From rural bathhouse sims to early-00s internet nostalgia and environmentalist fables – in a year full of brilliant games, our critics pick 33 that may have passed you by
Battle royale games have been done to death. But this year, one vital addition entered the arena: head-banging pigeons. Aside from creating hilarious Twitch fodder, this heady mix of rhythm game and multiplayer battler makes for a series of deliriously fun pick-up-and-play minigames, in fine feather. Bex April May
• PlayStation 4/5, Xbox, PC, Nintendo Switch
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