Feature: Pure Xbox's Game Of The Year 2022

10. Grounded (Xbox One)

Rocking into our list in the #10 spot, Obsidian's Grounded feels like it's been on Xbox Game Pass for absolutely ages now, but it only actually recently came out of early access into full release and, well, it's an absolute cracker.

Grounded has got a brilliant premise - especially if you're a fan of those old Honey, I Shrunk The Kids movies, but there was so much that could have gone wrong here, it's such a tricky proposition to get right. However, Obsidian has swerved any potential pitfalls and managed to serve up a fantastically addictive survival game, a truly unique experience that wows in terms of both its evolving layers of narrative and gameplay mechanics, and graphics that nail the sense of scale that's required to make running around a back garden in miniature form feel like a colossal adventure.

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Xbox Series X|S)

At #9, it's those mean, green, pizza-loving machines.

Tribute Games nailed it with this incredible homage to the glory days of Turtles arcade action, a game that feels instantly familiar to fans of the glory days, whilst also doing enough to modernise, refresh and reinvigorate the core gameplay components for a more modern audience. As we said in our glowing review back in June;

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is a lovingly crafted and supremely entertaining return to the glory days of early 1990s Turtles action. With a look and feel that painstakingly recreates classics such as Turtles in Time, whilst adding in a ton more detail, refining combat and giving you six player online/local co-op to boot, this is a fantastic slice of arcade beat 'em up nostalgia that old hands, diehard fans and newcomers alike can enjoy in equal measure. It is, in short, one shell of a good time."

8. Persona 5 Royal (Xbox Series X|S)

Our #8 spot goes to one of the all-time greats. Persona 5 Royal needs no introduction at this stage of course, and it's really just been amazing to get this slick next-gen version of the game on Xbox Game Pass so we can jump into our adventures with the Phantom Thieves all over again.

If you've played it before, even though it's an absolutely huge and time-consuming game, it's incredibly tempting to restart the whole thing over, and if you've yet to experience what Joker and the gang have to offer, well, you're in for the treat of a lifetime. As we said in our review;

"One of the best games of the last generation of consoles, and in with a very strong shout as the greatest JRPG of all time, Persona 5 Royal makes for a fantastic new addition to Xbox Game Pass. Atlus has gone to town on reworking and revamping its 2016 classic in this Royal upgrade and it pays off here with the ultimate version of a true all-timer. This next-gen version runs at a velvety smooth 4K/60FPS too, making for a truly unmissable experience that we highly recommend you dive right into. Games don't get much better than this."

7. Vampire Survivors (Xbox One)

In at #7, and it's an indie game that could quite rightly have cleaned up with Game of the Year awards all over the shop this year, it's totally taken the world by storm.

Booting into Vampire Survivors for the first time, we have to say, we were a little bit like "Really? This is it? This is what everyone's been going on about?" And then we played it for a few minutes, and then those minutes turned into hours, then to days and weeks...presidents came and went, empires crumbled to dust, new galaxies formed then faded and all th...you get the idea, this game is more addictive than crack. Whatever crack is. As Liam put it in his review;

"Vampire Survivors might not seem like all that much to get excited about at a glance, but what it does, it does incredibly well, making it an absolute must-play game, especially for fans of similar titles. It’s ideal for short and longer sessions, is incredibly accessible with simple controls, and there’s plenty of depth once you get familar with each character - with skill combos and weapon evolution that allows you to enhance your character's power in all sorts of exciting ways. Vampire Survivors just might be the indie game of the year and is easily one of the best games you can play on Xbox and Game Pass in 2022 and beyond."

6. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Xbox Series X|S)

We reach #6 in our countdown and it's flipping LEGO and flipping Star Wars. Surely we've had enough of this caper by now? How many of these games do you people need, for crying out lo...oh, wait, no hang on this is actually kind of brilliant.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga brings the entire Star Wars series together, all of it, even the one with Jar Jar, reworking material that TT Games has visited in the past with a modern sheen, revised controls and much more satisfying combat and exploration aspects. If you're a fan of this stuff at all, there's countless hours of fun to be had here, tons of clever references and surprise cameos and jokes and all that good stuff. As we said in our review;

"It always felt like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga would struggle to live up to its lofty promise of delivering essentially the most expansive Star Wars game to date, but the team at TT Games really have done an amazing job on it. We've still got a few nitpicks, and we also wish it included online co-op support, but there's no denying that it's a stunningly beautiful and brilliantly ambitious take on the world of Star Wars complete with endlessly enjoyable gameplay and enough side-content to keep you busy for many, many hours to come. We've been waiting so long for this game to arrive, and we're pleased to report the Force is definitely strong with this one."