Woah, what a year of games. Between Elden Ring at the start of 2022 and God of War Ragnarok at the very end, games in 2022 have been massive. So, Gizmodo Australia’s writers came together to think about the best games of 2022.
Here’s what games Gizmodo Australia loved playing in 2022, not limited to new releases, but definitely mostly comprised of them.
Omega Strikers
Picked by Zachariah Kelly (Me)
I already listed off 10 of my favourite games of 2022 over on Gizmodo Australia’s sister site Kotaku Australia, however I’ll quickly run down my favourite. My favourite game was Omega Strikers, 3v3 anime waifu soccer game based around MOBA-style heroes with unique abilities (that can ring out other players). The game isn’t as polished as it maybe could be at this point, but it offers gameplay unlike anything else released this year, mostly reminiscent of Knockout City from 2021, Rocket League or Mario Strikers. It’s as lightweight as you want it to be, free-to-play with content planned out, developed by former Riot devs. I got more enjoyment out of Omega Strikers than any other game this year. I recommend it to everyone.
Vampire Survivors
Picked by David Smith
Vampire Survivors is one of 2022’s great success stories. A small developer taking their game from itch.io to Steam and finding stratospheric success. A small game with a powerful loop, already often imitated but rarely recreated. A game that charges shockingly little for the depth and amount of video game it can offer the player.
It couldn’t be more simple: move your hero around a large map while hordes of demonic enemies close in around you. As you kill encroaching enemies, they drop blue orbs. Picking up the blue orbs contributes to levelling up your character. Every level-up allows you to pick new abilities that enhance your mosh pit murder potential. The goal is to see how long you can last before the ever-increasing number of enemies overwhelm you. Then, you try again. The game encourages experimentation with every run, letting the player try different builds. It never punishes you for failure, but success is its own reward. Magnificent stuff. My personal game of the year for 2022. And it’s on Game Pass!
Horizon Forbidden West
Picked by Lauren Rouse
Horizon Forbidden West’s amazing art design and graphics blew me away the second I turned it on. Even after I’d finished the main missions I found myself just roaming around the world because I didn’t want to leave. The weapons, combat systems and performances got an upgrade this time as well, which made the game a joy to play from start to finish.
God of War (2005)
Picked by Bella Noyes
I’m not sure why it took me so long to pick up God of War (yes, the 2005 version), but it has changed my life. It has all the elements I look for in an RPG – epic storytelling, in-depth mythology, a semi-open world and fluid combat. I haven’t felt this inspired by a game in a long time. To the point that I will hype up God of War to every single person who’ll listen.
Marvel Snap
Picked by Michael Di Iorio
Honestly Marvel Snap snapped up my attention this year. I’m a huge sucker for card games and have sunk way too many hours into Gwent, Hearthstone, Slay the Spire etcetera, so I really wasn’t expecting a game predominantly made for mobile to fulfil that itch. It’s just really well made and the 12-card decks really help your brain build efficient decks without feeling the need to net-deck. Excited to see where the game goes from here.
Elden Ring
Picked by Mateus Brandao
Despite spending a lot of time on single-player strategy games this year my GOTY still has to go to Elden Ring. This is probably the first time that Fromsoft has really expanded their formula (rather than the tasteful narrowing of Sekiro’s gameplay) and purely from a design perspective it was incredible to see them do the open world while working in dungeon-esc environments like Stormveil Castle. I have yet to find greater satisfaction than beating in the skulls of ethereal beings as sn STR build meathead.
Endwalker, The Looker and Outer Wilds’ DLC
Picked by Ben Veress
2022 peaked at Endwalker for FF14. The Looker was also the best shitpost in gaming this year as well. Outer Wilds’ new DLC made me fall in love with that game again and spin the soundtrack non-stop for a whole month as well.
Scorn and Inside
Picked by Matt Hopkins
If I had to choose a game for this year, probably Scorn. I love anything that’s hella weird and man, Scorn was WEIRD. It’s wet, slimy, and gross and I enjoyed the journey it took me on. I wouldn’t play it again, but I’d say it’s the most interesting gaming experience I had all year. If it’s a game from another year, I’d pick Inside. What an incredibly creative, tense and beautifully done game. I really enjoyed how simple it was without giving up any kind of complexity or letting things grow stale. Just a masterclass in making an interesting concept actually fun to play. Glad I finally got around to this one.