2022 was a huge year for video games, but which were our favorites? Here are the best games of 2022, as picked by the Dexerto staff.
2022 is almost over, and while 2023 offers a variety of exciting games like Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and Dead Island 2, but the holiday period is a great game to catch up on the best games of 2022 that you may have missed.
And what a year it’s been — between deity-filled drama, to the return of Modern Warfare, to FromSoftware’s first open-world adventure, 2022 has been chock full of blockbusters, high-quality indies, and everything in between.
So, without further ado, here are the best games of 2022, as voted for by the Dexerto gaming team.
10. The Quarry
Narrative-driven games were in vogue in 2022, with the likes of The Dark Pictures Anthology, New Tales From the Borderlands, and more offering interactive movies where the player dictates the choices and fates of a group of characters, leading them down twisting paths that can either lead to salvation or a grisly death.
From the same development team who brought us Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology, Supermassive’s The Quarry may be the studio’s best horror game yet. Taking cues from classic slasher films like Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp, the game involves a group of teens spending one last night at summer camp before something starts stalking them from the shadows.
Depending on the player’s actions either everyone can survive the night, or the sun can rise on a sea of mutilated corpses. The fun is in trying to keep your charges alive until morning — or you can sadistically lead them to the slaughter – Sam Smith, Games Writer.
Read our review of The Quarry here.
9. Overwatch 2
Overwatch 2 had a tough job ahead of launch to convince players it’s worth downloading, and the fact it replaced Overwatch 1 was certainly a rough pill to swallow, too.
And yet, despite that, Overwatch 2 is on our list because it’s just so moreish. It’s ideal for just chipping away at a few challenges or playing a couple of ranked matches, but it’s just as much fun to boot it up and play for hours on end because of its diverse character roster and gorgeous (and meticulous) map design.
While the switch to 5v5 was certainly a shock to the system, Overwatch 2 justifies it by placing a greater onus on teamplay and effective Tank usage, and the new seasonal model, while not without its issues, ensures there are plenty of reasons to log in regularly. It’s easily one of the best games of 2022 – Lloyd Coombes, Games Editor.
Read our Overwatch 2 review here.
8. Disney Dreamlight Valley
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a delightful farming and life simulator that combines adventure with the Disney magic many adore, perfect for a cozy night in or a break from the stresses of life.
Despite being in early access, the title has taken the gaming world by storm, gaining unprecedented popularity through its exciting updates, adorable characters, and engagement with fans. Each update introduces new quests allowing Disney Dreamlight to keep fans engaged, and even when there are no more quests to complete, the cooking, farming, mining, crafting, and other activities keep any type of gamer interested and entertained.
It’s certainly the kind of game you could spend hours playing without realizing it and still come out wanting more. Ultimately, Disney Dreamlight Valley has all the ingredients to create a recipe for success, and, despite only being out for four months, it’s undeniably delivered, making this one of our top games of 2022 – Jessica Filby, Games Writer.
Read our Disney Dreamlight Valley review here.
7. Stray
In a rather turbulent year, having a game as calm but enjoyable as Stray was clearly what the many needed.
With a beautiful story, even more impressive visuals, and its adorable protagonist, Stray captured the hearts of gamers, and their pets, everywhere. The game managed to bring players into a world of love and tragedy with the sole goal of getting back home to safety.
Such a tale, while only around five hours long, wonderfully encapsulated the twists, turns, hope, and personality throughout, — constantly shifting our emotions without saying a single word.
Ultimately, Stray was perfectly timed, beautiful, clever, and an all-out star performance from developer BlueTwelve Studio. Such a cozy yet exciting game gave a ‘purrfect’ demonstration of creativity and thinking outside the box, which makes it one of the best games of 2022 – Jessica Filby, Games Writer.
Read our Stray review here.
6. Pokemon Legends: Arceus
While Pokemon Scarlet & Violet may have delivered the mainline series’ first truly open-world experience this year, it was January’s spin-off Pokemon Legends Arceus that really nailed the feeling of being a Trainer out in the wild.
Set in a feudal-era Sinnoh known as the Hisui region, players were tasked with filling out the first-ever Pokedex by surveying several distinct environments and taking part in some terrifying Pokemon encounters, all at a much breezier pace than previous games had allowed.
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What made this spin-off so enjoyable is how alive each Pokemon felt – for the first time in a mainline game, you could observe wild Pokemon in their natural habitat, catch them on the fly without having to battle them, and even be attacked yourself by the more aggressive ‘alpha’ Pokemon.
Bland visuals aside, Legends Arceus was the grown-up Pokemon game that longtime fans like myself had been waiting years for, giving the tried-and-tested formula a proper shakeup and once again inspiring that childlike wonder we all felt when we picked up our very first Pokemon game – Daniel Megarry, Senior Writer.
Check out the full Pokemon Legends: Arceus review here.
5. Marvel Snap
Hearthstone may have kickstarted the hugely popular digital card game genre in many ways, but Second Dinner’s Marvel Snap has opened it up to an entire new generation.
Thanks to quickfire rounds and small decks of just a couple of handfuls of cards, Marvel Snap has become the go-to mobile game to kick back and enjoy in small chunks. Playing a huge number of matches in a short space of time might sound like a recipe for tedium, but with the inclusion of a trio of randomly selected locations and plenty of viable deckbuilding strategies, every match feels unique.
Add in the huge (and growing) roster of Marvel characters and Marvel Snap could be around just as long as Hearthstone has been — and we’ll still be playing – Lloyd Coombes, Games Editor.
Read our Marvel Snap review here.
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Our review of Modern Warfare 2 concluded it was lacking in a few key areas (notably polish), but the Dexerto Gaming team clearly couldn’t get enough regardless.
With a globe-trotting campaign that feels miles more exciting than Vanguard or Black Ops Cold War, and the usual series of unlocks and “carrots on sticks” to keep us playing for months on end, Modern Warfare 2 climbed our list like Captain Price reaching for a sniping perch.
With plenty more content on the way and tight cross-progression with Warzone 2, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is our favorite CoD in years, and an easy pick for one of the best games of 2022 – Lloyd Coombes, Games Editor.
3. Horizon: Forbidden West
After releasing around the same time as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2017, it’s a shame Horizon didn’t get the plaudits it so richly deserved thanks to Link’s brilliant Switch debut.
Fast-forward five years, and much of the same can be said about the sequel, Forbidden West, launching in the midst of Elden Ring. Still, Aloy’s second adventure earns a spot on our list because it’s an absolutely stunning technical achievement with some of the best third-person combat around, as well as a story that builds on its characters in a way its predecessor never did – Lloyd Coombes, Games Editor.
Read our Horizon: Forbidden West review here.
2. Elden Ring
Elden Ring took FromSoftware’s legendary Dark Souls formula and pulled it into the light, introducing legions of new players to the masochistic delights that have enthralled Souls fans since 2009’s Demon’s Souls. The game also provided a fresh and challenging take on the open-world genre, offering unparalleled freedom which lets the player explore the Lands Between at their pace and letting them be who they want to be with a variety of character builds that reward finding new ways to play.
Elden Ring can be enjoyed as a solo adventure, or players can recruit other Tarnished warriors to aid them in their quest to overthrow an entire pantheon, become an Elden Lord and reshape the world as they see fit. Beware though, you’re not the only one pursuing such a lofty goal, as the game’s story takes several twists and turns, forcing the player to make a series of agonizing choices that impact the ending, your own character’s fate – and the fates of those around you – Sam Smith, Games Writer.
Read our Elden Ring review here.
1. God of War: Ragnarok
Dexerto’s Game of the Year is God of War: Ragnarok. How do you improve upon the 2018 reboot that gave us such depth of character? The answer, it seems, is to expand the roster of Norse Gods that Kratos and Atreus cross paths with, with each offering a complex web of emotions, wants, needs, and more.
Naturally, combat is just as crunchy as you’d expect, and the game looks incredible, but it’s Ragnarok’s narrative that had me barely able to think about anything else during the review period.
God of War: Ragnarok pulled me by the nose through a journey that was always surprising and always enlightening, showing dozens of facets to characters new and old that I didn’t expect. It’s a complex examination of grief, revenge, and forging one’s own path despite the cost, and for that, it’s our Game of the Year 2023 – Lloyd Coombes, Games Editor.
Read our God of War: Ragnarok review here.
What were your favorite games of 2022? Be sure to let us know on Twitter @dexertogaming.
