Now that we’re squarely in the holiday season, some of you may be getting a jump on the gift-giving (and gift-buying) time of the year. So whether you’ve got a gamer on your holiday shopping list or are a gamer yourself, you might be wondering just what 2020 titles offer the best bang for your buck. Which games areworth the purchase price? Which ones will keep you playing for mere hours orfor days and weeks to come? And which titles are appropriate for gamers of all ages and interests?
That’s where we come in! The following list of 18 video game titles, all new in 2020, is here to give you a good starting place when it comes to your shopping list. Black Friday sales and other discounts abound this time of year, so if you see one of the following titles pop up, it’s a safe bet to do so, as far as we’re concerned. Your mileage may vary, of course, but these are the stand-out games of the year in a variety of categories. And hey, you may always make that special someone on your listsuperhappy by picking up a next-gen console like the Xbox Series S/X and/or, if you’re incredibly lucky, aPlayStation 5.
Happy gaming!
For Family-Friendly Gamers—Paper Mario: The Origami King
If you’re looking for a fun, colorful game you’re able to share with the whole family, look no further!
Despite some frustrations with its battle mechanics, this delightfully silly game is a laugh-a-minute experience, as our ownGregory Lawrencesaid in hisreview. The 2D characters you know and love battle against the Folded Soldiers and the threat to turn the Mushroom Kingdom into all-out origami. The latest entry in the flattened franchise managed to expand both the mythology ofPaper Marioand the world itself, delivering plenty of laughs alongside some surprisingly emotional character moments. It’s well worth a pick-up, especially for younger gamers just getting into the fun of all thingsMario.
Honorable Mention(s):Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Ori and the Will of the Wisps
For Fans of Platformers—Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
For many gamers, platformers are the go-to sub-genre of the industry.Crash Bandicoot 4is a great return to form for these fans in particular and all gamers in general.
Toys for Bob came back in a big way with this new installment of the PlayStation platformer darling. Once known for bursting onto the video game scene ruled by the Super Mario Bros. and their Sega counterpart Sonic the Hedgehog, Crash brings nearly 25 years of running, hopping, crate-smashing experience to bear in this title.It’s About Timefeels like a throwback and a modern game at the same time, bringing plenty of classic mechanics (and options) to consoles while also pushing the franchise’s story forward (and backwards, and, well, you get it) and introducing fun new wrinkles (in time). It’s a blast, and an easy pick-up this holiday season if you’re so inclined.
Honorable Mention(s):Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia- If you have a youngster on your list who is just getting into action-oriented video games, this back-to-basics platformer based on the hit Netflix animated series is a great choice!
For RPG-Enthusiasts—Persona 5 Royal
InPersona,the massive Japanese franchise that is itself part of the more-massiveMegami Tenseiseries, ATLUS may have found itself a worldwide success as Western markets embrace the series' signature style and personality.
Persona 5 Royalis an enhanced edition ofPersona 5that brings new characters and new material to the story, but it also comes as a complete version of the vanilla game with all the available DLC included. That’s not just a bargain, it’s a selling point for the company who’s had similar success with past releases.Persona 5, includingRoyal, is now the best-selling game in that franchise, and might just be thebest game of the year overall. But while it might not reach many casual audiences, it should absolutely be on every RPG fanatic’s wishlist.
Honorable Mention(s):Final Fantasy VII Remake,Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Genshin Impact
For Fans of Metroidvania Video Games—Ori and the Will of the Wisps
The relatively new sub-category of action-adventure games dubbed “Metroidvania” takes aspects of the classicMetroidandCastlevaniafranchises and mashes them up in interesting new ways. You’ll often find a large, 2D world map that’s open to exploration by the player, but limited depending on what upgrades, skills, and tech you’ve acquired in the game so far. Those level-ups won’t just help you clear the map but defeat enemies as well. Make sense? Even if it doesn’t, that’s okay; you’ll still want to pick upOri and the Will of the Wispsregardless.
Why? Well, it might be the 2020 Game of the Year. It’s a gorgeous game with a compelling story and characters to boot; it picks up from the acclaimed 2015 title,Ori and the Blind Forest, also from Moon Studios. However, new 3D models and many-layered levels and backgrounds add more depth to the experience, just as the new story does the same with Ori’s mythology. The only thing better than picking up the 2020 title is getting a two-for-one!
Honorable Mention(s):Carrion
Our Pick for 2020 Rogue-likes—Hades
Another relatively new sub-category of games is the so-called “rogue-likes”, often a dungeon-crawling fantasy-tinged RPG with procedurally generated levels and a permadeath component. Sounds fun, right?
Hadeschanges up the typicalDiablo-styled fantasy element for more of a classical pantheon of the Greek gods" inspiration, whichRafael Motamayorbrilliantly discussedin this piece. The write-up also helps to explain just whyHadesis such a unique and compelling game, through and through, and why it keeps being talked about, even as it vies for a Game of the Year award. But even if you’ve never picked up a rogue-like before or aren’t into Greek mythology,Hadeswill give you a chance to play like a god for once … and who doesn’t love that?
Honorable Mention(s):Monster Train
Our Go-To Souls-like Game of 2020—Demon’s Souls (PS5)
Our last “-like” sub-category goes back to the games that pretty much invented it: FromSoftware’sSoulsseries of games. Known for brutal difficulty and outstanding boss fights, the latest entry in that franchise is a modern remake of its first title,Demon’s Souls, released back in 2009. They never looked back … well, at least not until they looked back to release the title as a PS5 launch exclusive this year.
All signs point to the newly refurbishedDemon’s Soulsbeing just as tough and enjoyable(?) as its original release. The hardest part may not be taking down bosses like the Vanguard Demon, but securing a PS5 to play it in the first place.
Honorable Mention(s):Nioh 2
For Gamers Who Are Into Social Sims & Management—Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizonswas all anyone could talk about for the better part of this year. Nintendo’s real-time “life simulation” game saw players taking on the role (and responsibilities … and cost … and headaches) of a community manager tasked with developing an island paradise for anthropomorphic citizens and visitors alike. It was an instant hit. It remains one of the best-selling video games of all time in Japan, within the franchise itself, and for the Nintendo Switch. So what was it about the stylized “life management game” that was a hit with folks all around the world?
Another Game of the Year contender,Animal Crossing: New Horizonshit at roughly the same time as the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A silver lining and good timing for Nintendo. With more free time and downtime than ever before, gamers found some solace and comfort in the fact that they could still grow and harvest crops, visit shops, and perform other relatively mundane tasks in the virtual world at a time when they couldn’t do the same in the real world. Add to this the fact that Nintendo updates the game with new content every few months, and you’ve got a hit that keeps on giving
Honorable Mention(s):Spiritfarer,Mars Horizon –If you want to try a life simulation that’s actually got a bit more of a fantasy or sci-fi element to it, respectively, try these!
Get Tactical With This 2020 Title—Gears Tactics
When you think about real-time strategy (RTS) games, you don’t often thinkGears of War. That’s because, untilGears Tactics, the Xbox exclusive title franchise was a bloodily violent third-person shooter. What a difference a change of approach makes!
This turn-based RTS from Splash Damage and The Coalition takes the lore you know and love (and the enemies you love to hate) from the franchise and plunks related characters down into its prequel setting. The approach to the playstyle may be all-new, but the aggressive combat and massive boss battles thatGoWis known for are still here. The only difference now is that you’ve got a it more time to catch your breath and enjoy the ride!
Honorable Mention(s):Desperados III,Transformers: Battlegrounds– If you’ve got a young gamer who’s aTransformersfan and wants to get into RTS games, this would be a great introduction!
For Action Video Game Enthusiasts—DOOM Eternal
(*PS4 version running on PS5)
Subtlety is overrated. From the title drop onward,Doom Eternalis here to blast Satanic metal energy in your face loudly, bluntly, aggressively, and ferociously. It isbeyondentertaining, a throwback FPS in dialogue with its own, controversially violent franchise history while also eagerly rewriting and heightening everything we’ve loved about it thus far. There’s always been a sense of humor implicit within the revolutionary 3D pixel walls ofDoom; inEternal’s campaign, developed by iD Software and published by Bethesda, a gnarled, satirical,They Live-esque taste of comedy is present in every bite. As you shoot and chainsaw and “glory kill” your way through scourges of demons and mutated soldiers, robotized voiceovers remind us cheerfully that this overtaking of Earth by the most grotesque and bloodthirsty of Hell’s demons is actually a good thing for the good of our corporate overlords (an always-laugh-out-loud comedic clash of context that reminded me of other Bethesda games likeFallout).
The game wears its Mature rating like a performative badge of pride, blood and guts dripping throughout the screen, backgrounds oozing with genuinely upsetting,Hieronymus Bosch-esque designs (all of which I can’t wait to see rendered even more explicitly in the forthcoming free next-gen update). It shamelessly traffics in aesthetics that my sixteen-year-old self would’ve simply luxuriated in, would’ve been eager to try and buy from my local GameStop without getting carded, and I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to dive into this horror-metal-loving world with no sense of self-seriousness or detachment again. It’s a simple-on-the-surface rush of adrenaline, this game, but it’s not without its deeper additions to structure. Your Slayer (aka DoomGuy) can do some mild platforming, including a nifty double jump and wall-climbing ability. You may not be able to, or need to, aim with precision, but you’ve got all kinds of dope mods you can add to your arsenal, and some fun puzzle-solving that comes with which mod to use on which demon. And if you wanna dive into its multiplayer, you’ll spend plenty of time on itsDead by Daylight-leaning Battlemode, which allows you to play either as a Slayerora Demon, giving you tons of deep, RPG-leaning, high-difficulty-curve options to play with.
If you’re looking for a gloriously blunt antidote to some of the more saccharine trappings of the holiday season,Doom Eternalwill give you all the goofy, gruesome, gigantic pleasures you need and more. - Gregory Lawrence
Honorable Mention(s):Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War,Marvel’s Avengers
The Best Title for Action-Adventure Gamers—Ghost of Tsushima
One of the best new properties of the year is Sucker Punch Production’sGhost of Tsushima. It’s a solid game, through and through, with little to criticize or wish the Devs had done differently. The core game itself got a multiplayer bump (via a free upgrade) whenGhost of Tsushima: Legendsarrived this fall.GoTis also on track to compete for the 2020 Game of the Year award. So is there any reason not to pick up this title immediately?
None that we can think of! The base game now comes with the newly updated DLC that lets you play along side your favorite samurai friends. But the main game itself also got a NewGame+ addition that gives you extra incentive to save the island of Tsushima all over again. That’ll help you pass the time while we wait to see what Jin Sakai does next!
