With so many new video games released each year it’s difficult to keep track of which ones are worth your time. Too many times gamers get excited to bring a new game home only to find it’s a stinker as soon as they press start. Luckily, 2018 was a stellar year for video games with a ton of quality titles hitting shelves. To help further separate the best games from the rest, we’ve created our picks of the 10 best video games of 2018 to gift. Each one of these games are Games of the Year in their own right and games any gamer will love. No matter if they play video games on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Nintendo Switch, these games are all awesome.
1. Red Dead Redemption II
Best for: Gamers who love games
Red Dead Redemption II is without a doubt one of the most highly anticipated and beloved games of this year. The long-awaited sequel to 2010’s smash hit, this new game about living life as an outlaw in the Wild West is bigger and better in every way. Photo realistic graphics immerse players in an immense living world where every action has consequence. Wild animals can be tracked and hunted or meat and pelts. Hidden camps of criminal bandits can be discovered, and robbed. Trains can be robbed for their riches, or stolen to make a quick getaway or just for fun. And when everything is weaved in between a grand and cinematic story Red Dead Redemption II is a game players can easily spend hours playing and never grow bored. The Wild West lives. And it’s never been more fun. Available on PS4 and Xbox One.
2. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Best for: Fans of 300 and history
Set in Ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian Wars, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is a huge open world game where players can slay mythical monsters and wage huge battles on both land and the Aegean Sea! And when we say a huge world, we mean it! A complex and detailed crafting system allows players to create their own weapons and armor that changes the way the game is played. Will they become a nimble archer who picks off enemies from afar? Or a powerful Spartan who dispatches enemies up close and personal with your sword and shield? With a detailed recreation of Ancient Greece, and hundreds of hours of gameplay stuffed full of secrets, adventures and loot, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is easily one of the best video games of 2018 to gift. Available on PS4 and Xbox One.
3. Spider-Man
Best for: Comic book and Marvel movie fans
Fans have been clamoring for a good Spider-Man for years and they finally got it this year on the PS4. Like Red Dead Redemption and Assassin’s Creed above, this Spider-Man game takes place in a massive open world where players are free to web sling to their heart’s content. As, Spider-Man players can level up to learn new moves and gain access to new powers, collect a closet full of Spider suits, stop robberies in process and fight iconic Marvel villains. What we love most is the jaw dropping animation. Watching Spider-Man gracefully swing and contort his way through the New York skyline never gets old.
4. Super Mario Party
Best for: Family game night
Super Mario party has been a family favorite for years now and the newest version is the best one yet! Available only on the Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Party is like a board game come to life with colorful Super Mario characters. Players take turns moving across the game board and competing in fast paced mini games for coins and power ups. What sets this game apart from others in the series is the creative use of the Switch’s joycon controllers which rely on movement to play. For example, players can row a boat just like you would in real life by moving the controller just as you would an oar. Those motions and the game’s quick pace combine to make every play through unique and hysterical. Fun for all ages, Super Mario Party is a must have for Switch owners.
5. Call Of Duty Black Ops IV
Best for: Fans of online shooters
The newest Call Of Duty is a big departure from the tried and true formula of the series. Gone is the single player campaign which has been replaced by a new mode called Blackout. Blackout takes cues from other popular online games such as Fortnite to pit players in enormous 100 player matches where skill, cunning and luck and necessary to survive and be the last one left standing. New to multiplayer are vehicles like ATVs so players can quickly make their way around the massive map. In addition, the ever popular zombies mode and traditional multiplayer are included which make this Call Of Duty stacked with content. Available on PS4 and Xbox One.
6. Fallout 76
Best for: Fallout fans
Fallout is a game franchise that gamers just can’t get enough of. Set in an alternative 1950’s styled future nuclear apocalyptic wasteland, Fallout 76 does something previous Fallout’s never have before. Go online with multiplayer. In this game, players assume the role of a lone wanderer tasked with exploring the ruins of the Smokey Mountains as they battle radiated monsters, collect valuable loot and make allies, or enemies of other players. Additionally, players can team up with others and craft bases and cities of their own anywhere they choose. With a huge map crammed full of hidden areas, beautiful vistas, powerful enemies and the unknown, Fallout 76 is a game that can easily be played for hundreds of hours. Available on PS4 and Xbox One.
7. Dark Souls: Remastered
Best for: Hardcore gamers
Be warned. Dark Souls is a hard game. Like, throw your controller done on the ground cause the same overpowered boss has killed you 50 times in a row now hard. And that’s why players love it. Designed to be unforgiving, Dark Souls is a game about trial and error as much as it is death and dying. And players will die. A lot. However, as players master the game’s combat system and collect more power weapons and armor they’ll soon be strong enough to take on the toughest of horrors. And when you finally slay that overpowered boss monster, Dark Souls delivers a feeling of accomplishment like few games can. The Nintendo Switch is mostly known for its family friendly games, but with Dark Souls, gamers can enjoy a hardcore gaming experience that few Switch games can match,
8. Soul Calibur VI
Best for: Fighting game fans
Finally, the hit fighting game franchise is back and better than ever. Soul Calibur VI takes the weapons based fighting mechanics of the previous games and delivers them with polish and style. With a cast of 20 characters and counting, the game offers deep gameplay as players slash, block and parry their way to victory. One of the best features is the game’s insanely deep character creation mode. With it, players can literally create any type of fighter that they can think of. The game’s detailed backgrounds, flashy effects and powerful super moves make every fight a visual spectacle. And Soul Calibur VI’s online play and multiple story modes provide plenty of reply value so the fight never ends. Available on PS4 and Xbox One.
9. God Of War
Best for: Gaming dads
Released to critical acclaim and near perfect reviews, God Of War isn’t a game you play. It’s an experience. Players take on the role of, Kratos, Spartan slayer of the Olympian Gods, who know hides from his past in the mythical Norse realm of Midgard. With his son, Atreus, they must travel to the realm’s highest point to release the ashes of his deceased wife. But along the way the two must fight through an army of relentless monsters and cruel Gods intent on stopping them at all costs. The combat is fast paced, fluid and fun. And God Of War features some of the most beautiful visuals you’ll ever find in a video game. God Of War is not one of the best game games of the year, or of this generation, but of all time.
10. Monster Hunter: World 
Best for: Completionists and collectors
Monster Hunter: World is all about the thrill of the hunt. The game has players take on the role of a Monster Hunter in a savage land full of dangerous monsters. Each monster has its own habitat, traits, strengths and weaknesses to discover and exploit. Tracking and slaying these monsters yields valuable crafting materials. Those materials can then be used to upgrade existing weapons or craft new ones. More powerful weapons will allow players to hunt even bigger game. And these monsters are huge! Monster hunters will often find themselves dwarfed by the scale of these beasts. Thankfully, online multiplayer gives players the option to hunt alone or team up with friends. Together they can develop new tactics to defeat the hardest monsters and earn the rarest items. Available for PS4 and Xbox One.