Top 5 Best Direction in 2022 Video Games

While each of our Game Direction nominees had a different vision—from vast open-world action epics to intimate narratives about cats or cults—they all delivered fun, rewarding experiences.

— Ashley Hobley

5.) Stray

BlueTwelve Studio, Koola & Viv

Starting with the brilliant core idea—play as a cat—BlueTwelve built a world and story that fully commit to it. Exploring a robot city devoid of human life is a delight, packed with environmental storytelling, charming bot interactions, and chapters that each introduce a fresh twist or beautifully crafted level to traverse. Add in the joy of knocking things off ledges (and other extremely cat things), and you’ve got one of the all-time great feline simulators.

— Ashley Hobley

4.) SIFU

Sloclap, Jordan Layani

Sifu blends tight martial-arts combat with the propulsive energy of John Wick and a smart Soulslike progression hook. It’s tough at first, but as you improve, everything clicks. The rebirth/age mechanic isn’t just a clever roguelite wrinkle; it reinforces the story’s themes—each death ages your fighter, increasing damage but reducing maximum health. Can you finish young, or will wisdom come at a cost?

— Dylan Blight

3.) Horizon Forbidden West

Guerrilla Games, Mathijs de Jonge

With Horizon Forbidden West, Mathijs de Jonge and Guerrilla Games addressed common gripes from Zero Dawn and then some. Climbing is freer, the Shieldwing saves you from fatal drops, and the job system guides you straight to upgrade materials. Beyond smart quality-of-life tweaks, Guerrilla crafted a stunning new frontier of machines, secrets, and factions. The ruined Las Vegas arc is a standout, and a central hub you can revisit gives the journey heart. With Burning Shores on the horizon, there’s even more to savor.

— Ashley Hobley

2.) Cult of the Lamb

Massive Monster, Jay Armstrong, James Pearmain, Julian Wilton

Cult of the Lamb keeps unfolding the deeper you go. What begins as a simple setup becomes a darkly funny, endlessly toy-boxy blend of base-building and roguelike runs. Massive Monster’s art direction—creatures, cultists, enemies, bosses, and biomes—oozes personality. The adorable lamb pulls you in; the twisted, intertwined narrative keeps you there, from the striking opener to the finale.

Choices matter: doctrine by doctrine, you decide what kind of leader you are—benevolent, disciplinarian, or something far worse. As your flock grows, so do your options in the dungeons: better weapons, stronger curses, even… sacrifices. The two halves feed each other, creating a loop that’s easy to replay and hard to put down.

— Jacob Hegarty

1.) God of War Ragnarök

Santa Monica Studio, Eric Williams

Following up God of War (2018) is a mammoth task, but first-time director Eric Williams and Santa Monica Studio meet the moment. Their vision expands the world—new realms to discover, familiar ones reshaped by Fimbulwinter—and rewards exploration with meaningful finds and stellar incidental storytelling.

The team takes bold swings with character arcs and pacing, slowing down when it serves growth and ramping up when it’s time to shatter the sky. Those choices pay off, delivering variety, heart, and a satisfying conclusion to the Norse saga.

— Ashley Hobley

Dylan Blight, Ashley Hobley, Ciaran Marchant, Wil James & Jacob Hegarty compiled this Top 5 list. The video games nominated must have been released, or received a sizeable update, between December 13, 2021 – December 13, 2022 and have been available in Australia.