1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Features

Midyear progress report: Here are the best games of 2022 so far

By

We’re already nearly halfway through 2022, and it’s been an unusual year when it comes to new video game releases. The first quarter of 2022 was loaded with massive hits that eclipsed 2021’s holiday season. Major releases slowed to a drip after March though, creating a front-loaded year for gamers. Even with a slower cadence, however, each month has brought some excellent new titles — some of which were easy to miss.

The midway point of any year serves as a good excuse to stop and take stock of what’s launched so far. You likely already know the biggest releases (such as the Radahn-sized elephant in the room), but there’s a whole sea of vibrant games worth catching up on during this slow summer. Here are the best games we’ve played so far this year.

Recommended Videos

Elden Ring

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Let’s get this out of the way up top: Elden Ring is the game of 2022. Even if it’s not your favorite game that’s launched this year, it undeniably produced the biggest moment for the industry as a whole. FromSoftware’s open-world epic perfects the company’s signature Dark Souls template, creating the most approachable entry in an otherwise impenetrable franchise. That’s helped introduce more players than ever to FromSoftware’s dark, alluring style of RPG action. Even if there are better games that launch this year, nothing will impact the next decade of gaming as much as Elden Ring. ~ Giovanni Colantonio

Horizon Forbidden West

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Horizon Forbidden West had the misfortune of launching right before Elden Ring, which left it lost in FromSoftware’s shadow. However, we can’t write Sony’s standout open-world game off. Aloy’s second adventure is even better than her first, giving players another gorgeous, postapocalyptic world to explore. With better combat and impressive environmental puzzle design, Horizon Forbidden West is easily one of the best exclusives of the current console generation. ~ Giovanni Colantonio

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Taking design cues from Super Mario 3D World, Nintendo’s Kirby and the Forgotten Land is the pink puffball’s first fully 3D outing. Kirby and the Forgotten Land has all of the charming character and level design we’ve come to expect from Nintendo’s cutest series, but isn’t afraid to get a little bit sinister toward the end of the journey. Check out Kirby and the Forgotten Land if you’re looking for a fun and approachable 3D platformer during a year that thoroughly lacks them compared to 2021. ~ Tomas Franzese

Neon White

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Neon White’s odd mashup of first-person shooting, platforming, card-based abilities, and a heavenly setting doesn’t seem like it would work well, but it absolutely does. This godly adventure about forgiveness is one of the best-written games of the year, and it’s also extremely fun to play for fans of intense platformers like Clustertruck. Neon White has an unexpected but perfect mix of gameplay and narrative concepts that you just won’t find in any other games this year ~ Tomas Franzese

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge isn’t a radically subversive beat ‘em up. It’s just a darn good one. Thanks to fluid action and tons of Easter eggs pulled from TMNT’s previous TV shows and video games, this is a satisfying romp for fans of TMNT and arcade beat ‘em ups alike. With co-op multiplayer that lets six players take on the Foot Clan at once, its one of the best games to play with friends this year. ~ Tomas Franzese

OlliOllli World

Image used with permission by copyright holder

No other game released this year plays as smoothly as OlliOlli World. This skateboarding platformer wants players to skate, grind, and ollie to their heart’s content through colorful otherworldly environments and utterly succeeds at that goal. OlliOlli World is a joy to play, making it one of the most satisfying games of the year. Its quirky cast of characters and varied levels will also stick in your mind long after you beat the game. ~ Tomas Franzese

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The less you know about The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe heading into it, the better. From an outside glance, the game looks like nothing more than a console rerelease of 2013’s seminal indie The Stanley Parable. That’s selling it short by design. Ultra Deluxe brings more new content than you’re probably expecting and it’s not just a few extra endings. Without saying too much, the game is secretly a satire on the current media era that lampoons fans’ constant hunger for more content. All you need to know is that there’s a bucket involved and it’ll make you cry. ~ Giovanni Colantonio

Nobody Saves the World

DrinkBox Studios

One of the first big indie games to release this year has also proven to be one of its best. Nobody Saves the World is about an ugly, pale character who must locate a powerful wizard and save the world with the help of a magic wand that gives them the ability to translate into 18 different forms. While not many games execute having multiple playable forms well, Nobody Saves the World does by allowing players to combine the abilities of every form and by constantly giving players some form of progression, so it never feels like the adventure is over. ~ Tomas Franzese

Rogue Legacy 2

Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s been a tremendous year for early-access games that finally got a 1.0 release. Case in point: Rogue Legacy 2. The sequel to one of the most influential roguelikes of all time is an improvement in just about every way. It brings plenty of creative ideas to the table, from better progression hooks to more hilarious “traits” that turn each run into an unpredictable comedic joy. Like Hades did in 2020, it’s a game that proves how valuable an early-access approach can be, giving fans the power to help shape a perfect game. ~ Giovanni Colantonio

Strange Horticulture

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re looking for a deep hidden gem to play, don’t sleep on Strange Horticulture. The unique puzzle/plant shop management game has players helping customers cure various ailments by identifying the right plant for the job. That alone would make this one of the most unique indie games released this year, but there’s an occult element on top of that, which turns the game into an engrossing, witchy mystery. ~ Giovanni Colantonio

Other highlights

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Giovanni Colantonio
Section Editor, Gaming
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
Is Manor Lords multiplayer or co-op?

You can easily lose hours designing your village and appeasing your citizens in Manor Lords all by yourself. There are so many different avenues to achieve victory, but the only competition or help you can normally find is in the form of NPCs. Other factions around the map can be helpful or harmful depending on how you play, but what if you wanted to team up with a friend to combine resources, or perhaps compete to see who can crush the other first? Many strategy and city builders thrive on multiplayer components, but does Manor Lords offer those same modes? Make sure you know the answer before making your purchase if that's your intention.
Is there multiplayer or co-op in Manor Lords?
To cut to the chase, the answer is no. Manor Lords is a purely single-player experience through and through. There are no cooperative or competitive modes in the game at all, so there's no way to interact with anyone else either on PC or console. This game was just released out of early access, and there is plenty of content on the way, however, we regret to inform you that multiplayer is not in the plans for the time being.

One developer took to the Steam forums to release an FAQ on the game. One question specifically asked if there is any multiplayer or cooperative gameplay in the game. The response said that "he focus is on a refined single-player experience, with no multiplayer or cooperative modes planned at the moment."

Read more
All console commands and cheats for Fallout: New Vegas

From the moment you begin your adventure in Fallout: New Vegas, you've already cheated death. Your first playthrough of the game should be done as the developers intended, though maybe with a couple of mods to make the experience a little smoother, but nothing that breaks the game. That said, it's been over a decade since the game came out, so odds are you've already played through the intended way at least once. This is when you can have some fun tinkering with the game and play using console commands and cheats if you're on the PC version of the game. There are a ton of commands you can input to manipulate your character, the world, objects, and more. Here's a full rundown of all the cheats there are and how to activate them.
How to enter console commands
Opening up the command console to type in your cheats is just a single keystroke away. While in the game (not paused), hit the ~ key located below your escape key. This will remove your HUD and bring up the prompt to type in any of the below cheats.
All Fallout: New Vegas console commands and cheats

Because there are so many console commands, we're going to break them down into general categories to make it easier for you to find what you're looking for based on what you want to do.
Faction and reputation cheats
addreputation <form id> <variable> <amount> -- Increases your reputation with a faction.

Read more
How to get a gun in Another Crab’s Treasure

Another Crab's Treasure no doubt looks like a kid-friendly game, but hiding beneath its charming and cute exterior is a challenging soulslike experience that can test the mettle of genre veterans. Those who either can't or don't want to engage with such intense difficulty throughout this underwater adventure can make great use of a variety of assists. Among these is a rather shocking, but hilarious option that can completely negate nearly all of the game's challenge while providing some laughs along the way. Here's how to get a gun in Another Crab's Treasure.
How to get a gun
To give yourself a gun in Another Crab's Treasure, head over to the Settings menu. Navigate to Assist Mode at the bottom of the menu, then scroll to the bottom once more to a setting called Give Kril a Gun. Toggle this on, then back out and resume your game to find that Kril now has a massive pistol on his back in place of a shell.

This new gun on your back provides you with more than just a funny visual, though -- it actually allows you to shoot and kill any enemy in a single hit, nearly eliminating all of the challenge from the game. Additionally, if you're after trophies or achievements, the first time you shoot a crab with the gun will also unlock "This Kills the Crab."

Read more