2022 featured far too many fun video games for anyone to play, as it does every year. Even professional game reporters don't have enough time to cover them all. Big-budget, 50+ hour epics like Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarok, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 can be too easy to become engrossing.
You undoubtedly have a backlog of games to last you well into January or February after finishing this list.
In this Slogging thread, our community discussed about the Top 10 games that you may or may not have played in 2022.
This Slogging thread is by Valentine Enedah, Teri, Mónica Freitas, Sara Pinto, Moses Concha, Seye Yemi-Olowolabi and Marco Sullivan occurred in slogging's official #gaming channel, and has been edited for readability.
In this Slogging thread, our community discussed about the Top 10 games that you may or may not have played in 2022.
This Slogging thread is by Valentine Enedah, Teri, Mónica Freitas, Sara Pinto, Moses Concha, Seye Yemi-Olowolabi and Marco Sullivan occurred in slogging's official #gaming channel, and has been edited for readability.
Top 10 games you may have not played in 2022!
https://mashable.com/article/10-best-games-you-may-have-missed-2022
https://mashable.com/article/10-best-games-you-may-have-missed-2022
The Top 10 games:
Nobody Saves the World
You play as Nobody, a nondescript little fella who gets a magic wand that lets him transform into a bunch of different forms, including a rat, a slug, a dragon, and much more. Each form has its own abilities that level up as you mow down hordes of enemies in the game’s top-down dungeons, and levelling up also unlocks new forms.
You play as Nobody, a nondescript little fella who gets a magic wand that lets him transform into a bunch of different forms, including a rat, a slug, a dragon, and much more. Each form has its own abilities that level up as you mow down hordes of enemies in the game’s top-down dungeons, and levelling up also unlocks new forms.
Eventually, you'll be mixing and matching abilities from multiple forms at once and unleashing screen-filling devastation on hapless enemies. If you like games about watching numbers go up while meters fill in the background, Nobody Saves the World is about as satisfying as it gets.
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Citizen Sleeper
Citizen Sleeper is probably best experienced with as little information going in as possible. It’s also on my personal backlog. However, given what damn near everyone I know has been saying about this game all year, it seems like a can’t-miss proposition for fans of compelling, branching narratives in games.
Citizen Sleeper is probably best experienced with as little information going in as possible. It’s also on my personal backlog. However, given what damn near everyone I know has been saying about this game all year, it seems like a can’t-miss proposition for fans of compelling, branching narratives in games.
Set on a space station that’s become a sort of lawless nation, Citizen Sleeper follows a worker android who’s escaped from the job they were built for. It’s all about going through a daily routine of trying to survive, making friends, taking on odd jobs, and doing anything else you can do with a dice roll.
Like a tabletop role-playing game, Citizen Sleeper uses dice rolls to determine the outcome of your actions and the narrative can branch depending on what happens. Oh, and get this: It’s on Game Pass, too.
Platforms: PC, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Rogue Legacy
The original Rogue Legacy made big waves in 2014, within its first hour on sale. Its gameplay loop of entering a shapeshifting castle, fighting until you die, and spending the money you earned on upgrades that your offspring could use next time around was hard to resist. You never knew exactly what would happen on any given run, but the steady upgrade incline made each progressive run a little less scary.
The good news about its 2022 sequel is that it’s even better than the original. Rogue Legacy 2 takes the first game’s formula and adds a ton of new classes with their own unique weapons, new spells to use in combat, and movement abilities that make getting around the castle much more fun than before. It’s never been more satisfying to hit enemies with a scalding frying pan.
Platforms: Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Mac
The original Rogue Legacy made big waves in 2014, within its first hour on sale. Its gameplay loop of entering a shapeshifting castle, fighting until you die, and spending the money you earned on upgrades that your offspring could use next time around was hard to resist. You never knew exactly what would happen on any given run, but the steady upgrade incline made each progressive run a little less scary.
The good news about its 2022 sequel is that it’s even better than the original. Rogue Legacy 2 takes the first game’s formula and adds a ton of new classes with their own unique weapons, new spells to use in combat, and movement abilities that make getting around the castle much more fun than before. It’s never been more satisfying to hit enemies with a scalding frying pan.
Platforms: Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Mac
Norco
Continuing down the road of narrative-heavy adventure games that have something to say about the real world, Norco has been heralded as by people who actually got around to playing it. It was PC-only for much of the year, but as of mid-November, you can play it on consoles, too.
Norco is a point-and-click adventure game with stunning pixel art that’s used to draw you into Norco, Louisiana, a fictionalized version of a real town with the same name. It’s rare for any game to be set in the deep south and much more rare for any game to directly confront the realities of capitalism, climate issues (the real Norco has experienced and everything else that kind of sucks about living in America right now.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Continuing down the road of narrative-heavy adventure games that have something to say about the real world, Norco has been heralded as by people who actually got around to playing it. It was PC-only for much of the year, but as of mid-November, you can play it on consoles, too.
Norco is a point-and-click adventure game with stunning pixel art that’s used to draw you into Norco, Louisiana, a fictionalized version of a real town with the same name. It’s rare for any game to be set in the deep south and much more rare for any game to directly confront the realities of capitalism, climate issues (the real Norco has experienced and everything else that kind of sucks about living in America right now.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Tinykin
Remember the golden age of 3D platformers? Back in the late 1990s, it seemed like every other video game starred a plucky mascot who was real good at jumping on things. Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon were the kings of gaming. Sadly, Mario is the only one still putting in the work on a consistent basis.
Enter Tinykin. This Game Pass diamond-in-the-rough is a charming little platformer where you play as a shrunken little guy running around a regular home. I love the “little character in a gigantic version of a mundane room” trope. Your character quickly learns how to catch and command the titular tinykin, color-coded creatures who can perform different tasks on your behalf.
It’s essentially a mix between Super Mario 64 and Pikmin, to put it simply. You can finish it in a weekend and I highly recommend doing so.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC
Remember the golden age of 3D platformers? Back in the late 1990s, it seemed like every other video game starred a plucky mascot who was real good at jumping on things. Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro the Dragon were the kings of gaming. Sadly, Mario is the only one still putting in the work on a consistent basis.
Enter Tinykin. This Game Pass diamond-in-the-rough is a charming little platformer where you play as a shrunken little guy running around a regular home. I love the “little character in a gigantic version of a mundane room” trope. Your character quickly learns how to catch and command the titular tinykin, color-coded creatures who can perform different tasks on your behalf.
It’s essentially a mix between Super Mario 64 and Pikmin, to put it simply. You can finish it in a weekend and I highly recommend doing so.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC
The Case of the Golden Idol
Do you like solving mysteries? Of course you do. Right now, you’re here to solve the mystery of “which games to play while I’m on vacation.” Consider giving The Case of the Golden Idol a shot, in that case.
This PC-only adventure game has wickedly cool pixel-based visuals to go along with a murder mystery involving 12 cases that may or may not be related. It’s all about interviewing suspects, picking out the right words from their testimony and related evidence, and slotting those words Mad Libs-style into a chain of events until you figure out what the heck happened.
The Case of the Golden Idol is definitely a game where you may want to keep your own notes. It may also just be the answer to your holiday gaming mystery.
Platforms: PC
Do you like solving mysteries? Of course you do. Right now, you’re here to solve the mystery of “which games to play while I’m on vacation.” Consider giving The Case of the Golden Idol a shot, in that case.
This PC-only adventure game has wickedly cool pixel-based visuals to go along with a murder mystery involving 12 cases that may or may not be related. It’s all about interviewing suspects, picking out the right words from their testimony and related evidence, and slotting those words Mad Libs-style into a chain of events until you figure out what the heck happened.
The Case of the Golden Idol is definitely a game where you may want to keep your own notes. It may also just be the answer to your holiday gaming mystery.
Platforms: PC
Redout 2
A futuristic racer in the same vein as F-Zero or Wipeout, Redout 2 is about speeding very quickly down, up, over, and around wild sci-fi racetracks. There’s a good degree of technique involved here, as boosting too much can overheat your vehicle and end a race prematurely. If you’re like me, you’ll constantly ride the line between “going faster than everyone else” and “exploding horribly.”
It’s a great time, even you are terrible at it.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC
A futuristic racer in the same vein as F-Zero or Wipeout, Redout 2 is about speeding very quickly down, up, over, and around wild sci-fi racetracks. There’s a good degree of technique involved here, as boosting too much can overheat your vehicle and end a race prematurely. If you’re like me, you’ll constantly ride the line between “going faster than everyone else” and “exploding horribly.”
It’s a great time, even you are terrible at it.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC
Midnight Fight Express
Midnight Fight Express is about beating the holy hell out of enemies. It’s devastatingly simple at first, but quickly gives way to something much more dynamic and varied.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s never not about beating dudes up, but the ways in which you can do that keep expanding as you play. At first, you just button mash through combos. Within a couple of missions, however, you’ll be pulling off counters, finishers, using folding chairs as throwing weapons, sticking dudes with knives, and even engaging in some gunfire. It’s easy to pick up, but leaves plenty of room for high-level mastery.
Oh, and the bass-y, electronic soundtrack is sick.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC
Midnight Fight Express is about beating the holy hell out of enemies. It’s devastatingly simple at first, but quickly gives way to something much more dynamic and varied.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s never not about beating dudes up, but the ways in which you can do that keep expanding as you play. At first, you just button mash through combos. Within a couple of missions, however, you’ll be pulling off counters, finishers, using folding chairs as throwing weapons, sticking dudes with knives, and even engaging in some gunfire. It’s easy to pick up, but leaves plenty of room for high-level mastery.
Oh, and the bass-y, electronic soundtrack is sick.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC
Arcade Paradise
Ever wanted to run a laundromat? I know, I know, it almost sounds too exciting to handle, but in Arcade Paradise, it’s the key to success.
Arcade Paradise is a game where you can play 35 different original games inspired by arcade games of the 1980s and ‘90s, but it’s also more than that. It’s about managing a laundromat until it becomes a successful enough arcade to grow into something more. With a unique blend of management sim mechanics and good old-fashioned arcade fun (some of the games even have multiplayer), there’s nothing else quite like Arcade Paradise.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC
Ever wanted to run a laundromat? I know, I know, it almost sounds too exciting to handle, but in Arcade Paradise, it’s the key to success.
Arcade Paradise is a game where you can play 35 different original games inspired by arcade games of the 1980s and ‘90s, but it’s also more than that. It’s about managing a laundromat until it becomes a successful enough arcade to grow into something more. With a unique blend of management sim mechanics and good old-fashioned arcade fun (some of the games even have multiplayer), there’s nothing else quite like Arcade Paradise.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, PC
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is a cozy little spacefaring adventure about coming-of-age as one of just a few human colonizers on a faraway planet.
Playing as the titular teenage exocolonist through 10 in-game years (from ages 10 to 20), you’ll encounter alien plants and animals, build relationships with your fellow humans, and try to determine your place in the world. It’s a game about choices, friendship, romance, and the struggle to survive.
There’s also a card game mechanic that you can become fully invested in or turn off entirely. This is your adventure, after all.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Switch, PC, Mac
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is a cozy little spacefaring adventure about coming-of-age as one of just a few human colonizers on a faraway planet.
Playing as the titular teenage exocolonist through 10 in-game years (from ages 10 to 20), you’ll encounter alien plants and animals, build relationships with your fellow humans, and try to determine your place in the world. It’s a game about choices, friendship, romance, and the struggle to survive.
There’s also a card game mechanic that you can become fully invested in or turn off entirely. This is your adventure, after all.
Platforms: PS4, PS5, Switch, PC, Mac
Vampire Survivors
Ahhhhhhhhh. That's the sound of your brain being massaged by the dopamine-releasing thrills of Vampire Survivors.
There isn't a lot to say about Vampire Survivors because there isn't a lot to it. You move a little guy around the screen and he attacks automatically at set intervals. Enemies slowly encroach upon you and fall victim to said attacks. Defeated enemies drop experience points and every time you level up, you get a choice of three random enhancements, like upgraded damage, a new projectile that gets added to your base attack, or more armor.
And it just keeps going like that until you're a walking merchant of death with like 19 different weapons and projectiles flying out of you every half-second. Vampire Survivors is not only the most satisfying game of 2022. It might be the best game of 2022.
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Mac, iOS, Android
Ahhhhhhhhh. That's the sound of your brain being massaged by the dopamine-releasing thrills of Vampire Survivors.
There isn't a lot to say about Vampire Survivors because there isn't a lot to it. You move a little guy around the screen and he attacks automatically at set intervals. Enemies slowly encroach upon you and fall victim to said attacks. Defeated enemies drop experience points and every time you level up, you get a choice of three random enhancements, like upgraded damage, a new projectile that gets added to your base attack, or more armor.
And it just keeps going like that until you're a walking merchant of death with like 19 different weapons and projectiles flying out of you every half-second. Vampire Survivors is not only the most satisfying game of 2022. It might be the best game of 2022.
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Mac, iOS, Android
These games are so cool!
What do you think?
Would you love to try them?
What do you think?
Would you love to try them?
I can't remember the last time, I played a game. Maybe someday, I will want to try it out.
Teri Really! You should play games. They are really good for recreation.
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Nobody saves the world seems fun. Have you played any of these yet?
Valentine Enedah, this list sounds pretty cool. However, I'm not sure I have the commitment to go through a whole game. I'm been playing the same one for about a year 😅
Mónica Freitas Yes, I have played the Redout 2! The game is really cool and also a bit difficult.😞
Sara Pinto I totally understand! What game have you been playing so far?
Moses Concha
Mónica Freitas Nobody Saves the World is incredibly underrated! It's an excellent co-op experience where you have to tactfully transform into different characters on the fly to defeat hordes of unique enemies. The game’s plot and writing id wildly hilarious, and never takes itself too seriously.
It takes place in a densely packed open world that is both sprawling and fun to explore, with a variety of silly and equally menacing dungeons filled to the brim with creative enemies and bosses to beat - alone or with a friend to boot! It also has soft RPG mechanics where you can upgrade your favorite characters' special abilities that will make it easier to continue munching through waves of monsters.
I highly recommend it 😄
It takes place in a densely packed open world that is both sprawling and fun to explore, with a variety of silly and equally menacing dungeons filled to the brim with creative enemies and bosses to beat - alone or with a friend to boot! It also has soft RPG mechanics where you can upgrade your favorite characters' special abilities that will make it easier to continue munching through waves of monsters.
I highly recommend it 😄
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Valentine Enedah, I'm still trying to finish It Takes Two! What about you? What are you playing?
Moses Concha Amazing! It has a touch of Fortnite to it. I will definitely check it.
Sara Pinto Interesting game! What console do you play games on?
Well so far I have been playing Redout 2, God of War Ragnarok and a mobile arcade game called Clash Royale.
Well so far I have been playing Redout 2, God of War Ragnarok and a mobile arcade game called Clash Royale.
Valentine Enedah, I've been playing on PC, I haven't played any game in a actual console in years, but still use a console controller to play haha. Do you also play on PC?
Sara Pinto Not really!
I prefer playing on console.
I have a PS4
I prefer playing on console.
I have a PS4
Seye Yemi-Olowolabi
anybody playing mobile?👀
What mobile games are you playing?
Seye Yemi-Olowolabi
Call of Duty Mobile and hopefully Warzone mobile when it comes out
Interesting!
I think we need to settle this debate.
PUBG or COD?
I think we need to settle this debate.
PUBG or COD?
Seye Yemi-Olowolabi
Man I was a pubg supporter before then when I started playing COD, I had to be honest with myself 💀
Seye Yemi-Olowolabi
None of them comes close to COD at all
Funny how, I prefer PUBG to COD.
What features on COD do you think makes them stand out?
What features on COD do you think makes them stand out?
Seye Yemi-Olowolabi
The player movement is a lot smoother and more enjoyable
It has more gun customisation features
It has more gun customisation features
I see. This is a good point.
What console-only game would you love them to create a mobile version for it?
What console-only game would you love them to create a mobile version for it?
Yeah, 2023 will be different as I will probably get the PS5 console Valentine Enedah
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Moses Concha that seems like a tricky game. Have you tried any other game from this list?
Teri Wow, Amazing.
I hope you do get FIFA 23 or 24 as well.😊
I hope you do get FIFA 23 or 24 as well.😊
Seye Yemi-Olowolabi
Valentine Enedah the one which I wanted was warzone and it's already coming to mobile , it'll be released next year
I would also love it if PES mobile adds controller support 😏
I would also love it if PES mobile adds controller support 😏
The PES mobile feature would make more sense. It will be like Dream league with better features.
Marco Sullivan
Valentine Enedah Amazing list of games!
I'm looking forward to trying Arcade Paradise.
I'm looking forward to trying Arcade Paradise.
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