The gaming industry is now thought to be worth more than the movie and music industries combined and 2022 saw a continual growth across all platforms. As the percentage of British adults – and many children – that now own a smartphone approaches 100%, more of us are turning to video games as our primary form of entertainment.

Modern smart devices are substantially more powerful than even the previous generation of dedicated gaming consoles. That means most of us carry around a capable gaming station in our pockets every day.

Combine this with the plethora of apps that are being developed for all major mobile operating systems and app stores, and the result is a nation obsessed with gaming. We’re going to run through some of the titles that you should be playing in 2022.

Unpacking

One of the surprise hits of the last 12 months has to be the self proclaimed ‘zen puzzler’ Unpacking, that saw droves of us learn to find enjoyment in order and tidiness. Part home decorator (think Animal Crossing) and part block-fitting puzzle (think Tetris), the game gives you a serious dopamine hit by letting you assign everything to its rightful place.

Open packing boxes teeming with possessions that give you fly on the wall clues into the life you’re given an intimate glimpse of. Beautifully animated 3D hi-res pixel art backdrops, a matching retro soundtrack and a surprisingly captivating story make this casual game almost impossible to put down. 

Slingo

If you’ve not heard of Slingo, you may still be able to work out from its name what it is. The idea was actually conceived nearly three decades ago by New Jersey real estate developer Sal Falciglia Sr but modern Slingto titles are being developed monthly.

Falciglia had the idea of combining all the fun of Bingo with the ever-popular fruit machine mechanic. Slots and Bingo came together to form Slingo and the result is just as entertaining as you might imagine.

Like its fruit machine predecessors, there’s plenty of room for innovation within the concept and hence dozens of Slingo titles exist, at least one for every style, taste and preference. You can find your next favourite Slingo games at trusted sites like Rainbow Riches Casino.

Our pick has to be the Deal or No Deal official Slingo which adds another element of excitement into an already immersive gaming experience.

God of War Ragnarök

Fans of the God of War series have been eagerly anticipating the ninth instalment, God of War Ragnarök, since they last accompanied Kratos and Atreus in 2018. The father son duo will again be battling gods and demigods from a loose interpretation of Norse mythology with some of the most memorable boss battles of gaming history.

The games always manage to achieve an awe inspiring sense of scale in their productions which bring many to draw comparisons between itself and bucket-list title Shadow of the Colossus from 2005. PC owners finally received a port of the previous episode at the beginning of this year but God of War Ragnarök is set to be released on November 9 for Playstation 4 and Playstation 5.

Elden Ring

With a similar aesthetic, if not darker, to the aforementioned God of War games, Elden Ring arrived with a brace of illustrious names that got gamers counting down the days to its release. George R. R. Martin, who has been catapulted to fame thanks to the televised success of his A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novels – better known as HBO’s Game of Thrones – contributed to the worldbuilding of the game, providing a depth and immersion unmatched by many other titles. 

Direction came from Hidetaka Miyazaki, with notable credits in the form of Dark Souls, Bloodborne and Sekiro. The game was released on February 25 for PlayStation 4 and 5, PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S to critical acclaim.

During the third person action RPG adventure, players build their own vastly customisable character and attempt to repair the Elden Ring and become an Elden Lord. Fans of the game admired the rich open world the developers had created and the steep learning curve that provides a substantial challenge even to hardcore gamers – and only five months after its launch, it had sold over 16 million copies.

Stray

Stray is a game that recently went viral, seemingly scratching the itch that many of us had to be able to deftly explore the landscape as a cat. Our protagonist, a young stray ginger cat, known only as ‘The Cat’, falls into a hazardous walled city, filled with machinery, robots and obstacles to overcome.

With the assistance of your own personal drone, the object is to navigate to the surface of the futuristic, slightly dystopian yet familiar world, solving physical puzzles and avoiding sentinels along the way. Praised for successfully capturing the feel of cat dynamics, Stray is a wonderful slice of escapism for anyone that has a soft spot for our feline friends – with an impressive soundtrack, narrative and art direction to boot.

2022 has been another stellar year for both big budget, blockbuster video games and indie titles too and there are still some months remaining. We can’t wait to see what new developments the rest of the year and beyond has in store for the gamers.