Cry it out from the rooftops: we survived 2018. (At least as of press time, so, y’know, probably.) And in this long, complicated year, a few games stuck out as the best, the most interesting, the most surprising, of the year. Whether you’re catching up over the holidays or just looking for fuel to argue with your friends, here are our picks for the best videogames released in 2018. And yes, they’re ranked. And no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you: a certain Western-themed open-world game isn’t in here. (Nor is Celeste, which honestly should have warranted making this a Top 11 list.) Games are a vast and varied field, friends; so are opinions. Argue away!

10. Monster Hunter World (Capcom, PC/PS4/Xbox One)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7paWNhKkX38]

Monster Hunter has, for a certain variety of player, been a big deal for years. The once-obscure franchise has garnered a cult following addicted to its obtuse but idiomatically playable rhythms of hunting monsters, crafting gear, and hunting tougher monsters. World takes those rhythms of play and expertly makes them accessible to a broader audience, one that might have an interest in Monster Hunter but never had the time and will to learn how to play it. Using all the power of the modern gen, Monster Hunter World strikes a perfect balance between being welcoming to new players while still being challenging and strange. Explore a vast island full of prehistoric wonders, learn them, and then fight them to the honorable death. [Original review; ]

9. Into the Breach (Subset, PC/Switch)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptYwMwxP7ho]

Giant robots! Time travel! Horrible aliens! If Pacific Rim went into a VitaMix with that one time-travel arc of Heroes when that show was good, this would be the videogame smoothie that resulted. Travel back in time repeatedly to try to save humanity from a horde of alien bugs—building, and losing, dozens of small squads of mech pilots while you do so. This is the rare strategy game that sings because of just the right amount of story, a veneer of melancholy and grief over the repetition. You’ve let a lot of people die to get to this point. But this run? It’s going to be different. It has to be different. [Original review; ]

8. Minit (Vlambeer, PC/PS4/Switch/Xbox One)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-_2rkFr5m0]

What can a game accomplish in 60 seconds? Traditionally, not much—but Minit presents a strong argument to the contrary. Think a 2D Legend of Zelda game, only you die every minute. What this means is that everything in the game worth doing has been compressed into 60-second increments, a design conceit that grows beyond a gimmick and into something brilliant. Riffing on the original Legend of Zelda is a favorite hobby of gaming’s commercial indie scene, and I usually have absolutely zero interest in it as a trend. But Minit brings something concise, and witty, and absolutely jovial to its deconstruction of the game that became a genre. Minit only asks for one minute of engagement at a time. But you’re going to want to give it a lot more. [Original review; ]

7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo/Bandai Namco, Switch)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnpmjTMI12c]

This was something of an off year for the Nintendo Switch. Quality titles abounded, but first-party flagships were few and far between; the new Pokemon games this year didn’t scratch that specific itch that Nintendo regularly crafts their games to scratch. That place of semi-nostalgic, simple wholesomeness. For that, the only game in town is really the multiplayer epic Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Far from a perfect entry in the series, it’s still more playable than almost any other game released this year. Nintendo excels at building games that are just good, clean fun, and this is the best the company they put out this year. [Original review; ]

6. God of War (Santa Monica, PS4)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0u_kAWLJOA]

The grimmer by far of the two PlayStation 4 exclusives on this list, God of War is a difficult game to anoint with cheerful superlatives—not because it doesn’t deserve them, but because they don’t really fit the mood. It is, after all, a game about a bad, violent man trying to raise a son only moderately less broken than he is. It’s a game about butchering droves of monsters and supernatural warriors, for no other good reason than because they’re standing in your way. It’s a game about going too far and trying to dial it back, maybe just a little, maybe just until you can almost see something approaching decency. It’s a great game. Just not exactly the sort you want to praise with a smile on your face. [Original review; ]

5. Hitman 2 (Io Interactive, PC/PS4/Xbox One)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4CgoNHgfe4]

If I could take any game with me to a desert island, provided that island also had electricity and a compatible game console, it would probably be Hitman 2. Agent 47, the series star, is a murderous cipher in an infinite cycle of assassination and disguise, and this is his perfect outing. Io’s latest refines the nontraditional stealth sandbox of earlier titles into a tightly wound, impossibly complex series of puzzle box levels that burst open with an explosive giggle. Sure, you can just run up and shoot your target before fleeing, but even if you survive, what fun is that? How about throwing them off a roof while dressed as a corporate mascot. Or pretending to be a tattoo artist and then taking them out when you’re all alone. Hitman 2 rewards creativity and black humor, and it can be played pretty much forever. What a game. [Original review; ]

4. Donut County (Ben Esposito, PC/PS4/Switch/Xbox One)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWt1GPkfzkM]

Donut County is not a long game, nor is it particularly complex. The puzzle premise, of sucking objects into a hole in the ground, never really gets more challenging than that, and the rhythms here are more those of a scenery showcase than a traditional puzzle game. But it’s still a delight, bright and goofy, written with a shining wit and an effervescent joy. This is a comedy critique of capitalism disguised as a game about mischievous citygoing raccoons, and, like, honestly, I’m not sure what more you really want from your videogames. It ticks all of my boxes. I waited for this one for years, and it did not disappoint. [Original review; ]

3. Dead Cells (Motion Twin, PC/PS4/Switch/Xbox One)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvGaSPTcTxc]

Dead Cells is an almost peerless action game. There, I said it. Within the framework of a simple roguelike structure—die, progress, die again, slowly eking your way toward an ultimate goal—Motion Twin has built one of the most satisfying 2D combat systems I’ve ever had the joy of getting my hands on. Every sword slash, bomb throw, and slammed door bristles with energy. The visual and auditory feedback, the speed, everything in this game’s design is built to make the action absolutely soar. Dead Cells is a morbid, challenging game, which in 2018 isn’t exactly a strong differentiating factor. But I’ve rarely, if ever, played a game that just feels so good. [Original review; ]

2. Dragon Ball FighterZ (Arc System Works, PC/PS4/Switch/Xbox One)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnyUyug0li8]

Honestly, the only reason this didn’t get my top spot is because fighting games are about as niche as they come. Still, this game is stunning. A distillation of everything that makes Dragon Ball one of the most influential and enjoyable pieces of Japanese comic media of all time, Dragon Ball FighterZ is also just one of the best fighting games ever. Responsive, surprisingly easy to learn, and predictably difficult to master, it turns the clear visual language of the anime it’s based on into brilliant play. FighterZ (pronounced “fighters,” to settle that bet) is also home to some of my favorite videogame moments of the year as a spectator. No other competitive game has such a fascinating sense of visual energy, or such clear mechanical drama. It absolutely slaps, is what I’m saying. Play it, watch it, pretend to be 13 again.

1. Spider-Man (Insomniac Games, PS4)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5-_MvCWSfI]

2018 was a conservative year in videogames. There were some gems, and a few exceptionally innovative titles in the indie scene, but nothing earth-shattering happened. No paradigms shifted this year. Expectations were rarely, if ever, subverted. Spider-Man likely wouldn’t have made the top of a list like this in a bigger, stranger year. It’s a conservative title, a triple-A open-world game in a world full of them. But don’t let that fool you: even if Spider-Man is a game well suited to a quiet year, it’s still an excellent game. It’s pure comfort food in a year where even the best stuff rarely provoked that warm, happy feeling. Insomniac Games has crafted a title that adores its source material, that shapes its entire form around celebrating it. Spider-Man loves Spider-Man, and Spider-Man is a welcome, fun, bright presence in 2018. This is a quintessential Peter Parker adventure, perfectly translated into game form, and my impression of it has only grown more fond with time. One of my big litmus tests for games is if I find myself going back to it after I’m done covering it for work, and this was one of the few this year to pass. If you have a PlayStation 4, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. [Original review; ]