Our individual Game of the Year articles allow our lovely team of writers to share their own personal PS5 and PS4 picks for 2022. Today, it's the turn of assistant editor Liam Croft.

5. Rollerdrome

Rollerdrome

At the start of 2022, I told myself I wanted to make a bigger effort to play more indie games — or at least more than the ones everyone recommends — and the highlight of that is Rollerdrome. It feels amazing to play, like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater with weapons. Gunning for high scores, a stylish art style propels you through the air at top speed with roller blades attached to your feet. Perform tricks to replenish your ammo, and then get back to killing enemies with flair. It's an addictive loop that'll have you replaying levels for better scores, and I loved every moment of it.

4. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion

Crisis Core

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is incredibly stupid, with some of the dumbest dialogue imaginable. And I just so happen to love it. Whether I could tell you what actually happened in the Final Fantasy VII prequel is debatable, but the remaster brings back a fun combat system and the inventive DMW to hand you random buffs and abilities. While we wait for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Crisis Core is an enjoyable stop-gap to fill the time.

3. A Plague Tale: Requiem

A Plague Tale Requiem

It's criminal how under the radar A Plague Tale: Requiem is going; it's one of the best PS5 games of the year and I'm the only person on Push Square with it in their top five! I love games that make their plot just as important as the gameplay mechanics that tie those narrative scenes together, and Asobo Studio is a master of the craft. A much-improved sequel in virtually every way, Amicia and Hugo return for a bigger, better, and significantly longer experience that tells one of the best stories of the year. Please play it, and the first title if you haven't already.

2. Elden Ring

Elden Ring

As the editor assigned to review Elden Ring, the FromSoftware masterclass occupies a fairly unique place in my heart: it represents one of the most stressful weeks of my life, but I could always tell I was playing something revolutionary. I did not give it a 10/10 rating, but with a gigantic, freeing open world combined with excellent visual design and many more inventive boss fights, it's probably the most important game of the year. You'll see more titles in the future attempting to emulate it more than anything else released in 2022. A true classic.

1. God of War Ragnarok

God of War Ragnarok

The Oxford dictionary defines the word "outstanding" as "extremely good [or] excellent". Synonyms include marvellous, magnificent, superb, wonderful, exceptional, first-class, first-rate, and masterful. All of these words accurately describe God of War Ragnarok. An incredible game that only gets better the more you play. After a pretty bad year for PS5 titles, Santa Monica Studio at least ended 2022 with something quite special.


What do you think of Liam's personal Game of the Year picks? Feel free to agree wholeheartedly, or berate relentlessly in the comments section below.