You could say that every game is an action game technically, but for this category? We’re talking about the games that had a very specific kind of action. The games that swung swords, gave the richest of explosions and landed the most devastating haymakers possible were what we were after this year, and 2018 didn’t disappoint.

At first glance, Smash Bros Ultimate seems like a simple collection of everything that’s ever been in a Smash Bros game, stuffed into a single package. And that’s exactly what it is. While it doesn’t have every mode, the series has seen, it is home to every single stage and character the party fighting game has ever had. There’s a lot more to it than that though.

Nine different distress calls. A mysterious planet. The Doctor’s first enemy, alive and hungry for revenge as all roads lead to a final showdown where the fate of Earth hangs in the balance.

Without competition, the world would be a whole lot less ambitious, leading to life being kind of…well boring. Sports games were in fine form in 2018, with action taking place on a variety of tracks, fields and pitches. Here’s a look at some of the very best competition that made for some heated gaming moments this year.

Video games may be a visual medium, but without any audio they’d just be a collection of good-looking shells that were hollow inside. Music creates an atmosphere, it tells a story and pushes players in the right direction when a game needs to pick up the pace. They’re the subliminal prods that keep the momentum going, but there are times when a game’s soundtrack can stay with you long after the end credits have rolled. Here’s a look, at the video game soundtracks that defined 2018.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is a game many consider as the catalyst for skyrocketing battle royale from a fun mod to a full on genre. Fast forward to today and arguably the biggest game in the world is Fortnite, with other heavy weights joining the genre such as Call of Duty and Battlefield. Not even CSGO can ignore the call and they …

If you were looking for games that gave you glorious gung-ho action and plenty of weapons with which to deal out some old-fashioned justice, then 2018 was a great year for the shooter genre. From experiences that saw players take on well armed cults of personality to the far reaches of space, here’s a look at the best that the year had to offer for any action junkie who was looking for quality, fun and mayhem.

For a franchise that was knocking on death’s door a mere decade ago, fighting games have certainly come a long way in the last couple of years. 2018 may go down in history as one of the finest year’s for the genre, as the pickings may have been slim but the games on offer were benchmarks in two-fisted action. Here’s a look at the best that the genre had to offer, as well as 2018’s overall king of the ring.

For Far Cry: New Dawn, Ubisoft wants to change that formula up and give players deadlier opponents to deal with. Thanks to enhanced enemy AI, the post apocalypse might just more ruthless as creative director Jean-Sebastien Decant detailed how the game world and its inhabitants would react to your incursions into enemy territory.

Nuclear winters look like no fun at all. According to Ubisoft’s research, while working on the concept for Far Cry New Dawn, areas affected by the aftermath of a nuclear explosion can spend six years hidden from the sun. Temperatures plummet, almost all signs of life vanish. If you’re not inside a bunker with food, clean water and board-games, you are f… doomed.

We saw the glory of a war god reborn, we felt the joy of navigating through New York City while spinning webs and we faced stories of a personal nature on a scale that may have been more indie in design but was truly epic in scope. How do you even begin to sum up 2018? How do you condense a year’s worth of gaming into any single rewards category? Well the Game Awards 2018 certainly did just that, with results that probably weren’t surprising.

It’s exciting stuff and we’ll be up bright and early to cover everything. Or at least those of us under 35 will. Here’s everything you need to know: When to watch it, where to watch it, and the games that are up for award.