engagements in the Gears of War universe, which is full of interesting enemy and weapon types. For Gears fans, it's a great change of pace from the usual third-person action. - Nick

Cyberpunk 2077 Developer: CD Projekt Red I want to love this game so bad, truly. The story is excellent, despite debates surrounding its ending. There are so many character arcs to follow and the twists and turns in the plot are vast. The only (and biggest) downside is it's way too buggy to continue playing at this point for me. - Mike Cyberpunk 2077 is going to have a very complicated legacy, and while many gamers had awful experiences with the game on older consoles, it feels wrong to leave it off this list. When played on a system that can handle it, Cyberpunk is brilliant. The problem is that CD Projekt Red simply couldn't deliver that exeperience across the board, and tried to hide just how poorly the game performed on base consoles. Hopefully we see another No Man's Sky redemption arc with this game, which has the potential to be a gem. - Nick