The 10 best games of 2022 (so far)

2022 has been a quieter year for gaming than most; outside a few high-profile releases—and one massive, medium-sweeping bulldozer courtesy of FromSoftware—major releases (at least, from the big-budget studios) have been few and far between.

But that, of course, only calls for deeper curation, and so The A.V. Club is here with a look at the best games published in the first half of 2022, whether smaller indie titles, Elden Ring, or big-budget games forced to exist in the unfortunate shadow of Elden Ring. Our list runs the gamut from open world epics to small-scale emotional adventures, and from obscurity-soaked love letters to the latest adventures of everyone’s favorite pink vore monster. But all our picks are united by one thing: These were the games we liked—and why—in the first half of 2022.

Elden Ring

I liked because it made the act of exploration feel endlessly rewarding. The latest adventure by FromSoftware and director Hidetaka Miyazaki, creators of the legendary Dark Souls series, expands the definition of what a Souls game can be. Set in a treacherously dense open world, Elden Ring holds secrets tucked inside every nook and cranny, rewarding the player’s sense of curiosity with breathtaking discoveries to be made. Like the rest of FromSoftware’s games, it’s hard as hell, but in Elden Ring, there’s more reason than ever before to get good enough to see it all. [Mike Rougeau]