XBOX GAME OF THE YEAR

RUNNER-UP GAME PASS

Developer/publisher Various Format Xbox One With the present era of Xbox so creatively moribund, Microsoft has spent 2018 building for the future with some high-profile studio acquisitions, and looked to the past to help plug the chasms in its release schedule. Game Pass is now as central to the Xbox value proposition as a Halo or Gears. That said, it’d sure be nice to fill this section with three new games next year.

RUNNER-UP SEA OF THIEVES

Developer Rare Publisher Microsoft Studios Format PC, Xbox One Rare’s pirate adventure might not be to everyone’s taste – purposefully gawky and freeform, Sea Of Thieves is less about what you do than how you get there. With clever design that keeps interactions with other players wholly unpredictable, Rare’s gorgeous, mercurial ocean has given us great anecdotes and a new appreciation for what multiplayer can mean.

WINNER FORZA HORIZON 4

Developer Playground Games Publisher Microsoft Studios Format PC, Xbox One Having tooled around Australia and southern Europe, Horizon’s homecoming is the best game Playground has made – until that Fable reboot comes along, at least. Changing seasons were the hook, but the real star of the show is a new structure for open-world racing games, with a suite of daily and weekly challenges that reward repeat visits, whatever the time of year.