Enlarge (credit: Collage by Aurich Lawson)

Before we get on to the list, don’t miss this year’s Ars Technica Charity Drive sweepstakes. You can win one of nearly 100 prizes, including limited-edition gaming collectibles, all while helping out a good cause. Entries are due by January 4. Thanks in advance for your donation!

In recent years, it has become a cliché for us to say just how hard it is to narrow down an entire year of video games into a list of the 20 best titles everyone should play. That said, I’d still argue that 2017 was more ridiculously packed with quality releases than pretty much any year in the past decade. While single-player adventures dominated our rankings this year, the full list encompasses everything from traditional shooters and throwback platformers to indie puzzles and narratives, plus a few VR experiences for good measure.

Without further ado, our favorite games of 2017 are…

20. Cuphead

Studio MDHR, Xbox One/Windows