Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

Bringing back an unwieldy legacy mech franchise, polishing it up, and launching it in the year 2023 between Diablo IV and Starfield seemed like an impossible task, but FromSoftware managed to do precisely that. Armored Core VI delivers one of the year’s best action games of the year full of thrilling monster mechs and overwhelming customization options. That the Dark Souls studio’s latest game toggles between those extremes so elegantly is part of its magic.

Read more: Armored Core VI’s New Game Plus Mode Is A Must-Play

Taking place on a distant planet in a grim future where corporate thugs and faceless militaries battle for resources, Armored Core VI tells the story of a mercenary who earns their freedom by learning to master tools at their disposal: countless guns, rocket launchers, thruster packs, and robot limbs. Combat is snappy and arcadey, while some iconic boss fights anchor the journey and insert an eerie mechanical horror into Armored Core VI’s world that leaves a lasting mark on those who manage to survive it. — Ethan Gach

Playable on: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One

Rough average playtime: 20 hours