The best video games to offer at Christmas (2021)

Christmas is coming, and it's the very first that the JVFR reboot will celebrate! The editorial staff offers you a little help with your end-of-year purchases, by selecting the best video games to put under the tree.

Whether you're a veteran or occasional gamer, video games are great in that they have a particularly large selection of offers. The result is a huge choice, which makes some purchases difficult if you don't know the profile of the player you want to please.

But rest assured: our Christmas 2021 buying guide is here to help you! Whether you've moved on to the next generation, with PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, or you're still on PS4 and Xbox One, love Nintendo games, or PC is still your platform of choice, there is bound to be a shoe for you.

The best video games on PS4

Despite its great age, the PlayStation 4 remains a safe bet in a living room, and it is also the best-selling console in Spain. Sony fans are numerous in France, and the extremely low stocks of PS5 mean that it is still well established in all homes.

Stock problems have thus had a happy impact on the console's catalog, since there are still a lot of new games there at the end of the year, and everything generally benefits from the common backup between PS4 and PS5, but also a "next-gen patch" if you ever plan to switch to the new generation in the coming weeks or months.

8

See the priceSee the testIt Takes Two

• Breathless rhythm
• Ideas everywhere, all the time
• Visually successful
• Good lifespan
• Accessible and (sometimes) funny
• Local or online co-op (with only one game)

Uneven, but eminently generous bag, It Takes Two is a nice cooperative fireworks whose good humor is widely contagious. Accessible, clever and damn rich, the Electronic Arts and Hazelight game is a hell of a trip to devour without moderation, preferably with someone you love.

8

See the priceSee the testTales of Arise

• Graphics and AD are beautiful
• The music of Motoi Sakuraba
• The very complete combat system
• An original and interesting universe
• The scenario taking

Tales of Arise is the perfect episode to mark the 25th anniversary of the series. With a lot of work done on the graphics, the story, the music or the fights, Bandai-Namco gives us a title intended for all types of players. A huge pleasure to follow, a greater pleasure to play.

8

View PriceView TestKena: Bridge of Spirits

• technically marvelous
• A real animated film in my video game
• Landscapes more varied than you think
• Daunting boss fights
• Simple but well-thought-out game mechanics
• Well-balanced difficulty...
• Generous lifespan
• only €39,99???

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is exactly the game we imagined. Beneath its exquisite attire of an “animated film to play” hides an ambitious Zelda-like, which knows how to place its pawns very well to offer an experience that is both rich and rewarding. Simply a success. Read also:
The best PS4 games

The best video games on PS5

It is certainly difficult to find, but the latest console from Sony clearly has it in its belly! If you are one of the lucky ones to own it, there have been more games than you might think. Already, because many PS4 games have a PS5 patch (free or not), and especially because it hasn't twiddled its thumbs this year with some first-rate exclusives!

9

See the priceSee the testRatchet & Clank Rift Apart

• Very successful characters and a compelling storyline
• Alternation between humor and more "serious" scenes perfectly balanced
• Graphically and technically superb
• PS5 features all well used
• More than adequate lifespan
• Impeccable Spanish soundtrack and dubbing

Insomniac Games delivers a new Ratchet & Clank that builds on the foundations of its predecessors and makes great use of the capabilities of the PS5. In almost 20 years of existence, the saga has not aged a bit and Rift Apart is proof of that!

7

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See the priceSee the testMarvel Guardians of the Galaxy

• The humor of Guardians of the Galaxy (with a good VF)
• A colorful universe and successful decorations
• The soundtrack with small onions
• Many choices to make along the adventure
• The cooperative side well rendered for a solo game

Eidos Montreal generally does well with Guardians of the Galaxy. But the title remains much too classic to stand out from the competition. The humor is pleasant but the game lacks an obvious lack of finish. In short, it's a production without big surprises that still manages to be entertaining.

8

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See the priceSee the testReturnal

• Brilliant usage from DualSense
• Nervous and well-paced gameplay
• Perfect progression curve for newcomers
• Weapons with a varied feeling
• A gripping storyline
• Fluid in all circumstances

We didn't see it coming, but Returnal is an excellent action game with multiple layers of gameplay. It will suit fans of frenetic shooters as well as rogue-lite fans or people who seek above all to immerse themselves in an intriguing universe full of mysteries. A great exclusive for the PlayStation 5.Read also:
The best PS5 games

The best video games on Xbox One and Series X|S

If the Xbox One period was difficult for Microsoft, the manufacturer returned to the game on the occasion of the successful launch of the Xbox Series X, and its little sister, the Series S! In the second case, we benefit from a "new generation" experience, at a lower cost, while in the first case, it is a more than complete experience, at the cutting edge of technology.

If the Game Pass is a safe bet, since this subscription has a catalog of hundreds of games, including on the cloud, it is not always easy to simply offer a gift card. Rest assured: we have what you need!

8

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See the priceSee the testHalo Infinite

• One of the best gameplay in the franchise
• Classic but effective open world
• Scenario refocused on Master Chief
• Majestic AD and soundtrack

With Halo Infinite, 343 Industries clearly signs its best performance. A real birthday present for the 20th anniversary of the franchise, this title offers a reconnection with the magic of Combat Evolved in a large format version. Open world, gameplay more intense than ever and history refocused on Master Chief, Halo Infinite lays the foundations of a new solid foundation, despite a slight taste of unfinished.

9

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View PriceView TestForza Horizon 5

• Mexico, magnificent and with varied landscapes
• Gargantuan content
• Onion gameplay
• The atmosphere of the Horizon festival (and its music)
• Graphically superb!

Forza Horizon 5 lives up to expectations. If the risk taking is minimal, the pleasure of the game is maximum! With its exceptional content, sumptuous graphics, welcoming gameplay and unique atmosphere, Playground Games' game instantly becomes a must-have.

8

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See the priceSee the testPsychonauts 2

• Excellent writing quality
• Dubbing (VO) impeccable
• Wacky and brilliant universe...
• ... which retains its consistency
• Varied and effective gameplay
• Always very inspired bestiary
• Always Right Soundtrack

Double Fine revives the adventures of Razputin, the psychonauts through an opus in line with the 2005 game, but larger, richer and funnier… in a word how hundred, “more better”.Read also:
The best Xbox games

The best video games on Nintendo Switch

Nintendo's console may be a bit behind on the technical side, but it is still an insolent success! And this year, although we are still waiting for the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Japanese manufacturer did not disappoint, offering fans a plethora of games for the whole family!

Added to this is the Nintendo Switch OLED, an improved, but not necessarily more powerful version of the hybrid console, which has a larger screen, but also brighter and respectful of colors.

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See the priceSee the testMetroid Dread

• Aesthetically stunning (especially on Switch OLED)
• A worked and stressful atmosphere in front of the EMMI
• Tough bosses that increase the difficulty
• Some great staging ideas
• The 2D Metroid formula still as effective...

Metroid Dread is everything we could expect from a 2D Metroid. If the genre revolution is clearly not there, we are in the presence of a most entertaining Nintendo production. It's the perfect game to accompany the launch of the Switch OLED.

8

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View PriceView TestMonster Hunter Rise

• The Filoptere, a novelty that makes combat and exploration more fluid
• The verticality of the levels
• The return of local multiplayer, perfect for hunting with friends
• An already plethoric content that will be enriched over time...

Perfect synthesis between the modernity brought by World and the philosophy (sometimes a bit archaic) carried by past episodes, Monster Hunter Rise succeeds in its balancing act brilliantly. Rich and complete but affordable, it is a perfect entry point, not free from flaws, to discover this fantastic series.

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See the priceSee the testSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

• The varied levels of 3D World which are constantly renewed...
• …with visually very impressive sequences
• This ever-so-friendly multiplayer
• A really long overall lifespan
• Bowser's Fury, a real new adventure in 3D
• The legendary moments when Bowser appears
• Cats absolutely everywhere!

Yes, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is very generous in its content. The unique adventure alone justifies the purchase of this compilation which excels in almost all areas. Both regulars and newcomers can fall for it without asking any questions!Read also:
The best Nintendo Switch games

The best video games on PC

2021, the year of the PC? With the releases of the Xbox Series X|S and the PS5, game consoles have never been closer to being real computers! But the PC remains a safe bet for those who are lucky enough to have a sufficiently powerful graphics card, and who wish to benefit from a high-end visual and technical experience!

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See the priceSee the testAge of Empires IV

• Successful tribute to AoE II
• Eight very varied civilizations
• Four long campaigns
• Extensive single/multiple content
• Remarkable educational plan

By paying homage to the second opus of the franchise, Relic Entertainment does not show itself to be the most enterprising and its Age of Empires IV is not the revolution that amateurs have been calling for. However, it is a very good real-time strategy game that has multiple components to satisfy the solo player as much as the multiplayer fan, the historian as well as the neophyte. One regret, the technical aspect is clearly behind.

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Voir le testRuined King: a League of Legends story

• Effective combat system
• Great freedom in the creation of builds
• Pleasant graphics
• Immersive music
• Fun dialogues between characters
• Good quality Spanish voices
• Easy to play, hard to master

Riot Games' MOBA League of Legends universe expands in Ruined King, through a dark narrative that takes us to Bilgewater, then to the menacing Shadow Isles. The handling is easy, unlike its mastery, so that it will appeal to neophytes as well as veterans of turn-based RPGs. And you don't have to be a connoisseur of lore created by Riot Games to appreciate the work. In short: beautiful to look at, pleasant to listen to, it's quite simply a success with its complex but addictive combat system.

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See the priceSee the testHitman 3

• Level constructions
• Wealth of approaches
• Perfect sandbox system
• “Infinitely” replayable missions
• Nice technical optimizations
• Hitman 1, 2 and 3 integration

Two years after Hitman 2 and four years after the first opus, Hitman 3 brilliantly concludes the remarkable Agent 47 trilogy. More than ever, it is possible to approach each situation in its own way and the sandbox / guide side of the little murderer is a real joy. Impossible not to succumb… without a bad pun this time.