I don’t know what people are talking about when they say “X year was bad for gaming” because as far as I can remember, there’s never been a bad year for gaming. Especially not since the release of the PS4. The console has been continuously getting great games after it came out.

With that being said, I’ve heard numerous times how 2019 was also a bad year for gaming. I completely disagree.

In fact, I’d daresay that 2019 was one of the best years ever in my life as a gamer. There were literally dozens of great titles released.

If you’re interested in finding out which games released in 2019 that I loved most, then you’re about to find out. You’ll see that some popular games aren’t listed and that’s because I was either not being interested in them or not able to afford them.

Nonetheless, I believe I still experienced a healthy portion of what 2019 offered. Let’s get down to business.

#1. Resident Evil 2

I’m not a big fan of survival horror games. To be more honest, I’m absolutely scared of anything horror-related. Despite that, Resident Evil 4 is one of my favourite games of all time thanks to its masterful balance of action and horror.

It’s because of my love towards RE4 that I decided to give the Resident Evil 2 Remake a try. Mind you, I’ve never played the original game since it was released when I was only two years old.

If RE4 is a masterpiece, then the RE2 Remake takes everything it did right and perfected it.

The pacing is impeccable, driving the player from one task to another without ever feeling as if you’re doing anything pointless.

Couple that together with the spine-tingling sound design and awesome visuals, it kept me scared and hooked for the entirety of my 15-hour playthrough. If anyone ever asks me to recommend them a survival horror game, this will be my first selection.

#2. Devil May Cry 5

Remember DmC: Devil May Cry? That game everyone wants to forget about? Well, I actually liked it. I mean, I wouldn’t consider it a true Devil May Cry game but it was a still a decent action title.

Of course, I was still disappointed to see characters such as Dante and Vergil being turned into edgy clichés. So when it was announced that a new DMC game was coming out and it continued the main series, I was stoked.

When I finally got my hands on Devil May Cry 5, it was almost immediately obvious that this game was a clear winner.

It brought back the easy to learn but hard to master mechanics of DMC and introduced even more depth which I thought wasn’t possible anymore.

It runs on the same engine as the Resident Evil 2 Remake and as expected, it looks gorgeous. I also really appreciate that developers decided to give Nero another attempt at being the protagonist and I believe he redeemed himself from his hormone-induced debut in Devil May Cry 4.

#3. Control

I used to be really surprised whenever I was told that Control didn’t sell well. It had an intriguing plot, beautiful graphics, and great gameplay. Miraculously, it was even made with a budget of €30 million. That’s very low compared to other AAA titles.

Then I found out that it ran like a lawnmower choking on mud when played on consoles. Being one of the lucky people that played the game on PC, it was a strong reminder of how current generation consoles were still far from being well-optimised machines.

If you haven’t played Control but you’re interested, make sure you get it for PC. If you can’t afford a PC that can run the game, just check the latest gameplay videos of it being played on the console you have. Perhaps everything has been fixed through patches.

#4. Disco Elysium

I hate reading. I don’t mean books. I mean I hate reading blocks of text in video games. Whenever an RPG like Dragon Age or The Witcher fills the centre of my screen with paragraphs of lore, I quickly press “back” or “exit” as if I was avoiding the plague.

When I was told that 99% of Disco Elysium is reading, I started looking for a real-life “exit” button. Then I was assigned to review it and thank god for that. It managed to captivate me and I would go as far as saying that it’s one of my favourite RPGs of all time.

Text in this game isn’t bombarded to you in the form of several paragraphs all at once. There are rare occasions where that does happen but most of the time, it’s trickled down to in a sentence-by-sentence manner. It almost never felt overwhelming or boring.

Although there is good voice acting, its presence is very minimal. Despite that, the tone of each sentence is clear. The writers have done an amazing job in purely using words to relay emotions. It’s a game that makes you feel and will stick in your head for a long time.

#5. Untitled Goose Game

You ever just feel like causing mayhem? Imagine it’s one of those days where you come from work tired and frustrated. All you want to do is stir up some disaster-level sh*t. Don’t be fooled by its cute art style because Untitled Goose Game is what you need.

It’s hard for games to make me laugh. They usually get the occasional smirk and once in a blue moon, I chuckle at their attempts at comedy. Developer House House deserves my love because Untitled Goose Game made me laugh several times within an hour.

Whether you’re ruining a gardener’s life or destroying the relationship between neighbours, this game will entertain you. It will probably only take an afternoon to finish but every minute spent is full of fun.

#6. The Outer Worlds

I miss Bioware. To me, they’ve been dead since they released Dragon Age: Inquisition (which I didn’t really like). Ever since then, there’s a been void in this RPG lover’s heart. The Outer Worlds didn’t really fill that void, but it got pretty darn close.

Technically, The Outer Worlds is more similar to Fallout New Vegas than other western RPGs. That shouldn’t come off as a surprise since both are made by Obsidian Entertainment. Both share the same charm and core gameplay.

This is one of those games that doesn’t really bring anything new to the table but it nails everything it takes from other games. Freedom to complete your objectives in multiple ways is the main appeal and it’s clear the developers prioritised that in every step of the way.

You’ll never feel as if you’re shoehorned into playing only one way. It’s made even better with the ability to respec your abilities almost anytime you want. My only complaint is that I wished the companions felt more useful and alive.

#7. Apex Legends

Ask anyone who’s ever played an FPS game with me and they’ll all tell you the same thing: “Burhan can’t aim for sh*t.”

I suck at shooting games and yet, I couldn’t help but enjoy Apex Legends. I just opened my Origin app and look at that, I spent almost 70 hours playing the game. That’s probably nothing to most of you but for someone like me who hates FPS games, that’s a lot.

What made me fall in love with Apex Legends is the movement. As someone who loves playing Pathfinder, the mix of running, sliding, and swinging with my grapple hook made the game almost addictive for me.

Mixed in together with the variety of cool weapons and skills that the game offers, I always felt like I was decent at the game. Of course, I’m actually pretty horrible but the game made it feel like I was good so that’s something!

#8. Borderlands 3

“It’s just more of the same!” I hear people shouting whenever I praise Borderlands 3. Well, guess what? I love more Borderlands!

Sometimes, a game doesn’t have to do much. If it promises hundreds of guns and fun co-op, and then proceeds to keep that promise, I’ve got nothing to complain about. Borderlands 3 is just more fun with more guns.

One common question about the game is that whether or not it’s a good entry point for newcomers to the series? I’d say because you don’t need to pay attention to the story of Borderlands to enjoy it. It’s just there to give you a reason to shoot things.

#9. Catherine: Full Body

I’m such a loyal person when it comes to romance that I couldn’t relate to the debaucherous protagonist of Catherine: Full Body. Okay all jokes aside, that dude is one hell of an idiot.

When Catherine was first released, I missed the chance to try it out on my PS3. I’m really glad that I was allowed to review this remastered version which had extra content because it turned out to be one of those games I really liked.

The game is special to me because it managed to have a story that I hated but gameplay that I really liked. Stilted anime-style dialogue is something I’ve always hated and this game is full of it. Thank god for the block puzzle gameplay. It got me hooked.

#10. Code Vein

Remember those people who told you that I sucked at FPS games? Go find them again and ask them about my love for Soulsborne games. They’ll tell you I’m probably the biggest Soulsborne fan they know.

Code Vein gets the last spot on my list because it does a lot of things right but messes up in many other aspects. In everything that it does right, there’s a hint of an identity that goes beyond its obvious attempts at copying Dark Souls.

If the developers were more confident in their own ideas, I think Code Vein would’ve probably been one of my favourite games of 2019. Unfortunately, it only managed to become a Dark Souls clone with anime aesthetics.

That’s all from me, folks. I’m quite ashamed that I didn’t get to play more 2019 games so that I could build a better top 10 list. However, I guarantee you that the top 5 games in this list are honestly some of the best games I’ve ever played.

Here’s hoping for a better 2020. Not for gaming but for my wallet because damn, I really need to play more games.