Valheim

While it bears some similarities to multiplayer games that allow us to keep in touch with friends and loved ones who are far away, it also provides a way into the virtual outside world, to take walks in forests with people we enjoy or to create a curated community experience. It is a combination of these elements that has made Valheim such a successful and enjoyable experience, one worth sinking hundreds of hours in.

At the moment, I absolutely favour kinder games, because reality is kind of a slog, and the prospect of more hard work just makes me want to go to bed for the next year. But there's definitely a middle ground to be found here. Survival games can demonstrably be challenging, complex sandboxes that make you work for your victories without throwing hunger meters and repair bills at you. It would be nice if they could just cut us a bit of slack.

But any Valheim wishlist betrays the truth of the game's current, "unfinished" state: there's already so much adventuring, crafting, building, and discovery available—and in ways that can easily be shared amongst friends for only $20. (And if the screenshots I've chosen haven't made clear, this game can be very pretty, as its engine smothers its blocky characters with handsome effects and gorgeous vistas).