Fortnite: Save the World is the PvE component of the cultural phenomenon known as Fortnite. As adults in our 30s, jaded and out of the loop, we wanted nothing to do with a game beloved by children and millennials. We’re all familiar with (and sick of hearing about) Fortnite’s slick building interface, addictive pickaxe-looting playstyle, and gag-worthy Disney-Frozen-esq aesthetics. But in Save the World, players do more than shoot, build, and run. They choose from four hero classes, utilize unique skills, control their own stats,

ARK: Survival Evolved is an open-world sandbox survival game that can be played solo, privately with friends, or on public dedicated servers. It has an enormous die-hard fan base who have sunk thousands of hours into the game on every platform available. When a game has an army of supporters that outnumbers the North Korean military, there’s usually something awesome about it. If you watch ARK’s advertisements and trailers, you’ll think it’s a dinosaur game. Players slaughter behemoths in gorgeous jungles under the infinite sky.

In Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, teams of four fight to the death or in missions involving the manga’s villains, heroes, and lovable tailed beasts. Ninjas jump and dodge through the air across sandy cliffs and cloud-drenched towers. They unleash fireballs, lightning attacks, and devastating special ninjutsu skills in conjunction with triangle-square weapon combos. The game animates beautifully and has some of the best combat we’ve tried, but PvP matchmaking issues and the modest quantity of PvE content made us quit before we dug deep into

Ghost Recon: Wildlands is the most pure and refined two-player video game we’ve ever played. It’s fitting that the game’s subject matter is cocaine—playing is a chemical-like experience where you’re locked into each moment, and clearing your head as the future unfolds is a struggle. Focus. That’s what Wildlands demands of its players, and the simple harmony of the game’s tools and design makes it achievable. Game time in Wildlands contrasts so starkly with other games that comparisons are comical. I was reminded of Monster