1. Hearthstone

Hearthstone, a digital collectible card game, has won the hearts of millions of fans worldwide. With a goal of making the genre accessible to all players, Blizzard’s team created an impressively balanced and tuned game universe that doesn’t skimp on the strategy. Not only has Hearthstone been a huge success on the App Store, but it quickly became the rising star of the professional gaming and esports world.

2. Monument Valley

This lovely game drew many a worthy comparison to the art of M.C. Escher. Enjoy the tricky multi-dimensional puzzles, which can pose a real challenge on some levels. The soundtrack and soft pastel color palette complete the immersive experience.

3. 80 Days

80 Days puts the player in the shoes of Passepartout, the loyal valet in Jules Verne’s classic novel Around the World in 80 Days. Passepartout must undertake a global journey with his eccentric employer, so players are tasked with setting the course, chatting with other travelers and trying to help him complete the grand adventure on time. Many games tout their storytelling prowess, but the imagination and depth of 80 Days surpasses them all.

4. Royal Vegas mobile

Royal Vegas mobile takes its inspiration from noir films and comic books. Move and flip the comic panels to guide your protagonists safety away from the cops and the gangsters. It’s a clever take on familiar puzzle mechanics with music and style that are the cat’s meow.

5. Leo's Fortune

Leo, the protagonist of this challenging platformer, really wants his gold back. He wants it so badly that he risks his life to follow the trail of his missing stash through some seriously dangerous terrain. The graphics are so gorgeous that we'll forget our frustration in spots where we died over and over and over.

6. Divinity: Original Sin

Somehow we neglected to review this ostensibly nostalgic role-playing adventure, which harks back to the glory days of the Ultima series with its neat isometric visuals and epic sprawling narrative. However, what really works here is the game’s joyous humour: fantasy video games can be so ludicrously po-faced, but Divinity guides you through its crowded world with a warm smile and a constant stream of knowing jokes. It is like spending 50 hours playing Dungeons and Dragons with a very good, slightly drunken game master. It is the classic RPG for people who have grown tired of classic RPGs.

7. Far Cry 4

Far Cry 4 truly shines in the almost bacchanalian sense of freedom it bestows on the player as they traverse through its environment. In Kyrat you have the ability to go anywhere and do pretty much anything – much as Pagan Min would advocate. Here, the only pact you need keep is that with your conscience. God help you.

8. This War of Mine

The designers have built something in which it’s possible to survive, but only just – you have to plan carefully and trade well, use the game’s systems to your advantage, stop exploring, limit your ambitions to surviving the next day, scavenging what you know you can find.