Steelrising

Developing a Soulslike poses a very particular challenge. FromSoftware’s output is the yardstick by which all others are measured, and the studio has a habit of putting greater distance between it and its peers.

Roadwarden

This engrossing fantasy RPG may be predominantly text-based, but one of its finest tricks is entirely visual. A large window dominates the centre of the screen, containing flavourful descriptions of the place you’re visiting or the people you’re conversing with, above the available actions or answers.

Splatoon 3

We open on a clear, blue sky – as vivid a hue as any with which you’ll ink your environment and opponents in Splatoon 3. In the wastes below, an Inkling shelters from the baking sun, shawled in a threadbare cloak, sporting mirrored shades and what appears to be some kind of breathing apparatus.

STUDIO PROFILE MILESTONE INTERACTIVE

How Italy’s long-running studio moved from arcade racer to sim specialist and back again

ΤΗΕ MAKING ΟF DEATHLOOP

How the time-loop shooter won over Bethesda, players – and its own developers

AN AUDIENCE WITH…LARS WINGEFORS

Embracer’s CEO explains the story behind the company’s explosive expansion

ΤΗΕ PRESERVATIONISTS

Digging through the archives with the people striving to safeguard videogame history

BLOOD MOON

Striking Distance goes beyond Dead Space with the highly evolved survival horror of The Callisto Protocol

DRAGON QUEST TREASURES

Will this spinoff prove to be a hidden gem?

MARS FIRST LOGISTICS

From Deliver Us Mars to Deliver On Mars

DELIVER US MARS

A pair of pickaxes raises the stakes in this expanded sequel

THE DARK PICTURES ANTHOLOGY: THE DEVIL IN ME

Supermassive turns to a notorious serial killer for its season finale

HUBRIS

A VR space adventure that's reaching for the stars

ΡΕΝΤΙΜΕΝΤ

Obsidian's medieval mystery is a trove of novel influences

SYSTEM SHOCK

Rebooting the '90s immersive sim with some hi-tech augmentations

Tokyo rising

Japan’s long-running expo returns with a renewed, outward-facing urgency

THE DIOFIELD CHRONICLE

Dioramas meet dire circumstances in this real-time strategy RPG

FOREVER AGO

A road trip down memory lane

MOONBREAKER

Subnautica's developer turns its hand to tabletop-inspired tactics

Small wonders

How the Tiny Teams festival gives solo devs and micro studios their moment in the sun

Power down

With an energy crisis looming, which games and features are the most costly?

BROKEN RULES

From broken furniture to a radical reorganisation: how the Gibbon developer has kept on swinging

DEAD ISLAND 2

After almost a decade, Deep Silver's zombie sequel rises again

Going for gold

As the Commonwealth Games trials a videogame competition, does it feel like a torchbearer for esports?

FLOCK

A model of herd composition

ΤΗΕ ΜΑΚΙΝG OF...NORCO

How South Louisiana's Cancer Alley inspired a dreamlike cyberpunk adventure.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

A flawed sequel says it best when it says nothing at all

Saints Row

The result feels deeply compromised, falling between the Saints Row of old and the series it became

ONE МОRE TURN

Inside the compulsion loop: is the gamification of games good for our health and theirs?

PAPER TRAILS

How developers and fan cartographers alike are charting new horizons in videogame maps