What a year 2022 was! It has truly given us some stellar gaming gems. As the year comes to its inevitable end, we want to look back at the top-tier drops from the gaming world. These are TAG24's favorite games of 2022.

At the end of last year, I would not have expected that the race for my favorite game of 2022 would be so close!

I had no idea that this year would see so many great games, such as Xenoblade Chronicles. The third party title thrilled me for over 100 hours. But despite a wonderful story, a fantastic soundtrack, and motivating gameplay, it didn't quite come close to FromSoftware's masterpiece Elden Ring.

Elden Ring is a blast that took the buck-heavy Soulslike genre to a whole new level.

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In contrast to games like Dark Souls and Nioh, Elden Ring gives players the chance to explore an open world setting. The in-between land, as it's called, is varied, fascinating, and always holds an "aha" moment.

The game reveals such an unexpected level of depth that you will find yourself engaged and on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

If FromSoftware manages to release updates like allowing enemy levels to scale with yours so that you don't completely overpower the wonderfully designed bosses, it could be a perfect game.

Fans can also expect some new DLCs to be released in the near future. My blade is thirsty for new food!

After playing Horizon Forbidden West, I was sure that there would be no better game flickering across my screen this year. But then came September, which brought the unimpressive and less-hyped Potion Permit.

It came just in time to fill the void once left by the similar game Stardew Valley, because the concept is quite similar in both games. Except that in Potion Permit, you don't take on the role of a farmer, but rather that of an alchemist.

Of course, there's a lot to do besides brewing potions, so it's never boring - the neighboring forests and (snowy) deserts call you to explore, and you improve your friendships and love affairs with the other villagers by doing side quests.

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Potion Permit doesn't reinvent the wheel as similar games like Harvest Moon did years ago. Nevertheless, Potion Permit's developers succeeded in tearing me away from everyday stress with the consistently relaxed – almost meditative – gameplay, catapulting me into an uncomplicated and harmonious world.

I had assumed that we were talking about our personal "Game of the Year" picks, here. And even though Elden Ring officially got the award for it, let's be honest: the honor really belongs to God of War Ragnarök.

But after Michi asked me about my FAVORITE game, I gave it some serious thought and came to the conclusion that it was actually Stray.

The idea of taking on the role of a cat and then exploring this wonderfully designed gaming world was so original and well implemented, that I often still reminisce about it.

Sure, God of War is pretty stellar, but unfortunately, it didn't have a cat as a hero.

I want to take this chance to say thanks to Sony and the developers behind the PS5 remastering of The Last of Us (TLOU), which managed to revive my love for my all-time favorite game.

But since the original came out in 2013, and this list is for the game of the year for 2022, I forced myself to think outside the box and choose a new experience.

The game that came closest to TLOU was a title that I previously rated "9/10 Slingshots": A Plague Tale – Requiem.

The game picks up seamlessly from the events of the first part, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and is in no way inferior to its predecessor.

Beautifully animated landscapes, detailed scenarios, and a once again exciting and heartwarming – albeit tragically gruesome – story that you have to experience to believe.

Though there is no cat as a hero, there are plenty of plague-carrying rats, which we can use for our needs – or perish because of them.

Fortunately, 2023 promises to be an exceptional year for gaming!