The best games to play this Thanksgiving weekend – The Verge

As Thanksgiving approaches, many people will have the opportunity to relax, unwind, and log the kind of gaming hours only possible during an extended holiday weekend. Halo Infinites multiplayer will likely be a highly popular choice, almost guaranteeing servers will be crammed with players the way Los Angeles 405 freeway is crammed with travelers every Thanksgiving season. So, in the event you just cant connect to a game of capture the flag, or if you have no interest in the multiplayer at all, here are the best non-Halo Infinite games were playing to make it through the holiday. Ash Parrish

Andrew Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier

It turns out the thing that finally pulled me away from Fortnite was a game thats a lot like it, only set in the world of Final Fantasy VII. The First Soldier is the most unexpected of prequels. Its set a few decades before the events of FF7, exploring the SOLDIER program thats so integral to the storyline. But instead of a single-player adventure like you might expect, its a battle royale crossed with an RPG. Think of it like Fortnite without the building, set in Midgar, and with magic spells to wield and monsters to battle. You get the same last player standing thrilled, but with deeper character progression and familiar locations to battle it out in. The gunplay is a little floaty, and the map could use some more points of interest, but theres something really fun about perching on top of Seventh Heaven with a sniper rifle. Just be sure to avoid those Tonberries.

Sean Genshin Impact

Almost every evening, my five- and two-year-old daughters ask me for Adventure Game by which they mean firing up Genshin Impact so they can watch an array of sword and magic-wielding waifus explore a radiant Breath of the Wild-style landscape. Im going to admit I initially sat on this game, turned off by the pay-to-avoid-grinding mechanics and the idea it was a Zelda clone. But so far, its surprisingly deep. The initial European castle / church vibe, with fights against goblins and automatons, soon gives way to an idyllic ancient Chinese landscape, including a gorgeous harbor town filled with agents of intrigue. (Apparently, many spots are inspired by real-world Chinese locations.) My daughters only get to watch a little bit before bedtime, though, so thats as far as weve gone. This holiday, Im going to try to get us to Genshin Impacts growing Inazuma region so we can visit Japan as well. BTW, its a great showcase game for new hardware: it runs amazingly on PS5 and surprisingly well on the latest iPhones.

Makena Stardew Valley

Over the next few weeks, Ill be spending hours on a train, in a car, and in the air trying to visit me and my partners families before the holiday season is over. Ive never been a big gamer when traveling its hard to focus on a game when Im constantly worried about losing my tickets or missing my boarding time. But Stardews simple gameplay lets me drop in and out of fishing or tending to my cows in between the stressful moments in the airport or train station. My partner and I share a farm in the game, and were able to chat about our plans for the upcoming season or designate chores. The games collaborative nature gives me an opportunity to connect with my partner while traveling rather than stuffing my nose in a book while he sleeps. Its a pleasant and less stressful way to pass time!

Adi Deaths Door

I cant personally vouch for Deaths Door yet because Ive been waiting to play it on Nintendo Switch, and it finally came out on Tuesday: a land of pure, untapped potentiality. Its an action-exploration game about a crow who collects peoples souls, which sounds cool? I hear its a little like Hollow Knight, a game Id played for about 70 hours last I checked? Ive been reading great things about it on PC for months? Either way, Ive got my Polygon beginners guide up and the start screen ready.

Alice Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires 4

Few open-world games have dug their claws into me quite like the latest installment of Forza Horizon. Most open-world titles cause my eyes to glaze over once I see how big the map actually is, filled with tons of tiny markers that Ill never pick up and activities Ill never complete. However, cruising around Mexico in everything from modern supercars to an antique Volkswagen is strangely meditative, even with the throttle pinned at 180MPH. I know the map is absolutely littered with stuff to do, but Forza doesnt have the same FOMO as its contemporaries. There is a level of appreciation for the extensive library of cars that I will never truly understand, but there will always be a strange, primeval part of me that loves something that goes VROOM, even as someone who has never owned a car.

And for something entirely different, Ill likely also be spending a decent amount of hours with Age of Empires 4. I managed to bulldoze my way through the single-player campaigns (on easy), but Ive been working through the various masteries of the different civs (Franks FTW) and working up the nerve to fight the intermediate AI. I know Im not the only one with a special place in my heart for the Age of Empires franchise, but its been too long since weve had an honest real-time strategy to celebrate. Indeed, I fully intend to spend some quality time with AOE4.

Cameron Inscryption, RE4 VR, Shin Megami Tensei V

Ash asked us to not say Halo Infinite, which is good because thats what I was going to say (my friends and I play it, and its just good fun; sorry, Ash). Currently, Im hopping between Inscryption, the VR port of Resident Evil 4 for Quest 2, and Shin Megami Tensei V. To be perfectly honest, I was content with the idea of skipping Inscryption, but the industrys collective praise of it was coercive (and loud) enough to push me to buy it. Im not much of a card game person, but theres definitely enough intrigue and unique elements at play to keep me going. So, here I am, encouraging you to give it a try, too, if you have a PC.

Atlus Shin Megami Tensei V for the Switch was another game I was able to resist at first. I was reluctant to jump in willingly because earlier in 2021, I finally played through Persona 5 to the end. That was fun but also kind of exhausting. While SMT V is a very different beast, I knew the battles would feel similar, to the point that I had to stop and think if I really wanted to embark on whats likely to be an 80+ hour experience. Anyway, I bought it, so Ill let you know how it is in a year when I finish it.

RE4 for the Quest 2 is incredible. Armature Studio, the team that developed the VR port, touched the right amount of things to make the game feel fresh, yet in most ways, just as I remembered playing it on Gamecube. Im trying to force myself to take my time. Its too special to gobble up like a Turkey Day meal.

Gloria Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 Update, Just Dance 2022

Ill confess: its been months since I last hung out with my villagers on my Animal Crossing island, and even then, I was playing in time travel mode to check out the special events Id missed (like Mario Day). Knowing how extensive the November 2021 update is, Ive been avoiding my Switch until I have time to go all in. With Black Friday and Buying Guides now out of the way, I cant wait to escape to my virtual island.

Im looking forward to sipping a latte at Brewsters, getting Kappn to serenade me on the way to exotic islands, buying a sick gaming setup for my house, and even growing veggies and learning to cook in the game. So far, Ive only managed to buy one pack of the Animal Crossing Series 5 Amiibo cards, so Ill try to bring those new villagers to my island (even though I dont like my cards). I hope I can get into ACNH 2.0 without needing to weed too much first. I cant even wrap my mind around the Happy Home Paradise expansion pack yet maybe remind me in December.

The other game Im excited to try is Just Dance 2022 for the Xbox Kinect (yes, I bought a used Kinect just for this series). Ill need to work off my Thanksgiving dinner somehow!

Antonio Metroid Dread, Dark Souls Remastered

I have barely touched Metroid Dread and my SWOLED since I got them, so Im hoping if I have any time during the holiday to play games not named Halo Infinite when Im not with family or working on our Black Friday deals coverage Ill finally make some solid progress. I loved Metroid Dread from the first moment, though I had a false start early on when I got lost and thought I might have missed something important. A fresh restart from the beginning has solved that, so now I just need to play frequently enough that I dont forget everything again. Games really could use a you havent played in two weeks, heres what you were up to type of recap.

I also just got Dark Souls Remastered on PC as a birthday gift, so I guess Im looking forward to feeling some pain during the holiday that isnt related to food comas and overeating.

Mitchell Kentucky Route Zero

Ive slowly been working my way through a Kentucky Route Zero replay (which I plan on finishing during a few flights), and its episodic nature feels perfect for those holiday nights where youre looking to wind down after everyones turned in for the night. KRZ is almost all vibes with little gameplay, but Ive loved re-experiencing the twists and turns of its Americana-fueled story, which is as weird and mythic as it is deeply sad. It may not be the game to play right before a cheerful Thanksgiving dinner, but if youre looking for something to turn over and over in your mind (or just dont want to wait until Stray comes out next year to play as a cat) over the holidays, Kentucky Route Zero is well worth your time.

Ash Exo One, Ace Attorney Chronicles 2

I am both in love with and terrified by space. Exo One marries the wonder of a simple exploration game with the sheer, unfathomable terror of space, and its therefore extremely my shit. You pilot a weird, orb-like spacecraft through empty but painfully beautiful alien worlds, picking up power-ups that make it roll faster and glide longer as you learn the story of a doomed expedition to Jupiter. Visually, Exo One is stunning. I am in awe of my surroundings as I bounce off sand dunes and skip over rolling waves, trying to hit the right piece of land in just the right way thatll make my craft zoom into the cloud-strewn atmosphere. Its wonderful. Exo One feels like the best bits of Interstellar and Sunshine pure space exploration without all the messy human stuff.

During my holiday break, Im taking care of a family member recovering from major surgery. Ace Attorney Chronicles 2 is my goodnight game. Since Im away from home, Ive had trouble sleeping, especially after a long day of keeping track of medicine, appointments, and meal plans. To unwind, Ive been slowly making my way through Ace Attorney Chronicles 2 letting my mind drift off (making my thumb accidentally hit the skip dialogue button) as I work to defend the innocent and solve murders most foul. I adore the new characters and the slow, methodical untangling of plot points introduced an entire game previous. Even if some of the puzzles require fantastical stretches of logic, Ace Attorney Chronicles 2 is the perfect nighttime calming agent to a stressed-out brain.

Barbara Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins

I havent been much of a gamer lately except for a few ongoing Scrabble games that Ive been playing with friends for about three years now. However, I just got myself a brand new Pixel 6, and so Im going to be investigating a bunch of Android games on that slightly-too-big screen. While several of the games mentioned here are on my list including Genshin Impact and Stardew Valley Im going to start with Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins. What can I say? Ive been a Doctor Who fan for many years, and an adventure game that allows me to interact and solve puzzles with a Timelord is the perfect way for me to get back into gameplay.

Richard Apex Legends, Forza Horizon 5

Sure, I might turn the clock back and get into some Big Team Battle this weekend. But mostly, Ill stick to the game that the Xbox Museum says is my most played for 2019, 2020, and 2021, with a strong chance of repeating for 2022. The new map in Apex Legends did its job for me by changing the gameplay just enough to keep things fresh without breaking what it does well. Opening up large spaces for action but separating most of them with high walls has lowered (but not eliminated) the endless chain of third parties that you get on the games other maps as long as you know how to navigate the area without jumping into the abyss.

When I need to switch things up, Im plugging in my wheel and taking on Forza Horizon 5. No, they havent addressed the Horizon series flaw of having way too many options for what you can do next... or the rubberband AI. Simply existing as the first Forza game with good lighting is what Ive been waiting for in this series.

Victoria Pokmon Snap, Pokmon Shining Pearl

In real life, my camera roll is just thousands of photos of my cat and dog so Pokmon Snap makes perfect sense. Its so soothing. Theres no battles. Its just dozens of cute pokmon going about their business in scenic locales, and its my job to be their paparazzo. An Alolan Raichu surfing the sand dunes? Yes, please. A derpy Mantine leaping out of the sea? Hell yeah. Plenty of Bidoof butts to go around.

When I need a break from Professor Mirrors arbitrary photo grading the man has no appreciation for the rule of thirds Im living my best life running around the Sinnoh region with my Piplup. Im not big into the endless gym battle grind, so the contests (aka pokmon beauty pageants) are a nice change of pace. You really cant find a better distraction from family drama than hundreds of cute pokmon.

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The best games to play this Thanksgiving weekend - The Verge