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15 Awesome Games From 2022 You Probably Missed
Chained Echoes Credit: Deck 13

Between AAA standouts like God of War, Elden Ring, and Horizon Forbidden West, and high-profile indies like Tunic, Citizen Sleeper, and Immortality, tons of great video games were released in 2022.Maybe too many, and chances are at least a few worthwhile games passed you by. (I’m sorry, Signalis. I promise I’ll play you one day.)

Luckily, we’re still in the early days of 2023, and a few days out from the year’s first big video game releases, so you still have time to catch up. Here are 15 games from 2022 you may have missed—from massive RPGs to tiny narrative-driven adventure games and arcade-y shooters—to occupy you until the next AAA title rolls out.

Chained Echoes

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam, Microsoft Store), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass

This pixel art RPG launched late in 2022, but looks like a forgotten SNES or PS1-era classic—and has the gameplay chops to back up its appearance. Despite its throw-back presentation, Chained Echoes feels modern, offering fresh takes on old-school ideas like turn-based combat, smart level design that encourages exploration, and an excellent story filled with genuine surprises and well-written characters. Oh, and you get to pilot giant mechs.

Lil Gator Game

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

Lil Gator Game is a heartwarming adventure about childhood play, growing up, and loving video games. This is another game that launched in the final weeks of 2022, so it probably slipped by a lot of players, but fans of 3D platformers like Banjo Kazooie and action-adventure games like The Legend of Zelda should give Lil Gator Game a play. It packs a lot of nostalgic fun into its short 5-ish-hour runtime.

Devil Spire

Available on: PC (Steam, itch.io)

Like the best dungeon crawlers, this roguelike hidden gem balances brutal difficulty and compelling mystery. Players embark on a perilous journey into a multi-floor tower seeking treasure and glory—though you’ll have to survive traps and monsters to earn both. Devil Spire’s gameplay loop can be tough, but each run through the procedurally-generated dungeon feels fresh thanks to the numerous character classes, weapons, spells, and other gear to collect.

Betrayal At Club Low

Available on: PC (Steam, itch.io)

Betrayal at Club Low is a surreal adventure game that plays a bit like a tabletop RPG—every action you make is determined by dice rolls, even down to seemingly mundane actions most games take for granted, like opening a door or talking to NPCs. Your mission: to infiltrate Club Low, a nightclub that was once a coffin factory, and save a missing agent. As you make your way through the club undercover, you’re faced with various obstacles and decisions, and each can drastically change the way the narrative unfolds on your way to one of 11 possible endings.

Jack Move

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam, GOG), PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Jack Move is a short but sweet RPG set in a cyberpunk dystopia. The game follows Noa Solares, a young hacker investigating her father’s sudden disappearance. Noa uses her skills to explore Monocity One, battle corporate goons in turn-based combat, and uncover the secrets behind the evil megacorporation Monomind. Jack Move features the gameplay and rewarding storytelling of classic, sprawling JRPGs, all condensed into a 10-hour play through, making it perfect for JRPG fans crunched for time.

Kharon’s Crypt

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

In Kharon’s Crypt, you play as the titular Kharon, a ghostly reaper stuck within a maze-like dungeon. Kharon must possess the bodies of his enemies, each of which has its own unique moves and abilities—like sword-wielding skeletons or bats that can fly over obstacles—in order to escape. It’s a spooky premise, but Kharon’s Crypt’s pixel art visuals and chiptune soundtrack, which resemble old-school GameBoy Color games, are much friendlier than the macabre subject matter might suggest.

Rollerdrome

Available on: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4

Rollerdrome is the game that dares to ask, “What if Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater had guns?” The answer is a fast-paced actioner that mixes third-person shooting with rollerblading. Each level sees players engage in tense shootouts against NPC combatants in the deadly “Rollerdrome” tournament. The game requires proficiency with both the shooting and rollerblading; you must land tricks to reload your weapons, and enemies drop health items that keep you in the match. The entire package is wrapped in a graphic novel art style and 1970s retro-futurist aesthetic that compliments the absurd dystopian setting.

Iron Lung

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

You’re a lone explorer, trapped within a tiny metal submarine deep under an ocean of blood on a remote alien planet. You must keep your submarine—and yourself—intact as you dive deeper into the crimson abyss to photograph whatever is lurking at the bottom. That short setup is all you need to know about this exploration-focused horror game. Iron Lung is quite short, but that’s probably for the best—it never overstays its welcome, and it sticks the landing with terrifying precision.

Cardshark

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

Want to learn how to cheat at poker? Play Cardshark. This unique adventure game teaches you real-world ways to cheat at card games, but instead of abstracting the sleight-of-hand into special abilities or menus, you must actually perform the tricks without tipping off the NPCs. The game is set in Rennaissance-era France, and follows a mute peasant who aids the real-world “Count of St. Germain” in high-stakes card games against members of the French nobility.

I Was A Teenage Exocolonist

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4

I Was A Teenage Exocolonist is a narrative-driven RPG that follows a cast of teenagers growing up on the remote alien world of Vertumma. You’ll explore and document the planet’s wildlife, make friends, fall in love, and forge memories as you play. Each memory becomes a card that you can use to solve puzzles, unlock new conversations, and even stay alive. Don’t worry if you die—your character can remember their past lives, and use their experience to change their future.

HYPER DEMON

Available on: PC (Steam)

HYPER DEMON is a simple game where you shoot waves of gross demons to rack up the highest score possible before you die—but you wouldn’t know it by looking at it. Unlike most video games, HYPER DEMON gives you a super-wide 180-degree field of vision that, paired with its psychedelic art style and unsettling soundtrack, makes for a singular experience unlike any other game out there.

Lunistice

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

3D platformers were once an endangered genre, but they’re experiencing a revival, and there are tons of new ones out there for fans to pick up—so many that you’ve probably missed a few, including Lunistice. Lunistice sports a “retro 3D” art style reminiscent of the Sega Saturn or original PlayStation, but with modern gameplay and slick performance. The game’s mascot, Hana the Tanuki, jumps, climbs, and dashes across numerous levels set in seven different dream worlds. Each stage features multiple routes to try, tons of pickups to collect, and unique extra challenges to test yourself with, making Lunistice highly replayable.

Case of the Golden Idol

Available on: PC (Steam)

The Case of the Golden Idol is a surreal detective game with an unsettling pixel art style and totally unique gameplay systems. Players investigate several grisly murders, collecting clues that turn into keywords that you can use to uncover each victim’s killer and the method of their murder. As you solve each crime scene, you’ll uncover threads linking the murders to a decades-spanning conspiracy.

Prodeus

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass

Remember when first-person shooters were all about blasting big aliens with even bigger guns? When levels were winding arenas hiding secrets and power-ups? When the polygons were sharp and “high-res textures” meant 128x128 pixels? Then you should play Prodeus. In fact, everyone should play this awesome throwback FPS. While the game was available in early access on various platforms before 2022, the final version finally launched last year to critical acclaim.

Islets

Available on: Nintendo Switch, PC (Microsoft Store), Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One

There are a lot of indie metroidvanias out there—many of which launched in 2022—but you should make the time for Islets. This hand-drawn action platformer takes place across numerous floating islands, each one with its own cultures, biomes, and hidden secrets to uncover. Where most other Metroidvanias present players with vast interconnected worlds, Islets tasks you with rebuilding the world to unlock new paths to explore, and helping bring the world’s various characters together.