#GOTY 2020

As always this list will just be a top 5, and I might be bending the rules slightly when it comes to what a "2020" game exactly is, however these are definitely the 5 games I enjoyed the most this year.

Honorable Mentions

Rocket League - Once again, Rocket League would likely be my actual GOTY if it didn't come out in... *checks notes* 2015. But this year saw Rocket League become my most played game ever, surpassing the 1000 hours played mark. I peaked early in the year getting to Champ 3 at 1am on my birthday. and in the end managed to get within touching distance of Grand Champion in Season 14. The hard reset at the start of "Season 1" after it went free-to-play has set me back some way, but I'm still in love with the game.

Microsoft Flight Simulator - An absolutely stunning tech piece, I really enjoyed flying in this game with my HOTAS. Doesn't quite make the cut as it isn't as much of a "game" as others on this list, but nonetheless I really enjoyed it.

List items

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  1. Outer Wilds

  Disclaimer: As far as I'm concerned Outer Wilds is a 2020 game because it came out on Steam for the first time this year. I made the decision to wait for it rather than grabbing it on Epic and stayed clear of any information of online, and boy oh boy I am glad I did. My partner and I played this game in its entirety together and adored every single second. It works wonderfully well having someone alongside you to figure out what to do and where to go next. I could gush about this game for hours, days even - it's the kind of game that (as a game developer myself) makes me mad that I will never create anything that is even a fraction as brilliant as this. But, I won't say anything more here, as if anyone reading this hasn't played Outer Wilds yet, to tell you more and spoil even a single moment of this game would be doing you a huge disservice. If you haven't played Outer Wilds yet it's not just the GOTY, it's one of the best games ever made.

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  2. Genshin Impact

  Let me start by saying I didn't enjoy Breath of the Wild. Heck, I kinda hated it. Played about 4 hours and was frustrated with the stamina system, frustrated with the breakable weapons, and completely bored with it's lifeless open world. So when people were describing Genshin Impact as "anime BOTW" I very nearly didn't play it at all. But boy I am glad I did. If this list was restricted strictly to games that originally came out this year Genshin Impact would win in a landslide. I must have played over 50 hours of this _completely free_ game, and I still want to play more. The characters are great, the (japanese) VO is excellent with lots of familiar faces, and the combat is flashy and enjoyable when you start nailing the rotation of characters. But the thing that really elevated it above BOTW for me was the fact that the story is genuinely interesting. I want to learn more about the world of Teyvat because of how beautifully it is rendered, and how warm and enjoyable every single song in the soundtrack is. I've been listening to the OST on Spotify non-stop outside the game, and I can't recommend giving Genshin a shot enough.

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  3. Fall Guys

  If it wasn't for Rocket League I'd say this is the best game ever released on PS+. I'm sitting two crowns shy of 50 wins in Fall Guys and I'm only one trophy short of the Platinum. This game is probably responsible for my most heartbreaking gamer moment of the year. I was in the grand final after winning 4 consecutive episodes and I got to the crown first in Fall Mountain. Somehow I didn't press grab in time, resulting in me bouncing off the crown and losing - I was that close to the elusive 5 wins in a row.

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  4. Dreams

  I wish more people were talking about Dreams. Dreams might be the single most impressive video game "thing" that has ever been created. The way the rendering works in this game is nothing short of revolutionary and that's before you even get to the fact that it has a fully featured music sequencer, level editor, modelling suite, and visual logic system that somehow allows you to make complete ass video games on a controller. The things that have already been made in Dreams are completely wild and it's one of the most stunning technical achievements I've seen in this industry. Did you know you can make VR games in it now?! It's only this far down the list because I just don't have the free time this game demands to make something really cool in it.

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  5. Bugsnax

  Another game I have really enjoyed playing with my partner, and surprisingly by far my most played PS5 game at this point. It can be a little frustrating at times where it feels like I've brute forced the "solution" to catching some snax, but overall the game is super charming and great fun to play together.