My own (current) top 5 list:
#1:
Outer Wilds
Just so goddamn good. It's the game I've played that made me feel most like a detective, and that's just because of how well it integrates it all into a sense of discovery - no specific goal, just go explore and find things out. I was surprised by how well they managed to give hints to the player while also giving that huge level of freedom in where you go and what you do.
#2:
Nine Parchments
Probably one of the lesser known games here, this is a co-op twinstick shooter which is clearly inspired by Magicka. It's beautiful, and ridiculously fun to play. I actually got recommended it during an LSG so thanks Fenrir
#3:
Return of the Obra Dinn
It's probably clear I have an affinity for detective games, and of the more detective-y ones, Obra Dinn does it in by far the best way. It has that sense of discovery again, and that feeling when something clicks is amazing. Only downsides are the ending being a bit disappointing, and not being able to replay it (and also possibly the fact that sometimes you miss a clue and need to juggle people's names around for a bit before they work).
#4:
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Best RPG I've played by a country mile. It feels the most like DnD of any game I've ever played, in the sense that you have an absolute ton of freedom in how you go about doing things, right down to using strategies that feel like outright cheesing like
taking a deathfog barrel into the final fight and ending the first stage immediately by dropping it on Lucian's head
. I loved this game from the getgo, but the moment I realised I adored it was when my friend decided to flood a city with deathfog, killing literally everybody, to avoid paying back a loan he'd taken out. He then found on returning to the city that the person he'd taken the loan out from was a demon, who thus survived the deathfog, and he still had to pay back the money.
Seriously. This game is so good.
#5:
Sid Meier's Civilization V
Given it's my most played game by a long way, gotta include this. The just... one... more... turn... gets me every single time. I don't think V is actually great balance-wise, especially in multiplayer, but I'm quite good at it so it automatically jumps up a few places based on that. There's nothing quite as satisfying as sniping the Great Library and hearing five people go 'wtf I was one turn away'.
